What is your frequency of Den and Pack Meetings?

[John-in-KC]

This thread is similar to the "What do you REALLY Wear?" thread in the Uniforms forum.

 

Cub Scouters out there (and folks in District service supporting Cub Scouting)...

 

I'd like to ask 4 simple questions. Honest answers, please. As Beavah said in the uniforms thread: No fair gettin' down on anybody for being honest and sharin' now! A Scout is Courteous. And we all have to be honest too, eh? A Scout is Trustworthy. "

 

Here are the questions:

 

1) What type of Den do you lead, orare you a Pack level Scouter, or are you a District Scouter supporting Cubbing?

 

2) How often does your Den meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

 

3) How often does your Pack meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

 

4) What kinds of summertime activities does your Den or Pack participate in (Day Camp, Family Camping, 4th of July parade, August swim, Webelos Camp...???)

[cubbingcarol]

1. I am the Webelos II leader and Wolf den leader.

2. 3 meetings a month unless the day of the meeting happens to be a holiday or school was not in session.

3. 1 pack meeting every month, special meetings periodically i.e. bowling party, skating party.

4. Den hike or fishing trip in June, day camp and parade in July, swimming party for end of summer in August.

We usually do our Pack camp-out in April or May.

 

Carol

[Beagle Scout]

I was the Tiger den leader for our pack last year; this year I am the Wolf den leader. I am also active at the pack level (popcorn kernel, webmaster, unofficial assistant cubmaster).

 

During the school year, we have 3 den meetings or 2 den meetings and 1 outing every month, plus the pack meeting, except during school holidays (Thanksgiving week, Christmas break, spring break). This does not include special pack events such as Trailblazer Day (day camp), Scouting for Food, district first aid meet, pinewood derby, conservation projects, and fishing derby. I guess you could say we have an active pack!

 

We slow down a bit during the summer. My den meets once a month, and the pack has at least one activity every month. Last summer our pack had a park fun day and ice cream social, a private party at our local water slide park, and a pack campout. We also enjoy all the events put on by the council, including family camps, resident camps, day camp, and campout at our local minor league baseball stadium.

 

[Jeffrey H]

1) I am a Webelos I Den Leader and Asst. Cubmaster

 

2) Our Den meets 3 times per month. These meetings can be either the traditional Den meeting or can be an outing or campout.

 

3) Our Pack meets once a month.

 

4) We do swim parties, trips to the Zoo or Museums, Day Camp, Webelos Summer Camp, etc. We usually have one Pack event each month of the summer and the Dens are encouraged to meet at least once a month as well with their own outings. Being in Texas, we usually avoid Pack Campouts in the Summer because of the HEAT.

[Pack212Scouter]

I am both a Wolf Den Leader and Assistant Cubmaster. Our pack has Den meetings every Monday (1 hour for Tigers and Wolves, 90 minutes for Bears and Webelos, although Bears sometimes cut short at 60). One Monday per month, Den meetings are replaced by the 90 minute Pack Meeting which consists of songs, skits, announcements, and awards. We have learned that the key to Pack meetings with 150 Cubs is to keep things fun and moving. During the summer when school is out we try to plan two activities a month. This usually is enough to keep everyone interested...give everyone something to do...not overdo it...and qualify for the summertime pack award. Our summertime activies usually include summer camp/day camp, bicycling, a service project, a party night at a pizza place, etc.(This message has been edited by Pack212Scouter)

[Lisabob]

When I was a cub leader (and not that long ago)...

 

1) I was a pack level scouter and only marginally active until about halfway through my son's Bear year. THen my husband and I became den leaders too.

 

2) As Wolves & Bears my son's den met three times a month for 45-60 minutes. Week four was for pack meetings. As Webelos we went with twice a month, but for longer times in order to accommodate bigger activities.

 

3) We were lucky if we could convince the pack to hold any summer activities besides day camp. We typically held two events in June and August (often with low attendance in August) but July was challenging for us to pull off one event. People just wouldn't do it.

 

4) Some summer activities we did included: attend baseball game, nature park clean up, family picnic, day camp, car wash/fundraiser, United Way Day of Caring and other community service, hiking, Cubs on Subs. I'm sure there were others but these are the ones I remember.

 

 

[SequoiaWDL]

Webelos II leader, and (for one year only) CC. We have 2 den meetings 60-75 minutes long, followed by paperwork, info sharing, and achievement tracking. One pack meeting per month. School in our district runs early August to early June, we meet at the school (PFC CO) so our summer break is pretty short. We also have monthly outings or events, some we do every year: January-day at the snow; March-pancake breakfast, & pinewood derby, May-Minor league ball game with campout after; June-pack swim day & BBQ, daycamp, Webeloree; August- roller skating; October- raingutter regatta & pack campout. We also take advantage of Amtrak/Caltrans Kid n Trains program: $6-12 round trip Fresno-Old Town Sacramento (Feb, and or Nov.); Gold panning up in Mariposa (July); Caroling at Senior Center (Dec of course).

With my Webelos Den, we've been to Webeloree both years, visited Tri-District Camporee in April, attended a Webelos Jamboree (like a MB college, only for activity pins) hosted by a nearby troop. In December there will be a Webelos/Boy Scout campout. And we've started visiting nearby troops. 2 visited with at least one more to go.

[Oak Tree]

1. I've been active at all levels of our pack over the years. All our dens basically do the same thing meeting-wise.

 

2. Den meets twice a month.

 

3. Pack meets once a month.

 

4. We generally do four campouts per year, including one in the summer. During the summer we also do hikes, a picnic, a baseball game, and we encourage day camp and overnight camp at the district/council level.

[msnowman]

1) I am the Webelos II Den Leader and Cubmaster.

 

2) The Web II's meet weekly (1 1/2 hours), except for the week of the Pack meeting, as do the Bears (1 hour) and Web I's (1 1/2 hours). Our Tigers (1 hour) meet twice a month plus the Pack meeting as do the Wolves (1 1/2 hours).

 

3) The Pack meets monthly, the last Sunday of the month (except Nov & Dec when it is is early because of the holidays).

 

4) During the summer we have a Bridging Over Cookout gathering, take part in 2 different area parades, hold a bake sale and a bottle drive, a camp prep meeting, go to Resident camp (Wolf thru Web II), fishing derby and ice cream social. We run enough things that every boy has a chance to show up for something during each of the summer months.

 

YiS

Michelle

 

 

[DanKroh]

1. I'm the Cubmaster, my son is currently a Bear.

 

2. All our dens meet 2-3 times per month, plus the pack meeting.

 

3. Pack meetings are once per month, plus we have one additional "pack activity" just about every month.

 

4. Last summer, we had a campout, a fishing derby, and a trip to the local AAA baseball team. We shoot for one pack activity every month for July and August (still meeting regularly for most of June), and usually we end up with two each month. Plus most of our boys go to Cub Scout summer camp for at least one week.

[ScoutNut]

1) What type of Den do you lead, or are you a Pack level Scouter, or are you a District Scouter supporting Cubbing?

 

I have lead every level of Cubs. Currently I am our Tiger Den leader, and am also active at the Pack and District levels.

 

 

2) How often does your Den meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

 

Weekly, 3x per month. Sometimes we will have a 4th meeting if we need to. December is rather difficult for meetings, but we usually do at least 2.

 

 

3) How often does your Pack meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

 

Pack meetings 1X per month. We try for an extra Pack activity each month also.

 

 

4) What kinds of summertime activities does your Den or Pack participate in (Day Camp, Family Camping, 4th of July parade, August swim, Webelos Camp...???)

 

We do not have regular den or Pack meetings. We do have 2 or 3 Pack activities each month. Some of the things we do are -

Fishing Derby

Pack Campout

Council Summer Camp

Minor League Baseball Game

District Day Camp

Picnic / Rocket Shoot

Bike Hike

Kite Fly

Swim Night

 

 

 

 

 

[mtm25653]

Committee Chair

 

Most dens meet 2x per month (one meeting may be a den outing), Webelos sometimes meet 3x per month.

 

Pack meeting once a month. Pack activities in addition to pack mtgs - Oct - pack campout, Dec (no pack meeting) - parade or party, Jan Pinewood derby, Feb - Blue & Gold, March/April - district cub campout, May/June - Pack campout.

 

No pack meetings June and July, but 6 or so summer activities. 2 day camps, resident camp, Minor league baseball game, bowling, movie night, local historical site, swim party, 4th of July activity.

[DenZero]

Wow, you guys are dedicated. As Committee Chair, Cubmaster & Temporary T-W-B-W Den Leader of a small pack, I'd be burnt out in no time if we tried to have more than 2 meetings a month. When talking with prospective parents, many of them would not consider signing up for Cub Scouts if it required taking their kid to another meeting every week, with all the other sports and activities. For now we are doing one pack meeting, one den meeting, and one outing per month. It's hard enough to get den leaders willing to hold one meeting a month. The large, successful pack nearby follows a similar schedule.

 

With the small pack, I tried to get some interest in a summer activity, but with people traveling and such, I couldn't find a single other pack family willing to participate. I also tried to promote the district day camp. The nearby large pack usually sends a block of kids to the council summer camp, and organizes one or two other small outings. They don't bother trying to hold pack or den meetings during the summer.

 

[Pack212Scouter]

DenZero,

 

You mention difficulty getting people in a very small Pack to commit to summer activities. Another option for you might be to find one or two other small packs close to you (Your DE can help with this). Then work planning summer activities together. Each pack could take a summer month and plan an activity, then you could participate together, increasing attendance.

[JeffD]

1) What type of Den do you lead, or are you a Pack level Scouter, or are you a District Scouter supporting Cubbing?

currently CM - but i was a tiger leader last year. i am also pretty involved in helping the wolf den this year

 

 

2) How often does your Den meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

1x per week - usually last meeting of the month is a pack meeting

 

3) How often does your Pack meet during September to June (or your local school year)?

last meeting of the month is the pack meeting - our whole pack meets at the same location and on the same night

 

4) What kinds of summertime activities does your Den or Pack participate in (Day Camp, Family Camping, 4th of July parade, August swim, Webelos Camp...???)

summer was slow for us this past year - being in Florida - we actually have more events in the fall/winter since the summers are usually brutal. but we try to have 1 event per month in the summer, attend zoo, picnic day, local attractions are what we try to do.