AHG Work on the Toys & Games Badge

February 25th, 2014 - Each meeting the AHG start with a flag ceremony and a prayer. Today was no different. At the culmination of the ceremony, the girls gathered up and started to work on a step for the Toys and Games Badge. Sadly, the girls had already started this badge by the time Kaylee joined this group, and she may not be able to finish all previous steps for the badge; but nonetheless, she enjoyed participating. The girls followed origami steps to have a very adorable waterproof boat. If you will like to make one too, follow this link. Thanks Zoe from Captain Crafty!

After the girls were finished with their paper boat, they played a game with conversation heart candies and chopsticks. This game consists of the girls using chopsticks to pick up as many candies as they can in a 25 second time frame. The girls that waited their turn cheered the girls playing. This game had been planned for the Valentine's Day Party but with so many other activities planned, there was no time for this one. The leaders brought it back to get the girls engaged in this challenging game. The girls enjoyed it so much that they requested it was brought back the next meeting for another moment of loud fun.

After the closing ceremony, Kaylee had the opportunity to meet with the group leader for a conference about her Joining Award. Kaylee has officially completed all the steps to get this award; and she was one happy girl. Congratulations Miss. Kaylee!

Pet Care

February 24, 2014 - I must say, Dylan is part of an amazing Den. The leaders go above and beyond to make the meetings special for the scouts. There is always a wow factor to the meetings. The boys have now finished all the requirements for "crossover", and they are concentrating on belt loops and electives. After the usual start - pledge, scout promise, scout law... - the scouts gave back to nature by making bird feeders to hang on trees. I am sure the birds will enjoy the bird feeders as much as the boys enjoyed making them. 

The scouts proceeded to research their amazing mascot, THE TIGER using books, magazines, and printouts. Looking through the material, they learned tiger facts that had them roaring by the time they finished the discussion. Good job Cubs!

The WOW factor - When you can't go to the vet, the vet comes to you! Dr. Woods; a veterinarian, and her rescued greyhound dog Issac came to visit the scouts. As the boys surrounded the dog (and Dr. Woods), they learned about how to properly care for pets at home, and the importance of visiting the vet on a regular basis. This part of the meeting culminated with the opportunity to pet Issac. Thank you Dr. Woods for your visit; and Issac, you are in good hands!

Our Scouts Visit the Zoo

Sunday February 17, 2014 was just the perfect day to be outside. And that is exactly what we did. We packed a few snacks, filled two of our water bottles with iced cold water, and headed to the zoo. I don't know about you, but we just don't get tired of the zoo. Even when you see the same animals, they are making new faces or swinging around a different way for you to admire them. We visited our wild friends, talked to them, talked about them, and photographed them to capture their beauty and unique features. We were delighted to see two new babies this time around. These were large babies, but nonetheless babies. The Fort Worth Zoo had two proud parents to two oh so very cute elephant babies. On our zoo adventure we completed an elective for Dylan (Visit a zoo or aquarium) and Kaylee completed step 3 of the AHG Nature and Wildlife badge. My Angel took some photographs of which some go on my list of favorites, and I was just grateful to be enjoying the beautiful weather with my most favorite people in the world.

 
 

Blue & Gold Banquet 2014

Dylan's first Blue & Gold Banquet was a hit! The Blue & Gold Banquet is a yearly Scouting "birthday"celebration enjoyed by many scouts and their family members. The event is filled with entertainment, awards, recognitions, food, and a cake contest. This year's theme was Western. The scouts enjoyed the performance of a "Trick Cowboy" and of course barbeque style food. Many cakes were displayed for contest review and voting as well as for a silent auction. Dylan's cake was a monster mostly made by him, and for sure his pride  when he insisted that we bid on his cake at the silent auction. At the very last second we lost our bid by $1 for a total of $36. Dylan's cake won the "Most Disgusting Cake Award". I am not sure that is what he was trying to achieve, but nontheless he was happy to have won an award. Dylan also received two belt loops, two academic pins, and his Tiger badge. Congratulations Scout!

 

  

Pinewood Derby 2014

January 25, 2014 Pinewood Derby - Dylan and dad really enjoyed converting a wood block into an awesome car. Dad taught Dylan techniques about woodworking while they learned together how to build their very first Pinewood Derby Car. Both dad and son were proud of the outcome. The day of the Pinewwod Derby Car race the excitement was seen and heard in every corner of the gym. It was a fun event for all scouts and parents. We are all looking forward to next year's race. Who knows, maybe I will also build a car.

American Heritage Girls - A New Begining

A very exciting way to start the New Year this 2014; Kaylee joins the American Heritage Girls Tendehearts. Thumbs up to starting new adventures with this Christ Centered Scouting Group.

CBS DFW Channel 11 Eyewitness News

January 13, 2014: Can you imagine the excitement of touring a TV station and meeting DFW's News anchor Doug Dunbar and weather man Larry Mowry? Well, let me just tell you, it was EXCITING! The scouts toured the building and saw news in the making. They learned about the equipment and the detail that goes behind the scene. They learned about weather, the green screen, news, interviews, and that Doug has a sense of humor. A News Anchor can make you laugh, who knew!

Cub-O 2014

What is Cub-O you ask? Cub-O is a fun Orienteering competition for Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos held yearly; where using a map and a compass, miles of trails are walked to find markers that are worth (more or less) points depending on their location.

Cub-O was an event we were certainly looking forward to. Dylan, dad (Angel), and I drove over an hour to Sid Richardson Scout Ranch. The beautiful lake views and perfect weather that January 4th, 2014 was well worth the drive. After we learned about the proper use of a map and a compass, lunch, and some pictures, we headed to walk miles of trails in search for markers. What seemed like millions of scouts and their parents scattered; map and compass in hand, to accumulate points in a 3-hour time slot. Our team, "The Turbo Tigers" did not get first place, but we were not the last ones either. Dylan completed all the required steps to get his Hiking Belt Loop, and some of the steps for his Hiking Pin. That was something to celebrate about ... and that we did with dinner at a Mexican restaurant and a lost tooth claimed by a chicken nugget.

First Time as Color Guard

December 17th, 2013: You know this is an exciting day when you are chosen to be one of the Pack Meeting's Color Guard for the first time. Dylan's eyes sparkled as he proudly carried the Pack Flag down the aisle. The fun continued with songs, crafts, cookie decorating, collection of toys for children in need, a very detailed tour of a firefighting truck, culminating with a Texas Snowball Fight. For those of you who do not know what a Texas Snowball Fight is, here you go - For most, it is having a "snowball fight" with ice cream instead of snow. No, we did not use this delicious, cold treat for our Texas Snowball Fight; we used crumbled up newspaper. Throwing all the newspaper around to others: a lot of fun; having to pick up every spec of it afterwards: not so much! I guess having to clean up the ice cream would have been a stickier situation.

We Visit a Police Station

How better to teach Integrity, Pride, and Justice if not visiting a Police Station for a private tour. I must admit this was pretty cool. I enjoyed the visit as much as the kids. A police officer explained her uniform and all the gadgets that make it up. I must say, a police officer's uniform has more than meets the eye. Definitely a uniform to be worn with pride. Kaylee, Dylan, and all the other scouts had the amazing opportunity to see, hear, and experience a police officer's car as a police office experiences it (minus chasing the criminals). They were instant mini-officers, and they loved every moment of that night on December 2nd, 2013.