The Orientation Booklet of Requirement

Remember what I said about my blog and how it was like Harry Potter's "room of requirement"? It only appears if you stand in front of it and you know exactly what you want (i.e., type in the right web address). Well, apparently editing a pdf file sort of works the same way. After carefully following an online tutorial to make an interactive version of my Cub Scout Orientation booklet -- and failing miserably -- I discovered it was much simpler than I'd anticipated. I simply needed to tell my booklet I required that it now be interactive. How easy is that?

(Note: Before you start, you'll want to access the orientation booklet by clicking on the photo on my blog and then download (and save) the booklet on your own computer.)

There are probably other methods and secrets to tapping stubborn pdf files, but here's what I did:

1. Open the pdf file in Adobe Acrobat Professional
2. Click on the "Tools" drop down menu at the top of the screen
3. Select "Advanced Editing" to bring up a menu offering several tool options
4. Select the "TouchUp Text Tool"

I tried this approach on three different documents and was successful with all three. As soon as I follow that four step process, the document thinks for a moment, and then I'm able to click on text and begin editing. I'm still very much an amateur when it comes to manipulating pdfs, but it's possible this just may work for you, too.

I designed my Cub Scout Orientation booklet as a sample, but if you can edit pack numbers and names and phone numbers and meeting times to make it work for you, please go for it. Use it however it best helps you with your pack meeting efforts.

Good luck -- and email me with your success results. I'd love to hear whether others were able to work the same magic in producing an editable pdf . . .

Catching Up

First, thanks for a fabulous roundtable meeting last night. It's true: cubmasters rock! The cubanapolis was a blast, even with the minor equipment malfunction (oh spray bottles, how they like to taunt us!), and I always feel such an energy boost from my CMs. Truly, you are the best of the best -- of the best!

That said, I awoke this morning knowing my first task was to hop on my blog and provide you with two crucial pieces of information. First, I've now updated my Journey to Excellence offerings to reflect 2012, so feel free to check out those links. I also felt bad I ran out of "Tips for Planning Outdoor Activities" sheets (those were the green "extras" I brought along), so I found the file buried deep on my computer and I'm including those in the "Extra Helps" portion of my blog. I hope you find the information useful and a springboard for whatever you're planning this summer.

Based on comments last night, I'm also inspired to attempt to turn my orientation booklet into a modifiable pdf. I haven't done it yet, but hope to do something about it this weekend. If I can do it, I'll get it posted for those who are interested in directly editing the booklet to meet their pack's specific needs. Wish me luck!

Thanks again for your support, your enthusiasm, and for making my job at roundtable so much fun. Remember, you really are the best!

Scouting in the Family

Many will know by now that my husband and I have been in the process of moving for the past few weeks. A very chaotic endeavor, we are discovering, with boxing and deep cleaning, followed by more cleaning and then unboxing. A new house has meant more room for the family, which is nice, but it also means trying to decide just where everything will go -- decor, craft supplies, food storage. Well, you get the idea.

A new house has also meant leaving behind a few things, like my kids' playhouse, our favorite burger joint, and of course, some of our dear friends are now a half-hour further away. It's also meant leaving behind some of the ways we've been involved in scouting. I've been involved with cubmaster activities of one kind and another for nearly four years now, and my husband was just getting comfortable in his position as 11-year-old scout leader for our last unit. The good news is that scouting is still here, in a new unit and a new district, and I'm sure we'll find our niche here, just as we did at our old place.

Almost unexpectedly, we've become a scouting family of sorts. We like seeing our oldest son involved in scouts, and already our youngest son is chomping at the bit for his turn to join a den in just a few months' time. We love learning through the scout program, and developing the values scouting instills in us.

For this reason, I decided it was time to go dig up the BSA Family Activity Book. Never heard of it? Don't worry, I didn't know much about it either. A quick internet search revealed a pdf file of the 43-page book which paves the way to earning a family patch. More importantly, it paves the way to strengthening family relationships by working towards goals together as a family. I was so excited to find the pdf file that I immediately added it to my blog, in the books category.

If you really want to see your son grow in scouting, take the opportunity to open this book and grow with him. Then, no matter where the family moves, whether in terms of changing houses, or weathering challenges that cause us to redirect our course, the strength of the family will move with you.

Life: what happens when you suddenly meet up with the unexpected

First, I must apologize for missing out on roundtable in January. My brother-in-law describes life as what happens when you suddenly meet up with the unexpected. So apparently that's what we experienced at our house last month: life! Family crisis over with, I'm very much looking forward to February's roundtable, to be held this coming Thursday (Feb. 9th) at the Cresthaven church in Rexburg. As always, the start time is 7:30, but rumor has it that we have grown big enough to deserve the gym for our opening meeting. Awesome! So make sure you turn into the new meeting place rather than looking for us off down the hall.

This month we'll be talking about the core value of compassion, as well as tackling a very small and simple neckerchief project, which I hope to also tie in with March's core value. As part of our class discussion, I'll be introducing something called "Conservation Good Turn" and will work on including all the helpful links on my blog (description, certificate application, and so on) for those who are interested and would like to find the information fast.

Enjoy your week, good luck with all your scouting endeavors, and we'll see you Thursday. :o)

Merry Christmas!

My oh my, how a year can fly by! Many thanks to those who came to December's roundtable meeting. I had a great time, and hope you did, too. For those who couldn't make it due to the myriad of Christmas-related activities going on this month, we talked about the basics of Blue and Gold Banquets, "tossed" around some bean bag game ideas, and of course collected another month worth of pack picks, all of which I'm posting on the blog for your perusal.

The next roundtable meeting will be Thursday, January 12th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cresthaven church, near the Rexburg water tower. We'll also hold our new leader essentials training (for all who are new to their cub scouting positions) on January 28th from 9 until noon, at the Henry's Fork church. That's the LDS church on 3000 North, out in Hibbard. Please do come if you're new to the program, and gather all sorts of great ideas and advice for making it through those first few crazy months in cub scouts. I promise training means sanity!

Have a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you the very best for the coming year. Ring in 2012!

Getting a Scouting Education

I have enjoyed a rich, full week. Many thanks to all who attended roundtable last Thursday and filled out cubmaster surveys for me. It may seem a trifle to you, but it was tremendously helpful for me. Thanks for your kindness and support. Nervous type that I am, I greatly appreciate it. :o)

Not only were the cubmaster survey responses educational for me, but I just have to say, my husband and I had a blast at University of Scouting on Saturday. I took a smattering of serious classes, and a generous portion of fun classes, and learned from all of it. While my husband tinkers with Altoids tin survival kits, I've been busy learning how to make survival bracelets. I also brought home a dozen excellent neckerchief slide ideas (well, okay, more like three or four dozen!) and a tremendous Faith in God worksheet. For those in LDS units struggling to keep track of where their boys are at in earning their religious knot and Faith in God award, this is a handy worksheet that can be passed from den leader to den leader, thus removing the anxiety of lost and forgotten Faith in God booklets. (You can find this worksheet listed under the "Extra Helps" heading in the right-hand margin.)

And now is your chance to broaden your own scouting education. This Saturday we will hold Cub Specific Leader training for all new leaders in our area. (Yes, the training that was canceled a few short days ago is officially back on again. Hooray!) Registration is at 8:30 a.m. at the Cresthaven church (where we hold roundtable), and the training goes from nine until noon. The cost is $4.00 and you'll be handed plenty of materials and a training patch before we let you out the door again to conquer the scouting world.

You can also mark your calendars for the next roundtable, to be held Thursday, November 10th, at 7:30. We will present lots of festive ideas, focus on the core value of respect, and keep you updated on all the latest news and happenings in the Targhee district.

Until then, have a happy and safe Halloween, and save the Kit Kats for me. :o)

A Passion for PVC

As you will have noticed in the right-hand margin, I finally got around to posting the Bola Game instructions I created for one of my grad classes this summer. I will admit, my son (then a Webelos scout) and my husband were in charge of all cutting and construction, so they get extra kudos for not only building the thing to begin with, but for also patiently and carefully positioning it to show every possible angle, as well as the various steps of assembly (and disassembly), in order to help me take about a hundred pictures of it. Since then, I have bravely cut my own PVC for other projects, and discovered it is a most amazing material -- too big for drinking straws, but perfect for neckerchief slides and miniature ring toss games, along with plenty of other things.

Part of being a cubmaster -- or anywhere in the scouting organization -- is learning to stretch yourself and embrace new challenges and adventures. Whether sawing up lengths of PVC or attempting your first Arrow of Light ceremony, may your adventures bring you not only challenges and success, but joy.