Posts Tagged Webelos

Webelos Camp

My son and I had a great time at Webelos camp. For him, it wasn’t just the fun activities. An important part has to do with fostering independence and taking responsiblity. Real challange does far more than all the fake positive self esteem acitivities ever accomplish. And Mrs. Morgan, who bless her was there all week, was very good about letting the boys know that and experience that. As for me, well, I enjoy being with my family — and getting away from it all (and doing new things).

When I picked him up on Friday, he said he’d learned a lot of important lessons at camp. One was that if you were with somebody long enough, they got annoying. Another was that he shouldn’t be picky about eating. He used to be very good about trying new foods, but a couple of years ago that stopped and his culinary horizon had shrunk to only a few things he would eat. But at camp he was forced to choose between eating whatever was served or going hungry. He discovered that a lot of things he didn’t think he would like he actually did. So Friday night he insisted that we eat somewhere he hadn’t been before so that he could try something completely new. My wife and I hope this keeps up.

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A Flaming Good Time

Last night my Cub Scout pack graduated our second year webelos. For the Arrow of Light award, they had to pass the burning neckerchief test. I have to say, the boys loved the flaming neckerchief and it was easy to do. Mix equal parts water and acetone, build a simple stand to hold and present the neckerchief, add scouting candle to ignite and stand back. We also shot flaming arrows for the finale – sparklers attached to the nose of the arrow also put on a great display. Every year the boys claim the cubs got to shoot them last year; every year the Cub Master explains no, the Boy Scouts shot the arrows. For the webelos crossing over to boy scouts, I removed their webelos slide and neckerchief, then they had to cross a bridge over smoking dry ice, give the cub scout salute to me, give the boy scout salute to their new scout master who put the boy scout neckerchief and slide on them, and viola, now they’re Boy Scouts. 

As part of the Arrow of Light award, the parents present their son with a real arrow keepsake they’ve painted with all the badges, arrow points, and pins they’ve earned. I had a hard time finding actual wooden arrows, as most stores only carry carbon or aluminum ones. But the people at Midwest Archery Outfitters made the arrows up special, with blue and gold fletching, and were the nicest people to deal with. So for all your archery needs, I have to heartily endorse Midwest Archery Outfitters.

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