Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
|
|
Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
|
It’s time to take a good look at all the opportunities for Cub Scout Leaders to learn new skills and gain a better understanding of the Scouting program.
I want to describe each course so that a leader has a good idea . of what to expect at each course, what quality of training awaits them and what they might get out it. The focus will be on: How will this benefit my pack, my den and my son.
Also, I’ll try to forecast the cost, both in dollars and in time. Good Cub Scout leaders tend to be the busiest people and their time is precious. The time to take these courses has to come from somewhere: your pack or den duties, your family, your (paid) job or some other part of your life. Child care is also important to consider when considering taking a training course, so always take time away from home into your plans.
An introduction to Cub Scouting for Cubmasters and den leaders. The quality of the latest online version is excellent and even if you are a trained leader, it’s worth reviewing again.
Who should take it? Everyone, including committee and parents. (It would be great if there were versions for committee members and parents as well.)
Cost: Free and takes about 20 minutes on a computer.
Form: Relaxed, at your pace.
Bill’s advice: A must for all leaders. The descriptions of den and pack meetings are valuable additions. However, beware of older versions, especially the VHS varieties.
Note (2/15/2010): since this was written, both these course
have changed considerably, NLS has a new title —
This Is Scouting— and is available online.
The Position Specific courses have been rewritten and are
presently very high quality and should effectively prepare CS
leaders for their roles in packs or dens.
The fundamentals of the Scouting program and job descriptions for each specific leadership position: Tiger DL, Cub Scout DL, Webelos Scout DL, Cubmaster and Committee member. Both courses usually run together.
Who should take it? All leaders and committee members. Take the Job Specific for your current position. You hold only one position — right?
Cost: Usually free. Put on several times a year, local within your district and takes about 4 hours total for both courses.
Form: Generally relaxed but a bit dull.
Bill’s advice: These two courses cover some essentials that you will need to make your Cub Scout program succeed. They are not the most exciting Scout training, yet are better than reading the Cub Scout Leader Book cover to cover, and you will get to meet and talk to other Scouters. The quality doesn’t vary much from district to district but some trainers do add some sparkle and fun. The videos are not up-to-date on Tiger advancement and some den leaders find them patronizing and condescending.
A monthly get together of Cub Scout leaders in your district where you exchange ideas, learn about activities you might use at your next month’s den and pack meetings, and other resources available from your council and district.
Who should go? All leaders and committee members.
Cost: Almost always free. Put on locally within your district one week day evening per month for about two hours max. A very few provide child care.
Form: Varies from party-like to a visit to a visit to your dentist.
Bill’s advice: The quality of Roundtables I have visited varies widely from district to district and from year to year within the same district. Some are excellent, full of hilarious activities that yet are geared to the ideals of Scouting. Others are ugly-dull, full of infantile cute craft work and long, boring announcements. Most fall somewhere in between. Best advice: go to one. If you find that it helps and is worth your time, continue. If not, stay home with your family and get your advice from Program Helps, the How-To-Book and this website. Occasionally check back in to see if things have improved. At the very least you will get to mingle with other Cub Scouters.
A yearly workshop seminar, offering a variety of sessions of activities for Cub Scouters. Usually includes things like games, ceremonies, projects, outdoor stuff, pack admin, pack meetings and, often a lot more.
Who should take it? All leaders and committee. Den Chiefs at some councils.
Cost: From $5 to $20 depending on whether it includes lunch, a book or CD and project materials. It takes a full day (typically Saturday) locally within your council. A few provide child care.
Form: Happy and party-like. Relaxed and genial.
Bill’s advice: Go! These provide some of the best Cub Scout training I have seen. They are mostly staffed by the best trainers available in each council. Many offer wide selection of topics so, if you go as a group, try to cover as many as is practicable. There is often a feeling of excitement and fellowship at these events that many leaders find uplifting and rewarding. Take a camera, notebook or recorder. They are almost always fun and worth the money and time.
A workshop that teaches Den Chiefs leadership skills and activities they can use with Cub Scouts and Webelos. In many councils it is part of their Pow Wow of University of Scouting.
Who should take it? All den chiefs and den leaders who use them.
Cost: Usually $10-$20 (includes lunch) but can use up a whole Saturday.
Form: Varied — but mostly fun and genial.
Bill’s advice: Transportation for most is a problem so plan to take them but stay there and learn what they learn.
How to plan, organize and run a pack camp out.
Who should take it? At least one member of your pack committee but several would be better. If your pack camps, it’s a must.
Cost: Typically $5 for food.
Form: Often indoors, relaxed and low key.
Bill’s advice: If your pack camps, send as many people as practicable. The less camping experience they have, the better. The idea is to make pack camping easy and comfortable for all families. No pressure .
Provides both current and future Webelos Leaders with an understanding of the Webelos Outdoor Program, with current information and basic skills training they can use to plan, organize and conduct an exciting and interesting program for Webelos Scouts that is consistent with the policies and health and safety guidelines of both the National Council
Who should take it? All Webelos Leaders, assistants and leaders of Bear dens who plan continue into the Webelos program.
Cost: Typically $15-$25. Takes a full weekend at a council camp and may require basic camping equipment.
Form: Somewhat regimented and not as relaxed as a lot of training. Genial and cheerful mood throughout.
Bill’s advice: An absolute must for Webelos Leaders. Even the most experienced campers will get something out of it. There will be lots of time to meet and interact with other WLs.
How to Administer and Lead Cub Scout Day and Resident camps.
Who should take it? Camp administrators and program directors. (Required for certification)
Cost: Fees (high) may be paid by the council but it takes an extended weekend and may entail considerable travel.
Form: Very intense but one continuous party.
Bill’s advice: Probably the most fun I have had at any training.
A week long training in the New Mexico Rockies. Courses: Putting "Pizzazz" into Cub Scouting, Cub Scout Outdoor Program, Strictly for Cubmasters, Cub Scout Roundtables, New Directions in Membership Growth, Training Cub Scout Leaders, Webelos Scout Program, Connecting Character with Cub Scouting, Leading Pack Camping, Supercharging Den and Pack Programs, Webelos Scout Program.
Who should take it? Anyone who lives Scouting
Cost: Fees for the week are $405, $285 for spouses and children over 20; $230 for ages 6-20; $145 for ages 3-5; and $50 for 2 and under. Mountain Trek or NAYLE is $305. Also travel expenses and time to New Mexico.
Form: Very relaxed and easy. Good family atmosphere with lots of free time to explore and meet other Scouters. The youth and spouse programs are excellent.
Bill’s advice: I’ve gone to PTC four times and thoroughly enjoyed each one. The staff is made up of top people from across the country. A huge advantage is that your whole family may go with you — think of it as a family Scouting vacation.
Wood Badge provides high level leadership training that provides the leadership skills to make a difference. It comprises a six day course (mostly two extended weekends) followed by an application phase that lasts several months.
Who should take it? Serious Scouters.
Cost: About $200 plus a significant commitment in time. Local within your council.
Form: Very intense. Serious and goal directed.
Bill’s advice: Most people obtain great personal benefit from the experience. The leadership skills are applicable to much non-Scouting activities as well. I’m not sure how much your pack will gain from having a leader attend.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
I’m going to assume that every Cub Scout leader and parent wants to prepare a boy for his joining a good Scout troop. But what is a good troop? Troops differ a great deal, yet here is what the BSA lists as the essential methods of Boy Scouting.
I would first like to suggest that each of you to read what it says about each of these methods.
The Patrol Method, in particular, is an important characteristic of every good Scout troop. In the patrol method, gangs of about 6-8 boys form patrols, go camping and play the game of Scouting. The act of camping — the Outdoor Program — provides all sorts of challenges for these boys. They must somehow face up to the incumbent problems of living away from home while adhering to a set of ethical standards: the Ideals — Scout Oath and the Scout Law. In essence, this is all there is to Boy Scouting. Everything else, the badges, uniforms, other activities, exist only to support this process.
A patrol is the integral unit of Scouting where the members must work together to succeed. A patrol is a true gang of boys. The leadership of the patrol emerges from the patrol itself.
Boy Scout camping is not the same as Cub Scout or Webelos camping, In the pack or den, we have outdoor activities because it's more fun. We could, and often do, accomplish our purposes just as well indoors. It would just lack some luster. Outdoors and camping, however, are essential to Boy Scouting. This is the arena, where individuals and patrols must meet and overcome the challenges. The only reason for indoor Scout meetings is to prepare to go outdoors. That is where the problems await and that is where the Scouts must meet them and solve the problems.
The patrol method is the basic method of achieving the aims of Scouting. Outdoors is where patrols are isolated and become responsible for getting things done, where they are guided into looking within their own members to find the necessary resources. There is no Cub Scout equivalent to the patrol method. The family and parent participation provide some of the same benefits, but it works in different ways in Cub Scouting.
So, just how do we prepare our Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts for this experience? We don’t need to do any special Boy Scout stuff. Here are some examples of how we can do it within the Cub Scout program:
Scouting Ideals: The Cub Scout Promise, the Motto and the Law of the Pack. Nothing prepares a Cub Scout better for Boy Scouting than instilling within him the attitudes that are contained in those ideals a boy first learns as he earns the Bobcat Badge. Doing his best, helping other people, giving good will, doing his duty to God and country prepare him emotionally to be a good Scout.
Responsibility The Boy Scout patrol method works by having each patrol member take on responsibilities to achieve the goals of the patrol (like eating on a camp out.) Pushing boys to be responsible shows up all through Scouting but it really pays off when a Scout patrol is filled with Scouts who take their responsibilities seriously. It make Scouting fun, and enables them to take on all sorts of exciting challenges.
All these are designed to instill in a lad the values doing his share around home. These will come in handy to do his share and take on responsibilities with his patrol.
Meal Preparation and Cooking: Good meals on camp outs are essential to keeping a boy in the program. Boys Scouts, in a properly run troop, will be required to provide their own meals: make the menus, buy the food, carry it, store it safely, prepare the meals, serve it and clean up. They must do this in good or bad weather and always with the admonition that a Scout is cheerful and thrifty. If you want your Cub Scout to enjoy his Boy Scout experience, teach him to cook.
Cooking and meal preparation shows up in the following places:
Be Prepared. The Boy Scout Motto is Be Prepared. He should be prepared for anything. In Cub Scouts, Bear Achievement 11: Be Ready mirrors the Boy Scout motto. We expect a Cub Scout to think ahead and be ready to act in case of fire, water or traffic accident. This is the essence of Scouting: being ready and able to act appropriately and make things happen. Webelos Readyman Activity Badge is even more focused and more Scout like with some real first aid thrown in.
Be a Leader. In a Boys Scouts, leadership of patrols and the troop comes from the boys. The adults are mostly observers, sometimes guides or coaches but mostly in the background. Leadership skills are learned skills that require lots of practice. In Cub Scouting we give boys opportunities like Wolf Achievement 2b (Lead a Flag Ceremony) and Bear Achievement 15c (Lead a Game.) I particularly like Bear Achievement 24 (Be A Leader.) Expect boys to be really challenged by these. Not only is it tough to have a bunch of 7 year olds line up properly and salute the flag correctly, but then he must withstand the reactions of his den mates who will be quick to critique any lapses that they notice.
Be a Swimmer. When one imagines Scouts camping, there is usually water in the picture. It may be swimming, a canoe pulled up to a lake shore camping spot or whitewater rafting. A boy should be ready to participate in all these, safely and confidently, as soon as he joins a troop. Cub Scouting has an age appropriate, graduated program of aquatics activities.
Challenge for Cub Scout Leaders: Pick some recent activities that your Cub Scouts or Webelos Scouts enjoyed. Try to imagine how these may prepare them to become more successful Boy Scouts. It might have changed the boys’ attitudes or perhaps improved mental or physical skills. How will it make them better Scouts?
Extra Credit — Will it also prepare them to become better adults? Better husbands? Better fathers? Better members of their communities?
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
This month is mostly for new Cub Scout leaders but any of you experienced veterans may pick up a new trick or two or at least be reminded of an old one. So hang in there.
It’s a description of the three books that should form the base of every Cub Scouter’s library.
1. What It’s All About
The Cub Scout Leader Book is the essential source for how Cub Scouting works. This latest printing with all the new Tiger updates is a superb reference. It starts with an emphasis on our purpose — what we are trying to accomplish and then delves deeply into all the methods available to reach those purposes.
The scope is a bit staggering. It covers things like families, character connections, policies, uniforms, advancement, leadership, administration, safety, camping and more. There are job descriptions for every leadership position and committee post in the pack. There is a wonderful chapter on Cub Scout age boys that everyone should read.
I have read Scout leader manuals for many years and from several countries and I would rate this as the best of the bunch. It covers more important topics, is better organized and better written than any others I have seen.
The Cub Scout Leader Book is certainly a must for any leader or committee member. If you don’t have one, get one. Even older printings are great, but will have old Tiger formats.
2. How To Make It Happen
The Cub Scout Leader How-To Book is a bundle of fun activities for every Cub Scout event from family projects and den meetings to big pack extravaganzas like Blue and Gold banquets and camp outs.
It makes a valuable supplement to Program Helps by providing wider choices of projects, games and ceremonies as well as details of big pack events like bicycle rodeos or pack camping — those beyond the scope of Program Helps.
It is a particularly valuable resource for leaders. Just look at this list of teasers in the Introduction:
These just scratch the surface of all that is in this book.
There is so much program stuff in the How-To Book that a pack and all its dens could easily run for years using ideas from this book alone.
3. About Boys
Consider the following description of Ben Rogers:
Ben's gait was the hop-skip-and-jump -- proof enough that his heart was light and his anticipations high. He was eating an apple, and giving a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by a deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for he was personating a steamboat. As he drew near, he slackened speed, took the middle of the street, leaned far over to star-board and rounded to ponderously and with laborious pomp and circumstance -- for he was personating the Big Missouri, and considered himself to be drawing nine feet of water. He was boat and captain and engine-bells combined, so he had to imagine himself standing on his own hurricane-deck giving the orders and executing them ...
So my third book is - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Have you ever seen a better description of a boy walking down a street? Mark Twain gives us some the best insights of the persona of nine-ten year old boys. Tom, of course, is a special example: the product of a broken home, a good scholar but something of a bully, obsessed with thoughts of both history and death. If you haven’t read the book recently, then I really suggest that every Cub Scout leader should take the time to do it. It’s available in e-text from the University of Virginia.
I read a lot of books and articles on child behavior but I still regularly come back to this one. Mr. Clemens had this special ability to describe the many secrets of boyhood. He lays bare Tom’s fears, his hopes and his dreams all woven into a tale of action and adventure.
Almost any leader can understand and appreciate the range of imagination, humor and joy of adventure by just reading a few pages of this book. Perhaps you will notice just how seriously Tom takes life. He rarely takes time to laugh or even smile in the midst of any grand enterprise. He is, in that manner, a very normal boy. Fun is serious business.
Of particular interest is his fascination and concern with death. Adults seem to not notice how many references to death are in the book, but there they are — the dead cats, the murder, funerals, death wishes and even mortal danger in the cave. He fantasized about his own mortality.
He pictured himself lying sick unto death and his aunt bending over him beseeching one little forgiving word, but he would turn his face to the wall, and die with that word unsaid. Ah, how would she feel then? And he pictured himself brought home from the river, dead, with his curls all wet, and his sore heart at rest.
Twain is right -children do worry about death and we are usually oblivious to their concerns. My two favorite game sources, Brian Sutton-Smith and Iona & Peter Opie describe all sorts of children’s games about death and dying. Girls’ skipping songs seem to be particularly lurid.
And so I challenge Cub Scout leaders to think of just how they consider these characteristics of boys. Imagine that you are the den leader and Tom is in your den. How would you handle that? What games, what projects would you choose? What would you do about a Code of Conduct? I would love to know what you might come up with. If you wish, leave me a message at my web site.
For extra credit, imagine that both Huck and Sid are there with Tom.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
"The greatest gift you can give your child is good self esteem!"
This theme comes up again and again in books about raising children. It caught my eye in the opening chapter of the Cub Scout Leader Book some years ago and has been an important part of my Scouting life ever since.
Just how do we give this gift? How do we make it or get it? How do we gift-wrap it?
Self esteem is a boy’s attitude or belief about himself. If he has good self esteem, he respects himself. He has confidence and expects success from life. He is less likely to misbehave or — as he matures — less likely to rely on alcohol or drugs. It starts with being accepted, feeling welcome and becoming part of a group. Cub Scouting should do this, not only with ritual and ceremony, but also with our genuine and heartfelt love and respect.
It grows with wearing the uniform, the wearing the badges of rank and achievement. We affect a boy’s image about himself at every stage in our advancement process. When a parent takes the time to work with him on a requirement or elective, when it is signed off in his book, when the book is checked off at the den meeting and another icon is filled in on the advancement chart or another bauble strung on the den doodle. In each of these acts, we are telling him that he is a super neat person and we are all glad that he is here with us.
The biggest boost however, is when he and his personal Akela are called up at the pack extravaganza and are presented the badge in a typical Sean Scott ceremony replete with all the flashing lights, explosions, cheers, pomp and panoply that such an event deserves.
What? You aren’t familiar with a Sean Scott Ceremony? You must go there and check it out.
And check out his presentations and handouts.
Scouting, at every level, works strictly on positive feedback. Positive feedback builds self esteem. Be generous with recognition and praise for any accomplishment. In his book How To Behave So Your Children Will, Too, psychologist Sal Severe makes the point that children believe what adults tell them about themselves. If you tell them they are competent, that they can do things and are helpful, then they become motivated to live up to your expectations. If you continually criticize and berate a child, you give him the excuse to fail and misbehave.
Involving the parents is essential for Cub Scouting to work. As a Cubmaster, my contact with each Cub Scout lasted only seconds each month. A den leader or den chief can devote more time to each boy but it still is measures only a few minutes a week. Parents, on the other hand, spend a lot of time with him and have the opportunity to either build a boy’s self confidence or to totally undermine everything we are trying to do with continual criticism, put downs and faultfinding. Unless the parents are on your side, it will be up hill all the way for you and your fellow leaders. And that’s a drag.
The Cub Scout Advancement program follows the school grade levels — to build self-esteem, self-awareness and a sense of citizenship and good sportsmanship. Parental involvement is crucial to achieve the advancement of the Scouts and responsibility for advancement in rank rests with the parents; verification and assistance of the Den Leader is secondary.
Atlanta Area Council website
There are lots of other ways we can build a boy’s sense of how competent and valuable he his. Just recognizing him and greeting him by name helps. His name on the den chart, den doodle and the pack advancement ladder shows that we love him and respect him. Participating in pack meeting presentations, skits and ceremonies all help build confidence and self worth. Getting Boy’s Life mailed to him is a big deal.
There is a wonderful little reminder about that in Parent's Little Book of Wisdom by Buck Tilton and Melissa Gray:
Nothing tells your child you care more than choosing to be with him.
It takes a bit of concentration and discipline on our part to remember this in the midst of putting on good pack and den meetings. I know that most of you are much better leaders than I was, but I would guess that even the best Cubmaster or den leader will sometimes be distracted in heat of battle. I particularly like the rule of balancing each negative remark like:
DON’T;
THAT’S WRONG;
NOW-WHAT DID YOU DO?
with at least four positive statements like:
I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT;
THAT’S REALLY GOOD;
YOU ARE THE BEST!
Competition
Boys seem to be naturally competitive. They like to test themselves and others in a variety of ways. Whether it’s a game of tag, a race like last-one-in-the-pool , a game of chess or the latest Nintendo, boys I have observed enjoy the challenge of a good contest. Letting boys compete is a natural way for them to try to do their best. When left to their own devices, a group of boys will spontaneously start into some game that often tests some physical or mental ability. Their rules are often ritualized and are applied surprisingly fairly.
We adults often mess things up by making a big fuss about who wins. Generally the boys don’t make a big thing about who wins or who loses. Once the contest is over, it’s over. A new game is started, a different skill or knowledge tested, a new chance to do his best. On the other hand, we adults like to recognize the winners with some prize or hullabaloo. Each time we exalt a winner, we also stigmatize the losers. This does nothing to raise the self esteem of those boys. The only thing worse than losing is having your nose rubbed in it.
It is best we Cub Scout leaders remember that in our games, contests and especially our derbies that we build self esteem by recognizing individual achievement and not who did it better than someone else. Probably the best reference on how to handle such activities is in Bernie DeKoven’s book The Well-Played Game, or on his website.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
It’s easy enough to sell Cub Scouting to the boys. They join for fun and adventure. The uniform and the badges don’t hurt either. I know from personal experience that words like CAMP, BOWS AND AROOWS, and BB GUNS create magical images to Cub Scout age boys. The National Council, for reason I have yet to understand, has recently been emphasizing pinewood derbies as their major recruiting tool.
The trick is that we must also sell our program to parents and our chartered partners. Not all parents will be swayed by just fun and adventure. Some may even be turned off by camping or bb-guns. We may lure a few adults by pushing our PWDs but our packs need adult help in other areas as well. What, then, will convince those parents who come to our roundups with their sons that this Cub Scouting thing is worth their time, their support and their efforts?
What sort of adults do you want to step forward and participate in your pack’s program? Who will make good den leaders or committee members? The way we sell our program determines what kind of leadership our packs will have in the future. Remember also that many Scoutmasters started out as a leader in a pack. Those parents who are walking into your roundup this month represent the future of Scouting.
Here are a few ideas you may want to include in your talk to the parents of new Cub Scouts.
Educational Goals:
Scouting is primarily, an educational program.
Family Goals:
The family is the basis of the Cub Scout program. Cub Scouts exists to supportfamilies and help enrich family activities. These activities promote the relationship of the family to the Scouting program and importance of the family in the development of the Cub Scout age boy. Cub Scouting gives families sets of age appropriate activities structured so that parents and other family members have considerable control of how the Cub Scout grows.
Leadership Goals:
The Boy Scout program emphasizes leadership, independence and self reliance. The Boy Scout program encourages boys to learn and practice leadership skills. Every Boy Scout has the opportunity to participate in both shared and total leadership situations. Understanding the concepts of leadership helps a boy accept the leadership role of others and guides him toward the citizenship aim of Scouting.
Citizenship training:
Character development:
Character development should extend into every aspect of a boy’s life. Character development should also extend into every aspect of Cub Scouting. Cub Scout leaders should strive to use Cub Scouting s 12 core values throughout all elements of the program — service projects, ceremonies, games, skits, songs crafts and all the other activities enjoyed at den and pack meetings
Cub Scout Academic program:
A series of projects that expand a boy's ability and appreciation of 17 academicareas: Art, Astronomy, Chess, Citizenship, Collecting, Communicating, Computers, Language and Culture, Geography, Geology, Heritages, Map and Compass, Mathematics, Music, Science, Weather, and Wildlife Conservation
Boy Scout Merit Badge Program:
Specialty programs that cover an expansive array of subjects: recreational, academic, technical, public service, industrial and commercial. Scouts choose the areas of interest, but some are required for rank advancement.
Webelos Activity Badge program:
There are twenty programs that include citizenship, athletics, geology, science, dramatics, naturalist, and more, for boys in grades 4 and 5. They supplement the standard grades 4 and 5 school curricula.
Flexible program:
Parent’s Pledge and Cub Scout Promise. A helpful flyer for parents to see their pledge and Cub Scouts to learn the Cub Scout Promise, Motto, Law of the Pack, Handshake, and salute.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
Your September Recruiting Night might be the most important event of the year.
Plan it well.
Your pack’s future may well depend on how successfully you can make things happen. Not only is it vital to recruit new boys and their families, but also what kind of leadership and adult help will you attract. Bob Untch, one of Cub Scouting’s greatest National Directors, used to tell us to concentrate on recruiting den leaders rather than boys. Get the DL first and the boys will come.
DISTRICT AND COUNCIL HELP.
Check with your DE and District Roundup Coordinator. They should have packets of things like flyers, posters, yard signs, Parent Guides, New Leader Guides and Bobcat Trail pamphlets for you. Get a good supply and be ready to use all of it. The district may also supply some human help like the DE going into the school and doing a rah-rah talk to the kids, great, but one of the parents from the school should set it up and be there too (preferably in Scout uniform.) In August, your district may hold a Roundup kick-off. Be sure to attend with some of your key helpers.
Make sure that your uniforms, flags, banners etc. are seen. Remember there probably is a sizable Home School population in your area. Typically they favor Scouting. Let them know you exist.
START PLANNING NOW.
Don't wait to get these things lined up. Do it now!
MAKE AN ACTIVITY SCHEDULE.
Get your annual plan down on paper and have copies on hand for your recruiting night. Hopefully it includes all sorts of neat activities. Have a budget so you can inform parents what it's going to cost them.
RECRUITING FLYERS.
If you can distribute flyers, give some thought on what you want printed on them. Certainly the time and place of your pack’s recruiting night, phone numbers and email in case they can't make it. How about registration fees, leader’s names, program highlights? What do you think your neighbors will want to know before they show up? Your council may even print your message on the flyers if you have the copy ready when your order them.
LOOK SHARP.
On your recruiting night, try to look well organized. Have the room set up well in advance. Everybody should know their roles and be on hand a bit early. When the new folk arrive, they should be greeted at the door or even in the parking lot. Give them registration forms, and other handouts and have them sit by grades so you can easily form dens later. Be ready for one parent to show up with kids in more than one grade. Be ready for siblings of all ages. Start things off with a stirring flag ceremony. A Webelos den or perhaps a Boy Scout patrol.
Pull out all stops. It's your first impression. You may want to do a couple fun sparklers to get things rolling, especially if you have a good song leader or cheer master in your pack. Tell them about your program. I have seen Webelos do great jobs reporting on summer camp and other activities.
If possible separate the kids from the parents and then sell the program to the adults. Don’t be negative. Sell the values of the program. Sell the ideals, core values and Character Connections. I strongly believe that most parents love their kids and are willing to put out a lot of time and effort it they believe your program is worth it. Show them that it is. Let them know that everyone will be asked to help and that you expect them to say yes. Tell them about support like training and literature.
Make sure that every parent there reads and understands that PARENT AGREEMENT on the second page of the boy’s Application To Join The Pack. Remind them that by signing the boy’s application, they are promising to:
This is not meant as an idle promise. Really mean it.
FULFILL THE PROMISE.
Make sure that before the evening is over, both boys and adults are invited to some special activity. Many councils runs special open house programs at their Cub Camps in October just for new recruits. The kids come and shoot bows and arrows and bb-guns and other stuff and the parents stand around and gawk. Why not a pack campout? We promised those kids that Cub Scouting is fun and adventure, let's make sure they get some as soon as possible.
COMPLETE THE PAPER WORK.
Before they leave collect registration forms and money. Turn it in as soon as possible so that each boy is covered by your pack insurance and starts getting his Boy's Life on time. Do follow up calls to those who didn't make it.
Internet Resources:
Minsi Trails Council of Lehigh Valley, PA has a
great list of downloadable resourcest:
Pacific Skyline Council ha
some very practicable tips.
Geoff Blaesing, Membership Committee Chair of Potawatamie Council,
Wisconsin has
Tips for Successful Cub Scout Recruiting.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
Packs are, or will be, planning their programs for the coming year. Program Helps are usually in stock at Scout Shops by May. Council Calendars are available at Roundtables. Get them and use them. Get as many people as possible involved in the planning. Hold it on the day and time when most will attend. Consider a breakfast meeting or a weekend barbecue. Mail postcards, and phone or email everyone.
Good Plans Make Strong Packs
Here are some things to consider in your planning.
Save a few jobs for the parents you will recruit in September.
Planning for Success
What does success mean? What will make your pack successful in the eyes of you and your fellow leaders. I surely can’t tell you and neither can your Commissioner or your DE. Choosing your goals is totally up to you and your people.
What do you want for your pack this coming year? Do you want more advancement or more camping? Maybe it’s better parent participation or more assistant leaders or Den Chiefs. Some packs may want exciting pack meetings or just more meaningful ceremonies. Others may want better retention or more Webelos going on to Boy Scouts. How about earning a Summertime Pack Award or becoming a Quality Unit? What will satisfy your gang?
Setting goals is important. If you all agree on where your pack is heading, it makes it a lot easier to get there.
Planning to Reach Success
What will it take to reach these goals? Start with resources: people, Program helps, Cub Scout How-To Book, Council and Chartered Organization calendars, Guide to Safe Scouting and any other favorite tools.
Here are some of the questions asked at the Root River District Roundtable in the Milwaukee County Council:
Selecting Pack Leadership
|
How can we recruit adult leaders? Field Trips & Tour Permits |
Do we need: Advancement Chair |
Themes - How do they help?
Themes can make your pack and den programs easier and more fun. They can trigger ideas for ceremonies, skits, costumes, and activities. A theme provides structure and continuity for an entire month’s program. A huge advantage of using the recommended themes is that you will find a lot of support in Program Helps, Boy’s Life, and your district Roundtable.
Remember themes are there to support your pack and den activities. If you feel that the theme is restricting the fun and excitement then that one isn’t working for you. Choose themes with care. Not all themes work for all packs in all months nor in all parts of the country. When I visited a Roundtable in Florida, I was surprised to learn that planning good summertime programs involved more discussion of air-conditioned bowling alleys that good outdoor locations. They preferred to camp in January and I could hardly blame them. A good theme should excite the boys and stimulate lots of imaginative activities amongst the leaders. Don’t be afraid to juggle the schedule to fit your weather, your boys and your community.
And not every activity has to be theme oriented. I am often disappointed by efforts to mess up a good fun Cub Scout song by rewriting the words to fit the current theme.
Activities
Good packs have lots of special activities: Service projects, tours and visits, hikes, and campouts. What are the good nearby places? I enjoy surfing pack websites and I am continually amazed at the variety and quality of the pack activities I see in their pack calendars and photo galleries.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
There are varieties of Cub Scouting Camps:
Facilities, like shelters, lodges, storage huts and waterfront, differ greatly from camp to camp. No matter what your camp is like, the camps and the staff that run them must conform to BSA standards. I fervently hope that you and the boys in your pack will be attending one of them.
I’m sure that your council has provided you a list of what to expect and especially what to bring with you to camp.
It’s important to have the right number of adult help with you and wear suitable clothing and be equipped with enough rain gear, sun block, med forms, and drinking water.
Besides, almost finished craft projects, dirty clothes, and a few insect bites, I hope that you return home with a bunch of special memories and great plans for what your pack or den will do next year.
Think of your time at camp as a relaxed leader training experience. A lot goes on there that can help and inspire you in the years to come. If you are observant and know what to look for you can learn a lot that will help your den, your pack and your boys. The staff that runs your camp are experienced well trained Scouters and can serve as valuable role models for you and the other leaders.
As a help, you might take along a note book and a camera. Make notes, keep a journal, and have boys give their input and observations. Take lots of photos. They could make a great display that will help at fall recruiting.
You should get many opportunities to stand back and observe rather that be the instigator and leader. What did the boys enjoy? Did they participate and have fun? Did they cooperate and do their best or merely go through the motions? Would the good activities you see at camp work at your meetings?
What did the boys learn? What made a particular activity a good learning experience? You will probably notice that your boys respond differently to each activity and you may learn some new things about them.
The boys will engage in some new activities that will probably become favorites of theirs for a while. Make notes about them so you can always pop the good ones into your program when things get dull. (I know, you never have dull programs.)
Games are always popular activities and boys enjoy playing their favorites again and again. Keep those in mind — and in your notes — for later. When things get routine next winter, it may be fun to bring out a game they played at camp. Make sure you have the all rules before you leave and note any equipment you may have to add to your game chest.
Camps usually have regular assemblies for openings, closings or camp fires. These can be a treasure of songs, skits and stunts that may become part of your group’s repetoire. If you have trouble leading songs at your pack meetings, try using one of the fun songs the boys know and loved to sing at camp. Learn the tune and get a copy of the words. It might be a good idea to take a portable recorder along so you can bring back a copy. Ask the person who leads the good ones for help.
How do they manage discipline and control? Try to detect how they use each of these control methods:
You will see a variety of methods. Which ones worked and which ones could you use?
Many camps employ youth leaders: Boy Scouts or Venturers to lead activities. If you camp does, watch how the Cub Scouts respond to them. Would Den Chiefs work out OK in your program? Sometimes the timing is difficult for a Den Chief to make den meetings, but how about for pack camp outs and other special activities?
Camp is a good source of ideas for your pack’s camping program. You should get some insight into topics like:
You will spend considerable time in the company of the adults from your pack. Get to know them, their attitudes, knowledge and skills. You should learn a lot about their appreciation of Scouting and how it helps boys grow.
Look for potential leaders, committee members and special helpers amongst this group. You will rarely get a better chance to get to know some of these people and discover how they might help their sons and their sons’ Cub Pack.
Camp is great for boys and mostly they love it but the important value is: how can it help your pack and you as a leader? You are paying your money and your time to attend, so make it worthwhile. Get the best for your pack.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
Looking ahead to next fall or even sooner to when packs recruit most of their new members, I think we should do something to prepare. Most you will recruit from a nearby elementary school because that’s where the boys are.
I’m going to talk mostly about schools here, but a lot of it will apply to wherever you recruit: a church, service club, neighborhood association or other group. Wherever you recruit, there is an administration that has its own mission, its own problems, and the power to either hinder or help you. The more effective your people become at building cooperative bonds with them, the better.
How will the people at the school react to your recruiting efforts? Will they welcome you, give you access and encouragement or will they throw up all sorts of legal and physical roadblocks to make your job more difficult or even impossible?
Now there is lot that your Scout Council can, and probably is, doing to cement good relations with school boards. I have talked to council leaders in New Jersey, Florida, and Oregon who have made great strides in establishing good communications with their educational counterparts, especially those in large metropolitan school districts.
However there is a limit to what councils can do. The administrators of smaller school districts and the individual elementary schools often look upon the BSA as another outside group that is trying to get their foot in the door.
On the other hand, the school board members, superintendents, principals, and teachers are sensitive to the concerns of parents and others who live within their boundaries. These are the people that the administrators serve and the administrators pay attention.
School boards and school administrators listen to members of their districts. It’s important that Cub Scout people speak up and that the schools know who we are.
School boards have policies regarding outside groups but “the principal is large and in charge. ” Several parents talking to a principal is very powerful, especially if they about how Scouting helps educate the whole child.
BSA School Access pamphlet 3/11/04
One of the messages to send to schools is that we stand for ethical behavior and character building. Our ideals: giving good will, helping people, doing ones best, must be the picture in their minds when they think of Cub Scouts. We should always portray our dedication to the Core Values and Character Connections at every opportunity. We stand for education and ethical behavior.
The Cub Scout purposes and ideals are excellent character guidelines for any group, organization or individual.
School for Champions™
It certainly helps if our boys — Tigers through Webelos — act that way. Every leader and parent should be aware of how important it is that our Cub Scouts do their best to follow the Promise and Law of the Pack, especially at school.
Schools often need volunteer help. I live near an elementary school and have, on occasion, been a volunteer there. While in the school we volunteers wore special ID badges with full names on them. Looking at the array of badges one day I was struck by how many names of volunteer workers were ones I recognized from the neighborhood Cub Pack. The principal, the teachers, and especially the school secretary were all aware of that and responded accordingly.
Make it a policy of your pack to learn how your boys and their parents can help your school and then do it.
One of Cub Scouting’s strengths is our ability to communicate with parents. Most packs I know of are much better at getting the word out than most of the schools I have visited. We get together with parents more often and usually have better tools at our disposal. When your school needs help in a hurry, they should immediately look to the pack for help. We help other people.
There are many ways for Cub Scout people to get involved with our schools. Are there parents who are members of the local school organizations like the PTA, PTO etc or have links to the school Site Committee or Advisory Committee? You may even have a member of the local School Board in your pack. Use these associations to find ways to communicate and build rapport and cooperative ventures with the school. We are allies and share many of their concerns. Yes we may differ on a few methods but we mostly share the same aims and convictions. Concentrate on how we can participate and cooperate.
Your school or school district may have a strategic plan. If so, get a copy, study it, and think: how can we help them achieve their goals.
We are good at recognizing people. It’s always a good idea to recognize and reward those who help. Something simple like a Scout mug or even a quick Thank You note to a teacher or administrator will be appreciated and help build a relationship. Good will starts by such acts.
I heard that people in the Jersey Shore Council would present each school secretary with a candy bowl shaped like an apple and decorated with the Scout logo. The topper was that they then regularly made sure that the bowl was refilled. Teachers, the principal, everyone came to know where they could get Scout candy. Not so good for us carb-counters perhaps but great PR.
Your district is led by a Key Three: a District Chairman, a District Commissioner and one or more District Professionals, who lead a team of volunteer Scouters.
The Local Council and your district are there to keep your Cub Pack healthy and capable of providing a quality Cub Scout program to boys and their families. If you think of it in medical terms they provide the services of a General Practitioner — a good family doctor — and an array of Specialists — experts in various Scouting fields.
The General Practitioner
Cub Scout Leader Book p9-3
The Specialists
Cub Scout Leader Book pp 7-3, 9-3
I hope that your district is providing these and more such services to you and your fellow Cub Scouters. The quality of our program depends on these volunteers continuing to work long after their own boys have long left Cub Scouting behind.
When your own stint as Akela to your Cub Scout is over, please consider joining your district team and extend this valuable tradition for the next generation of Cub Scout leaders. It’s a rewarding experience.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
I know that a lot of you like to have your Tigers, Wolves and Bears complete their respective badge requirements by the Blue and Gold celebration so I thought we should now take a good look at electives.
There is much value in these electives and I’m not sure we appreciate just how much they can contribute to reaching the purposes of the Cub Scout program.
The boys’ books are full of wonderful opportunities for parents and leaders to involve Cub Scouts in things that will help them grow.
Too often, I think, we tend to dismiss the electives as a trivial add-on to the advancement method. The big badge is the goal; the arrow points are inconsequential. Yet, electives supply a richer variety of opportunities than do the achievements. They give boys and parents the chance to choose and explore — to develop the interests, curiosity and talents within the growing child. We should never underestimate the values of these options.
I have had the luck and the privilege to observe and participate in the work that goes into the boys’ books. I have worked on a task force to update the Wolf Handbook and another to create the first Tiger handbook. In both cases, I was awed by how much effort and concern went into the process. Questions like: What will this do to the boy? Can parents anywhere do this? How can a den leader use this? The first and last question was always: How does this fit into our Purposes of Cub Scouting?
One of the great joys of the electives is that the requirements are generally looser so that a boy can be rewarded for just exploring a new pathway to adventure.
As long as he does his best Akela can sign it off. Moreover, if he discovers a wonderful world that sparks a new fire within him, many electives provide chances to explore further. My Tiger Cub Handbook seems to set no limit on how often a boy may return to the same elective.
One aspect of electives sets BSA apart from any other youth program I know of. It gives parents a spectacular set of tools to use with their sons. Each elective consists of short projects designed so that a boy and his parent — or even his whole family — can work together on it. This gives families lots of short activities where a boy and his parents do things together.
These activities: preparing meals, singing songs, checking smoke detectors, building a model- automatically involve TALKING. They TALK, they listen to each other, they plan, they express their hopes, their concerns, and their jokes. They learn to respect each other’s moods and styles. They create special communication channels that remain vital and valuable for all their lives.
Nothing tells your child you care more than choosing to be with him.
Parent’s Little Book of Wisdom.
The time to do electives varies — some may be as short as fifteen minutes so that they can fit into anybody’s schedule. I remember a single mother telling me how she and her son did electives while waiting for the machines at the Laundromat to finish. If a parent spends as little as an hour a week doing these fun things with a Cub Scout son, they could easily earn an Arrow Point each month. Each Tiger Track Bead and Arrow Point on his shirt is a sign that says
"We spent hours doing neat things together!"
When our task force worked on updating the Wolf Book, I was assigned the task to “do something about the Indian Sign Language Elective.” Space in these books is a critical issue and the sign language illustrations took up two whole pages. That was too much space for one little elective.
So I spent some time talking to a lot of people about what we could put in to replace the sign language. I was looking for more modern ideas of communication and I needed some expert advice. My list of experts included den leaders, teachers, parents, and, of course, Cub Scouts.
To my surprise there was almost unanimous opposition to removing the Indian Sign Language elective. Boys and leaders loved using the signs in ceremonies, skits and special messages. It was fun, it was special and it made the boys more aware of an important American heritage. The clincher came when a computer arts teacher reminded me of the value of learning another symbolic language to prepare children for their futures.
When I reported this back to the task force, we agreed to leave Indian Sign Language in the Wolf Book — at least until the next update. I notice that some 20 years later, Indian Sign Language is still there and now fills four pages.
In order to make electives work, we must somehow make every Cub Scout parent aware of how to use electives. Den and pack leaders should strive to show parents how to go through the books with their sons and pick out things that will work for them. It’s not going to happen unless we make the necessary effort to get the word out to every family. It can be done best at Parent Meetings, but we can also use news letters, ceremonies, and Cubmaster’s minutes. It helps if leaders show newly recruited parents examples of how electives can be used creatively.
You could even measure how good your pack is just by counting up the number of Arrow Points and Tiger Beads you present each month. It’s one of the best indicators of quality home and den Cub Scouting activity I can imagine.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
Your Pack’s Blue and Gold Celebration is on track and ready to go. The B&G committee you recruited last September - right after your annual program planning session - is doing their job and reporting that everything is right on schedule.
Congratulations! That’s the way a good pack committee and leadership should operate.
So what are you going to do in February? Take the month off?
Instead, why
not start at your Blue and Gold to take a LEADERSHIP
INVENTORY.
This is the time to take inventory of all your leaders. Who will be staying on for the coming year? Who will be going on to Boy Scouts with their graduating Webelos? Who will be moving away from the community? It is much easier to recruit replacements and to enlarge your committee right after your Blue & Gold banquet, before summer comes.
Yes, it will take that long to get new folks on board - They will need to be selected, recruited, trained and mentored into your Cub Scouting world.
We don't get good leaders by accident. It takes planning and hard work.
Start right now at your Blue and Gold Banquets to take a good look at the leadership needs of your Cub Pack.
As you approach the end of your Webelos year, consider which of your present Pack leaders will be going on with their graduating sons to Boy Scouts?
Its time to take stock. The Blue and Gold is an excellent place to look for new leaders. All the parents are there and it gives us the lead time to do a good recruiting job.
Effective recruiting takes planning.
What do you know about the parents of boys in your pack?
Try to match people with jobs. Have you had all the parents fill out a Parent Talent Survey Sheet? Some years ago I found a great Personal Information sheet on the internet. You can download a copy from: http://rt492.org/ftp
Who knows the prospect? Is there someone in your organization who commands the respect of one you hope to recruit? Someone to whom they might say “yes.”
Never attempt to recruit over the phone or standing up at a meeting and asking for volunteers.
The key factor is asking them personally. This should be done in a face to face situation, preferably while you are wearing your uniform. If you ask someone personally to basically give what you're giving, it is much harder for them to say no.
Remember:
In Scouting, we are in serious competition with a host of adversaries:
We do not lack competition;
what we need are allies and team members.
Go out and recruit them.
RT 492 Home
Training Tips
Training Tips
