Pinewood Derby Information meeting and car kit handout TOMORROW, Monday Jan 9th – Lots of Info in this post!!!

Wow, what an awesome job the Webelos did on their hike and what a BEAUTIFUL day it was to be outside!!  Lots of info to start 2023:

Just a “Heads UP” to Parents – there will be Pinewood Derby Kick Off Meeting tomorrow night, 1/9/23, 6:30 at WUMC.

Leaders will go over this year's Pinewood Derby rules, build day and race day schedules, answer questions, and you can pick up your Scout's Pinewood Car kits.  Each scout will be given one car kit free – paid for by Pack 359 Flag sales!

 

If you would like to purchase additional kits for parents or siblings to race in the OPEN category, or have an extra for spare parts, you will need to preorder on the pack website for $7.50 or come prepared to pay $7 with check or exact cash Monday night at the meeting. Lots of info on the Pinewood Derby link on our Pack website etacpack359.org

 

Because we will only be discussing the rules and distributing kits it is not necessary for Scouts to attend this meeting! For many it's back to school day and we anticipate some tired Scouts by tomorrow evening.

 

Den 4 will not meet this week – Today's hike was our meeting.  We will meet on Tuesdays and Sunday afternoons for Spring but I want to know and work with everyone's schedule so let me know about practices, game nights, school events, etc. as we move through the spring.

Ayden, Cooper, Evie, Rachel, Gregory, Ben, Matthew, & Lincoln – GREAT WORK and one more Advancement done!! Special thanks to Jeff Hill who is always a great help and my official “right-hand man” – or Scout. I know some of our Scouts were out of town – take advantage of some of this beautiful weather to get in a family 3-mile hike as soon as you can, as “Webelos Walkabout” is an Advancement necessary for Webelos Rank.  Everyone be sure to complete the “Duty to God and You” handout I passed out before Christmas (you can Google the requirements if your handout has disappeared.)  We will review contents of a basic first aid kit when we do our last required Advancement – “First Responder” and practice first aid skills at an upcoming meeting.

Parents – Today, your Scouts observed lots of nature – turtles, squirrels, possible beaver dams, places where feral hogs dug up the ground looking for food, and more.  We could see how high the little stream around the trail could get (rubbish washed up on the banks, in trees, etc.) and had a discussion about taking “Flash Flood Warnings” seriously when camping.  There have been instances where scouts at summer camp had to be rescued due to flash flooding… water can rise VERY fast, especially if you are camped in a narrow canyon area! We reviewed the Outdoor Code and practiced the 4 principles:

I will be clean in my outdoor manners – our Webelos helped pick up trash along the trail, leaving it better than we found it. Unfortunately, we saw the most trash on the back side of our hike – clearly thrown out of passing cars! We didn't have the time or gear required to pick up all that trash but maybe can keep that area in mind for a future project. And of course learned “NEVER throw trash out of your car while driving!” Yuck!!!

Be careful with fire – no campfire work today, but we've discussed fire safety at several meetings.

Be considerate in the outdoors – We do not break of limbs for firewood, climb on, or damage living trees. We respect the outdoors.

Be conservation-minded – We observed several areas where people walked off-trail, cutting between two paved walkways as a short cut. Over time, this kills the grass/ground cover and leads to erosion and damage.  Stay on the marked and/or paved trail!

We also did some direction work – telling which way you are walking without a compass based on where the sun is – and discussed the proper way to walk if there is nearby traffic (walk facing oncoming traffic so you can see what's coming.) We took a break at the half-way point to enjoy snacks –  meat, cheese, crackers, dried fruit, and of course chips.  Den 4 loves their chips!!  Finally, we talked about nutritious snacks and the importance of drinking lots of water, why salt is important if you are working hard and sweating a lot, how muscle cramps can be a sign of dehydration, and why athletes are sometimes given pickle juice to drink if they are experiencing muscle cramps.

UPCOMING DATES on the Pack Calendar right now – Copy/paste these on your family calendars!!
Saturday, January 21 – Pinewood Derby Build Day at WUMC (Sign up under Pinewood Derby link on Pack Website)
Sunday, February 5, 2:00pm – Pack 359 Committee Meeting open to ALL Scouting parents

Friday, February 10,  6 – 8 PM  Weigh your car in, leave at WUMC for races. Must have car registered Friday to race on Saturday
Saturday, February 11 – Pack 359 Pinewood Derby Race Day!!!!
Monday, February 13 – Pack Meeting 6:30 WUMC
Saturday, March 4 – District Pinewood Derby Day
Sunday, March 5, 2:00pm – Pack 359 Committee meeting open to all Scouting Parents
Spring Break Camp – Petit Jean Park – Sunday March 12 – Tues March 14
Sunday, April 2, 2:00 pm – Pack 359 Committee meeting open to all Scouting Parents
Sunday, April 9 – Easter Sunday
Saturday, April 15 – 5:00pm – Blue & Gold
Friday, April 21 – Sunday, April 23 – Spring Family Camp