Scouts can have fun and learn new skills in the Academics and Sports program. They can earn special belt loops and pins just by learning a new sport or academic subject and participating in it. This can be done at home,
at Den meetings, or even at Pack meetings.
The boys earn belt loops by completing three requirements, and pins by completing an additional 5 requirements from a list of 10 or 12.
Scouts must earn the belt loop first; then they can earn their pin.
See this summary:
websites for complete details and pictures of the awards. But be aware that these websites do not yet include the latest belt loops described in the
Did you know that in order for the boys to go camping with their Pack or Den, there must be at least one parent who has been specially trained in BALOO? (Basic Adult
Leader Outdoor Orientation) If for any reason a BALOO trained parent is not able to attend the camp-out, then the boys will not be able to camp either. So we are asking for at least one parent from
each Den to attend BALOO training, especially the Tiger and Wolf Dens.
Training is conducted at the Von Oven Scout reservation in Naperville. It typically runs from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM on a Saturday and includes lunch. Attendees learn valuable skills for outdoor activities.
BALOO training is only offered a couple of times a year and the cost will be reimbursed by the Pack. Click here for registration information:
Third grade boys are Bears scouts. Boys must complete twelve achievements to earn their Bear badge. The Bear trail begins with a progress toward ranks emblem which
is awarded upon completion of any three achievements. Completion is considered satisfied if the boy "did his best". A red bead is awarded for each additional group of three and attached to the emblem.
A Bear Badge is awarded when all four beads have been received. A Bear scout can also follow the Arrow Point trail of over a hundred electives. Completing any ten electives earns a gold
arrow point for his uniform. Each additional group of ten electives earns a silver arrow point. Character Connection exercises are used to reinforce the twelve core values of scouting. Our Bear leaders are Mary King and
Patrick Stevenson.
Bobcat Badge
Regardless of which den he joins, the first task of each new Cub Scout is to complete the eight tracks of the Bobcat trail. New Scouts learn the Cub Scout promise,
motto, handshake, salute, sign, law of the pack, and meaning of Webelos. Scouts must also complete the child protection exercises listed in their Cub Scout handbook
with their parents or guardian to earn their Bobcat badge.
Brag Vest
Cub Scouts participate in many activities and earn awards at both Den and Pack levels events. Some awards, such as rank badges and "progress toward ranks" emblems and beads are worn on a Cub Scout's shirt.
Sports and Academic Belt loops slide over a Scout's belt. Patches and segments for activities are worn on a red vest commonly called a "Brag Vest." The design and placement of things on the Brag Vest is left
entirely up to the Scout's imagination and artistic judgment. That said, most Scouts start with a round Three Fires Council patch in the center of the back of the vest. That works out well because many segments are curved.
Although the red vest can be obtained at the Chalk Board stores, the round Three Fires patch can only be obtained from one of the Scout Stores. They are only $2.75 and you can contact Mary King if you would like to order one.
You can get an idea of what can be done with a Brag Vest from these pictures:
BRAG VEST
Costs
As parents, we have seen the positive effects of scouting in our own son's lives and are working hard to keep it affordable. Our pack has no-cost activities such as hikes, visits to fire stations, radio stations,
historical sites, etc. Our annual dues cover the cost of the Rain Gutter Regatta, Pinewood Derby, Rocket Launch supplies, and other events. Our pack obtains discounted group rates for sports events, such as the Chicago Storm,
DuPage Dragons, etc. and we have a recycling program for scout supplies. We raise money through our annual Popcorn sales to offset expenses and lower pack dues. For a detailed explanation of costs see:
COSTS
Event Chairs (2009-2010)
Our Pack is all about doing things and having fun. Got an idea for something? Why not volunteer to organize it as a Pack event? You be the Chair!
But even if you can't chair an event, you can still help out. Our event chairs can always use a helping hand. Contact them directly to find out what you can do. The success of our events depends on our parent volunteers.
Our chairs are:
Blue and Gold - Jeff & Georgeanne Katsuleas
Brookfield Zoo - Mary King
Blackwell Tubing - Greg Athas
Camporall - Jill Fisher
Chicago Wolves - Jill Fisher
Chicago Wolves - Jill Fisher
Enchanted Castle - Jill Fisher
Fire Safety - Vicki Thiele
Hayride - Wendy Harper
Hiking Club - Mary King
Ice Cream Social - open
Memorial Day Parade - Vicki Thiele
Picnic and Campout - Noreen Kordzinski
Pinewood Derby - Larry Himmelblau
Popcorn Kernel - Sherri Petrucci
Rain Gutter Regatta - open
Rocket Launch - Brian Kordzinski
Scout Information Night - Ron Petrucci
Scout-o-Rama - Jill Fisher
Scouting for Food - Debbie Loid
Snoozeum - Chuck Bednar
Summer Day Camp - Vicki Thiele
Finance Committee
Chaired by Ron Petrucci, the Finance Committee has representatives from each Den. It sets budgets and approves Pack expenditures. Current members are:
Bears - Mark Loid
Tigers - Bill Patterson
Webelos - Katy Giesecke
Webelos - Gerry Jackson
Webelos - Ron Petrucci
Wolves - Vicki Thiele
Friends of Scouting
Three Fires Council and the Boy Scouts of America need the financial support of the community, local businesses, and Scouting families to help make Scouting available to all young people in the various
communities that they serve. Each year the Friends of Scouting distribute pledge cards for those wishing to make a donation. Donations may also be made online through the Three Fires Council website.
Should you decide to do so, be sure to check if your employer will match your contribution. Please contact Ron Petrucci for additional information
Geocaching
Geocaching is a sport where players use GPS units or other navigation devices to find hidden treasure containers, called "geocaches". Players have hidden literally hundreds of thousands
of caches across the nation for others to find. A cache typically contains inexpensive trinkets and a log book for you to sign. If you take something out, replace it with something else before you re-hide the cache.
You can even journal your experience on the www.geocaching.com website. To see the Cache locations in your zip code please click here:
GEOCACHE
Scouts love geocaching, so Three Fires Council is sponsoring a big 100th Anniversary "Get in the Game" geocaching contest. Everything you need to know is here:
CONTEST
Go Sees
Fun and interesting field trips are an important benefit of Scouting. Our scouts have visited fire and police stations, mayor and government official's offices, radio stations, turn of the century farms and even a
chocolate factory. See the attached flyer for more information about some of our scouts favorite places . Also, please let us know about the cool places you have found so we can add to our list.
GO_SEE
Hiking Club
Getting together with your friends and taking a stroll in the woods is a lot of fun. There is always something interesting to see and maybe even a geocache to find. So weather permitting, our pack's hiking club meets once a month
at one of the Forest Preserves. Guests are always welcome. New participants are awarded a First Hike patch for their brag vests. Our GPS tracked walks average about three miles each. We award a hiking
badge at ten miles and segments to fit around it for each additional ten miles. At twenty five miles, scouts are awarded the much sought after official hiking stick. It features a leather hand grip and allows each scout to create his
own unique design.
Magazines
Boy's Life and Scouting are the official scout magazines. Boy's Life is published on a monthly basis and is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the scouting world. It features news and articles of interest to all boys
and we highly recommend it. Scouting magazine is provided free of charge to all registered leaders and is available to others in the pack at a special rate.
See:
BOY'S LIFE and
SCOUTING magazine web sites.
Pack Dollars
During our annual Popcorn sales fundraiser, scouts have the opportunity to earn Pack Dollars for their own personal use. The Pack Treasurer establishes an account for each scout earning Pack Dollars, and
then tracks deposits and withdrawals from it. Scouts can use their Pack Dollars for pack activities, such as the Snoozeum, Du Page Dragons baseball, Chicago Storm soccer, etc.
You can see the 3/19/10 account
balences here:
PACK DOLLARS
Pack Leadership (2009-2010)
Assistant Cubmaster - Ron Petrucci
Assistant Cubmaster - Greg Athas
Awards - Mary King
Bear Den 5 - Mary King and Patrick Stevenson
Charter Organization Rep - Joy Cleary
Committee Chair - Vicki Thiele
Cubmaster - Martin King
Finance Committee Chair - Ron Petrucci
Tiger Den 3 - Jill Fisher
Tiger Den 6 - Kylee and Tim Loatman
Tiger Den for 2010-2011 - Greg Athas
Treasurer - Gerry Jackson
Webelos Den 1 (4th grade) - Ron Petrucci and Gerry Jackson
Webelos Den 4 (5th grade) - Bill Corbett and Scott Johnson
Website - Martin King
Wolf Den 2 - Mark Loid and Scott Thiele
Pack Recycling
Help the environment and your fellow scouts by recycling no longer needed scout supplies. Progress toward ranks emblems, beads, neckerchiefs, slides, caps, clothing, etc. can all be put to
good use. Recycled clothing will be offered to others on a first-come, first served basis at pack meetings. Recycled rank emblems, beads, belt loops, etc. can be used to replace lost or misplaced items that have been
earned by our scouts. See your Den Leader or the Cubmaster for additional information.
Roundtable
Thunderbird District Roundtable meetings provide an opportunity for scout leaders and interested parents to find out about upcoming events, check out vendors and organizations that provide den and pack programs,
compare notes with other packs, etc. Roundtables are usually held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Naperville LDS Stake Center. They last about an hour and most attendees do wear their uniforms.
The LDS center is located 1320 Ridgeland Avenue in Naperville, Illinois. Ridgeland is East of Naperville Road between Ogden Avenue and the Tollway.
For more information see: ROUNDTABLE
Scout Shops
There are two council run scout shops in our area: The Norris Scout Shop in St. Charles (630-797-4614) and the Deicke Scout Shop in West Chicago (630-231-3192). The Norris store shares its location with District and
Council offices in St. Charles, but the Deicke store claims to have the larger inventory. Our Pack has an account the Deicke store, and awards, badges and patches can be purchased there. You can find their hours here:
SCOUT SHOPS
In addition to the scout stores, basic uniforms and insignia can be purchased at Chalkboard stores. There are a number of web sites for scouting supplies, but the official one is found here:
SCOUT STUFF
Snoozeum
We camp out overnight inside a local museum for an authentic "Night at the Museum" experience. All of Chicago's big museums offer safe and secure programs for overnight visits by groups of kids. They provide educational
presentations, a late night snack, and even breakfast the next morning. At the Adler Planetarium our scouts learned about stars, planets and galaxies. At the Field Museum our scouts got to see dinosaurs,
meteorites, etc., and even did a flashlight tour of the mummies! This year we will "sleep with the fishes" at the Shedd Aquarium! Click here for details:
2010 SNOOZEUM
Thunderbird District
Pack 504 is one of the nearly 30 Cub Scout Packs in Lisle, Woodridge and Naperville school district 203 that belong to the Thunderbird District.
Thunderbird has offices in St. Charles Illinois and Robert Siebert is our district executive. See their website:
THUNDERBIRD
Three Fires Council
Our Thunderbird district is one of the 12 districts that make up Three Fires Council, which is the regional organization serving scouts in DuPage, Kane, Kendall,
and De Kalb counties. Three Fires has offices in St. Charles Illinois. See their website:
THREE FIRES
Tiger Cub Den
First grade boys are Tiger Cub scouts. The Tiger Cub program is a blend of age appropriate activities boys do in their homes and ones they do in a den setting with their adult partner.
The Tiger trail begins with an immediate recognition emblem which is awarded upon learning the scout motto, sign, and salute. There are five achievements for Tiger Cubs.
Each achievement has three parts and progress is marked with beads that are attached to the recognition emblem. A Tiger Badge is awarded when all fifteen are completed. Simply participating
in the activities and doing one's best constitutes completion for a Tiger Cub. Boys may earn additional recognition and Tiger Track beads by completing electives.
Character Connection exercises are used to reinforce the key values of scouting. Our Tiger Leader is Jill Fisher.
To find out more about what is involved in being a Tiger Leader or Akela.
See: TIGER LEADER
T-Shirts
Red Pack 504 logo T-shirts are a great addition to any Scout's wardrobe. They can be worn to any warm weather Scout event such as hikes, sports events, Rain Gutter Regatta, Pack picnic, overnight camp outs, etc. For that matter,
any other time a Scout would like to show that he is a proud Pack 504 member. Heidi Athas got a special group rate of only $7.00 per shirt. Heidi ordered a few extra shirts for our inventory, so contact her for available sizes while supplies last.
These prices are not likely to be repeated.
Uniforms
Scout uniforms identify the wearer with the ideals of scouting and a commitment to its goals. Wearing a uniform demonstrates the democratic ideal of equality.
But the badges and emblems worn on the uniform display the achievements and rank of each scout, preserving individuality. Millions of boys, including several who became U.S. Presidents,
have worn scout uniforms.
These uniforms can be purchased online, at either of the scout stores as well as at Chalkboard stores. You might also check our recycling program to see what is available. A uniform
is a one-time purchase for most scouts. Only the neckerchief, hat and optional slide (you can make your own) change with advancements in rank. The rest of the uniform stays the same and new badges
and emblems are added to it.
See: SCOUTS
and LEADERS
Von Oven Scout Reservation
A camping facility located on West Street across the street from Naperville Central High School. In spite of being close to downtown Naperville, Von
Oven is a green oasis that has the feel of a rustic forest camp site. We held our May picnic and camp out at Von Oven and had a great time. The Cub Scout's Summer Day Camp is also held at Von Oven,
and is highly recommended.
Note that usage of the facility is by reservation only. See their website for details:
VON OVEN
Webelos Den
Fourth and fifth grade boys are called Webelos, an acronym for We'll Be Loyal Scouts. Our Fourth grade Webelos are in Den 1 and fifth grade Webelos
are in Den 4. Webelos is a two year program bridging Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. In February of each year, the fifth grade Webelos graduate
from Cub Scouting at the annual Blue and Gold dinner. Webelos achievements are honored and the Arrow of light, Cub Scouting's highest honor, may be awarded.
We end the night with a graduation ceremony for the Webelos with participation by area Boy Scout troops. Our Fourth Grade Webelos leaders are Ron Petrucci for Patrol "A" and Gerry Jackson for Patrol "B". Fifth Grade leaders are
Bill Corbett and Scott Johnson
Wolf Den
Second grade boys are Wolf scouts. There are twelve achievements for Wolves. The Wolf trail begins with an progress toward ranks emblem which is awarded upon completion
of any three achievements. Completion is considered satisfied if the boy "did his best". A gold bead is awarded for each additional group of three and attached to the emblem. A Wolf Badge is
awarded when all four beads have been received. A Wolf scout can also follow the Arrow Point trail of more than a hundred electives. Completing any ten electives earns a gold arrow point
for his uniform. Each additional group of ten electives earns a silver arrow point. Character Connection exercises are used to reinforce the twelve core values of scouting. Our Wolf leaders are Mark Loid and Scott Thiele.
