Bike to School Week...

As a cycle-friendly Cub Pack, you should know that this week is Bike To School Week... You can check these links out for more info for kids and parents.

Why not use this excuse to get your bike out again after the winter?

If any parents are thinking of getting their kids a new bike for the summer, then maybe you could consider investing in an "islabikes" bike... they're expensive but great quality, lightweight bikes... so they hold their value really well for second hand sale on ebay. For example, a bike costing £250 will regularly sell 2 or 3 years later for £150 - 180. These are the bikes we hire at Glentress, so if your Cub attends the biking trips, the cost could be reduced by £10 each time too. Chat to Spud if you're looking for further advice on sizes etc.

Cubs will be back on as usual this Friday evening... Graham and Spud are both back after being stranded!!

Pack Meeting Cancelled April 23rd

The Pack meeting on April 23rd has been cancelled.

We will aim to be back as usual the following week.

Please text your buddies so the message gets around.

Cheers,

Spud

Hiking up The Whangie...

To continue our active outdoor theme for the weekend, 4 of our Cubs came hiking up The Whangie on Sunday.

Why not check out our photo slideshow on YouTube...

They loved seeing this amazing rock formation... although they nearly missed the subtly hidden entrance to the gap in the rock! But once they found their way in, they were pleased to find some old pockets of snow to mess around in!

Thankfully, we were blessed with great weather for all our activities this weekend... but it was still chilly on the tops so it was just as well they had all their gear with them!

Thanks goes to Katie for joining Spud on this hike... we can't do these trips without the ongoing support from the adults now involved in our team! Thank you!

The lads who joined in this one will all earn another tally on their Hikes Away chart... some will earn a badge this time, others are getting closer to Hikes Away 5!

More Mountain Biking for our Cubs...

On Saturday 7 of our Cubs went to Glentress for an exciting day of Mountain Biking at a heavily subsidised cost - thanks again to the Allander Trust for supporting this adventure!

Some of the lads have been there with us before... they were improving their skills on the freeride park and downhill trails. The others were new to it all, and they spent some time learning the basics before we moved on to the trails.

All the guys had great fun. There were a few cuts n bruises as always... but thankfully nothing too major! All the lads said they would love to do it again soon... hopefully we'll be able to fulfil their request!

Some of the lads will earn another Hikes Away badge, and most were working towards their Cyclist badge. Thanks also goes to Dougie, Rose and Fraser who came with us to ride the trails... and in particular to Colin who drove the van up & down the hill all day... we couldn't have done it without all of you!

Our Police Station Visit

Tonight we visited Saracen Police Station. The Community Police Officers, Peter and Angie, were really friendly and helpful... and they showed us some cool stuff.

We got to wear some of their uniforms and riot gear... and we had a chance to be locked in the back of the police van.

We even saw inside the cells and had our finger prints taken!

Thanks to Fraser for organising this event, and to Peter and Angie for giving up their time and giving us the tour!

This visit will help the lads to earn their Community Challenge Badge.

Kids, why don't you visit Strathclyde Police's virtual police station... or have a play of some of the games on the Tales of the Road website...

Sledging & Swimming

On Friday the Cubs were learning some First Aid to help them earn their Emergency Aid Badges. They made stretchers using their jackets and some poles and had great fun racing around the obstacles!

Then there was a change of plan on Saturday... because Glentress was under a few inches of snow... we had to re-schedule our mountain biking trip. At present, the plan is for this trip to go ahead on Saturday 13th March... the 7 kids who were booked originally will be expected unless I hear from them (your deposit stands against the new date unless I hear from you by Friday 6th March). If any of them can't make it on the new date, their place will become available for another Cub... so if you'd like to go mountain biking but hadn't booked, let me know ASAP so I can put your name down on the reserves list. Details are on the original ODA form - the only change is the new date of March 13th.

Instead of mountain biking, we decided to make the most of the snow!

So we set off for the Campsie hills, and made the most of the white stuff that was still lying on the higher ground there...

We all had great fun, replicating the Winter Olympics in our own wee ways! The only hassle was climbing up the steep slope after we'd slid down...

And sometimes it was easier just to roll back down again...

After all that freezing fun, we made our way to the Gorbals Leisure Centre where we warmed ourselves up in the wild water rapids! All in all, despite being last-minute... our change of plan worked out swimmingly!

Pancakes & Planispheres...

The guys who have attended most weeks this term have now earned their Astronomer Badges - well done! Last night they made planispheres as the final activity for this badge. If you missed it and would like to make your own at home download and print the planisphere here.

We're now working towards another set of badges... including the Community Challenge Badge, Emergency Aid Badge. Last night the lads learned about some dangers around the house and ways to keep safe to help them with these badges.

And because it was Shrove Tuesday this week, we decided to make pancakes on a camping stove.

Unfortunately there wasn't time for everyone to cook and eat their own... sorry! Maybe you can make some of your own at home now that you know what to put in the mix. Here's the recipe to help you.

And finally, does anyone recognise these clothes and this black Nike rucksack? The owner of this one probably has another child's rucksack (which is the same) at home, and will have acquired clothes that are not theirs! This one was left at the Adventure Day. Please contact Spud if you have the other bag so we can get it back to its owner!