Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
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Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
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One of the most valuable gifts that Cub Scouting can bestow upon a young boy is self-esteem. When he leaves his Cub Scout meetings feeling god about himself, knowing that he is a valuable human being, confident in his abilities, respected by his family and friends – he holds a gift richer than the treasures of El Dorado.
Building self-esteem is so important a purpose that leaders should build it into every part of pack and den programs.
It can show up in a variety of ways:
The Cub Scout advancement process is our most effective way. Think about it.
It is important that we tie this Pack recognition as closely as is practicable to his work. Those achievements in his Tiger, Wolf or Bear book are important. His efforts, his Doing His Best, his achievements are being recognized. He won’t make the connection if we wait too long to award the badge.
Cubmasters must ensure that boys who have earned awards receive them at the next meeting. Don’t let boys get discouraged by having to wait for recognition.
The advancement program, when implemented correctly, will
Cub Scout Leader Book 18-6
All eras in a boy's life are enhanced by rituals, yet middle adolescence is a time when family rituals often fall apart. Because the boy is pulling away from family in order to become a man, we often let him disappear from family life. This is a grave mistake. He doesn't want it, and neither do we.
Eating together is one such ritual. Families of middle teens ought to try to eat together at least three nights a week. If this means one less sport or activity for the boy, then that's O.K. Eating together and loving one another and communicating during dinner is worth one of those sports.
Scouting May-June 1999
Ceremonies are one of the oldest forms of human communication. They pre-date history. Good Ceremonies are the ones that people remember. In fact, that should be the purpose of every ceremony: to fix something special in people’s memories. They commemorate something important that the people involved should remember. You want to the boy and his parents to remember, not just the ceremony, but what it all stands for.
To make your ceremonies that effective, try to incorporate drama, ritual, symbolism, and a message into each of the ceremonies presented in your pack or den.
And, of course we should all remember Judy Yeager’s advice on the subject:
Plus you can have fun, meaningful ceremonies that don't take a lot of time. My youngest will never forget his Wolf ceremony (and he's 17 now.) He was called forward with a few of his peers who had also finished and handed a balloon and a small plastic sword, accompanied by a few meaningful words about the badge. The boys were told to pop the balloons and voila--out popped a Wolf Badge!
Judy Yeager, NC
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Pack meetings set the stage for everything else in Cub Scouting: the den meetings, the home and family activities, the service projects, outdoor action, and even an introduction to the Boy Scout program. You might think of pack meetings as the gateway to Scouting.
Without pack meetings, those other things might not happen at all.
First, don’t think of your meeting as a ‘meeting’. Start to think in terms of a one night show, a production. Meetings are dull, we go to them every day and rarely (if ever) look forward to them. A show, however, is entertainment! People want to be entertained, and while they’ll forget to go to your meeting, they’ll remember that they have tickets to your show!
You may honestly believe that you’re doing this for all the boys in your community, but the truth is that the person who benefits the most from your work as a as Cub Scout leader happens to live with you. Your Cub Scout son sees what you do, he is aware of your commitment and attitude and he will end up copying a good portion of what he sees and admires in you. Your first responsibility as a pack leader is to be a good Akela to your son. So put on a good show for him. Let him see you doing your best, planning ahead, being a good team member, and especially having fun while doing all this: the sort of life you would like him to emulate. Be a good role model.
The pack meeting must provide an arena for your dens to show their stuff. Strong dens perform regularly at pack meetings in ceremonies, skits, and other activities that can be seen and appreciated by parents. When den leaders and Cub Scouts look forward to their parts in an upcoming pack extravaganza the den meetings take on a focus and excitement that just makes Cub Scouting fun. When dens have no part in pack meetings, they tend to fill their den programs with rank advancement - this, in turn replaces the family and parent participation. This can weaken the whole program and structure of the pack.
The heart and soul of the Cub Scout program takes place in the boy’s home with his family. Activities at the pack meeting must exalt the family’s part in the program. Be generous with your recognition of the parents’ contribution to the boys’ advancement and their help with all phases of the program. As a general rule, you probably can never heap too much praise and accolades on parents.
Your highest attendance usually occurs at pack meetings, making them excellent locations to get the word out. The trick will be to do it without messing up the flow of fun and idealism that you want in your pack meeting programs. Long, boring announcements are killers so you will want to replace them with better communication methods. Newsletters and flyers are great for explaining details like dates, times and meeting places of upcoming events.
Posters and banners set up around the meeting room can emphasize future activities. It is amazing how something as simple as a few ribbons and a small fan can draw attention to a notice on poster board. Wrap your promotions for Service Projects, Friends of Scouting Appeals, and Summer Camp registration in skits, run-ons, and parodies of songs or TV commercials. Use ceremonies to honor contribution of parents and others.
Lack of planning ruins more pack meeting than any thing else. Plan everything down to the last detail.
Who is going to do what, when, for how long?
Get as many of the participants (the TEAM) involved in planning as possible. This will help ensure that each member knows his or her part and is willing to do it.
Remember to plan the little things like pre opening activities, cheers, and run-ons. The more you plan, the more spontaneous everything will play out and the more prepared you will be when something unexpected happens.
Write it all out and give a copy to everyone involved.
A whole bunch of jobs have to be done to make a pack meeting work:
You can double up or rotate and share some of the functions but you should involve all the Assistant Cubmasters and most of your Pack Committee in these jobs. You will also need a few people to do run-ons, help with ceremonies, and handle the lights.
A successful pack meeting grabs and holds the attention of everyone there: the Tigers, Cub Scouts and Webelos as well as the parents, and siblings. You do this with short fast-moving bits. You change the mood of the audience with every dramatic and comedic trick you can borrow or copy or invent. Keep the pace changing with faster or slower sparklers or audience participation gags. Use the entire room so that if someone leads a song from the north end of the hall, the following den skit enters from the southeast corner. Move the center of attention around with action, sound, and lighting.
Dead time is a killer. Make sure that when one bit is finished, the next participant is ready with a cheer, a magic trick or presentation. Don’t let them sit still for the entire meeting - sprinkle in lots of stunts that get everyone standing, jumping, applauding, and shouting.
Pack meetings are constructed from a variety of building blocks that you should use effectively. Here are some of the common ones:
Ceremonies - Main elements of your program. Build everything else around these. The openings and closings frame the program. Advancement and graduations are your highlights.
Den presentations - Headline acts. Set these up carefully so that they cannot fail. Good den presentations build pack membership and retain good den leaders.
Games — Bundles of FUN for everyone. Involve parents and all family members. These are the activities that will be remembered long after the meeting.
Sparklers — Mood changers. Use these to build excitement and intensity or to settle things down for a more serious bit.
Songs — More effective mood changers. Songs can be just plain fun or can make a closing ceremony very special.
Costumes — Great for setting up the theme of the month. You don’t have to be in uniform every meeting.
Promotion — Create enthusiasm for upcoming special events. Think of TV commercials, movie trailers, or circus parades.
Visitors — New families, someone from the Chartered Organization or a neighboring Scout Troop should be introduced with proper fanfare and even a special cheer. Caution: be careful about letting them speak.
Each part of the meeting sets a tone or mood that will carry on to the next part. The opening ceremony will catch the attention of the audience and things usually begin in a subdued and attentive mood. You usually want to build the fun and excitement before you bring on a high-light event like a den skit. You can do this with sparklers, audience participation stunts, and games. If things get a bit dull, liven them up with cheers and run-ons. If the boys get too rambunctious, use a song or story to bring the mood down to earth. You may want to set a serious tone for a graduation ceremony or a closing so choose your stunts and gimmicks accordingly. A good team of leaders can, with a bit of practice, become expert at this.
Variety and surprise can do a lot to make your meetings successful. Vary the pace throughout each meeting and vary the elements, themes and moods from month to month. When the boys and parents start wondering what will this crazy bunch of leaders do next, then you have reached top form.
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Last month I wrote about den projects and how they can fulfill some needs of boys and fit into Cub Scout programs. Although projects are an important part of what we do with boys, we should always be aware that:
New den leaders sometimes think that den meetings should be filled from opening ceremony to snack-time with a full diet of craft projects. This is a poor choice. An occasional project is perfectly fine but craft activities bring a lot of disadvantages:
Den meetings should really be filled with games interspersed with ceremonies.
Games are important elements in Cub Scouting because they are as natural to the behavior of boys as are breathing, laughter and food.
Robert Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouting, said that “Scouting is a game with a purpose.” The game is our fun and exciting program, but the purpose is to prepare boys to become better adults.
York-Adams Area Council
The British Scout Association describes games and play in its Scout Base site.
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A child’s life is largely made up of play, but that play is very real to the child. Children not only pretend to be jet planes or astronauts, while the game is going on they are jet planes or astronauts. They are disappointed and disillusioned if a grown-up takes a game lightly, finishes it abruptly before it is played out, or does not worry about keeping the rules. |
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The play-world is a very real world to children. In it they are learning and testing out the rules of life which they have to observe as adults later on. They will learn to give and take, to co-operate with others, to accept defeat without complaining, and succeed without being boastful.
Cub Scout Leaders need to appreciate this world of imagination and to use it in their approach to Cub Scouting. Every activity of the Cub Scout programme could be, or could include, a game.
The best sources of games for Cub Scouts are the Cub Scout Leader How To Book (HB) and the Den Chief Handbook (DC). Every den needs a copy of each. Both have excellent hints on leading games (HB p3-1 and DC p47.) Even old printings, available at used book stores or on eBay, can be useful to any den. If your den doesn’t have these, try to get them.
Competitive Games — Vary the games so that all boys can excel. Games like the Rooster Fight (DC p60) that favor the larger, stronger types should be mixed with games like Sleeping Guard (HB p3-6) where a smaller more agile boy has an advantage. Boys with good sense of balance can look good in the Astronaut’s Test (DC-p62) and observant ones will probably win out at Kim’s Game (HB p3-34).
Cooperative Games — While many games are played competitively, good den leaders will also use more that a few games that require cooperation or ones that have no winners. The How-To Book has a whole section on them.
Games like the Forehead Squeeze Relay (HB p3-22) and the Nature Hunt (DC p59) require teamwork and cooperation. Perpetual Motion (HB-p3-20 and The Snail (HB p3-22) are good examples of fun games where no one wins or loses.
Reflection — The How-To Book describes reflecting as: guiding the players to think about what has happened as a result of the game or activity and try to learn from it.
As a leader, avoid the temptation to talk about your own experiences. Reserve judgment about what the participants say to avoid criticizing them. Help the discussion get going, then. let the participants take over with limited guidance from you. If you describe what you saw, be sure your comments do not stop the participants from adding their own thoughts. Above all, be positive. Have fun with the activity and with the session.
These types of questions are useful in reflecting:
Open-ended questions prevent yes and no answers. “What was the purpose of the game?” “What did you learn about yourself?”
Feeling questions require participants to reflect on how they feel about what they did. “How did it feel when you started to pull together?”
Judgment questions ask participants to make decisions about things. “What was the best part?” “Was it a good idea?”
Guiding questions steer the participants toward the purpose of the activity and keep the discussion focused. “What got you all going in the right direction?”
Closing question help participants draw conclusions and end the discussion. “What did you learn?” “What would you do differently?”
Remember, reflecting on an activity should take no more than five to ten minutes and are often much shorter than that. The more you do it, the easier it becomes for both you and the participants. Remember that the value and the values of Scouting often lie beneath the surface. Reflection helps you ensure that these values come through to Scouting participants.
Pack Games — A game or two always adds spice to a pack meeting. Just make sure that all boys get to participate. Gathering games and relays are usually good. If you think about it, audience participation sparklers and songs like Throw It Out The Window are essentially games that involve everyone — even the parents and siblings.
Parent Participation — Cub Scouts enjoy seeing their parents join in the games. Try it at Tiger den meetings and pack meetings. You would certainly want to involve the parents at your pack camp overnights or other outings.
Your Game Chest — Make a den game chest: simply a box where you can store common game equipment. Some examples:
You get the idea. Make it suit your den.
Your Game List — Make a list of different games. Writing (or gluing) each on a separate 3x5 index card may work for you. Have a variety of indoor, outdoor, active and quiet games that your den likes. Keep it handy. This is a resource that you can use in a pinch when you need something to rescue your meeting.
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Training Tips
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When a boy makes or builds something - like a model plane, a boat or a car - he often imagines it in action: flying, sailing or racing, as he works on it?
His mind is as active as his hands.
This summer I was walking along the beach in Oregon where we spend our summers. I stopped to watch a young boy hard at work at a very serious project. He had built a large sand castle with a very large moat and now was struggling to divert a nearby stream to fill the moat. It was tough, dirty work but that didn’t faze him a bit.
He built dams and dug a long deep trench. As the stream tried to outwit him by silting up his trench and washing out his dams, he feverously worked keeping the water moving.
He wasn’t going to fail. He was the Project Engineer in charge of the castle’s defense!
A couple of things to note here:
Most boys like to build things. They like to use materials like wood or messy stuff like mud, or even sand. They like to put things together, to nail, to glue, or just to stack some stuff on top of other stuff. For reasons hidden to the adult mind, boys (and some girls) must try to pile rocks or sand to block the flow of water.
Generally speaking, boys like certain kinds of projects. Here are some basic rules to help you choose projects that will go over well and contribute to their growth:
What will it do?Boys like to make things that do something. Pinewood derby cars, boats, kites and catapults do things. They run, fly, throw things or explode. Girls, at this age, are already aware of form and beauty - boys usually don’t care. Watch boys build things. They spend most of their time playing with a half finished model, visualizing what it will do. What it looks like is low priority. As soon as the wheels are on his Pinewood Derby car a boy will crouch down so that his eyes are at table level to admire how his car moves.
What is it made of? Wood is good. Large is better. Collect large cartons, scrap wood and other similar stuff. He needs to learn to manipulate material. Start thinking of the help you will need to handle all this - let parents know you will need them. Refrigerator cartons, for example are the raw material for grand den projects.
What is the process?Using tools is usually popular. Do things that are as messy as you can stand. Big painting projects, papier mache and cooking all fit this category. Dainty and cute are not going to make it here.
At this age, building projects help a boy in several ways: it stimulates his imagination, it develops hand-eye coordination, it enhances his ability to go from a mind’s eye view to a physical creation. Use projects to build den game equipment, scenery and costumes for skits, camping gear and den snacks.
The following is an adaptation from the 1954 edition of the How Book of Cub Scouting.
We who are working with Cub Scouts must always keep uppermost in o ur minds the necessity for patience and understanding. A piece of handicraft which we think is very poorly done may, to the Cub Scout, be a great victory over clumsy fingers and lack of experi ence. We must try to judge a piece of craft through the eyes of the boy who makes it.
A good parent will always wait for the Cub Scout to name the article that he has produced in order to avoid calling the boy’s “boat” an “elephant.”
A second thing which a good Cub Scout parent will do is find at least one good thing about the boy’s project — no matter how poor it may be. Even though the boy’s boat may be lopsided and top-heavy, it is prob ably pointed in front — and that, at least, is correct. Then when Dad [or Mom] has found at least one good thing about the project, he may sympathetically point out the things which are not so good. He does this by showing the boy how to improve them, not merely by finding fault with them.
It will also be a good idea to allow the boy to appraise his own work before Dad and the leader offer their suggestions. Above all else, encourage the boy so he will want to continue to “do things with his hands.” It is so easy to discourage a boy, and so hard to win back his self-confidence once we have shattered it!
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The boys have fun, do exciting new things and feel good about themselves. The leaders achieve the aims of Scouting, the boys are safe and they all get through the meetings with a minimum of damage and tears.
Here are some ideas on how to reach this state of grace. I am writing this mostly with den meetings in mind but much of what follows applies equally as well to pack meetings and other Scouting activities. Some of the most important points, I learned during my years working at the archery and bb-gun ranges at camp. There we had zero tolerance for misbehavior.
The first, and most critical, step toward controlling the behavior of the boys is to plan a good program. Boys, who are having a good time, rarely cause trouble.
And I do mean plan. Your meetings need to be filled with short, fun-filled activities each lasting no more than 10 minutes. Lean heavily on activities recommended in Cub Scout Program Helps or The How-To Book. Switch between sitting, standing and running or jumping; between slow and fast, even indoors and outside. Games with rules tend to foster good behavior because children generally like them. Craft projects complicate things. Boys often require a lot of individual attention and may be easily bored or confused. In any case, keep it short.
Good planning will also ensure that you have all the equipment, material and snacks ready and on hand for the action. Plan more than you think you will need. Have extra stuff ready in case something doesn’t work out. You can always use the leftovers at another meeting.
Write out your plan and share it with your assistants.
Wearing a uniform gets attention and respect. It is worth the cost and if it you wear it correctly and with pride you should see a difference on how boys react to you.
Use the Cub Scout sign. The alert ears of the wolf are the signal that something important is about to happen. Wait until everyone responds and settles down before continuing. Start using the sign in Tigers with compliance of the parents and things will be great.
Use ceremonies. The opening ceremony says: the meeting is starting and I am in charge. The closing says: the meeting is over and it’s time to go home (or snack). Ceremonies should be attention grabbers. Keep them dramatic, short and to the point.
Boys often misbehave just because they are not sure how they are expected act. They are imaginative and invent their own standards of behavior. You don’t want that.
You will need a Code of Conduct — a set of rules that we all follow at our meetings. They should be written out, posted, and both boys and parents made aware of them. Let the boys have input into setting these rules. Not only is this a learning experience for them but it also makes the rules more effective when the boys have some ownership.
Follow the rules consistently, fairly and good naturedly. Everything should, of course, comply with the Cub Scout Ideals: the Promise, the Law of the Pack and the Cub Scout Motto.
Use each boy’s name a lot. Children crave attention and, the last time I priced it, attention was an inexpensive commodity. Give out lots off it at your meetings. Use positive statements like
My own rule of thumb is four positive remarks for each negative one like: “Stop!, That’s wrong, or Don’t do it that way.”
This is going to spread you around rather thin, so you will need the help of assistants and hopefully a Den Chief if you give boys the attention they need.
Build pride in your den. Use lots of standard team building gimmicks like den flags, doodles, cheers, secret codes etc.
Uniform inspections instill pride in appearance and this spills over to pride in conduct. Boys just seem to act better when they are in uniform. It may be that the love to act out roles and their uniforms are their stage costumes.
Watch for signs of discrimination or exclusion. Counter these with our Ideals: Cub Scouts give good will, Cub Scouts help other people. Never allow any boy feel that he is not a welcomed member.
Give each boy a chance to lead or star. There are opportunities in each of the boys¿ books for leadership roles. Use them in your den programs. Skits and ceremonies at pack meetings give boys opportunities to stand out. Make sure that each of your boys gets these chances.
Use the denner , change denners regularly.
There are many reasons why an individual boy may pose a problem. Things go on at home, at school, in the playground and elsewhere that can affect how he behaves at your meetings. He may need and want your help. At the very least, he wants you to care.
Get to know him. Talk to him and his parents. You can’t judge him fairly if you don’t understand what is bothering him.
Remember that it is always possible that the problem may be so serious that it is beyond your ability to help. If you suspect a critical or dangerous situation exists, call in the support of your Pack Committee, your Chartered Organization or your Scouting professionals.
Some References:
Scouting Magazine
How to Behave So Your Children Will Too.
Born To Explore.
Bill’s Boy Behavior Page.
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A campfire is a great way to close the summer and begin the fall. How about telling a few tall tales, songfest, folklore, and Native American lore?
A circle of expectant faces offers another opening for a touch of magic, and for the exercise of minds and imaginations when bodies are reasonably tired. A good story not only satisfies this need but provides the opportunity to put over lots of ideas and ideals which are otherwise difficult to convey.
The Cub Scout Leader's Handbook. (UK)
Lift the latch, turn the knob, and walk in, friends of boys, to the
Land of the Story-teller. Here is a land which all friends of boys
should learn to know and love. In the following paragraphs we offer
you a “map” of the Land of the Story-teller, which will
help to guide you and keep you on the trail
Things to determine when selecting the story.
Steps in preparation of the story.
Hints on Story Telling
How Book of Cub Scouting (1955 Edition)
Cub Scouts learn about the "bigger than life" characters in the land of make believe. Fairy tales... folklore... tall tales... or are there any local legends or stories from your area? Add a little local heritage to this theme to bring the "bigger than life" characters to life at your pack meeting. The boys will enjoy a local field trip, research and reliving this piece of local history. How about making up your own? Pack meetings and awards can be built around one or more of these characters -- Pecos Bill in the west, Paul Revere in the east, Paul Bunyan in the north, or even Mother Goose. Let your imagination fly.
Think of an appropriate costume to wear for story telling: an eye patch for a pirate story or a worn denim jacket for a story about the Yukon gold rush. It helps set the mood and provides a jumping off point for the boy’s imagination.
Make your story interactive. At a dramatic point, ask your audience
“What do you think happened then?”
Or, “Who can help our hero now?”
Audience participation stories like the ones in Group Meeting
Sparklers involve the whole pack.
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I would guess that there are few things most Cub Scout leaders fear more than having to get up at a pack meeting and....
LEAD A SONG.
Unless you are an experienced choir leader or perhaps the concertmaster of your local symphony orchestra, the thought of standing in front of friends and neighbors and getting them to sing some silly song probably fills you with dread.
Join the club.
I had watched in horror at Roundtables and such, when leaders would take us through renditions of B-I-N-G-O or Cub Scout Spirit and I realized that we were expected to do something similar. Not me! I am a cool urbane dude and this just doesn’t fit the image.
It took a trip to Philmont Training Center to change my mind. The staff there convinced me that pack meetings should be fun — as Sean Scott often reminds us:
A production, a show!
The cool, urbane image may be OK around the water cooler at work but is not going to make it in a Cub Scout setting. Singing, they emphasized, was a great method for injecting fun and excitement into the program. So I bit the bullet and chose a song for my next pack meeting. We tried Throw it Out the Window. Each den chose a nursery rhyme and we all came in on the choruses. To my utter amazement it worked. The kids, Cubs and siblings, loved it and parents even commented that the pack meetings had improved.
If I could do it, so can you!
If songs are not a regular part of every pack meeting, then you may be missing an important element that could make your meetings more enjoyable and more effective. Songs are the great mood setters. I can’t think a better way to get a bunch of Cub Scouts smiling and clapping than a few verses of Alice the Camel or My Bonnie. Is it possible to have a good campfire without songs? Not in my wildest imagination!
How to Get Started
Try leading cheers and audience participation stories. A simple cheer like: I’ll throw the neckerchief up in the air and everyone yell until it comes down. These activities promote an atmosphere where the boys and even the parents become used to following your lead. It then becomes an easy step to try in a simple song like I Like Bananas, Coconuts and Grapes.
Pick easy songs with lots of repetition and simple tunes. Good Cub Scout songs rarely make much sense. I personally do not like those songs that attempt to introduce the theme with complicated lyrics. They are difficult to teach and they detract from the main purpose of songs in Cub Scouting. Songs should be uproarious fun. As you develop more confidence you can also try the quieter, closing or patriotic songs. These can be great mood setters but it’s usually best to start with the fun, silly songs.
Getting Cubs (or any group) to sing takes mostly enthusiasm and a dose of confidence. Choose a song that you like and feel confident about. Never apologize or dismiss the song or your leadership.
It’s a great fun song and we’re going to really blast it out!
It’s important to name the song, make sure they know the tune and the words and tell them that they should sing loud.
You might want to have the words printed out on large poster boards or butcher paper rather than on song sheets. Songs with lots of repetition or familiar words work well. If you have musical accompaniment, like a guitar or piano, that will make it so much the better. I am intrigued by some of these new electronic MP3 gadgets that allow one to download music files and play them back to teach the tunes. I can barely carry a tune so I need all the help I can get.
It helps to have everyone stand for singing. When they are ready, start them off with your version of a downbeat and keep a lively time by waving your arms. Enthusiasm beats musical ability here so have lots of fun while you’re doing it. Ed Hesser, one of my Wood Badge instructors, taught us to wear orange gloves to lead songs. It works.
The Cub Scout Song Book is a great source of songs. I have heard that a new edition is in the works but there is nothing wrong with current book. There are more and more Internet sites with good Scouting songs. Many now have music files as well as the lyrics.
Your boys will undoubtedly come back from camp this summer with some great songs they picked up from the staff there. Use a few of these as regular fare for your pack meetings and campouts.
Here are some good internet sources:
Scoutsongs.com
Boy Scout
Trail - Songs
My Cub Scout Songs.
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When a boy and his family join Cub Scouting, they are joining an organization that values the fun and excitement of experiencing the outdoors. Each Cub Scout pack is encouraged to provide its youth members with enriching, positive outdoor experiences. An event may be a youth member’s first organized outdoor activity. Good planning using Cub Scouting guidelines should ensure a positive experience.
The best Cub Packs I have seen over the years have been those that regularly schedule outdoors activities. These are packs that attract and keep kids as members, packs that always seem to have lots of leaders. A common characteristic of these good packs is that they are always doing things. They have activities beyond the usual pack and den meetings. A month rarely goes by when they are not out on a tour, a service project, a hike or a campout.
What do they do? Here is a sampling of activities I found on the web site schedules of just a handful of packs across the country:
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Memorial Day flag Decorating
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Maple Sugaring
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Pushmobile Race
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Cub Scouting in the outdoors happens all year long, as you can see from these examples:
Winter is a fine time for bird-watching. Follow and identify bird tracks, look for nests, set out bird feeders. It’s a time to identify trees without their leaves. And in some parts of the country it’s a time to play in the snow; to build snow people, forts, and igloos; to go ice-skating, sledding, and sleigh riding; and to help others by shoveling sidewalks.
Going outdoors isone of the most exciting parts of Scouting. Cub Scouts enjoy many outdoor experi ences as they participate in the variety of activities that can be held outside, such as field trips, hikes, nature and conservation experiences service projects, and camping experiences.
The outdoors is an ideal environment for boys to be able to develop positive qualities such as resourcefulness, ingenuity, self-reliance, team spirit, and an awareness of and apprecia tion for the natural world around us.
The study of nature in its natural surroundings is an ideal way to encourage boys to appreciate beauty and enhance their capacity to enjoy simple pleasures and respect all living things.
In addition, apply these Cub Scouting program-specific criteria:
Pack 720 of Lambertville, MI tells us:
Pack outings usually occur once per month at other area locations and are fun events designed to be enjoyable for the whole family. Previous events include: hayrides, bowling, ice skating, sledding, hikes, Putt Putt Golf, Petting Zoo, and family camping. See Pack Outings for the latest calendar.
A Cub Scout should wear his uniform to Den Meetings, Pack Nights, and all Scout outings.
When your leaders gather to plan your 2005-06 pack year, remember to sprinkle in lots of fun filled outings. These outings do not happen by accident. They will only occur when you put them on your calendar, recruit the leadership, make all the arrangements (like tour permits, etc.) and promote them. Remember, they will strengthen your pack.
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A Home and Neighborhood Program
The Cub Scout program of the Boy Scouts of America is unique among the various Cub programs in the World Scouting movement. Our method is based on activities a boy could do around his own home or in his immediate neighborhood. While most other Cub organizations conducted a sort of “junior Boy Scout” program with a few leaders in each pack, the BSA opts for something quite different: fun stuff right near home with adult leaders for each den.
The life of a six-to-ten year old is centered on his home. He is just learning how to form close friends and explore new places. He still looks to mom and dad for approval, support and advice. Typically, he doesn’t start reaching out to other adults away from his home until the middle school years. Those Cub Scout years are recognized as an opportunity window for parents to exercise the greatest influence on their sons. Fathers who wait until their sons are in Boy Scouts to become involved are often rudely disappointed — by then, the boys are usually looking elsewhere for guidance and inspiration. Do it now in Cub Scouting!
When families join your pack, each parent should be introduced to the Parent’s Agreement on the second page of the boy’s Application to Join. Each leader should be familiar with this agreement and be prepared to help parents understand its implications and their responsibilities.
Ensure that every family is aware of the Parent’s Agreement and understands their obligations when we accept their application to join. The longer we wait the harder it becomes to involve parents. Recruit the parent along with the boy.
One of the most important tasks a Cub Scout leader does is to convince other parents how important it is for them to get involved in their sons’ Cub Scout program and how this helps their families and their boys’ development. When they make that a priority and then start working at it, they have a good chance at success.
Being a good Cub Scout leader takes more than just running the meetings - that’s the easy part. Interacting with other adults - especially parents - is the essential job quality of Cub Scout leadership.
Each time we take on another job that could be done by a parent who is not performing as a role model for his/her son we are admitting that we have failed. Instead of sharing responsibility we have opted for the easy work around: do it ourselves instead of teaching others that it is better that they do it.
Worse, we have hurt two boys. We have hurt our own sons because the time it takes to do the second (or third and so on) job often comes from the time needed to fulfill our duties as Akela to our own sons, and also, we have deprived another boy the chance to see his parent be a hero - doing something important in his Cub pack.
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Training Tips
Training Tips
Generally speaking, boys like certain kinds of projects. Here are some basic rules to help you choose projects that will go over well and contribute to their growth:
At this age, building projects help a boy in several ways: it stimulates his imagination, it develops hand-eye coordination, it enhances his ability to go from a mind’s eye view to a physical creation. Use projects to build den game equipment, scenery and costumes for skits, camping gear and den snacks.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
