New Pics

I've uploaded a few pictures in our online photo album:

Halloween Party
Day at JJ
Larose Hike & Guignolee

YIS
ShereKhan

Heat #1 Winners

The winning six for this heat are the : ^%$#@## .... ah sorry I'm having some typing difficulties.

You'll just have to wait until Tuesday night. However, I will say this : It was a very close race amongst the Sharks, Cobras and Wolverines. The Scorpions, I'm sure did their best and in fact did not do too bad but they could not have caught up. Anyways, I'm proud at all of them for the hard work they put into it .... some more than others :o)

YIS

Shere Khan

Weekend (and handout)

A new handout has been uploaded.

This past weekend's events went very well.

On Saturday some of us (7 out of 22) braved the cold (-16degC) and went for a hike in Larose Forest. We hiked for about 1.5km , following a trail to our small camp. The cubs then clean up around the fire pit and gather wood for the fire. We built a shelter and had some lunch. No one got hurt, no one complained (much).All in all a fun time.

On Sunday we did the guignolee for the Knights of Columbus. We went to Burns Park (off the 174) and for a bit of caroling, the residents would give some canned goods and/or some money. Again it was a pretty cold day but the kids really did good (I think we had 8 out of 22 cubs). This was for a good cause (food bank). Good job cubs, we are proud of you.

This week is the last week for points. Winners will be announced next week at our year end Xmas party.

YIS
Shere Khan

Reminder and Handout

Just a few reminders:
This Saturday is our hike at Larose forest (see last meeting's handout)
This Sunday is the Knights of Columbus Guignolée. Please arrive at L'Escale between 10:30 and 10:45am. We are leaving the school at 11am sharp.

This week's handout is a comprehensive list of what to bring/wear on a cold weather day hike.
Click here for handout

YIS
Shere Khan.

Heat #1 - Points Update

Here is the points status (not counting this week's meeting) for heat #1 that will end December 4th. We will give out a prize to the winning six at the December 11th meeting (our last of 2007).

1st Place - Sharks @ 132.4 points
2nd Place - Cobras @ 123.4 points
3rd Place - Wolverines @ 121.4 points
4th Place - Scorpions @ 92.8 points

YIS
Shere Khan

November - December Handout

Take a look at the new handout:

cubs_november-december.pdf

YIS
Shere Khan

Pop Can Update

We are now at : $70.86

A few things

Here's what has been happening:

The Halloween party went very well. The kids had fun tasting and feeling gross stuff like crickets, blood, brains and .... wait for it ..... baby food. It was hilarious. Some of them had more trouble tasting baby food (they had to guess what it was) than eating a real cricket. The costumes were quite good.


The day at JJ last Saturday was a success. We did a small hike, collected some maple shoots to make walking staffs. The kids learned how to use a pocket knife and they did very well at whittling their staff. One more knife session and they should get their knife permit. From then on they are aloud to bring/use pocket knifes at various activities (pending leader and parent permission). The kids also learned how to make billy cans and cook over a fire. All in all a great day.

Coming up we have the remembrance day parade. See calendar or handout for more info.

I'll try and post some pics of those events ...

YIS
Shere Khan

New Handout

Tonight's meeting handout can be viewed/downloaded from here.
Enjoy.

YIS
Shere Khan

Windy Walk

The cubs went for a small walk at Petrie Island this past Saturday.


We walked along the trail heading towards Orleans looking at the local flora and fauna.












We saw turkey tail mushrooms
















and turtles.









We stopped along the way for a break and snack.






I think we walked close to 2-3km if you count the walk back.

Boy was it every windy. Listen to this video.

The kids had lunch and some got wet on the beach. Everyone behaved and seemed to have a good time.

Take a look at all the pics and a couple of videos on our album.

YIS
Shere Khan

Pop Cans

I did another drop off today (2nd of the year). Here's a status chart. Remember : Our goal this year is : $250.00

Reminder

Just a reminder that the popcorn sheets are due next week (oct 23).

This week's handout can be downloaded here.

YIS
Shere Khan

ATTENTION - Petrie Hike

The hike is on: Saturday October 20th (as the calendar shows)

In the last handout I stated that it was on Sunday Oct. 20th. It is on October 20th but it's a Saturday not Sunday.

Sorry for any confusion ...


YIS
Shere Khan

Wet Weather Car Wash

Many thanks to all who showed up and helped out this weekend. Thanks also to all who brought some baked goods.

The weather was really not on our side. It was wet and cold but you know what, the kids did all right. However we did not do as good with profit but better luck next time.

YIS
Shere Khan

ALERT ! - Car wash Bake Sale Canceled

I know it's last minute and we hope we've reached everyone by phone but the car wash / bake sale has been postponed to next Saturday (13th). Sorry for any inconveniences. Anyone with too much baked goods can drop them off at my place :-) .... or donate them to the local schools ( I know I'm not really funny). Again, sorry.


YIS
Shere Khan

Pics

Don't forget that we have a photo album. :o)
A few pics have been added to the Group and Cub albums:

http://rocklandscouts.myphotoalbum.com/

YIS
Shere Khan

October Events

October Events

Hi all,
Here are the events planned for october:

• This Saturday (the 6th) : Car wash /bake sale at Rockland City Hall
• Next tuesday (the 9th) : Investiture at Akela's place
• October 20th : Hike at Petrie Island
• October 30th : Halloween party - Fear Factor style (in the school gym)
  

Okay I lied. I will still provide links to PDF versions of handouts. Couldn't resist.
Click here to download this week's handout.

YIS
Shere Khan

1st Rockland Arctic Cub Pack Points System

A pack points system has been part of Cubbing for many packs around the country/world and the tradition goes back many years. We tried it out last year and although there were kinks along the way, things seemed to go okay.

As you may know the pack is divided into “sixes” which is a team of 4-5 cubs. Each six is given a name (ie: Scorpions, Wolverines, etc…). Each Cub will be able to earn (or lose) points for various reasons and the points affect the Six as a whole.

Points per six are tallied every week and displayed in the gym so members can follow their progress. There will be two “heats” and one overall standing. The first heat will comprise of points accredited between October December. The second heat will be from January ‘till May. There will be various prizes to be given for the winning sixes.

Cubs get points for:
• Meeting attendance = 1pt
• Dues = 1pt
• Appearance = 5 points
• Special Event attendance = 5pts
• Badges = 10pts
• Stars = 15pts
• Awards = 20pts

Cubs can earn extra points (leader’s discretion) at anytime for activities or behaviors above and beyond the call of duty. However points can be taken away just as easily for misuse of language, etc…

YIS
Shere Khan

Another Camp Come and Gone

Just as the cubbing season started it's well under way. This past weekend we had a wonderful camp at the Apple Hill Scouting reserve.

Thanks to Akela for putting this together yet again. Thanks to the parents and all else who helped out. Without so much help such a camp would not be possible.

If I remember the numbers, we had 98 cubs and 47 parents/adults. Not bad at all for an early camp.

The weather was just perfect. Warm and dry during the days and nice and cool at night. The kids had tons of fun. I was part of a group of about 25 cubs with two other leaders. Our 1st activity as to build some fortifications using cedar logs. We learned a few knots and lashing techniques. Our 2nd activity was a nice and relaxing craft. This brought us to lunch. After lunch we (well the kids ...not me) did a Zulu Warrior obstacle course. We then proceeded to the "pea shooter" and sling shot range (really cool). We of course had supper and the traditional camp fire.

On Sunday we had a "water" fight using sponges and catapults that scouter Christine L-M. and Scouter Christine R. built (really good job too). It was mayhem (but really cool), sponges were flying like crazy, leaders got attacked and so did scouter Bill.

Anyways, I think it was a great camp. I'll let you know when the pics are uploaded.

YIS
Shere Khan

Map to Apple Hill

Here's a map to the Apple Hill Scouting Reserve.
It's the "fire" icon close to Alexandria . Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out. Try out the "Hyb" button, pretty cool. YIS. Shere Khan

View Larger Map

Up-Coming Events

September 21-23 – Odawa Fall Cubaree

• Apple Hill Scouting Reserve
• Drop off Friday between 6-6:30pm
• Pick up Sunday between 11-11:30am
• Cost : $40 per cub / $15.00 per parent volunteer

September 29 – Apple Day

• Rain or shine (so dress for the weather)
• At the Chamberland building for 9am
• BBQ to follow

October 6^th – Car Wash / Bake Sale

• Rain or shine
• At Rockland City Hall
• 9am – 2pm
• Please bring baked goods (pies, cookies, breads, etc…)
• Lunch provided

Odawa Cubaree Information

Odawa Cubaree Information

When: Friday Sept.21^st-Sunday Sept. 23^rd

Location : Apple Hill Scouting Reserve

Drop off : Friday between 6-6:30pm

Pick-up : Sunday between 11-11:30am

Camp Cost :

Cubs : $40.00

Parent Volunteers : $15.00

Below is a list of what to bring but it is not by all means complete. Please use common sense and monitor the weather and modify your list accordingly.

• Sleeping Bag

• Mess Kit

• Warm clothes (send extras, especially extra socks and t-shirts)

• Warm PJs

• Toiletries

• Rain gear

• Jacket

• Water bottle

• Flashlight

• Rain boots

• Hat

• Campfire blanket

• Sleeping mat (no air mattress please !!)

• A smile
  
  

For more information please visit our website at : www.1strocklandscouts.ca

Please don't hesitate to contact any of our leaders:

Akela (Bill Cain) : 833-1395 / bfc2@hotmail.com
Shere Khan (Guy Bigras): 446-3372 / jcjg.bigras@gmail.com
Christine Rozon: 446-3967 / mclat.rozon@sympatico.ca

New Cubbing Year

Well a new cubbing season is on the horizon.

Our 1st encounter will be this Wednesday at Tucker house from 7-8:30pm rain-or-shine. Then our 1st meeting of the year will be on Sept. 18th at Rockland Public School from 7-8:30pm

This year promises to be jam packed with fun (again). Get ready for many hikes, camps and other activities.

Keep an eye on this blog and website calendar for information on up-coming events.

YIS
Shere Khan.

Odawa Camp

This past weekend we attended the Odawa Area camp. What a great time it was. The weather, although a bit "rainy" was actually pretty good. The nights were cool which helps with the sleeping part.

The cub program was well done. The youth participated in various activities (map reading, morse code, semaphore, first aid, etc...). We had the traditional camp fires with its songs, skits and cheers. During free time the kids made good use of their water guns.

The Saturday night fire was unfortunately cut short because of the rain. However, as a surprise, a system was setup for all to view the Senators' game. Go Sens Go. I think that was the highlight of the weekend. Thanks to Scouter Jeff for bringing his dish and receiver and thanks to all that helped him set the system up.

To continue with the thank-yous our camp would not be possible if it were not for alot of hard work. Thanks to scouter Bill (Akela) and scouter Christine (Rakshaw). They are the ones that bring the food and the gear to all the camps. This is extremely hard work as they have go shopping for food, prepare the gear, pack it and then worst of all unload it all when they get back. I'm usually exhausted when I get back and reluctantly put my small amount of gear away, I can't imagine having to unload my gear, plus a truck and trailer full of stuff, hang up tents that are wet, etc, etc...

Thanks to scouter Jeff, scouter Marc (Bagherra), scouter Gerry (Kaa) and Scouter Luc for their hard work. (cooking, food, etc,etc...)

Thanks to parents Rob and Carol for their hard work in the kitchen (cooking AND cleaning).

Thanks to the scouts that helped us out with the many chores.

Thanks to Scouter John and the rest of the camp committee for all their hard work. It must be insane to plan and organize such an event.

I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody's name ... so here's a blanket thank you to cover anyone I missed : THANK YOU !!

Anyways, it was alot of fun and we get to do it all over this weekend at Apple Hill. :o)

NOTE to PARENTS:
There is a beaver "swim-up" event at the school this Wednesday at 7pm.

YIS
ShereKhan

Year End

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday marked our 20th annual flea market. I want to thank the cubs who showed up to help clean-up at the end. Every bit of help counts. This event is very important for the 1st Rockland Scouting Group. Most of the profit (if not all) goes to paying for the leaders' registration. Yep, it costs something for an individual to join as a leader. An event like the flea market helps cover those costs otherwise it would be difficult to get adults to join as leaders and therefore we would not have a scouting group. "Chapeau" to all that organized and helped out.

Wow almost a year has gone by already. We're approaching the end of the cubbing year. Tonight is our BBQ and fishing at the Rockland Marina (Du Moulin Parc). See the Google Map I created. People under 18 or over 65 are not required to have a fishing license.

Tuesday the 29th (next week) will be our last "regular" cub meeting. We would like you cubs to come prepared as if you're going to camp. We will inspect your bags (with your parents) to make sure all is okay. In fact our 1st camp will only be 3 days later so it's a good exercise. You may even want to leave it all packed and ready to go but be aware of the weather in case you need to change a few things.

I've posted last week's handout outlining what I just talked about (with a little bit more info). Feel free to read it if you want. :o)

The 1st camp we're attending is the annual Odawa Summer camp during the weekend of June 1,2&3. Again this year it is held at the Voyageur Provincial park near Hawkesbury. I think this will be my 3rd year attending this camp. It is packed with activities and the kids have lots of fun. One can expect a few hundred youth (beavers, cubs, scouts, venturers) from the Odawa area.

Our 2nd camp of the summer will be a special Voyageur District camp called : Rumble in the Jungle. It is held at the Apple Hill scouting reserve on the June 8,9&10 weekend. It will be for all the cubs in the Voyageur district. We can expect anywhere from 500-1000 cubs, plus leaders and other helpers.

Expect more info on these camps next week so please don't miss the meeting.

YIS

Shere Khan

Be prepared!

Hi all, don't forget that next meeting we are going to need our compasses and footwear for outside!

YIS
Bagheera

New Handout

Just uploaded a new handout about the spring cleanup this weekend.

I don't have all the info yet. Some of it will be given tonight or on Saturday.

YIS
Shere Khan

Back Pack Challenge

Well, it was an extremely tight race for points during this week's backpack challenge. The youth were tasked with packing all the gear they thought they would need for a 3 day camp, all in one bag.

It was nice to see how prepared everyone was, but in the end, some last minute bonus points for things above and beyond the "have to" list saw the Sharks ahead by half a point!

Their prize?

No dishwashing duty for the next camp.

Well done all, see you next week.

YIS,
Bagheera

Kub Kar Rally

Well last Saturday our Cub Pack attended the annual Odawa Kub Kar Rally at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa.

This year's event was organized by 4th Orleans ( http://4thorleans.ca/ ). They did a great job. There were tons of prizes but most importantly the kids (and adults) had fun.

Turn out was quite good. I think the numbers were around 120 cubs.

Our pack fared quite well. Joshua finished 2nd in the race for 1st place. Other cubs like, Connor, Dylan, Elise and Liam won prizes for most original, most true to live and other prizes that I can't remember at the moment.

Here are some pictures:

Kubs lining up to race

The pink car on the bottom is Elise's

Dylan with the most true to life car

Cars being admired

Please visit our web album for more pictures and even a couple of videos.

YIS
Shere Khan

Important News

Hi everyone,

I just uploaded a new handout containing some important information.

First off, there is a Kub Kar Rally this weekend at the museum of Science and Tech. This is a whole day event and is extremely fun. Make sure they come dressed in full uniform otherwise they will have to pay extra. Hopefully they will have their cars ready by then (those that haven't). For those new to the area (we always seem to take for granted that everyone knows the directions to these places) here's a Google Maps link : Museum Sci Tech Map.

The second thing I want to mention is that there are a couple of cub camps in June. They are the Odawa Camp and the Voyageur Cubaree.

The Odawa Camp is an annual event and I think this year is the ?? year they have it ( I can't find the info and right now the Odawa website is down) at the Voyageur Provincial Park near Hawkesbury. It's and event that includes all the Scouting Groups of the Odawa Area. This encompasses all groups from Gloucester to Hawkesbury ( I think .. I may be off here). It's a fun event and the kids really enjoy it. Cost is $15.00 per child. The pack is covering 75% of the costs (otherwise it would've cost $40.00). WE NEED TO KNOW ASAP IF YOUR CHILD CAN MAKE IT. Oh this camp is held the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June.

The other camp is coming up the following weekend, that is the 8th, 9th and 10th of June. This camp is to commemorate scouting's 100 year. This will include all the cub packs of the Voyageur district which covers a huge area (eastern Ontario and western Quebec) You are looking at over 1500 people at this camp. It is a mini-jamboree so to speak. Cost is $25.00 per child. The pack is covering 50% of the costs. WE NEED TO KNOW ASAP IS YOUR CHILD CAN MAKE IT

For more information on the kub kar rally and the camps (but not much more)
take a look at our newly added handout ... click here

You can take look at some pictures too:

Odawa Camp (when I was a beaver leader a few years back)
Kub Kar Rally (last year's)


YIS
Shere Khan

!!! March Break and 1st Meeting Back !!!

Please be advised of the following:

• The meeting on March13th is canceled due to March Break.
• The meeting on March 20th is pushed to Thursday March 22nd at 6:45pm at Rockland Public.

We are joining the Beavers on the 22nd. We will setup racing tracks so the cubs and beavers can test out their cars and buggies respectively. Don't forget your Kub Kar !!!


YIS
Shere Khan

What a Wicked Winter Blast!

I'm not talking about Friday's winter storm, either! That winter camp was AMAZING!

The weather was perfect, the food was great, and the programme was phenomenal!

The youth approached the challenges with lots of energy, and really picked up on the orienteering this weekend, thanx to Akela for all of the drills we ran during the last few meetings, they paid off HUGE. By the end of Saturday's exercises the Pack were compassing with ease and ManTracker went off perfectly, good job Pack!

We're very proud of you.

Great fort building too!

The campfire skits were performed with gusto and the singing and cheering were hearty to say the least.

This was an exceptional weekend and I hope the youth are as anxious for the next one as I am.

YIS,
Bagheera

KoC Tickets

Please hand in the money for the Knights of Columbus tickets. If you did not sell them all please bring back the unsold tickets too. The deadline is this Tuesday.


YIS
Shere Khan

Sleep Over and Winter Camp

Our sleepover at the Clarence Creek arena last Saturday went pretty well. We had 11 cubs and one scout and I think everyone had a good time.

The kids arrived around 6-6:30pm put their stuff aside and played around for a bit. At about 7pm we went down to the arena for some free ice skating. We did this until about 7:45 and then headed back upstairs.

The kids then setup (with a bit of help) 5 or 6 dome tents. They then setup their sleeping bag and other stuff. I have the admit that the kids did pretty good. One has to remember that these are kids aged 8 to 10 years old. Gee, some adults have difficulty setting up tents. Mind you these ones were pretty easy but still I think they did pretty good.

After the tents were all setup, we did some target practice with wooden guns and elastics (home made by Akela). I think this activity was a success. Not only did they seem to have fun but there were no injuries ... (ha ha) :o)

That night they also watched a movie and had a snack. The sixers and seconders had a meeting with Akela to plan some things for our up and coming Winter Camp.

The next day we had pancakes and sausages for breakfast, the kids played with the guns again and they were all gone by about 10am. All in all a fun night. I'll try to post some pictures (visit our website )

Winter Camp

Our winter camp is coming up this weekend. It starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. It will be held at Tucker house in Clarence Rockland. For more details (address, etc...) see our hand out.

Winter Camp is a yearly tradition for our Cub Pack. It's a great time. The past 2 years it was held at Lac Corbeau near Notre Dame du Laus, Quebec. See some pics on our website. They will spend alot of times outdoors so they must dress warmly. There's nothing worse than being 30 minutes walking distance and have two leaders come back with a cub because his feet are wet and cold.

They will do some compass work, hiking, crafts and of course tobogganing.
Anyhow, I hope we have some nice weather but no matter what I'm sure we will have fun.

YIS
Shere Khan.

Sleep Over at Arena

Just a reminder that we have a sleepover at the Clarence Arena this Saturday (the 24th).
Drop off at : 6pm on Sat and pickup is at 10am on Sunday. Please see handout for more details (this is a pdf file, Acrobat Reader is required).

YIS
ShereKhan

Tomorrow's Cub Meeting is Canceled

I know I was able to reach most of you last night but just in case, tomorrow's cub meeting has been canceled.

Don't forget about the BP banquet on Thursday at 6pm.

YIS
Shere Khan

Reminders

Here are some reminders:

• KoC tickets. Please bring the money in ASAP
• Our sleepover at the Clarence arena is coming up so please sign-up
  
• The BP banquet is not far off so don't forget to purchase your tickets
  
• Winter camp is held at Tucker House on the 1st weekend of March. Please don't forget to sign up.

That's it. :o)

YIS
Shere Khan

CampJJ

I think our CampJJ outing last Saturday was quite fun.

We had to endure fairly cold weather (-16degC , -25 with the wind) but we were somewhat sheltered by the trees.

We collected maple staffs for each cub so they can make and decorate walking sticks. These should last a lifetime and are useful on hikes. We will also decorate them for the Rumble in the Jungle camp in June (more info to come on that).

Lunch is always fun to cook over a camp fire and the kids can be quite resourceful. Here are some examples : boil in the bag, hamburger, pizza, etc...

I'm proud to say that I made myself a homemade pizza pocket (very big pocket). My son wanted some bannock to wrap around a wiener (bannogo ... bannock+pogo). I took the extra dough and rolled it flat. I then added some pizza sauce, pepperoni, hot peppers, olives and cheese. I wrapped the lot up nicely. I sprayed foil with Pam and wrapped the pocket in it. I cooked it for about 10 minutes per side on the fire. I took it out of the foil and cooked it for about another minute on each side. Mmmm pizza pocket. :o)

I know some of you are saying: "What the hell is boil in the bag" ? Well I don't feel like explaining it here but Google it and you should find tons of info. This is making me think that maybe we (Rockland pack or other groups) should share our knowledge and skills. I think when I have some time and umph I'll add a "resource" section to our website where we can show or talk about interesting and especially educative stuff. We could add a cooking section, crafts, etc...

Anyways, I'm digressing now.

We sent the kids off on a scavenger hunt. They had to find among other things: rabbit poop and deer tracks. I think they had fun. :o)

Turned out to be a great day.
YIS
Shere Khan

Ooops !

The sleepover on the 24th of February is at the Clarence arena not the Rockland one as previously stated on our calendar. Sorry 'bout that. :o)

Welcome Back

Hi everyone,

Welcome back. Hope you all had good holiday celebrations. No one got coal for Xmas ? Good. :o)

A new year has started and we have alot of activities planned: hike, sleepover, BP banquet, working on kub cars, winter camp ... all in less than 2 months. Expect some more info on those events.

REMINDER: Don't forget the KC tickets and money !!!

Our 1st meeting back was this week. It was marked by a special pizza supper given to the Wolverine six ( Ryan, Nick, Tyler and Ryan ). The Wolverines led the pack in points per cub. For those of you who have forgotten we have implemented a points system this year. :o) The competition was close but they won fair and square.

1st Rant of 2006:
***Start of Rant****
There are 2 things I need to get off my chest:

1. I'm getting tired of kids sulking and whining if they are not teamed up with their buddies when we are doing games or activities. There's nothing wrong in feeling disappointed you're not with your friend but whining about it and actually opt out of a game because of that is quite annoying.

2. Cubs (if any of you actually read this) , please accept your fate during a game. If you are disqualified, "out" or "it" , PLEASE stop whining and arguing about it. Games are only a few minutes and we play tons of them throughout the year. When a leader tells you you're out ... you're out.

Phew, now I feel better. I know, I know they are just kids and they are behaving as kids do but such a thought does not make our lives as leaders any easier. :o) Maybe, it's just me but it seems alot worse this year. Or maybe we have a few more competitive cubs that don't like to loose. Competitiveness is good but humility is good also. :o) ..... allright enough already.

***End of Rant****

Let's all work as a team.
Have a great scouting year every one

YIS
Sher Khan