Raingutter Regatta - review

We had our Raingutter Regatta last month. Our cubs decorated their boats at the den meetings. I decided to not have a ranked competition similar to the Pinewood Derby. The boys enjoyed being able to choose their running partner as well as which set of gutters they were going to use. We had the inflatable gutter from the Boy Scout office as well as vinyl gutters.

I decided to make a participation award for each boy. I found a saying to go with Extra gum and put my own twist on it. I then purchased a sail boat puzzle at the local dollar store as the grand prize. Since the races were not ranked, I did a drawing of all of the boys who were there. It was one of our new boys who won the puzzle.

In an earlier post, I showed two options for the pool noodle boats. We tried to do the round side down and they just fell over. Some of the leaders made a catamaran type boat with the pool noodle which seemed to work better. Next year, we'll use the wooden boats again and just have the boys personalize their sails. I didn't feel like the noodle boats worked that great. This would be wonderful for a birthday party though ;)

We opted out of using straws to help with powering the boat. My cousin had done the regatta a few weeks prior. He said that the boys used the straws to push the sails instead of them being breath powered.

Raingutter Regatta

Last month's pack meeting was an awards ceremony for all of the achievements earned at day camp. The next few pack meetings will be more fun. We are doing the raingutter regatta this month and a bike rodeo in September. We chose September for the bike rodeo since it's a great time to remember bike rules as the boys head back to school. I was thrilled for the opportunity to coordinate a raingutter regatta since I've never done one before.

I immediately took to pinterest. I loved the idea of the pool noodle boats. I figure it's an inexpensive option. We have hundreds of Popsicle sticks to use as the mast. We decided that small fun foam sheets would work great as the sail.

We have a regatta track already from a previous event.

I cut pool noodles into 4 inch lengths.

I then cut them in half.

They scouts will have two options of how to build their boats. I'm curious to see which they choose.

 

Cub scouts, why it's so important to me

As a bonus mom to twin boys, involvement in cub scouts is inevitable. Even before meeting these special boys, I was a wolf den leader. Since that time, my husband and I were Webelos leaders and currently I am the cub scout committee chair. My parents have both been den leaders as well. 

The importance of scouting has been a part of my life for years. I remember as a teen seeing the young men my age in their scout uniforms while I was at my weekly young women activities. I then watched my brother and cousins advance through the scouting program and then achieve their Eagle Scouting award.

Scouting is super important for so many reasons. The values taught are unmatched. One Bishop I served under explained to me that cub scouts is time to prepare them for priesthood. My view is that it is preparation for the responsibilities of adult life. My husband and I have long told our boys that they must earn their Eagle Scout Award in order to get their drivers license. My brother in law pointed out that scouting was actually started to prepare young men to enter the military draft. In fact, any young man entering the military as an Eagle Scout immediately earns a higher rank.

I said before that I'm a step mom to twin boys. Buying two of everything can get super expensive, especially when it comes to scout uniforms. I know that not everyone has the finances to afford scout uniforms. Thankfully, I have several friends and family who have donated used uniform shirts to those scouts who otherwise would go without. The cub scout packs I lead also provide tshirts for day camps which becomes our summer uniform shirt.

That being said, I feel strongly about the importance of the boys wearing a uniform. These cub scouts should stand out. I love seeing cub scouts walk in a parade all in uniform. They are examples to those not involved in scouting and boys too young to participate. 

The most important time for uniforms is when participating in the flag ceremony. Being a member of a flag ceremony is an honor. These boys are carrying the flag of the United States of America. This is patriotism at it's finest.