sawdustr

Even though you don't wish to dive in to the Readyman - requirements 12 & 15 fit in nicely with a Fire Station visit. 12 - Explain how to use items in a first aid kit and 15 - attend a first aid demonstration.

Camp Mack Morris is about 2.5 hours East of Memphis. It is on Kentucky Lake and has a lot of water craft options.

May - minor league ball game, pack picnic June - day hike, day camp July - pool & pizza party, resident camp August - inflatable slip-n-slide with ice cream social

Our pack uses points for each heat (4 for longest distance traveled to 1 for shortest - 4 "lanes"). Very few rockets travel the full length of the "track". We lay dish towels over the fishing line about 1' from the end of each lane to minimize propeller damage. Each scout runs on each lane then the three highest scores run in a championship run-off. This makes the event run pretty simply. We use 75 winds with 3 rubber bands in each rocket. Some go 40 feet and some go 10 feet - balance and weight seem to be the biggest factors.

The DE is not "in charge" of program, or shouldn't be - that should be up to the volunteers who should plan the camporee. In my experience, the DE is "more concerned" about fund raising and, IMO, should be. When your DE steps in to the program area, it is easy for the money to distract them and you, as a volunteer, can easily get frustrated. Until I worked with several DEs on a council-wide event, I had mistakenly believed that they were there for program (like I was). I learned my lesson on that one. I believe the district volunteers should take the lead for district events. Use the DE as a resource. This can help avoid the problems that arise when "being on the same team but with varying goals" occurs.

For a new Cub Scout leader: 1) Let your "adult" guard down and be silly with the boys (songs, games, storytelling, costumes) 2) Your meetings will probably not go as planned - be flexible. As long as the boys have fun they will return. Some of the meetings that I thought were terrible were some of the boys' favorites. 3) Don't wait for someone to ask for help - jump in where needed but respect the leader in charge of the activity. 4) Introduce yourself to other Scouters at every opportunity. 5) Understand that the professional District/Council staff have different responsibilities than an adult volunteer - you are responsible for your program.

Den doodles are typically visual ways to recognize achievements toward earning rank, attendance, participation in special events, etc. Usually beads are added by the scouts to a strand.

I just finished working on a council-wide cub camping event and had a blast. As others have stated - plan on working hard, don't plan to "split time" between staff and son, and plan on having a great experience. As far as input goes - since you may not have worked staff before, I suggest being a grunt staff worker with a servant's heart. Help with anything you are asked of and do it with a smile and cheerful spirit. Evaluate your experience and note the experiences of the campers. Next time the opportunity arises to staff an event, ask to be part of the planning committee and relay those experiences to aid the committee in improving the event. I'm still a little tired, but seeing the joy in the Cubs' and parents' faces made it all worthwhile.

Don't know about good - but I have a den newsletter that I would be happy to send to you as an example of what works for me & the den's parents.

A chart, similar to what you asked about, is included in the new materials. I downloaded the Wolf den meeting plans from scouting.org and the chart is on pages 88 & 89. If you have a hard copy of the new materials, it should be there.

Shortridge: You are correct - my post dealt with how to teach the skills as represented in the BSA literature. Based on the true nature of this topic, I agree that we aren't limited to additional resources to provide more adventure. I do believe that we should make sure the scouts we are instructing have the fundamentals covered before we start going over and beyond the BSA literature (new scouts vs. Star and above).

I was taught that we used information provided in the BS handbook, field book, or merit badge booklets as our resources when we instructed scouts. This ensured that the scouts had references for future consultation that was consistent with BSA "guidelines".

We've done a leader dunking booth & whipped cream pies in the faces of leaders for scouts that met our sales goal.

Thanks for posting this - what a great read. I'm printing this and putting in my scouting files for future reference.

Sounds like the trainers were using old information. From what I've read in the latest literature: Tiger Cubs earn the "Tiger Cub Immediate Recognition Emblem" when they learn the Cub Scout motto, sign, and salute. It is covered in the "Cub Scout Leader Book" (pp. 19-5 through 19-7) and also in the "Tiger Cub Handbook". Tiger Cubs earn white (family), orange (den), and black (go see it) beads as they complete each of the achievements. These are to be presented when the achievement is completed (at den meetings). All new Cub Scouts earn the Bobcat rank first. This does not preclude a Tiger Cub from earning his immediate recognition emblem or his achievement beads. The Tiger Cub must earn his Bobcat before he can receive his Tiger Cub rank badge (same as a boy joining Cub Scouts in a Wolf, Bear, or Webelos den). Hope this helps. Dave