Sunday, July 23, 2006

Skating with the Scouts

A little background... The Cub Scouts have a special pin that you can earn for participating in 3 events with your pack or den. A really wants to earn this, so I decided that I would organize some summer activities. In early June both kids went to Scout day camp. Then at the end of June, we went geocaching. So we only needed one more activity. Add in the fact that the kids earned a free pass to the skating rink as part of the summer reading program and voila - a good Scout activity.

I called our pack leader and informed her (and in the meantime planned yet another activity - a pool party later this week). Then I called the other den leaders and D and I called the parents in our dens. Sounds like I covered the bases, right. Well, except that my phone message got lost to one leader. When I hadn't heard back from him by Friday, I called again and he said he would call all the kids in his den that night. Guess what - no one from his den showed up on Sat. So tonight D called another parent/assistant leader in that den and asked him to call the kids about the pool party. I feel bad that a group of kids missed out on an event, but really I don't think I should. I asked someone to help call, he agreed, but he dropped the ball.

Anyway, we went skating. There were 5 other kids there from our pack. So, now A has his 3 activities (M already had 3 as he went to Webelos camp). A good time was had by all, as you will see:

M decided he would spring for rollerblades.

I paid for the basic skate rental as this was an organized activity, but the rollerblades were an upgrade, a "want", not a need, so M paid (after a discussion about why he gets the size allowance he does).

A is ready to go:


But once he finally gets going a bit, its a bit tougher to maintain balance.


A spent some time in the practice lane and I walked him 3/4 around the rink as he tried to find his balance. He was getting it much better by the time we left.

M said that the rollerblades hurt his ankles more than the regular skates - and that maybe he wants some regular skates for Christmas. Have to remember that...

After a while first M, then A decided that they wanted to play in the play area. I told them that that would be on them. Again, this was a skating outing - if they wanted to do the play area, that was what their allowance was for. They each decided that it was worth $1, so we bought the arm bands and in they went. M was technically too tall (way too tall), but they let him in because it was very uncrowded and no toddlers around.

M wanted me to take a picture of him on the zip line.


M's favorite way to come down the slide into the ball pit - backwards!


M nearly covered in balls.


A decided that frontwards worked better on the slide:


Luckily he didn't qutie run into M

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