Scouts to the... Rescue??

Two weeks ago we had den meeting with our boys and it was time to start the Readyman badge and to finish a couple requirements for Outdoorsman. Rich had just hurt his back so I talked Bryce, our sometime den leader, into helping me out. At the start of the meeting only one Webelos showed up - Jacob. We worked on whipping rope and tying a square knot. I showed Jacob one way of tying the square knot but Bryce pointed out that unless your rope is really short that way isn't very useful. So I launch off into the other explanation and realize.. ummm... I have no clue what Rich had told me. This sort of stuff is his domain.

I tried to look like I knew what I was doing but truthfully I was in a panic. Bryce clued in and jumped in showing Jacob what to do.

Then it was time to fuse the ropes. I took the lighter and started to show Jacob when I look around and realized we're still in a classroom, with the door open, and there's smoke coming off my rope... whoops! We dash outside, laughing the whole way, and finish the demonstration. Jacob fused the end of his rope but wanted to fuse the middles together. We ended up with the rope in pieces.

We went back inside to start Readyman and than Ethan showed up. Ethan has been gone for months and we haven't had any discipline problems in that time. Within 5 minutes the class of TWO was in chaos. I suppose it didn't help that we had Steve.

Steve is a pillow.

The boys needed to demonstrate the Heimlich maneuver and and the book was very clear I wasn't to let them do it on each other. So I grabbed a pillow from the guest room and had meant to draw a face on a piece of paper and tape it to the pillow. This didn't happen. With great grunts and yells, Steve was saved... Not sure how well a real Steve would have fared.

Then we moved onto giving Steve CPR. Oh the giggles erupting from the boys.

I tried to explain what I'd just learned from a coworker that you should do the chest compressions in time to "Stayin' Alive". The boys looked at me blankly. Let's be honest - "Stayin' Alive" is before MY time but EVERYONE knows this song. Since most of the time I don't know names of songs but I'll recognize them I break out into the chorus "Stayin' alive! Stayin' alive! Ah ah ah ah........" More blank stares. **gulp**

Next year, I vowed to Bryce as we left that evening, I was bringing the song on my ipod. Or better yet - keeping my mouth shut!