JimWhiteLongBeach

I think "new" parent input is quite valuable. I'm new also- we went to our first pack meeting/outreach earlier this month. To an outsider, Scouting is a bit mysterious. The PR information seems to presume that parents are already familiar with Scouting. Some councils have great web sites, others are fairly weak. I appreciate that our pack doesn't push the popcorn sales and don't expect the new scouts to sell any. We went to the pack meeting. The expectation was that one of the Tiger parents would become the Tiger den leader. After a minute or so of everybody staring at their shoes I volunteered. Unfortunately the outreach meeting was the same day that our Council held their last Cub leader training sessions. So here I am, mid-October with the nucleus of a den (4-5 boys), no personal scouting history and no ability to get training within the district until Spring. I sort of had a choice- go back on my offer and find another pack, or do all I can to make this den and pack work. I chose the latter because as I see it the Tiger den and next year's Tiger den are the future of this pack, not the current leadership. I've done a bunch of the online training and BALOO, but have only led one den meeting. We're going to follow the "Fast Tracks" series to help ensure that the boys earn Tiger even though they have started late. Regarding recruiting- There was absolutely no outreach to Kindergarteners last Spring. If there had been we probably would have seen some interest in the Council day camp. Plus those of us with interest in leadership could have gotten training, attended roundtables, and planned for the den before school started. There was a table at Back to School Night. I don't think that there was a flyer passed out to all first graders before the pack meeting. At one level it almost looks like this pack wants a single den in each grade out of fear that more dens would just mean more work for the existing leadership. Maybe I'm naive, (I did volunteer after all), but it seems the more families involved the more potential volunteers. It seems that a good critical mass would be at least two dens at each grade level, with meetings on different days so that kids who participate in extracurricular activities would be able to avoid schedule conflicts. I'm going to try for a Tiger "Boy Talk" and outreach letter after the local soccer season winds up in a few weeks- with the goal of filling out my den and possibly adding a second. We also seem to have a Tiger den leader for next year waiting in the wings. The Cubmaster is very dedicated- but his youngest son is in Webelos. Not counting the Tigers, the pack has 20-25 members. It looks like there are about 5 parents filling all the den leader, committee, etc. roles. I don't know if this is due to internal politics, more doers than leaders, lack of general interest, or what. Hopefully this will change over time. Jim (This message has been edited by jimwhitelongbeach)

It's looking up. Our first meeting had 4 boys- I think they had a great time. Another boy was sick but his mom and dad both seem interested- I haven't met him. A parent stepped up to host next month's meetings. I'm going to BALOO training in our neighbor council (Orange County) tomorrow. I think our Cubmaster will be open to more Pack family camps if he doesn't have to do all the work. We have three boys and dads going to the Long Beach fall Cub-O-Ree next Friday. I think next year's Tiger leader has already stepped up. Good times! Jim

I might learn this in Baloo training this weekend- but I'll ask anyhow. Is "Winter Camping" defined? I'm in Southern California so December and March 21 are just days on the calendar. I presume that they mean camping in "winter conditions" where there's snow or potential for severe winter weather. Is "Camping-Family" exempt from some of the other rules because each child is under the direct supervision of their guardian? Our Pack currently has only a Spring family campout planned for April, but I'm lobbying for a couple more between now and then. Some possibilities are in the desert where night time lows can drop below freezing but sudden winter storms aren't a risk (presuming somebody checks the forecast). (Should I mention that the first time I took my wife camping in winter- technically in Southern California- the temperature was -5F at 5:00 PM and only got colder?)(This message has been edited by JimWhiteLongBeach)

Thanks again for the encouragement. This is after I got an email that one of my "guaranteed" Tiger Cubs isn't interested- plus too much time for the family.

Thanks to all. Tiger badge has been unsewed and put into the Den Leader box.

Obviously I'm new to this. Just bought my son's Tiger uniform. I didn't quite comprehend that "badges" are fabric patches. Does the orange Tiger badge that goes on his left pocket at 6:00 go after he's completed the Bobcat and Tiger requirements, or right at the start? I presumed that I should sew it on right away since they sold it to me at the district store. Jim

Baloo training it is... Unfortunately the LB District won't be offering it until April. The Pack has at least one, possibly more with Baloo so if I can convince him/them to commit to more camping dates then we can schedule a few more Pack campouts. There is one next week and another planned for April. I think one every-other month would be a good start.

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like we'll have 6 boys at our first meeting- enough to get started with pending a bit more recruiting. I will do everything possible to facilitate dads coming with their sons by scheduling the meetings in the evening. I'll also follow the advice here about encouraging attendance with any appropriate adult and getting all possible parents/grandparents/caregivers/etc on my email list. Jim

I'm preparing for my first Tiger den meeting on Wednesday. I'll be the den leader and it looks like we'll have about 6 Tiger/adult teams. Something I haven't seen spelled out is whether I should encourage one parent to attend each time or if it's okay or even recommended for the parents to alternate attending. Thanks for your replies, Jim Long Beach, CA

After attending a Pack meeting last weekend with my son, somehow I've now volunteered to be den leader for a new Tiger Cub den. It's somewhat overwhelming since I've never been a Scout and wasn't too sure what to expect. I've spent the last 48 hours doing all the pertinent online courses, going through the Tiger Cub and Cub Scout Leader books. I certainly have a much better idea now what scouting is about and a bit of what it isn't. One thing that discouraged me and my son was just how little camping Cub Scouts do. This past summer while backpacking in Yosemite we talked about how much fun it would be to be in Scouts so he could share similar experiences with friends his age. Turns out no den campouts until Webelos and probably no backpacking until well into the Boy Scout years. On the other hand I was very encouraged by way Scouting approaches leadership development- going from the boy/parent teams in Tiger Cubs up to the advisory role played by Varsity Scout adult leaders. Jim Long Beach, CA