den assignments

[dedlaast]

Howdy I would like some new ideas on den participation at pack meetings. Having been a scouter for many years(off and on), I have been racking my brains for something new. The old standbys of opening, closing ,songs, skits jokes, flag ceremonies, escorts have been used to death,. I do realize that every 3 to 4 years the programs repeat thenselves, but during those years those cub scouters are hearing basically the same things that they have heard of before. Can anyone help me out here. Thanks Frank

[Twocubdad]

dedlaast -- welcome to the campfire. It's always good to have a new Cubber on board. Sometimes I feel a bit out numbered.

 

You are staring at the best resource for new material, the Internet. Last fall I tasked one of my leaders with coming up with 20 new skits and songs for a district Cub campfire. He came up with some really great stuff, using the links here and at Cubmaster.com. I won't list them all here, just go to the NetCompass side of Scouter.com

 

But the best new skit I've seen in years is the Bandana skit, which I first saw at National Camp School for Cub Day Camp. This may be old hat to some of you, but it's new in this part of the world and had everyone -- kids and parents -- on the floor. I've always seen it performed by adults (because the only thing kids like better than another kid making a fool of himself is an adult doing it), but it could easily be done by the scouts.

 

Start with four or five guys, one is the narrator the others the demonstrators. The narrator starts off by explaining that they are going to do a demonstration on the uses of the scout neckerchief or bandana. (All the demonstrators hold up their bandanas). The narrator goes into great detail on how the Lord Baden-Powell thought the bandana was the most important part of the scout uniform -- the more pompous the better. Explain that there are many different uses of the bandana, but first you have to learn to fold the bandana. (All the demonstrators show how to fold their bandana). The narrator then explains all the different uses of a bandana, which the others demonstrate: you can use it as a bandage and wrap it around your arm, if it's hot out you can wear it like a hat, you can use it for a towel and wipe your brow, at dinner you can spread it on your shirt and use it for a napkin, of course after dinner you can wipe your mouth with it. And after a shower, you can make a point out of one corner and dry your ears with it. All this and it can easily be folded and tucked in a pocket.

 

The punch line is while most of the demonstrators are showing how to use a bandana, one guy, the biggest clown in the group, is somewhat confused and is doing all the demonstrations using a BANANA. Think about it, it's a riot! The messier the better. The highlight is the guy grinding the now-smushed banana into his ear. Bring a wet towel -- banana dries like epoxy. And I would not recommend this in a Class A uniform.

[sctmom]

Think like an 8 year old boy...

Can you ever tire of getting to carry the U.S. Flag or calling out the color guard commands?

Maybe the same den is doing it but every time a different boy gets to carry the flag, so it never gets old.

 

Kids that age thrive on consistency and repetition. They want to know the punch lines before the skit ends. What may be the same old skit to adults is a fun time for kids -- both those doing the skit and those watching, one reason is that the same skit never comes out the same twice.

 

[ScoutNut]

The programs (monthly themes) repeat themselves every 3-4 years because the boys are all brand new every 3-4 years! What might be a repeat for a 5th grade Webelos is brand new fun for a 1st grade Tiger! For a long time, repeat leader YOU might have seen the same things over & over, but remember the boys haven't.

 

The internet is a wonderful resourse. For skits, songs and jokes check out sites with old council Pow Wow books. You can get some new stuff and also old stuff re-written by people in the council. Look under Girl Scout/Guide sites as well. Also, while looking thru WAGGGS and WOSM sites for our B & G this February, I found some that included fun activities specific to that country!

 

For den or Pack gathering activities try Crayola.com. They have lots of great sheets that can be printed off and copied.

[fotoscout]

If I understand you correctly you are not looking for more skits, songs, ceremonies, or jokes, you are looking for new ideas for each den to do at your pack meetings. I am sure you know that the old standbys of opening, closing, songs, skits jokes, flag ceremonies, escorts have been proven over time to be durable, flexible, and worthwhile program elements. Most have the uncanny ability to evolve with time and current events. But as a formula or recipe its always nice to have some new ingredients to work with.

 

How about trying "The News". Local news can be a fun thing for the boys to do. It could be Pack news, School news, sports news, or Community news.

 

How about "Announcements". The boys could do the monthly announcements, and then the Cubmaster could follow-up with more details or to answer any questions. this also insures that the message gets out at least two times.

 

You could always have them do an active demonstration of something they learned, knots, flag folding, etc.

 

You could have one den be responsible for Scouting History at each Pack meeting. A brief 5 minutes of Scouting History.

 

 

I hope this gives you some ideas.

 

 

(This message has been edited by fotoscout)

[OneHour]

When I got the Cubmaster position I added two things that our Pack has not done before:1) Run-ons and 2) Allow the Dens to present the Colors including Calling out the Colors commands. As for run-ons, as I do my "Business Page," a boy from the assigned Den would interrupt me with a run-ons joke. It's usually a hit with the kids. I also got a "Cheers" box (Cheers Soap Box) that the Dens can pick out a cheer to teach the Pack. That's another one that the Den looks forward to. If you work the skits into a cycle of 3-4 years, you should get a lot of laughs with the new Dens.

 

Our Pack is somewhat large (14 Dens)... so getting the division of labor is somewhat easy. I usually have one Den that does the Colors, one does the song, one does the skit, and one does the run-ons. From time to time, I would have one does the "business section." If your Pack is smaller, then you have alot more Pack activities to do such as having one Den responsible for the Gathering activities. You could also have a Den responsible for the Pack activities such as interviewing the guest speaker. We had a local weatherman come to our Pack meeting and the "responsible Den" came up with a list of questions to ask the weatherman. We are looking to do one for a local baseball player who happens to live in our neighborhood. (He is not the famous one ... but nevertheless he is an Astros).

 

To keep it fun and interesting, the Cubmaster (and the Den Leaders) should be readied to let his/her hair down and acts silly! That's how the kids would enjoy it even if they have heard the joke or skit before! If you have a stiff upper-lips Cubmaster and/or leader, the mood is basically destroyed and the kids will view the task at hand as a chore!

 

YIS,

 

1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)