June Camp

It's at the back of everyone's minds.... spring has arrived and June camp is right around the corner!!  During the second weekend of June you will find the Arctic Wolf Pack at Apple Hill enjoying the Odawa Area camp. Did I mention the theme was going to be Star Wars?  You know that spells fun, right? Details are still being hammered out but let's just say that this is going to be one weekend the Cubs will never forget!

New Uniforms!!

It’s been over 20 years since the Scouts Canada uniform was reviewed, and our vision is clear – the uniform must reflect not only who Scouts has been, but also who Scouts Canada is today.  Our revitalized uniform respects the great heritage of Scouting and signals its bright future. It is a key component of our Action Plan for Canadian Scouting, and reflects our commitment to innovation and to meeting the changing needs of our members and Canada’s youth.

 Rooted in more than 100 years of tradition, the iconic Scouting uniform is getting an exciting new makeover! As part of a comprehensive national Action Plan for Canadian Scouting, Scouts Canada recently announced its partnership with the Joe Fresh® brand to design a stylish and dynamic clothing line that reflects the organization’s spirit and energy.

The new Scouts Canada clothing line is a vibrant collection of youth and adult-wear for both men and women that includes polo tees, yoga pants, hoodies, tech tees and accessories, mixed and matched to form a contemporary look for the various levels of Scouting. Uniform fabrics and designs were chosen for comfort and to meet the needs of Scouts members. Some of the obvious changes to the uniform include updated colours to reflect a modern look. Camp shirts and uniform pants will now be made from 100 per cent cotton and will have a relaxed fit. Yoga pants and shorts are made from Joe Fresh® brand quality Supplex, which offers cotton-soft comfort, is shrink and fade resistant, and dries much faster than cotton. Joe Fresh® brand also redesigned the Scouts Canada Badges with new artwork for the various levels of Scouting, and made the badges smaller and thinner to easily sew directly onto the uniforms.

The redesign of the Scouts Canada uniform was an extensive, strategic and collaborative process. Scouts conducted an online national uniform survey and National Youth Network survey among more than 5,000 Scouting members. Additionally, focus groups were conducted with Scouts members, external youth and adults that offered constructive feedback on design concepts.  A comprehensive review of select leading Canadian designers eventually led to the choice of the Joe Fresh® brand as a developer and the new Scouts Canada uniform collection.

The new line of clothing will be made available to Scouts across Canada starting September 2011, sold exclusively through Scout Shops and online at www.scoutshop.ca.

Games Night

Since we have been hard at work during the whole month of March, the leaders thought it would be a fun idea to have a games night!  Thanks to all the Cubs who joined us and had a great time.

Here are some of the things that we will be doing during the rest of the year:

Olympic Sports (Red Badge requirements)
Hike at Tucker House
UN Night
Walking Stick Clinic
Design a space station
Space exploration
Search and Rescue Skills/Emergency Preparedness
Urban Hike

We are in the last stretch of the year and we can't wait for the nice weather to show up so that we can get outside again!

Spirituality Award

"Spirituality is the truth you discover, whereas religion is the truth that is handed to you by tradition" said a student of a religion class.  Spirituality and religion are by no means opposed or antagonistic.  Spirituality seeks immediate, intuitive access to the truth that religion enshrines; namely, the truth of our connection to a transcendent reality.

What better way to introduce spirituality but at the spring equinox when Mother Nature herself is brimming with moments to share the wonder of the changing of the seasons?

At the end of the evening, Chil had given us all a lot to think about.  From an Aboriginal legend, to how the sun rotates around the earth to create the equinoxes and solstices we talked about different ways that you can connect to the earth and to each other.

Everyone who attended this meeting earned the Spirituality Award - now if only the Scout Shop was closer!  Our badges were ordered two weeks ago and we are still waiting on them to come in.  Can't wait to hand them out to the Cubs!

Kub Kars Camp

Kub Kars camp was a complete success again this year!  Complete with power tools, loud music and great friends this is an event not to be missed.  Everyone had such a great time and the results were as individual as the cubs themselves.  We had a couch, an iPod, a banana, a hotdog, a Hershey bar and many, many more.  Visit our photo album to see some more great shots.

Bring back Akela to me.....

Bring back, bring back, oh bring back Akela to me, to me

Bring back, bring back, oh bring back Akela to me

(Sung to the tune of My Bonnie)

So the Cubs officially said their farewell to Akela as he 'woofed' them off via telephone last Tuesday.  Last we heard, he was in Germany and had made some new friends on the flight over and had even seen some old friends from home.  We all hope that he is doing well - he can check in on our blog from time to time and see what we are up to while he is away.  If he knew the date that he was flying back home, he should send it to us and we could start a count down!

Last night's meeting was awesome.  Nearly all of the Cubs were there (we were only missing two - we missed you Evan and Ethan) and everyone brought their dues.  What?  No push ups?  The leaders were amazed! Looks like everyone is getting into the the swing of things.  After our opening, Mang awarded the Cubs who attended the Winter Camp and/or Winter Cuboree with the Winter Cubbing badge.  Way to go, guys!  Can't wait to see those badges on your sash - wear them proudly, you earned them!!

After opening, we headed outside where we watched the space station and Discovery sail through the night sky, what a sight to see!  While we were out there waiting, some of the Cubs even remembered the constellations that we had identified during our campfire at Winter Camp and Rikki showed them where to find Jupiter.

Back inside, Rikki had organized a game of Jeopardy based on Canada's Food Guide.  It was Sharks + Manta Rays vs. Cobras + Scorpions.  With the money the earned during the game, they were able to purchase a variety of fruits to make smoothies (rumour had it that Rikki was going to bring beans, pickles and mushrooms instead - what a sense of humour Mongeese have).  It was a close game with the Cobras/Scorpions coming in at $2300 and the Sharks/Manta Rays at $1900.  These Cubs are super smart!!  While Baloo, Bagheera, Chil and Rikki were whipping up the smoothies, Mang had a discussion with the Cubs on what being a vegetarian is all about - the different kinds of vegetarians, the good vs. the bad side of being vegetarian.  Some of the Cubs were surprised to find out that they sometimes eat vegetarian meals like PB&J and macaroni & cheese.  Mang promised the pack a delicious vegetarian breakfast at camp on Sunday.

We had a quick talk before closing about our Kub Kars, we're all getting really excited for camp!  All the Cubs seem to have such great ideas, they are going to look great!  Rikki has got a ridiculous amount of power tools and he is bringing the tents to sleep in on Saturday night, we've got a giant game of Twister, we're doing some skating and making some Kub Kars.  How is that for a fun-filled weekend?  I can hardly wait. 

So, Akela, if you're reading this - meetings aren't the same without you. The Cubs miss you but have been on their best behaviour since you've left.  Hey, wait a minute.... I wonder if there's any correlation between the two...... ???