In August, it became obvious to both the Scoutmaster of our pack and me that if I didn't step up to be the Den Leader for my son's Wolf Scout Den, there wouldn't be a Den Leader. I had been thinking about volunteering all summer anyway, and knowing the den would be in a bind otherwise gave me the push to go through with it. Now I'm fully aware that volunteering for this year means I've pretty much committed myself at least through the Webelos years.
We have a very small den. I'm not sure why. All the other dens have 6 or more kids. But the Wolves have 3 boys, including my son, and I'm lucky if I have all 3 boys two meetings a month.
My Scoutmaster doesn't find it amusing at all that keep telling him we're going to blow stuff up and shoot things. A few weeks ago we blew up balloons by filling a water bottle with vinegar, pouring baking soda into the balloon and placing the neck of the balloon over the neck of the bottle. Once ready we sprinkled the baking soda into the bottle and it inflated the balloon. Next week we'll be making marshmallow catapults and marshmallow shooters (again out of balloons).
I have reminded him that while I may be a girl, and I may have been a Girl Scout, I'm not leading Girl Scouts now. And I'm not going to treat them like Girl Scouts. I've got boys and for the most part we'll be doing things boys love to do.
We have also learned about our flag, made first aid kits and emergency kits, learned how to care for our pets, visited with a guinea pig, talked about healthy eating, visited a TV station, made time capsules, and used a map and compass. My boys have earned their maps and compassing and science belt loops. One of my boys has earned his chess belt loop, another his nutrition belt loop, and the third his soccer belt loop.
Some of these projects I'll post about here over time. Some may not get as much attention because I didn't get good pictures or I feel they aren't right for sharing.
About the name, because it's a bit of an inside thing with a double meaning. First, two of my boys are on the autism spectrum. They are extremely high functioning, but when planning activities I do need to be mindful of sensory issues and developmental delays. Sometimes I look at the projects in the Wolf Handbook and know there is no way these two boys will be able to complete the project without a significant amount of help. We adapt and we "do our best."
Secondly, this year at the fall district-wide camp out, I happened to mention during registration that I was a den leader. All I really wanted was an extra patch for one of my boys' little brothers because it would have made him very happy. Instead the person at registration happened to be one of the camp coordinators. She perked up, "Oh, we're looking for a special den leader to lead one of our stations today!" I replied with "I'm not that special." Apparently I am, because I ended up leading 6 groups of 35 boys into the woods on a nature scavenger hunt over the next 5 hours.
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