Category Archives: Cub Scouts

T.L. Storer

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T.L. Storer

4 Adams Pond Road
Barnstead, NH 03218
(617) 272-3507

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March 11th -13th - Winter Preparedness

They say that March in the Lakes Region comes in like a lion and out like a lamb; can you tame the winter lion here at T.L. Storer Scout Reservation? Join us for a weekend of winter wilderness survival, shooting sports & some winter cooking.  What is winter cooking? We will have recipes that are geared toward fueling the body in the colder months and easy to cook outdoors.  And of course we will have time for fun and adventure on the pond and trails.

When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a heated cabin or put up a tent and get those camping frost points.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

April 20th-22nd - Horsemanship Program

As one of the few Scout Camps to offer Horsemanship this is a great opportunity to learn to safely enjoy riding a horse. They find out about the care and anatomy of horses. They show that they can groom a horse and care for the saddle and bridle. Participants demonstrate their knowledge by riding a horse and using a variety of skills. When its nap time for the horses we will explore the remarkable complexity of a forest and identify many species of trees and plants and the roles they play in a forest’s life cycle. You will find that forests change. You will discover some of the resources forests provide to humans and come to understand that people have a very large part to play in sustaining the health of forests

When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a cabin or put up a tent and get those camping nights.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

May 20th-22nd - Complete Angler Weekend 

Come join us for a weekend of learning and fishing in beautiful Adams Pond, this course will cover the following:

  • Fishing safely
  • Knot tying
  • Proper use of different types of equipment
  • Fly tying
  • Leave no trace and the outdoor code
  • Cleaning and cooking fish
  • Fish and Wildlife conservation
  • And so much more…

 When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a cabin or put up a tent and get those camping nights.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

Become a Member Today!

Join Base Camp - Multiple Locations - Tons of Fun - Plenty of Perks

The Adventure Card provides access to thousands of outdoor activities, unlocks special member-only pricing, and provides early registration to events. With this membership, your family will have access to tons of adventures for all ages and skill levels, both in-person and online!

Base Camp Express – Woburn

Check out our activities including our Maker Space string art, hand tools, duct tape, origami and pinewood derby car building, Nature & Ecology with pond ecology and animals of the Merrimack Valley area, Design Space /Architecture with lego, k-nex, blocks, landscape, architecture and game design, STEM, Citizenship, Knot tying, Camp stoves and Meal planning.

Rank-Specific Cub Scout Adventures Offered Each Day!

10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm Sessions

 

October 9 - Picnic Basket & Cast Iron Chef

October 23 - Tiger Tales

October 31 - Trick-or-Treating at Express - Crafts, Science, Shooting & More! - for all Cub Scout ages

November 6 - Motor Away (Wolf) & Make It Move (Bear)

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New England Base Camp – Milton

Join us for our Saturday program! From 10:00am- 4:00pm the campground is open for exploring. Come and give archery a try and then head over to the axe yard to learn to chop/split and plane a log. Be sure to save some time to go swimming, try rock climbing, throw a tomahawk, test your skills at outdoor cooking and dig up a dinosaur.*

How to participate:

  • Open Program- Follow your own path and explore the campgrounds
  • Pathways- Use one of our fun Outdoor Activity Pathways that will lead you throughout the camp while doing themed-activities. You can even fulfill advancement or training requirements on the way.
  • Advancement- Leaders, Parents, and Counselors can work with Scouts on specific Adventures

 

*Not all programs available during COVID.

Cub Scout Summer Camp

Registration for Summer 2022 is now open!

You must have activated your Adventure Card account at www.experiencebasecamp.org in order to receive any Adventure Card discounts. If you have not received an activation email, please send an email to [email protected].

Boys and Girls

Campers will rock climb, learn shooting sports, build a campfire, do some crafting, learn wilderness survival skills and even do some outdoor cooking.

All our day camps are adhering to the revised State of Massachusetts guidelines for COVID-19 precautions. Some of the revisions include:

  • Reduced capacity at each camp
  • Face masks required for staff and campers
  • Equipment cleaned after use
  • Visitors not permitted
  • Group sizes less than 12, which exceeds the State requirement of <25
  • Children and staff monitored throughout the day for any signs of illness
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Cost should not be a factor in sending your child to camp. To apply for a campership, click HERE. Apply early as there are limited funds available.

Topsfield Base Camp

May 15th, June 5th, & June 19th

Program will run 10 am - 4 pm.

 

For the cubs it is all fun and games! We will be doing all rank requirements that include physical fitness and games!

  • For the Tigers we will have Games Tigers Play and Tiger Tag.
  • For the Wolves-Running with the pack and Paws of Skill.
  • For the Bears-Furs, Feathers and Ferns and.
  • For the Webelos we will have Stronger Faster Higher and Sports!
  • We will also have archery and shooting!

Cost $20 per person. FREE for Adventure Card holders.

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Camperships

Thank you for considering making a donation to the campership fund. These funds are available to all Scouts and ensure that any Scout wishing to attend camp or participate in Scout programs can regardless of their family’s financial position. Last year we provided over $100,000 in camperships to Scouts from almost every one of our 76 communities and cities. Charitable contributions toward Camperships are restricted.

  • Camperships help create equity for all communities.

By providing year-round program enhancements, the Scout council enables all Scouts to have access to all that Scouting has to offer. The curriculum is robust and allows each Scout to design their own individualized learning program based on their interests. However, for many the interests outpace the resources available in their community. The Base Camp offerings put everything from Ice climbing to robotics to civic engagement in the hands of ALL SCOUTS. The Campership programs creates that even playing field that all children deserve.

The Campership program seeks to increase the number of children enjoying outdoor experiences at Spirit of Adventure Council camps and programs by providing financial assistance to our members who wish to participate in our programs. To be eligible, a family must complete an application form, including details regarding family situation and Scouting participation.

It is expected that the family will fund some portion of the child's expense; the Council will strive to subsidize the remainder. As a rule of thumb, the Council is willing to support funding based on need.

* All applications must be received at least four weeks prior to the program - but the earlier the better and families will have a greater chance of larger disbursements the earlier they apply.
* All funds will be awarded based on need and available funds. All applications will be considered on a first come first served basis.

Scouts can fill out the Campership form to apply for financial assistance HERE. 

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Welcome to your Scouting Journey!

Welcome to Scouting! Scouting is an adventure for YOU and your children.

For your child, it’s an adventure filled with camping, swimming, learning new and unique skills and making new friends. For you, it’s actually much of the same. You’ll likely find many new friends through your local Scout unit, other parents who are dealing with the excitement and challenges that come from parenting.

There is no greater joy than watching your child learn a new skill and beam with pride as he or she yells “Mom, look at me!” or “Dad, look what I can do!” as they demonstrate that new skill.

The Scouting curriculum has enough depth for everyone! Unlike many enrichment programs, Scouting follows your child’s natural curiosities. If she finds herself interested in science, the program has badges and opportunities for her. If he finds himself interested in music or theater, he’ll probably want to work on those badges. Of course, the core curriculum includes camping, first aid, wilderness survival and citizenship, so those aspects are core to every Scout’s experience.

YOU are in charge of your child’s Scouting experience. Scouting builds community because through Scouting all the parents in your community will work together to help raise each other’s kids. In Cub Scouting, the leadership shifts from person to person based on the situation.This is a big part of the secret of the Scouting curriculum. By collaborating as a group of families, your child benefits from the best skills and talents each family has to offer.

Of course, Scouting needs some parents to step forward and serve as leaders to facilitate the activities, but every parent has a role. The parent who is great with woodworking can share his or her talents to help families build pinewood derby cars, whereas the parent who is naturally organized may coordinate the camping trips, and the foodie parent might help design the camping menu or the year end banquet. Regardless of your skill – there is a place for you in Scouting and a place for you in the Scouting community.  

The curriculum support is more than the book. The curriculum is best described as your child’s handbook. However, Scouting provides the resources to help the parents deliver the curriculum, far beyond those activities found in the book that many parents can’t pull together on their own. Most often this means camps, canoes, archery equipment, lakes and pools, lifeguards, rock climbing equipment and staff, 3D printers, robots, and thousands of other activities that are called on by the curriculum.

WE WANT YOU TO USE ALL SCOUTING’S RESOURCES. We operate about 2,000 acres of camp property in MA and NH, own over 215 buildings, are blessed with over 4,000 volunteers, and  have corporate relationships with dozens of Boston area family activities and attractions. You should seek to use as many as possible! Your Adventure Card, which is part of your Cub Scout membership, is the ticket to all these resources.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog or the resources mentioned – please don’t hesitate to call the local Scouting help desk 617-615-0004.

Rocket Into Scouting!

Here’s all of the Membership Recruiting Information for the 2018- 2019 year!

The Theme for this year’s membership Campaign is Rocket into Scouting!

All youth that signup during the fall campaign this year from qualifying Packs will receive a Rocket to launch at one of the 3 exciting council- sponsored launches.

To qualify for the Rocket into Scouting Program, units must:

  1. Commit to holding 3 signup events this fall.  Each of the 3 signup opportunities must be held before November 1st. The Council can provide both flyers and invitations for these events. Or units can create flyers of their own. These events can be whatever a unit usually does to be successful in Fall recruiting.  Suggestions and examples are:
    • A Pack run Signup Night Rally
    • A Bring a Buddy Event such as a Halloween Party or Ice Cream Social; Download invitation HERE
    • A library signup night which the Council can help you arrange
  2. Fill out this form with signup event details by July 31st
Council-Wide Launches

Start your school year with a BLAST! Every NEW Scout who registers by October 31st will receive a FREE model rocket to launch! This will kickstart both their Scouting career and a lifelong love of STEM. This is a great first event for all of our new Scouts to attend! Launch Day events will be at three different locations around our council area. Find the one that’s most convenient for your pack or family:

At the launches, each NEW Scout will receive a free launch engine. Launch Day Events will offer Rocket Building Stations (although we still recommend you build your rockets beforehand). Other fun Scouting activities will be provided and vary by location. All of our Launch Sites will provide a great time launching Rockets with your Scouts and family!

The entire family and current Scouts are welcome, and additional rockets kits can be purchased and built at the event.

Share the Rocket Giveaway and Launch Information and Download the Rocket Into Scouting Flyer!

Membership Kickoffs in August

The Rockets, flyers and invitations will be ready by the August Membership Kickoffs:

At the August Kickoffs, we will also distribute Lawn Signs and  Membership Posters. The Kickoffs will feature experts in Membership Recruiting who’ve had success in the past to share best practices on reaching out to new families. Please make every effort to register for and attend one of the Kickoffs. These are easily one of the most important Scouting events of the entire year.

Lion Program

  • The Lions pilot of the last 2 school years has been extremely successful
  • The National Executive Committee has voted to make it an official part of Cub Scout program for all Packs across the country.  It’s a rank like Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos
  • All Packs should be actively recruiting Lions this fall once school starts

Boy Scout “Bring a Buddy”Events

Boy Scout Troops are Actively encouraged to hold fun ‘Bring a Buddy’ events such as fishing trips, camp outs, Troop Outdoor Campfire Parties with Scouting Skits etc. to encourage recruiting.  Bring a buddy invitation to your events can be  downloaded HERE.

Welcoming Girls

All Packs and Troops are actively encouraged to have a discussion with their Chartered Organization Representatives to consider inviting girls into their units.  Girls who are Cub Scout age, now can be registered right away once the unit “opts-in” in My.Scouting.org  and girls at the Troop level will be able to register as of Feb 2019.

For all Council-provided Membership Resources, visit ScoutSpirit.org/leaders/

Added Value to the Adventure Card

Submitted by:  Mariama Sano, Spirit of Adventure Council’s Development Campaign Manager

By now – most Cub Scout packs, dens and families have started using their Adventure Cards for several purposes. Entrance to either Base Camp (Lone Tree or Milton), discounts for Winter Camp, STEM camp, Day Camp, cabin rentals or other programs and services offered through the council. Additionally, most of our Venturers and Boy Scouts are also starting to increase the usage of card through high adventure programs, training programs and summer camp. Also, we are seeing a dramatic increase in Scoutbook usage which stitches all the programs together creating an individualized learning experience for each Scout.

But that’s all old news – Now your Adventure Card is gaining a new set of benefits! Be sure to check out the website and Facebook for updates and discounts for family attractions all around Boston! Below read about the first few benefits that are included in with your Adventure Card.

 

Boston Duck Tours

Boston Duck Tours is a great way to start off a visit to Boston. You get a great overview of the city through many unique neighborhoods as you splash into the Charles River for a breathtaking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines.

A Scout group will receive a special group rate for 10 or more guests (normally 20 or more guests) when you present the New England Adventure Card at their Museum of Science location. Scouts will also receive $2 off Kids tickets and $4 off Adult tickets for groups of less than 10 at the Museum of Science location with the Adventure Card!

 

Historic New England Properties

Historic New England Properties such as Historic New England Phillips House and Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm offer 2-for-1 admission (a 50% discount) to all Scouts and their families/chaperones with the Adventure Card! This is for general admission museum tours and does not include programs, events or private group tours. Please show your card at the Museum of Science ticket booth and mention the code C-Scouts.

 

Salem Trolley

Ride the Red Trolley – Salem Trolley – Salem’s Original Trolley! Scouts get a 20% Discount on a group private one hour narrated historical tour of Salem with their Adventure Card. Trolleys hold 30-38 passengers. Contact [email protected] or 978-744-5469.

 

Ecotarium

The EcoTarium in Worcester, MA is a family-friendly, indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature. Scouts can print this special coupon for $2 off. If a group of 10 or more visits the museum, admission would be $8 per person, instead of the $18 (adult) and $14 (child) rate. To get the group rate, call in advance: 508-929-2700

 

SCOUTbox

SCOUTbox is a monthly subscription box service built specifically for scouts, by scouts. Keep your scouts excited each month when they receive a box filled with awesome gear for camping and other outdoor adventures as well as educational materials to enhance scouting programs.

For those in the Spirit Adventure Council, if you use the code SPIRIT888 you’ll get $8.88 off your first box when purchasing a subscription. It can be used on any of the 3 lengths; monthly, 3-month, or 6-month. Check out SCOUTbox online.

 

Plimoth Plantation

With the Adventure Card, Plimoth Plantation has 15% admission discount for Scouting families, Packs and Troops that may be less than the traditional group minimum of 15 people with the opportunity to visit Plimoth Plantation, Plimoth Grist Mill and Mayflower II (scheduled to return early summer – 2019) on the day of their choice.  A tremendous value for Boy Scouts (13 – 17 years) that reflects a 50% discount.

2018 Season Schedule: March 17th through November 25th, 9 AM until 5 PM daily. There will be an exciting STEM patch program for the Plimoth Grist Mill that will be a complimentary question/scavenger activity sheet for use at the mill, with patches available for sale through the retail store.

 

Salem Witch Museum

Salem’s most visited museum is the perfect starting point for your visit to the historic city. Explore the story of the Salem Witch trials with your group (ten or more visitors receive group discounts).

Through the Adventure Card, museum-goers will receive $1.00 off adult and $.50 off of child tickets for up to a family of six when presenting their card. This offer excludes weekends in October or Halloween Day. See their website for more information.

 

Attitash

Attitash Mountain Resort & Wildcat Mountain invite Scouts and their families to join them for weekends on the snow and ski slopes at exclusive discounted rates. 

Special Pricings for Lift Ticket, Ski or Snowboard Rental Package, Learn to Ski or Snowboard and Groups 15+. Login with the Spirit of Adventure code to receive discounts, included in this flyer.

 

The Best Seats VIP

New England’s largest entertainment concierge – The Best Seats VIP offers customized entertainment experiences. Their VIP Hosts will work with you on any organizational outing for the scouts to take advantage of and provide unique, once-a-lifetime experiences.

All members within Spirit of Adventure can receive 10% off on all orders by using promo code SCOUT10 at checkout. For more information, contact Brandon Gilson at 781 201 0347, email: [email protected] or visit their website. Please mention your Scout affiliation when you contact them. This offer has no expiration date.

 

Wonder Dads

Dads of Boy Scouts  in the Spirit of Adventure Council can now get their first month free of WonderDads with this special URL for Scouts in our Council.

WonderDads is the largest membership-based association of Dads with kids ages 0-16, with over 50,000 members nationwide. Members get access to WonderDads This Weekend digital magazine, critically-acclaimed Dad resources, and their own online account where they can do everything from create an interactive Dad-Kids bucket list to plan a Dad-Kids trip. WonderDads entire mission is to help members be even better and “funner” Dads, and help them make the most of their kid’s childhood years.  Check it out and get your first month free!

Planning to Welcome Girls in Your Pack?

A Discussion to Have With Your Chartering Organization and Fellow Parents

Submitted by the Council Key 3:

 

ACTION STEPS IF YOUR CUB PROGRAM WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME GIRLS:

If your parents and organization are already in agreement, you will be welcome to become one of our Council’s early adopters.

  1. Contact the Council (617-615-0004) and us know your pack would like to welcome girls
  2. Create a plan for Cub Scouts to complete rank requirements in a compressed timeline and send it to Jon Pleva
  3. Update your BeAScout Pin. Options will be “All Boy Pack” “All Girl Pack” “Family Pack”
    1. Chartering Organization Rep. must set this first and then the Pack Leadership
    2. The option to update the pin will be closed March 15th

         4. Starting January 15th, register a minimum of 4 girls, which must be done through Online Registration

If discussions lead you to believe your unit requires more time (later than March 15th) or won’t be able to deliver a program in a compressed timeline, your unit has the option of starting in mid-June.

ACTION STEPS IF YOUR CUB PROGRAM WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN ONLY AVAILABLE TO BOYS

If your Scouting community decides to remain a single gender Cub Program, simply update the BEaSCOUT information to state that your Pack is a “single gender – all boy pack.”

CHANGING YOUR Be A Scout PIN

The Be A Scout pins are ready to be updated for Family Scouting! Have your Charter Org Rep update, followed by your Cubmaster or other designated leader. (Your charter must be processed to accept online applications)
• Log on to my.scouting.org
• Click on the “Menu” button on left hand side
• Under your Cub Scout Pack, click on “Organization Manager”
• Under “Organization Manager” click on “Settings” at the top of the page
• On the settings page, scroll to the bottom
• At the bottom there is a section called “Family Scouting,” fill out this section and hit “commit”


 

This is a very exciting time to be a part of the Boy Scouts. As you might already know, the BSA will offer Cub Scouting to girls in 2018 and by 2019 all Scout programs will be open to girls, allowing them to earn the rank of Eagle.

Our character education program has been used successfully for over a century. A few years ago, Tufts University conducted a study to measure the effectiveness of Scouting with very strong and positive results, including Scouts being more likely to embrace positive social values and longevity and dedication in Scouting being correlated with higher character attributes.

It’s part of our continuing mission to unlock Scouting for all families who wish to use our curriculum to raise children of character.

EXPERIENCE SERVING THE WHOLE FAMILY

Scouting has had co-ed programs and co-ed camping for over 40 years. Exploring became co-ed in the ’60s and Venturing become co-ed in 2000. All our camp staff are co-ed and all our camps have experience dealing the nuances of co-ed Scouting.

In 2014 – 2015 we re-branded our camp in the Blue Hills, now called New England Base Camp, which is just 2 miles from Boston, as a camp open to the public. Our other camps are still primarily reserved for Scouts. The Base Camp is the embodiment of Boy Scout Handbook, yet because it’s open to the public, everyone plays and everyone learns. This means we have a LOT of experience with girls and boys sharing the same camping facility, programs and activities. Similarly on the national stage, the BSA has been adapting policies to help local councils better serve their communities by eliminating restrictions on members yet retain our core elements of the program. Scouting is very much still a private organization, and still supports the core concept that parents deliver the program.  

HOW THIS MIGHT AFFECT YOUR CUB PACK

Our focus moving forward is to enable any family that wants to utilize our curriculum, to join and work collaboratively with other families to deliver the program. Therefore, it’s imperative that each family joins a local Cub Scout Pack, Troop or Crew that best matches their family’s beliefs and values. That’s where our chartering organization relationship comes into the conversation. 100+ years ago much of our community values and goals were understood to be similar or identical. Today, our American society recognizes a much greater diversity of thought and beliefs. Scouting seeks to serve all families and respect each family’s unique identity while simultaneously supporting each chartering organization’s rights. We believe a growing community requires a respect for all people while we teach our children to adhere to the characteristics of the Scout oath and law.

This is undoubtedly a challenging road – but one we believe is critical for the future development of our young people. Therefore, the parents and chartering organization need to be in alignment regarding core issues, discussing and coming to agreement on questions like:

  • Will our Cub program (and eventually our Boy Scout program) accept girls?
  • Who will be the leaders in Pack, Troop or Crew?
  • How often will the boys and girls participate in Scouting together, and when will we provide single gender environments?
  • How do we discipline Scouts? How do we interpret (strict or lax) the advancement program? How do we handle special needs? How do we handle spiritual diversity?

Scouting provides the curriculum, resources and the safety boundaries for the families to use in their work to deliver the program. By developing a common ground understanding, chartering organizations and parents will be able to work better together. The advent of girls in the program simply heightens the need for these types of discussions which we recommend occur annually. Families will then be less apt to make assumptions about the program. Families who cannot align themselves with the group’s decision will still be welcome in Scouting, but it wouldn’t be in the child’s best interest to be in a group that doesn’t agree with their parent’s values. In that case, it will fall to the Scouting organization to help that family find the right parents and organization to work with to provide Scouting experience.

In many cases, the advent of girls in the program doesn’t require much conversation: the parents and chartering organizations are quickly in alignment. “We’d love to welcome girls!” or “We believe in the single gender environment and have a great program for girls in our community – so in our unit there will be no change.” Either position is OK with us! We simply need to know your collective decision.

A Unit Leader Webinar and additional program information will be available on January 8th for units still making their decision.

 

Read this for info about updating your BEaSCOUT pin

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Also, if you need help conducting the conversation with your parents or additional information, we’ll be happy to help. You can call 617-615-0004. But, please keep in mind, it’s a local community decision, we can’t make it for the organization or for the parents. All the information about serving the whole family can be found here.  Questions can also be directed to [email protected].

The conversation and the updated BeAScout information should happen as quickly as possible. Girls will be welcomed in Scouting as soon as January 15th 2018. However, your Scouting leadership does NOT have to rush the conversation.

Thanks so much for your time and consideration. Please contact us at any time with any questions and we’d be happy to speak with you about the future of Scouting.