Warm Weather and the Marshmallow War

At the previous meeting our scouts democratically voted for activities they were very interested in. At the top of the list was "making marshmallow guns." TomZ procured procedures and parts and the scouts were able to realize their ambition in a culinarily-fueled crusade!

Putting their pragmatic side forward, the scouts hand-sawed PVC pipe (under close supervision, of course!), reamed the rough edges off and fit them according to instructions, manufacturing their own custom marshmallow guns. Using their own breath as the motive force of the gun, our scouts were able to propel their sugary projectiles some 20 feet!


Cubmasters Ty and Scott assisting AA in cutting his PVC pipe for his personal marshmallow gun.



Webelos leader Chad keeping a firm grip on that pipe as BA makes his first cut.



ScottW guiding JM and DC in making precision cuts



DC and BA explore alternative uses for PVC pipe. "Behold, the power!"



SJ lending his experience to JV as he finishes up his final cuts. Each Marshmallow gun used 2 feet of 1" PVC pipe cut into 7 sections.


TA helping SW with his second cut. Two caps, two T's, and two elbow fittings finish the product.



"Now who's gonna hit me? You guys think you can get me from there? Lemme see what you can do!"



"Much obliged, pardner!"


Test-firing completed, our scouts were divided into Blue and Gold Teams. After stocking up on marshmallow "ammunition" the outdoor marshmallow war commenced.



Thankfully, I wasn't SJ's first target, but I did squeeze of this shot of him.



"Alright, we stick to the plan! SS and SJ, flank right and attract their attention! VZ, BA, and JM, stay put and lay down suppressing fire..."


"He he! They won't know who hit 'em!"



No! DS, the OTHER way!



There you go! DS demonstrating the proper usage of a marshmallow-equipped firearm.



LK charging the defensive fortifications of SJ and JM.

After the Marshmallow War concluded we gathered all the spent "ammunition" for proper disposal because:

The mess you make is the mess you clean up!

Building Our Faith...(8-9-08)

This past Saturday, our guys got together for their Faith in God lesson presented by ADL L.W.
The lecture was very uplifting and included a little homework assignment for the boys, too.

Afterward, the boys exercised their craft muscles and made Paratroopers using coffee filters, string, scotch tape and plastic toy soldiers. They were really into it.

Check it out:


Before the lesson started, the boys were awarded their Den Doodle beads and updated their strings.

Here's J.W. and J.W.2 showing off their new exchanges.









S.W. meticulously arranged his beads by color. His string looked really neat.











D.S. used the time before the lesson to enjoy the shade!









Once the lesson began, the boys gave Mr. Layne the quiet respect he deserved and paid attention to his words.

The class was uplifting.




But once it was over, jump school was in session!


The upper rim of the amphitheater served as the perfect proving ground for our parachutists.








J.M. went for the high ground to give his jumper maximum air time.








S.W. thought it was such a good idea, he jumped right alongside him!








D.S. had a little technical difficulty with his paratrooper. I tried to tell him that the order was chute-string-man, but he insisted upon chute-man-string. Oh well.






Paratroopers learn to have faith in their equipment before they ever step out of an aircraft. As such, they know for certain their chute will open when they exit.

The practice of having faith in God is a comfort every scout should nurture and develop. That way they'll never feel alone when life's little obstacles get in their way. And that way, they'll be certain that God will be there when times get tough.

See you next week!

Custom Slides! (5-24-08)

For this week's meeting, the Den and I came together to make some custom neckerchief slides!
It was a ton of fun and super easy.
Best of all, the boys really got into making them and adding their own flair to their projects.

I managed to get a small video of us hard at work...


When the boys were done, their final products were something to look at.

D.S. did great with the bottle cap and the stingray, but my favorites of his were the Chinese candy and the Listerine Breath Strips.
No more bad meeting breath for him! ;-)









M.S. was industrious as ever. He made three slides from his own stash of shiny knick-knacks. He also made a slide from a toy tank and a Martinelli's Sparkling Cider bottlecap.









M.G.P. chose some of the shinier doo-dads, making slides from an old micro-machine car, a sparkling water bottlecap and a pin from the Moran Eye Center inauguration.









J.W. got a big kick out of the bottlecap design. But his pride and joy came from the Pokemon Bulbasaur slide that his dad helped him make. Not too bad!









Finally, J.W.2 brought some of his own trinkets to make a couple of choice slides. Yeah, the tree frog's pretty cool. But the Red Ninja's my favorite of his.









What a great meeting. I hope we can try different craft project's like this again. It's so interesting to see their creativity at work!

Next Den Meeting!

Alright, Guys.
I'm back from Glenwood Springs and it's time to get busy!

Our next meeting will be this Saturday (5-24-08) at 10 am. We will be meeting at the LDS church building on Wasatch. (Wait, isn't it called "Capecchi Drive" or something like that now?)

For the activity this week, we will be making neckerchief slides for our uniforms!
We (the Leaders) will be bringing some sections of pvc pipe and aquarium hose to make the rings that go around the neckerchief.

What the Cubs need to bring are any unusual items, knick-knacks, baubles or trinkets they feel might make a good neckerchief slide!
You know, stuff like...
-bottle caps
-fridge magnets
-old toys
-patches
-buttons
-coins

At the meeting, we'll hot glue the trinket to the pvc section, decorate it up a bit and voila! Instant crafty goodness!
I encourage the Cubs to make as many as they like.
And if we've got a good and interesting enough selection, we'll put 'em on display at the next pack meeting.

Sky's the limit, fellas.
See you Saturday.

Start Your Engines!!! (1-26-08)

This past Saturday, the Den got together for some creative crafts!
Using common household items, craft supplies and a little imagination, the boys made their very own Star Wars podracers. It was a really good time. We even got to sneak in some learning, too. While they were busy at work nurturing their creative wiggles, the guys were secretly fulfilling the requirements for their Art Belt Loop. Oh, how I love sneaking in a little learning now and then!

Take a look:


The Cubs really enjoyed the challenge of creating something from nothing.
In fact, the only required item for their racer were three little Hot Wheels which were used for rollers for the racer. Everything else was left entirely to their imagination.




Wouldn't you know it?
Once they were done, no two racers looked alike.










S.W. put a lot of detail into his engines by using egg carton bases for engine cowlings.










J.W. stabilized his racer with popsicle sticks to ensure straight and long-distance rolling.










His little brother, J.W. II, preferred a more compact model for better agility.







A.H. went for a wide solid engine to help clear obstacles from his path.







And C.L. put his trust in thrust by sporting two big-bore juice concentrate cans for engines.










M.D. made sure his racer has some fly decor with his monkey air spoiler.







D.S. thought out of the box, as usual. His racer endured one of the hardest test runs, even surviving a flight test! (Sort of...)







M.S. put a lot of work into his racer's cockpit, making sure the pilot had two ways to exit the pod and he also had a seat cushion for comfort!










Finally, V.Z. gave his pod vectored thrusters for increased maneuverability.










Even the Chief got in on the action!








Yes, the podracer building and testing was a real treat for the boys.
Unfortunately, our meeting had to end on a sad note.
This gathering turned out to be the last meeting for our good friend and fellow Cub, A.H.
He will be moving to Korea at the beginning of February.
We sent him off in good form, with treats, drinks and a gift to remember us by.










Thanks for all your hard work and dedication, A.H.
You'll be missed.