J's BSA Report for February 2015

February may be a short month for the calendar but it is a busy month for Cub Scouts. J's den meeting was devoted to making centerpieces for the Blue and Gold Banquet later in the month. The banquet is a celebration of Scouting, which began in February of 1910. At the banquet, most of the boys receive recognition for their achievements that year, including the most senior cubs who move from their Cub Scout pack to a Boy Scouts pack. The decorations were fun to make but, as is usual with six- and seven-year old boys, chaos threatened to take over.

J finished his last requirement for the Tiger Cub badge when we visited a radio station to see how they communicate with others. We visited 95.1 Shine FM. We toured the whole building which was surprisingly small. They do have some CDs but most of the music is stored on computer servers. The main broadcasting room (where the DJ sits and talks on the radio) was fascinating. We also met an audio editor for the station who puts together jingles and commercials. He demonstrated his work by having one of the boys record "I am a boy, I am not an alien," which he re-edited into "I am an alien, I am not a boy." He even added a sound effect to make the voice sound like it was from outer space. The boys loved it.

In lieu of the pack meeting on the third Wednesday, the pack had the banquet. The highlight for us was J receiving his Tiger Cub badge.

Pack leader presents patches

Unfortunately, all the snowy weather prevented the patches from arriving on time but the Pack Leader was diligent enough to print paper patches which we attached with double-sided tape. At the next meeting we'll get the official patches.

Taping patches on

The food at the banquet was kid-friendly fare--hot dogs, pizza, nachos, carrots and celery with dipping sauce, soft pretzels, and popcorn. Vendors wandered among the crowd giving out the hot dogs, pretzels, and popcorn like at the ball park.

The popcorn vendor

The highlights for the children were the activity stations. Some crafts and games were available, but most popular by far was the obstacle course which was open to siblings big enough to race.

L ready to run course #1

L gets some air on the trampoline

Bola toss

Ladder climb

L on the other ladder (taken with the other camera)

L jumps hoops while J jumps rope

Frisbee toss

J builds

J smashes

Walking the line

Cool skateboard move

Yes, there was a skateboard!

N didn't get to play but he was well behaved, quiet, and quite charming with other people. He helped mommy win some of the silent auction items--gift certificates to restaurants!

Everyone had a good time at the banquet. We look forward to next year!