Game On!!! (12-22-07)

This past Den Meeting, the boys and leaders got together for another day of broomball.
It was a great time. Everyone participated played hard and did their best.

Here's the ADL setting up the teams for a face-off.








And there they go.
These scrimmages really helped the boys build on their teamwork.







We kept a score to help keep the teams focused. But in the end, there were no winners or losers. Everybody played hard and celebrated each other's successes. It was very inspiring.





The schedule has changed! We will not be going to Winter Camp this Saturday! That function has been canceled!!

Instead the ADL will preside over our next den function, which will meet this Saturday at his home (#3 Medical Plaza) between the Medical Towers. Time will be 10:00 am.
(Sadly, V.Z. and I will not be able to attend because we'll be visiting friends in Idaho.)

As for the activity, the Den will be heading out to go sledding. So be sure to dress warm and bring an implement suitable for sliding down a snowy hill! (Parents, it sure would be nice if someone could give my ADL a hand with transportation, supervision, etc.)

I hope it's a great meeting!

Pack Meeting 12-14-2007

Our last Pack Meeting was a great success.

The Cubmaster had the boys playing games, solving puzzles and singing songs.
Our guys (M.D., S.W. and A.H.) did a great job acting as colorguard. And the awards were terrific. All our boys got something!

To top it all off, two of our Cubs were awarded their Wolf Badges through a knightly induction ceremony conducted by the Cubmaster. I hope its an experience that all our boys can share. Congratulations to C.L. and V.Z. for their entry into the Order of the Wolf!


Well, back on task!
Our next Den Meeting is going to be this Saturday, December 22nd at the LDS building on Wasatch Drive. The time will be 10:00 am.
We'll be playing Broomball again, so everyone be sure to dress for activity and for goodness sake, bring a broom!

Parents, Siblings and Friends are also invited. The more, the merrier!

I hope to see everyone there!

Doing the Right Thing... (12-08-07)

This past Saturday, the boys and I discussed the importance of making good decisions and listening to our conscience.

We went over a few social scenarios and talked about how the right way isn't always the easiest way.

The boys were very smart and insightful when it came to doing the right thing. Pat yourselves on the back Parents, because the Cubs are listening to all your great counsel!

Anywho, all the Scouts that attended this meeting were checked off for Achievement #12 in the Wolf Handbook. Huzzah!

Alright!
Our next gathering will be the December Pack Meeting to be held this Friday (12-14-07) at the LDS Church Building on Wasatch Drive. It will start promptly at 6:30 pm.

This is going to be a great meeting!!!
We've got a ton of awards to give out and two of our Cubs will be receiving their Wolf Badges!
The Pack Leadership has even worked out a special ceremony to make the occasion one to remember.

I hope to see everyone there.

Next Den Meeting

Hello All,

Our next Den Meeting is going to be this Saturday, December 8th at the LDS building on Wasatch Drive. The time will be 10:00 am.

We will be focusing on Wolf Achievement #12, "Making Choices."

I hope to see all our boys there.

Tom

Patch Requirements...

All our Cubs should have these patches:


A GSL Council Patch




Pack Numbers





Some of our Cubs have also got these awards:







I've got records of who has what.
E-mail me with any questions. :-)

Thanks!

Our New Year's Resolution for 2008...

Memorandum

To: All East Village Cub Scouts and Parents

From: Tom C. Zumbado (Den Leader) and the Den Leadership Team

Re: 2008 New Year’s Resolution

With the new year coming quick, the Den has decided to embrace a New Year’s Resolution for 2008! Starting our first January meeting (1-5-08), the boys are resolved to have clean, complete and correctly patched uniforms in hopes of improving Den esprit d’corps and looking their best. What this means for Parents is that the time has come to update their son’s uniform by sewing (or gluing) on the correct council patches, pack numbers and awards. (I have great tips on how to do this without sewing! E-mail me!)

Naturally, this may prove to be a daunting task for some. But as the Den Leader, I might be able to use some of our Den Funds to help alleviate patch costs. Just e-mail me with any of the patches your boy might need and I’ll do my best to get them to you. In other words, I’ll pick up the tab if you sew (or glue) the patches on! Fair deal, no?

More details will be available on the blog!

In exchange for the efforts of Cubs and Parents, we the leaders resolve to create a dynamite program that they’ll never forget! One field trip per month and plenty of opportunities for awards!

On top of that, a new merit system is going to be instituted to urge the boys to keep up the good work. It’s called C.U.B.S. and it uses a Den Doodle to let the boys display their good Cub Scout habits. In a nutshell, the boys get beads for being prepared for meetings. As they collect beads, they can exchange them for better tokens that they can display on the Den Doodle. It gives them plenty of incentive to do their best and be recognized among their peers.

Come to meeting, Wear your Uniform, Bring your Book, Tuck in your Shirt…

Be recognized for excellence!

Hard At Work!

Today, the Den Leadership got together to discuss the status and future of our Den.
It was a very productive meeting!
We came up with a great schedule of activities, worked on new policies and even rounded out the Den's New Year's Resolution!

I'll be sending out a memo on the new policies along with the new schedule this week.
Parents, be sure to read up on them and send me any questions that may arise.
Your opinion counts, too!

Thanks in advance,

Your Den Leadership

Back to Basics (12-01-07)

In our last Den Meeting, the boys and leaders reviewed the Bobcat Basics.
Certainly, this was a great opportunity for some of our boys to check off these requirements.
But for the majority of our guys, this served as a wonderful way to review some of the most important features of being a Cub Scout.

Afterwards, I made some announcements and helped the boys decide on a great New Year's Resolution for the Den.

Not to worry, Parents. You'll all be getting a separate memo on the details and how to best help the Den meet their goal. :-)

Finally, the Den went out into the front yard and had a great snowball fight!
It was a fantastic time! By the time it was over, everyone was tired, cold and happy.

Great work, Cubs!

Next Den Meeting!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

The next Den Meeting will be this Saturday, December 1st at 10:00 am.
We will be meeting at the LDS Ward building on Wasatch Drive (Please call me if you need directions).

We will be discussing some new Den policies, brushing up on our Bobcat Basics and wrapping it up with a good ol' snowball fight in the yard! (Provided the snow's still around.)

Please be sure to wear your uniform (with neckerchief) and bring your handbook.

I hope to see everyone there!

Being Better Citizens (11-16-07)

Whew.
Sorry it's been so long since my last post. (School, Thanksgiving and all that...)

Anywho,
At our last Den Meeting, the Boys and I met with the West Village Den for a fine lesson on being a better citizen.

But I on the other hand, I got a great lesson on some Den Leader how-to's! (Thanks, D.B.!)

Take a look!

The Cubs got to mingle a little before the opening ceremonies kicked off.

It was great to see the Pack work together!






Eventually, it was on to business!
The goal for the meeting was for the boys to earn their Citizenship Belt Loop. That meant there were a few tasks the Cubs had to perform to make it happen.





The first step was to make a list of chores the guys would perform at home to help out their parents.
(I hope you did them, fellas. I'll be sure to ask your folks! ;-)






After the chore list, the Cubs drew pictures on how they could be better citizens in their communities.

Here's M.S. and S.W. brainstorming on how they can do their best!





Don't forget M.D. and J.W.!
They also drew pictures on how to be better citizens.







Once the posters were complete, they jumped right into the service project.
The Cubs made newborn baby hats for poorer families all over the world.

It looks like D.S. has got a handle on the folding!



And here's V.Z. with the finished products. All together, the boys made over one hundred hats that day.

It was a proud moment.





Well, the Thanksgiving Holiday has come and gone.
I hope everybody got plenty to eat!

Our next get together is going to happen this weekend.
It might be a Pack Meeting....
or it might be a field trip....
or we might just be meeting at the LDS Ward as usual...
But one way or another, we will be meeting this weekend!

Never fear, Parents. I'll be in touch with each and every one of you by Wednesday, the 28th with the details.

Please pardon the technical difficulties!

Schedule Change!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the Pack Meeting for this Friday has been canceled.

Instead, our Cubs will be meeting with the West Village Den at the LDS Stake Center on Sunnyside this Friday at 3:00 pm.

We will be knocking out the requirements for the Citizenship Belt Loop as well as building inter-pack relations!

It's sure to be a good time.
I hope to see all our boys there.

Thanks a bunch.

A Look at Autism (11-10-07)

This week, the boys took a tour of the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children With Autism.
While there, they learned about what Autism is, how the school functions and how Autism affects their fellow scout, V.Z.


Take a look!





Here's our host, Ms. Robin!
She was nice enough to teach the Scouts and lead the tour.
Thanks to her instruction and years of experience, the boys are a lot more savvy about Autism and how it affects other people.

She definitely gets a big "THANK YOU!"


While there, the Den got to see how the classrooms were set up and they even got to practice their American Sign Language by reciting the Law of the Pack and the Cub Scout Motto!






Once the tour was over, the Cubs were treated to a session at the Pingree playground!

The tire swing was by far, the MVP!








But that doesn't mean the boys didn't enjoy the other stuff, too.








Hey!
Who's that standing next to M.G.P?

That's our newest Cub, M.S!
He comes to us all the way from Kansas.
Welcome aboard!






Yep, the boys had a lot of fun.
And in our usual stealthy way, the fun they experienced was layered with learning and knowledge that they'll hopefully carry for the rest of their lives!

Good work, Guys!

How sweet it is...

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the GSLC Pow-Wow held at Juan Diego HS.
From all across the valley, people came together to exchange information and share in the experience of being a Cub Scout Leader.

For me, the event helped me develop better as a leader and taught me valuable skills that can hopefully make our program one to remember!

Oh yeah. And I finally finished my BSA Basic Training, too.
You know what that means...

I really envy the boys sometimes.
I had forgotten how cool it felt to earn a Boy Scout badge.


Anyhow, I'd recommend attending a Pow-Wow to any leaders that wished to improve themselves and their Cub Scout life. It was a wonderful occasion and I'll be sure to go to next year.




They had quite the spread!








Hey! It's D.B. from the West Village Den!
I guess great minds do think alike!

I've got to give her an honorable mention for all the helpful in-the-trenches info she imparted to me.
Thanks for all the helpful advice!

He shoots, HE SCORES!!! (11-01-07)

The Thursday night Broomball meeting was an absolute hit!!!
The boys got a kick out of running drills, relays and scrimmaging. In the end, the boys were sweaty tired and happy.

When I inquired as to whether or not the boys would like to try again on a later date, the answer was a unanimous "YES!"

The ADL and I were very proud of them. They scrambled hard and gave it their all. Next time, we'll work on some player-to-player defense and scrimmage a whole lot more!

Great work, guys!

Alright, everyone. Check your schedules!
Ms. Gochnour was beside herself for forgetting to let us into the school on 10-20-07, she has offered to teach the Den about V.Z's disability, Autism.

As such, our next meeting will be held at the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children With Autism. It will be held on Saturday, 11-10-07 at 10:00 am.

Incidentally, this course will count towards the GSLC “Ability Awareness Patch,” which is awarded to Cub Scouts who take the time to learn about what it means to be disabled.
I hope to see you all there. Map!

Broomball, Take 2...

(Ok, let's give this another shot.)

Our next den meeting will be this Thursday (11-01-07) at 6:30 pm.
We'll be meeting at the LDS Ward on Wasatch Drive.


Now hear this!
It's time for a team-building activity...
We'll be meeting in the ward gym to play some Broom-ball!
It's just like ice hockey but without the pads, pucks and ice.
It will also earn the boys an arrow point, too! Specifically, E4f (WHB, p. 131).

My only requests are that the boys:
- bring a broom (just like the one you sweep your kitchen with)
- a pair of gloves (to protect their hands)
- dress for physical activity (t-shirts, sweats and sneakers)

Parents, bring some gym clothes and join the fun!
It's sure to be a great time.
And who knows?
If this takes off, we can invite the West Village Den to join us next time!
See you there!

Please e-mail me if there are any questions.

Tool Time (10-27-07)

Saturday's Den Meeting was an absolute hit.

Our ADL put on a great class and helped the boys learn a ton about hand tools and their uses.
For their building project, the guys built do-it-yourself pneumatic rocket launchers. They were really excited and eager to get their hands busy with the tools. And even though it sometimes took a bullhorn to get them to listen to instructions, they all played it safe and paid attention when it counted. In the end, all the Cubs were able to check off Wolf Achievement #5.
But a picture's worth a thousand words:
Here's a group picture taken before the meeting started.
Look at all those smiles!







The first part of the class consisted of learning the different tools and their functions...







...Like how to pull a nail with a hammer.








...Or how to use a screwdriver.








Even the Cubmaster got in on some of the fun by helping out with instruction.







When the time finally came to start building the launch pads, the boys were all ears.







Everyone worked hard and did their best!








Here's M.G.P. with the near-final product.








J.W. works diligently on his base.











Here's some of the boys gathering close for a demonstration.








And of course, what would a work day be without a couple of breaks in between? ;-)







All in all, it was a great day.
The Cubs participated in a great activity and afterwards thanked the ADL for his hard work.







Before I go, I wanted to thank Cub Scout A.H. for his excellent work as Den Bannerman. His dedication to responsibility ensured that the Den Flag made it to every meeting possible and was cared for in between.
Now, the mantle of Den Bannerman has been passed to a different Cub for the month of November. And I have no doubt that he'll continue to uphold the high standards set by this very important duty.
Take care of our flag, S.W.
We're counting on you!