Running With The Pack

							          Running With The Pack
                             Pack 534
                      First united Methodist Church


January 2008                                                  Mansfield, Tx


This Month's Theme
The theme for this month we will be the Pinewood Derby. It’s that time
of year to show our competitive spirits by design and racing your very
own derby racer.
The pinewood derby first began in California in 1953. And has been a
favorite parent/son activity ever since. It just another opportunity, in
Scouting, for parents and sons to come together and have a fun filled
evening.
The Pinewood Derby is a great learning experience for young Scouts.
Especially the first timers who are building their first car. It is a time of
competitiveness, den spirit, good sportsmanship, and encouragement.
Notice neither speed nor beauty are high on the list.
So come to the race and be prepared to do a lot of cheering and
encouraging. And don’t forget that camera. The race will be on
Saturday, January 19, from 4 to 9 pm.

Mission Month
December was our Pack's Mission Month. The pack came together
and served our community through the Advent Gift delivery and the
Wesley Mission Center. I cannot say enough of how proud I am of the
pack and their gift of giving. Serving our community is something that
these Scouts will carry with them for a lifetime.
The Scouts delivered Advent gifts to the home bound elderly, around
the city, for the First United Methodist Church. Gifts were prepackaged
for the boys to deliver. What a blessing it was to be able to serve in
this capacity.
They also answered the call to serve in the Wesley Mission Center by
gathering, pricing, and restocking shelves of donated household
items. We had well over 70 hours of community service last month.
Way to go Scouts. I am proud of you.
Cub-O
We just return from the Longhorn Council’s annual Cub-O event at Sid
Richardson Scout Ranch, near Bridgeport. What a great time of
camping and hiking. There’s nothing like getting a Scout into the
woods. They just know how to have fun. This year the council had a
record 2700 registered participants. The one time Sid literally
becomes a parking lot.
The Cub-O is an orienteering event just for Cub Scouts and their
families. Control points are placed throughout the ranch. Each control
point is given a point value based on its difficulty. It’s up to each team
to plan their route and locate as many points as possible in 2 hours. If
your team plans well and reads their map correctly, they will find and
earn many points. However, one wrong turn of the map and you’ll find
yourself in the sticks and way off base.
It would be great to make this one of our Packs annual outings.

Pack Fundraising
We are still conducting our can drive through February. So don’t throw
that aluminum into your recycle bin yet. Sell it for the pack. When you
have sold your cans take the money to Sheri Curb and the weight
ticket to Catherine Parks, who is keeping track of each den’s total
weight. The winning den will be rewarded with a pizza party.
Keep on collecting and keep on selling. Get your neighbors involved
as well. Good luck.

Outdoor Smarts – Bagging A Good Nights Sleep
If you want nights of dream-filled slumber on the trail, be sure to
consider these five points when deciding on a sleeping bag.
Sleeping bags are rated according to temperature. A 20-degree bag
should keep you warm in 20-degree temperatures and a 40-degree
bag should keep you warm in 40-degree temperatures, and so on.
Unfortunately, rarely is it that simple.
Bags can differ among manufacturers with the same temperature
rating. One of the easiest way to compare bags is to fluff up each bag
and set them next to each other. The fluffiest will be the warmest.
Pick a bag based on the lowest temperature you'll be camping in. But
don't go overboard; Warmer is not necessarily better. Bags with
temperature ratings to low will be uncomfortable in the summer-plus it
weighs more and cost more.
In general, most summer campers will be comfortable in a 40 degree
bag. And most winter wanderers will want bags that can handle 0 to
20 degree temperatures.
The next consideration is fill. Most prefer down, but synthetics is
closing the gap on the weight vs. warmth gap. Either fill can be found
for almost any temperature range.
Down insulates better, is highly compressible, and takes up less
space. Down in measured by fluffiness, or loft. The loftier the down the
warmer it keeps you. The only flaw to down bags is they lose their
insulating abilities when wet. So you will have to protect your bag with
a waterproof sack or bag.
For most campers, synthetic bags are often a better choice. Though
they are little heavier, they retain some insulation qualities when wet.
And they cost less to.
The fit of your bag makes a difference in comfort and warmth. Mummy
bags are the snuggest and warmest. Rectangular bags are roomiest-
but also the draftiest.
The bag should fit loosely enough for you to wear a layer of cloths on
cold nights. You should also be able to move around and reach all the
zippers and cords. Avoid a bag that is too roomy. Bags insulate by
trapping air near your body. The snugger the bag, the warmer. This is
true for small children, too: They need smaller bags.
Shell material should be appropriate for the climate you will be
camping in. Look for lightweight breathable materials. You can find
microfiber fabrics that are somewhat water-resistant and will protect
the insulation from leaks and condensation.
Other features you may want to consider is to have a hood, or a draft
collar for colder weather. You can also add warmth by utilizing a
sleeping bag liner.
Be sure to store you down sleeping bags outside its stuff sack.
Compression will damage down over time.

Parent/Leader Meetings
The Pack's business meeting is held the first Thursday of every
month through May. This is an informative meeting in which Pack
event are planned and details are hammered out and agreed upon.
Do you have some ideas that you wish could be implemented in the
Pack? Then plan to attend these meetings and offer you ideas and
suggestions. We are always look for fresh ideas to make the Pack
more fun.
The meetings are held at our FUMC (Family Life Center) facility in
room 204 at 7:00 pm. Our next meeting will be January 10.
Cub Scout Roundtable Meetings
The Roundtable meetings are held by the District the first Tuesday of
every month. The Roundtable meeting gets all the Pack leadership
together to discuss the next month's activities, District news and
events. Then there are specific leader break classes to discuss
specific topics related to your positions. All are welcomed and
encouraged to attend these meetings. You can gather a lot of
information, ideas and meet a lot of dedicated Scout leaders who can
help you along.
The meetings are held at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church on Country
Club Drive at 7:30 pm. The next Roundtable meeting will be
January 8.

Training
Youth Protection Training (YPT) – The BSA offers every adult who
participates in Scout events youth protection training. This training not
only informs the adults about how to protect the youth they are in
charge of, but also shows adults how to avoid compromising situations
involving them selves and the boys. The training takes about 20-30
minutes. It is very important to complete this training. Please visit the
online learning center for instructions about receiving this training.

Council Events
January 12 – Cub Scout Fish-O-Ree at Camp Tahuaya, south of
Waco. Come out for a day of fishing. The lake has been stocked with
2,000 trout and ready for catching. Cubs and parents can keep up to
12 trout per parent/youth team (6 per person). The teams get a patch,
prizes, lunch, trophies, and a fishing education form the TP&W Junior
Angler Ed Program. You must preregister by January 23.
NO WALK-INS.
There was no link provided on the Longhorn Council website
For a registration form please see the Cubmaster

February 9 – Cub Scout Fish-O-Ree at Camp Tahuaya, south of
Waco. Come out for a day of fishing. The lake has been stocked with
2,000 trout and ready for catching. Cubs and parents can keep up to
12 trout per parent/youth team (6 per person). The teams get a patch,
prizes, lunch, trophies, and a fishing education form the TP&W Junior
Angler Ed Program. You must preregister by January 23.
NO WALK-INS.
There was no link provided on the Longhorn Council website
For a registration form please see the Cubmaster
February 23 – Webelos Woods at Camp Tahuaya. A weekend of fun
and Scout craft for Webelos Scouts and their parents. Activities will
include BB Guns, Archery, Orienteering, Fossil/Geology Hike, Kyle
Mountain Hike, Flag Raising & Lowering, and more. Webelos may
participate as individuals or with their dens. Saturday supper is
provided.
For more information visit the following Longhorn Council link:
http://www.longhorncouncil.org/events01/flyers/webelos_woods_2008.
pdf

March 1 – Webelos Woods at Sid Richardson 2 Scout Ranch. A
weekend of fun and Scout craft for Webelos Scouts and their parents.
ACTIVITIES: BB Guns, Archery, Orienteering, Fossil/Geology Hike, Kyle
Mtn. Hike, Flag Raising & Lowering, and more. Webelos may
participate as individuals or with their dens. Saturday supper is
provided.
For more information visit the following Longhorn Council link:
http://www.longhorncouncil.org/events01/flyers/webelos_woods_2008.
pdf