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In our April 2002, issue of InsaneScouter News, we would like to publish the experiences our readers have had with nature, either good or bad. To submit an article please email it to InsaneScouter at webmaster@insanescouter.org with the subject "My Nature Experiences". Please specify how to credit the experience, such as Name / Unit, Name / Unit / Web Address, or Anonymous.

Whats New at InsaneScouter.com

I am proud to announce many of the new features and content now available at InsaneScouter. Below you will find a list of what these updates are and where to find them.

• Hex Ring a origami neckerchief slide
• Money Crossword Puzzle
• Hiking Preparedness
• Seasonal Fundraisers
• HTML Help - Lesson 1 - Planning

Fun Activities

Hex Ring a origami neckerchief slide

Money Crossword Puzzle

Animal Relay (a game you may want to try playing to keep things fun)
(Based on text from: mott@oodis01.hill.af.mil (Dan Mott))
Each member of a team is allocated a different animal. He must then move across the hall in the style of that animal. Brilliant fun, but hard to grade.

Donkey - Traveling on all fours to the goal and imitating the donkeys bray.
Duck - Walking on two feet in squat position squawking without stopping..
Lame Dog - Walking on two hands and one foot and barking..
Bear - Bent over standing on their hands and feet, moves right and left foot together, and then left hand and right foot together..
Duck - Squatting down low, with knees spread, arms stretched out with their hands clasped in front of their legs below their knees..
Crab - Back toward the floor, supported on hands and feet, the feet facing forward..
Elephant - On hands and feet, with legs and arms absolutely rigid..
Frog - Feet spread with his knees outside his hands, which are together. Advancing by frog-like jumps, landing on hands at each leap, then bringing the feet up.

Money Poem
(From Mailbox Magazine)
See the shiny penny, brown as it can be.
Showing Abraham Lincoln for all of us to see.
He had a bushy beard, and a tall, black hat.
A pennys worth one cent, how about that.

Thomas Jefferson will be found.
On a nickel, shiny, smooth, and round.
His home, Monticello, is on the other side.
A nickels worth five cents, say it with pride.

Keeping Track Of Your Money - Spending Plan

(Thanks to North Dakota State University NDSU Extension Service )

A spending plan is actually another word for budget. It allows a person to plan for upcoming expenses and ensure that money is available to meet those expenses. Helping your child set up a simple plan now can lead the way to more detailed spending plans in the future.

Children learn most money management concepts by observing parents behavior. Your attitude towards record keeping, balancing your checkbook, or following a plan for saving and spending will strongly influence your childs involvement in setting up a recordkeeping and spending plan.

Using the two-week record of income and expenses that your child has completed, break down items into income sources, fixed expenses and variable expenses, as shown below. If expenses are greater than income, discuss ways to increase income or decrease expenses. Savings should never be eliminated from fixed expenses. During the discussion, guidance can come from you as a parent, but the final decisions on how to balance the income and expenses should rest with the child.

Borrowing
Even with an established spending plan, there may be times when your child will need to borrow money. Use this opportunity to write up a loan agreement that includes a repayment plan. Set up a regular payment schedule and assess a late fee if payment is not received by the designated date. You may even want to charge a small amount of interest.

Suggested Activity
Involve children in family finance chores, such as making out checks, mailing envelopes, filing receipts and comparing charge slips to billing statements. Working with your child, estimate income and expenses for a two week period on the form below. Adjust figures to balance the income and expenses.

---------------------------------------------------
INCOME:
allowance (two weeks)................... __________
earnings (two weeks).................... __________
gifts (birthday/Christmas).............. __________
loans (friends, etc.)................... __________
parents................................. __________
other................................... __________

FIXED EXPENSES:
lunch ticket............................ __________
transportation (bus tickets)............ __________
club dues............................... __________
savings................................. __________
other................................... __________

VARIABLE EXPENSES:
recreation (movies, video rental)....... __________
food, snacks............................ __________
personal grooming (deodorant, hairspray) __________
bicycle repairs......................... __________
hobbies................................. __________
gifts................................... __________
contributions........................... __________
sporting goods.......................... __________
books and magazines..................... __________
other................................... __________

                               SUBTOTAL: __________
                         EXPENSES TOTAL: __________
         INCOME TOTAL - EXPENSES TOTAL=: __________
---------------------------------------------------

Seasonal Fundraising

Seasonal Fundraiser Ideas

Web Article - Lesson 1 Planning

Over the next several months, I will be writing a series on Building A Web Site. It is my plan for this series to be easy to follow, and take anyone thorough the steps of building a web site for themselves, or their unit.

Lesson 1 - Planning

InsaneScouter Moment - OLYMPIC OATH

I imagine most of us have watched the Olympic Games on the television. Its really great watching the worlds greatest athletes competing, isnt it?

Did you know that these athletes take an oath before they begin competition? Let me read the oath:

"We swear that we will take part in the Olympic Games in loyal competition, respecting the regulations that govern them and desirous in participating in them in the true spirit of sportsmanship for the honor of our country and for the glory of sport. "

Did you notice that the oath says nothing about winning? Of course the athletes want to win. After all, they have been training for four years or more to get ready for the games.

But the Olympic ideal is fair competition, not winning at all costs. Play to win. But remember that every athlete must learn to lose gracefully, without complaining. That's the Olympic ideal in a nutshell. Its also the ideal in Scouting.

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