Almost the end of 2013

We've just had our pre Christmas meeting and said a sad "goodbye" to Mathilda, our oldest Cub. The year's almost over, but before we forward to 2014 and all the excitement that a new year brings, I'd like to take a moment or two to look back.

Firstly, do we have a photograph that sums up 2013? I've chosen one taken at the end of the Saturday on camp at Blackwell in the summer. Not all the Cubs are in it, there's no-one dangling off the end of a rope or doing anything spectacular. It's simply one of some Cubs gathered around a fire, toasting marshmallows at the end of a long day of activities.

We have a group of Cub Scouts who attend many different schools, have diverse interests and, because they are aged from 7 to 10, different levels of self-confidence. On camp, the camaraderie this year was very good - not surprising really; they are a lovely bunch of young people who are a credit to their parents.

In 2013, they gained a lot of badges! In fact, 195 of them!! The top five were:

1. Service Awards (17 of these)
2. Global Challenge Award and Local Knowledge Activity badge (16 of both)
3. Navigator and Artist Activity badges (15 of both).

I'm actually really pleased that our most given out badge is for service. It shows that the Cubs enjoy what they are doing.

We've been out-and-about more this year, thanks to the minibus provided by our Group Scout Leader and sponsored by his business Morris MOT Centre (with Andy moving on, we'll miss that next year).

But, we can always do more. That's where the thinking about 2014 starts....

Paul Sanders

(Akela)

Our two newest Cubs

It is always nice to welcome young people from our Beaver Colony. Last night, Kieren and James swam up and were greeted by three Cubs representing the Pack.

Well done to James for also completing his Chief Scout's Bronze award and his two year service badge. Both Beavers have already been to two Cub meetings and have settled in really well.

Tea (light) time ...

At the meeting this week, the Cubs created tealights from glass jars that they had brought in.

Lots of concentration on getting the designs right and making the best use of the range of glitter colours available. Finally, each Cub lit their tea-light candle, Akela dropped it in, off went the main lights and we admired the work!



Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was the Patron of Scouts South Africa. He received the Africa Elephant, Africa’s highest Scouting Award.

"The importance of a high moral code, which is at the foundation of the Scout movement, cannot be stressed too highly." - Nelson Mandela



Tuesday 3rd December 2013

We were "lost at sea" for the first part if the meeting in our badly damaged boats with 15 items that we'd been able to recover. Each boat of 3 or 4 Cubs had to rank the 15 items from most to least important. This was all part of the Creative Challenge Award problem solving module.
So, which of these 5 from the 15 would be your most important 2?

1. Maps of the Ocean
2. Transister radio
3. Shaving mirror
4. A 25 litre container of water
5. A 10 litre can with a mixture of oil and petrol

This is an exercise put together by the US Coastguard and used usually by adults.. The answers are after the game photograph.

 

We also played a game that we haven't done for a while. Can you get your shoe back without the Shoe Protectors getting you?

Christopher and Mathilda are doing their best not to get whacked by Kieren and Courteney!

 

So, the answers to the ranked one and two items in this US Coastguard exercise are:

1. Most important is the shaving mirror as:
   

   "Of all the items, the mirror is absolutely critical. It is

   the most powerful tool you have for communicating

   your presence. In sunlight, a simple mirror can

   generate five to seven million candlepower of light.

   The reflected sunbeam can even be seen beyond

   the horizon."
   
2. Next is the 10 litre can with a mixture of oil and petrol as:
   

   "The second most critical item for signaling. The

   mixture will float on water and can be ignited using

   the matches."
   

How did you do?

 

Getting ready for Christmas

We started making some decorations for our headquarters this week as well as getting a tree dressed in blue and gold.

 

There's still a bit to do next week, but at least it will feel more like the big day is getting closer.





Well Done Mathilda & Molly

Mathilda & Molly were presented with their Chief Scout's Silver Award at our meeting on 11th October. The presentation was made by Wendy Williams, West Warwickshire District Commissioner. To achieve this award, both of them have had to completed and gain the six Challenge Awards. Not every Cub does this - Mathilda and Molly are only the third and fourth 1st Wilmcote Cubs to get this award and the first girls.

We are very proud of them!

Well done Molly

Well done Mathilda



11th November meeting

We meet on Monday this week - the first of two to suit Leader availability. It was a BIG night for badge presentations, but we also managed some Global Challenge work and some game:

 

The Cubs are actually going backwards in this hockey stick relay!

 

JUMP! Or, you lose a "life" (notice one or more sleeves rolled up).



5th November meeting - Guy Fawkes theme

We experimented a bit this week with some of the practical activities.

The sparkler chocolate fingers worked really well and were very tasty!



 

The paint rockets varied from the limp to the spectacular - the trouble was we didn't know which were explosive and which ones weren't. The one that hit the ceiling at speed was very spectacular!!

  

 

We ended up with flicking the paint on the black paper in a more "modern art" sort of way.

 

And finally, the glass jars with the water "fireworks" also varied from the fantastic to the "why did I bother?"

 

But, we finished the night with toasting marshmallows over the fire outdoors and safely enjoying Sparklers. No failures in either of those!



Pack Night on 22nd October.

Tonight we made edible camp fires. All it took was a biscuit base (the ground), chocolate spread (for the mud), mini-marshmallows (for the stones), chocolate matchmakers (the wood) and strawberry shoes laces (to create the flames). We had some really good efforts:

 Callum's

  Lucy's

 Jacob's



Funny Things Scouts say...

Reported in the October/November Scouting magazine;

Before a Scouts Own (Campsite Service) -
Leader: "How do you start a prayer?"
Beaver: "Capital letter?"

At District Camp -
Cub: "I've lost the rest of my Pack"
Leader: "Don't worry, we'll find them. Which Pack are you with?"
Cub (after some thought): "Er, can't remember. But the Leader is called Akela."

Meeting Scouting Ambassador Julia Bradbury -
Leader: "Has anyone got a question for Julia."
Beaver, putting up his hand: "Julia. How big is a daddy whale?"

First Aid Training -
Trainer, holding up a pair of latex medical gloves: "When should you wear these?"
Scout: "When you have to cut the body up?"

After a Canoe Expedition - 
Parent: "Did you have a good time?"
Scout: "It was good fun, but all the paddling was uphill on the way back."

Welcome two new Cubs

There are around 150,000 Cub Scouts in the United Kingdom and the latest to join us are Alfie and Lucy. Welcome!

 

Both of them collected badges at this week's meeting, so off to a great start.



Hobby & Collector Activity Badge Night

What a brilliant selection of hobbies and collections we had this week. Every Cub got at least one of the two badges. Well done!

 



Last Night's Pack meeting

Heads down for map work as part of the Navigator badge last night. They all managed to use local street maps (part 3) and nearly all of them did a great job sketching a map showing us how to get from our meeting place to the railway station (part 2).

Thank you to Beth and George's brother Jack for their help on the evening.

Bear's been to the Cotswold Wildlife Park too!

Good to see that our Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, visited the Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens today.

 

We had a good day there in April when the Cubs visited as part of their Adventure Activity badge. It was a cold, damp day, but it didn't stop us exploring all the Park and enjoying the animals.

 







Navigator Badge continued.

This week we'll be doing the second and third parts of the Navigator badge.





Using local A to Z type maps will help achieve this part of the badge requirements as well as establish basic grid reference principals.

Having walked around the area a few times now this summer, I wonder how many of the Cubs will be able to draw a sketch map to show how you get from our HQ to the train station? It will be interesting to find out!

Adding to last year's daffodil planting

This time last year, we went out during our Pack meeting and planted nearly 400 daffodil bulbs that the Cubs brought in with them. Despite a really cold winter, when the plants emerged in the Spring, the flowers brightened areas. Some were better than others, but it was a good start.

 

This week we were out and about again. Armed with spades, trowels and photos of where we planted last year, we put another 450 or so into the ground.

 



 



Well done Cubs; let's see how it all looks in March and then prepare for 2014's planting night!



Navigator Badge

We started the Navigator Activity Badge at the meeting last week and those that attended, completed the first requirement. There are four in total.

1. With other Cub Scouts, go for a walk with a Leader around the local area. Use one or more of the following types of navigation: written instructions (yes), taped instructions (yes - the adult gave these), road signs (yes), tracking signs or maps.
2. By drawing a simple map, direct someone from your meeting place to a local railway station, bus stop, hospital, doctor, post office, etc
3. Using a local street map, find certain roads and places of interest as requested by your Leader.
4. Help plan, or take part in, a treasure hunt using clues, directions and signs to reach an unknown destination.

We will be doing part 2, 3 and 4 over the next few weeks.

Our meeting on Tuesday 3rd September 2013

Well done to both Mathilda and Molly who created two excellent games as part of their Creative Challenge Award work. We'll play these again!

 

Mathilda's game was based on racing to the right coloured base and Molly's was a Quiz-Catch type game. Both really well thought about.

Well done Cubs

Well done to Sam on becoming a Seconder (of Orange Six) and Louis and Jack who have completed three years of Scouting.

Adult Support is ALWAYS Welcome



September is almost here....

August is almost over and we'll be back with our weekly meetings from next Tuesday. The emphasis will still be to get outside when we can, but inevitably the darker evenings will soon be with us and we'll be inside a lot more.

At our first meeting, we'll be settling in our latest member, appointing a new Seconder for Orange Six and starting to get two of our Sixers on the path to completing their Chief Scout's Silver Award. You can see from an earlier post that two Cubs already have this top badge - now we want to get our first girls through to its completion too.



Stratford-upon-Avon Gliding Club

We spent a really enjoyable meeting at the club's airfield in Bearley during July. The club is run by the members, all of whom are passionate about their hobby which is clearly an expensive one - these gliders can cost up to £100,000!

This visit was part of the Air Activities badge and we'll do some more work for this badge as we go into the Autumn.

Mouse has been on his travels again....

Mouse was rescued by Akela from life in a shop in Broadway in the winter of 2011. He was being held by a shopkeeper until a sum of money was paid for his freedom.

 

Now he is free to travel the World and can go to many places with Cubs from 1^st Wilmcote Cub Pack. His latest travels have included St Ives in Cornwall, where he's been surfing with Jack and Alfie

 

 



Chief Scout's Silver Award

The Chief Scout's Award is the highest award that a Cub can achieve. To qualify they must complete every one of the six main Challenge Awards - Community, Creative, Fitness, Global, Outdoor and Promise. Each Cub who gets to receive it will have done a lot of tasks at the meetings and completed other tasks at home.
We are VERY proud of the first two Cubs at 1st Wilmcote who have received their Award and Certificate. William got his at the St George's Day parade in Alcester from the District Commissioner and Jack received his from the Duty Warden at Blackwell when we went to camp there in June.
As we approach the start of our third year, we hope lots more Cubs go on to achieve theirs too!

 

 

Looking back on the Summer's Camp at Blackwell

What a busy Pirate Camp we had! Here are some photos of the Cubs doing a variety of activities...