Summer camp '15

I don't think I have ever spent a week camping in so much rain.
My camera bag was soaked just sitting in my tent and there are no pictures to post.

The craft area was well used with four very large classes. Two Leatherwork and two Woodcarving.
All but three blue cards were completed, which must be a record.

Meal times breaks and evenings saw boards of review for every rank from Scout to Eagle. It could be that the advancements were in record numbers as well.

For OA we accomplished one Brotherhood walk ... my contribution ... and one Vigil ... another night out of my week spent in the pouring rain. Luckily. due to plan "B", the candidate was able to keep his fire going and stay dry, and be awarded his sash and recognition.

Another ceremony which I missed (can't be everywhere at once), was a beading ceremony for the most recent woodbadge course. I was particularly honored because the candidate took a book I had created and put it on line and available to scouts through the internet.

Many years ago, the Far East Council held yearly "College of Commissioner Science" courses. The first year one would take the course. The second year, for a master's degree, one taught the course and for the third year, one would spend one year on a project.

I submitted three proposals and the one selected for my PHD was a reference book on plants that could be used by English-speaking Scouts and Scouters for identifying trees and plants. I completed the book within the year using a word processor. It could be printed out on A4 size paper and with each page folded print-side-out, stapled along the open side to create a small book. That was in February 1991.

It was put on line by Troop 15 and available to troops in our area. The woodbadge candidate took the original copy and turned it into a file that can be accessed and even added to.

WB_Ticket(4)_KantoPlantGuide_KAtobe.pdf  My own computer skills are limited but if there are those in the area who would like to have a walking map of trees they can use to teach the requirements for plants, or to test the scouts, I would be glad to create one. This makes it more simple for those who are not familiar with Japanese trees and plants. You just follow the map, look up the number on the map and read the description. With observation skills, one shouldbe able to identify which tree is being described.
Thanks Ken Atobe for your hard work and computer skills. I know scout requirements are always changing but I hope this will not disappear as did the poisonous animals. Of course we still need to know how to treat a poisonous snake bite but we no longer need to identify whether a snake is poisonous ... go figure????

Pack activities

I really miss the "Old" Cub Scout program helps.

There was a theme and activities to go with it ... and even plans to run the Den meetings and Pack meeting.

These days, the theme is a character point, but what kid joins Cub Scouts to have his character developed? They join to have fun!


Coming up with a game is always a challenge. It has to be easy enough or safe enough for first grade Tiger Cubs, and yet fun and challenging for Webelos,

For our April meeting, I decided on a fashion show.

Each den got a stack of newspaper, scissors, scotch tape, and a stapler.

The challenge was to use those supplies to create a costume for the smallest member of the den.

I had hoped in the end to have the costume moved to the adult leader for a second fashion show but the construction work became quite involved and we had to have a countdown to 'show time".

Each den had a corner of the activity room to work in.

Organized chaos !

Tigers went with a samurai theme.

This model is carrying a sword.

Note, he even has foot-gear.

The Wolf den got carried away and came up with two outfits for the runway.

The Bear Den did an outstanding job.


I was impressed with the necktie and shoes.
(as well as the tidy way they worked together).

The Webelos were last to finish with a rather casual touch.


It seems all the dens had at least one expert an making origami hats with a samurai flavor.

And, here are the models, gathered on the runway for a final shot.

It might have been fun to see what they would have done with their leaders,

but during this activity time, the leaders are checking the boy's books for the award ceremony to follow. Three new boys came to check out our group and are wishing to join.

I guess the game was a success.

Pack meeting ideas

It is always a challenge to find activities for a Pack meeting.

For many years, Leaders relied on "Program Helps". Each year we could get a book of themes and ideas for both den and Pack activities to go with the theme.

Sometimes we moved themes around or skipped some and added others to fit our schedule, but the monthly focus gave the whole pack something to build on and lots of fun.

In the past thirty-some years of Scouting, there have been many changes. The addition of younger boys ... first second grade and then moved to first grade ... made games and activities more of a challenge. But the hardest change to deal with is the change from fun themes to "Character points" After all, what kid joins scouting to have his character developed? It is still the FUN that kids are looking for.

This month I decided to use a theme for our meeting. Last month I challenged each boy to make a cubstruction. He was to use only recycled items. I suggested things he might have around his house like pet bottles, towel or toilet paper tubes, Styrofoam trays, used chopsticks, whatever he could find plus any amount of glue,tape, or coloring.

There was a bonus challenge to go through his handbook and relate the object to one or more advancement activities. They were to bring the cubstruction to this month's meeting and I was quite pleased with what came through the door in the hands of the  youth. (Our pack includes siblings as they desire).

Each kid took a turn to explain his/her creation and earned an activity segment. (there would have been a certificate had the printer been in a cooperative mood).

I asked the kids to put their creations on a table so everyone could admire them more closely and  at the end, rush over to take a picture before everything left. There was a "telephone" made with string and tubes, a number of vehicles including a tank and a rocket, a periscope, a dinosaur, a dog puppet. and even a very useful pencil holder.

There are many very creative kids and I would recommend this activity to any size pack.

Last month I planned a balloon rocket game and found it just too difficult to pull off in our one-hour time line.

Our game was also easy to do. I keep a supply of origami paper and a tin of pencils handy.

Dividing into den groups, each member of the group had paper, a pencil and shared dice ... starting with one and adding another once the game got going.

We constructed bugs. #1 = body and you needed to have a body before beginning to add other parts. #2 was a head an you needed the head before adding the mouth and feelers. #3 = feelers (two needed). #4 = eyes (2) and a mouth. #5 = legs (a bug has six) and #6 was the tail.

We meet in an activity room and the floor is our best work space.


There were some very creative bugs.

Beware ... no one is going to stop, even after the first kids have completed their bugs. My guys have no "off" buttons.

Two bear cubs were first to finish.

A few visitors decided to join the Pack.

It is really too bad the program helps and fun themes have been shelved. It used to be so much easier to sort through those ideas and find which would work in our situation. It was also nice to have something to hand a new leader to help them on their way. Now that we can communicate by the internet, it would be so helpful to have ideas  organized and ready to go ... rather than re-inventing the wheel.

16th Nippon Jamboree/ 30th Asia-Pacific regional Scout Jamboree

The Jamboree was held in Yamaguchi, on a section of re-claimed land. Well, some of the land was still claimed by water birds and water plants.

Japan is planning to use this site in two years for a world Jamboree. If this was a test of the site, there is still a lot of work to be done.

There had been heavy rains in the area less than a week before and much was still wet and muddy. The guide got lost leading us to our tent-site so we walked through lots of tall grass, looking as something hopped left and right and ahead of us. Hey, those were not grasshoppers. They were FROGS! Lots and lots of frogs. What does that tell you about the area?

Port-o-potties and a water supply were between site areas. Unfortunately, many troops decided to do their dish-washing at the water source rather than carry water back to their site for the purpose. The patch of gravel did little to keep things clean.

The opening ceremony was held in an open arena. It took a long time to walk everyone there so there was a loooooong wait in the hot sun.

There was a "fly-by" and a parade of country flags as well as prefecture flags... plus the usual speeches.

One day's activity was a trip to Hiroshima.

We visited the park and the A-bomb museum.

At one point we were to have a visit from the Crown Prince. We were told to get dressed in out uniforms and wait in our campsite.

Instead, we got a super wind and rain storm.

The kids hung on to our "rain fly" and got soaking wet.

So much for the "class A's".

Our area was left wet and muddy.

A bucket-brigade was formed to bail out some of the sites.

When we asked about the "show" that was scheduled, we were told to wait in our sites for information.

Finally, the word filtered down that we should line up to walk to the arena and didn't have to wear our "class As"

However, by the time we got there, the Japanese Scouts were all there in their uniforms and the main part of the program with the Crown Prince was already over.

Not much to see, as the crowd in front was standing. I think one scout on shoulders got a picture of the leaving motorcade.











We had one more trip for "culture" and visited an elementary school and the Bridgestone Tire Factory.

I was happy the next day to find my friend, Mr. "T". He was in the "culture" area doing leatherwork. It wasn't long before he put me to work.

I have worked with Mr. T at many Jamborees so that was a highlight for me.







I have no pictures of the closing show. It was so loud that I had to leave. I could see the fireworks from our campsite as we began to take things down, preparing for the next morning's departure.

All was done in a timely fashion and we were off to the bus departure site to wait...

and wait......



and wait.....

A long way off from the by-now .... very dirty, smelly,
facilities.

No one asked our group for feed-back but it seems there is a lot to improve before adding a few thousand more Scouts to the equation.

The best part?

Doing this with a group of Scouts.

A bit of "cubstruction"

Our pack activity for Friday evening included an exercise in construction.

First the wood was cut to make three equal length sections.

We used a small Japanese hand saw. The wide blade helps the saw cut straight and the teeth cut as you pull.

After adding a touch of wood glue, the sides were nailed at each end.

The Cubs worked together as a team, the older boys helping the younger ones.

A bit of coaching came from leaders.



Our activities include siblings as well.
(I was once the twin sister who had to sit on the sidelines).

After the sides were nailed in place, the third section was nailed to the bottom.

Finally the top was nailed in place.

The finish!

Line up in order of height with the shortest team member on the stool making the Scout sign.

Were those stools strong?

Did they work?


Did we have fun ... and learn something?
You bet!

And every participant got a saw and hammer activity segment.

The stools went home with the shortest team member, to use helping mom around the house.

And the best part was, I didn't have to carry all those supplies back home!
I love Scouting!

The Cubmaster's Challenge

For a few years, in my early Scouting days, I was an assistant Webelos leader until that position became open to women. When I moved up into the leadership of the den, the Webelos program was extended to two years. I saw many scouts having reached the requirements for Arrow of Light and then just wasting time until they qualified to graduate into Boy Scouts.

Soon after be coming Cubmaster, I offered a challenge to those Webelos. not only to earn the Arrow of Light, but to complete all the activity badges for Webelos, the youth religious award and earn the "panda".

Each year there were a few boys who set the goal and made it.

 The challenge came with a neckerchief slide. This was carved from "buna", a very hard Japanese beech.
The 12 points of the Scout Law were written on the revolving ball in the cage.

Then, one year, a particular den took on the challenge together and suddenly I was facing the possibility of carving many of those slides. I do not have any on hand, as like the Eagle slides, I carve each one for a particular boy once I get word of their completion.

With that in consideration, I knew it was not a slide I could whip out in a day to have ready to present at the graduation ... especially when several boys were down to the end of the wire on completion.

I have since changed the award to this slide. I was able to complete these three in just two days and they will be presented later this week. The reverse side will have the twelve points of the Scout law and "Be Prepared" written in pen, plus the name of the youth.

It has been interesting to watch these Scouts over the years because many of these goal-setters go on to replace this slide with an Eagle carving.

When I cut out the blanks, I thought the wood I had selected was Hinoki, one of my favorites for carving, but as I began whittling, It was clear this was something else. Hinoki is rather expensive but often comes in nice cuts of a convenient size, I am beginning to see cheaper imports from Asia being substituted in the craft stores. I had looked at the thickness and grain and probably should have checked the little sticker on the end of the piece.
This wood was a bit harder and knife cuts were difficult to sand off. I enjoyed thinking of the three boys. One of them I have known from his pre-school days and hope to know in years to come. In a Pack where families come and go each year, where requirements are written for a smaller community that speaks English,  to find three youth giving the challenge a serious try is a great reward for time spent in Scouting.

Still more Pinewood Derby cars

After finishing the Zodiac series, I have gone back to puzzling over what to do each year.

Since 2007 was Scouting's anniversary year, I made a car of "B.P.,resting up for 100 more years.

And another view of the same car. The patrol flag is attached to the top of his walking stick.

2008 "Red Arrow"
Modeled after the OA arrowhead, I thought this car would be a lot faster than it was.

2009, another anniversary year for Scouting, I made an American Eagle.

Taking a lesson from the cock car, I tucked the feet underneath.

He got a prize at the District open competition.

2010

"Carpe Diem" is modeled after the carp streamers flown on May 5th for "Boy's Day".

A "Winning Smile" 2011 was not hard to make and it ran quite well.

This " Good Luck Cat" was a winner in 2012.

The right paw raised beckons in good luck and he is holding a lucky coin in the other paw.

This car took first place in the Pack and District competitions.
I guess he was lucky.

This year's car, 2013, was "Very Hungry for Victory"

Unfortunately, he hit a snag the first time down the track and flipped over.
The track had been assembled by our sponsoring organization without a whole lot of understanding about putting the rails together. We could fix some parts with a socket wrench but next run he flipped again and broke a wheel which sailed across the room, hitting the far wall.

He limped to the end of the track and failed to place. This is the first time my car was not even in the running ... much to the joy of my competitors. I rather imagine I will not be allowed to forget this one!.

So, that is my car history. Many of these cars have participated in the BSA National Jamboree over the years, on display in the Boys'Life Whittlers booth. I have been told there will be no Whittling display at this year's Jambo.

They have also appeared on display at both American and Japanese derby races. I am always looking for ideas for next year so if you have any good ideas, please leave me a comment.