Tigers and Bears! Oh, my!

"I go cow-cow?" asks the two year old emphatically.  "Cow-Cow" is his word for Cub Scouts.  Cub Scouts is a favorite activity in our house and my two-year old is no exception.  When Chris can't bring him, boy do I have a bummed little boy to cheer up. In fact, my normal ham (has to be in every photo) is not in the photo below because he was already in the car waiting to go!  So here's my "Join Cub Scouts" pitch.

Last year a friend convinced my husband and I that Lance should start Cub Scouts.  She motivated me with the phrase "It's a guy thing, something you don't have to be involved in."  As a homeschool mom, that was all the motivation I needed, my plate was already full with activities for the boys.  Joking aside, it has been a great experience for the boys and I encourage anyone to join.

Lance is now a "Bear" and Jared is a "Tiger".  The motto of their pack is "We do stuff!" and they most certainly do.   The den and pack meetings are a lot of fun. They work through their requirements for new coveted belt loops, their next badge, do skits, crafts or go on field trips; like this trip to the police station.

The pack does an additional event each month, usually overnight camping, but they also have other fun weekend events on non-camping months.  Two of the boys' favorites are rock climbing and zip-lining/ropes course.

 

The homeschooling mom in me likes all the stuff they learn.  They learn physical science and carpentry skills by preparing their vehicles for the "Space Derby" and "Pinewood Derby" each year.  These, like the other weekend events, are always open to the whole family which allows no excuse to not join in the fun.

And if that wasn't enough, they also learn life skills with the annual "Popcorn Sales" fundraiser.   I was amazed at the learning opportunities afforded this year by selling popcorn door-to-door.  The boys really jumped into it.   They worked on their sales pitch and refined their manners. They also learned the importance for finishing the job by delivering all the popcorn weeks later (harder in some ways than selling it). They finished each sale saying "Thank you for supporting our pack. See you next year!".  I'm especially proud to say my boys sold the most popcorn of any family in the pack, because they did it all on their own. Chris and I only chaperoned.  Their motivation was of course the foam dart guns on the prize table, but, hey, whatever it takes, right?  Grandpa Bob bought Titus one for Christmas to level the playing field.

I know most families are overbooked with activities but I must say it might be worth dropping something else and trying this out.  The great "They" say there is nothing more impressive on a resume (not even Ivy League credentials) than being an "Eagle Scout".  I'll be curious is my boys make it some day.

Note:  For those mom's like me who are sewing adverse; never fear!  The Scouts no longer have achievement patches, only "belt loops" and "pins" (no sewing required, yay!).  And for the few patches on the uniform, I use this awesome stuff called "BadgeMagic", which is conveniently available right next to the patches, so you'll never have to pick-up a needle :-)