What a Year of Scouting

Hello everyone,

This is the first time I am writing a blog, and I hope that it goes well.  I cannot believe what a year we had with the Scouts.  There were so many fun things we did, and I had a new adventure becoming Assistant Cubmaster for the Pack.  I want to thank all of the parents who have helped me along the way with this.  I could not have done it without all of you.

We started off the year with our usual business of getting everyone registered and ready to go in September.  Then in October we had a Halloween Fun Night and we invited people to come and see what we were all about.  We had an eyeball relay, mummy wrapping contest, and the boys favorite was the donut eating contest.  They had to eat donuts from a string without using their hands.  It was a lot of fun.  To finish off October, some of our Pack went to Camp Glen Grey for a Spook-a-ree.  They spent the day hiking, carving a pack pumpkin, doing archery, and much more.  The boys had so much fun that we plan on doing it again this year but we will be camping there in the cabins as well.  Save the date (October 13th-14th).

November and December were a blur.  They went by so fast, that unfortunately we did not have any Go See It adventures, but that will change for the upcoming year.  In January the boys had a blast because we camped out on the Battleship NJ.  It was cold, but that did not bother the boys at all.  They got a tour of the ship, slept in the tight bunk quarters, and got to learn a lot about history as well.  It is something that they will never forget.

In February, the boys started working on their carving skills for the Pinewood Derby.  This is every scouts favorite time of year.  I am never sure who is more excited, the dads or the scouts.  There were so many awesome looking cars this year, and the races went smoothly.  The winners received some really cool looking medals this year, and the overall winner (Matthew Bathman) received a trophy as well. We cannot wait for the next derby!

In March, we had a sad and proud moment all at the same time.  Nine of our Webelos scouts crossed over to Boy Scouts at our annual Blue and Gold Dinner.  We are so proud of all of the boys and we hope that they are having a great time in Boy Scouts.

In April, we discussed taking care of the earth and helping it by planting and recycling.  The boys learned how to make Terrariums out of water bottles.  The boys recycled over 100 waterbottles and cut them all to prepare them for making terrariums.  They planted basil, and within a week they saw the sprouts.  They could not believe how it worked, and they could not wait to teach others how to make them.

May was such a busy month for us.  We had a pack trip and we were involved in 3 town events.  The kids went to Sterling Mines to work on their Geologist belt loops.  They got to tour the mines and search for rocks and minerals to keep when they were done with the tour.  The pack also participated in the YMCA's first multicultural night.  Our scouts represented America and lead everyone in the flag salute.  They even participated in the fashion show.  Next, our scouts ran a table at the oval for Youth Appreciation Day.  They got to teach other children and parents how to make terrariums.  We did not get through all of the bottles that the boys cut, but we did make sure to recycle them after the event.  Last, we participated in the very hot Memorial Day Parade.  The boys did a great job of waiting their turn and marching.  They were so proud, and so was I.

Finally, June was the end of our yearly fun, so we wanted to make it big.  We had our annual family fun night.  The parents and kids versed each other in kickball, and the parents won!  After a snack, we did our first raingutter regatta.  The boys made boats and raced them in the water by blowing on the sails.  They made some excellent looking boats and they did a great job racing them.  Since this was our first year, we did not do it for prizes, but we think we are going to make it more official for next year.  No matter what, it was fun!  The scouts then received recognition and awards for a job well done.  We had many Webelos 1's receive their patches, and we had other scouts move up the ranks as well.  We are so proud of all of them.

Our kickoff to summer also took place in June.  Many of our boys attended the Scout Night at the Jackals game on June 22nd.  Little did we know that we were in for a real adventure.  The Jackals tied the game and it went into extra innings.  The game was in the 15th inning when it turned to midnight.  The Can-Am League rules say that they cannot start a new inning after midnight.  The game was suspended to the next day.  After the players got off the field, our scouts were able to finally set up camp on the field.  They worked hard to get the tents up before the lights went out at 1am.  It was a long night, but a lot of fun.

As I look back at this year, I cannot believe how much we have accomplished in just 10 months.  The boys and parents worked so hard.  We hope to have even more fun adventures planned for the upcoming year.  If you are interested in learning more about us or seeing some of the pictures from our events, then visit our website at www.pack59livingston.org.