Den Doodle

[knitwitmom]

Does anyone have any great ideas they have used in the past for Den Doodles? I don't want anything terribly balky that I will have to haul back and forth to meetings. But yet I want something really cool to get the boys excited.

 

Thanks!

Teresa

[clydesdale115]

Our Pack always displayed the den doodles at the pack meeting, so generally they were large stand-up things. One year I built a cool one that was a round board that turned on top of a stand (probably 4-1/2 to 5' tall). Each boy had a section along the circle to hang their beads and other dangles. It was too bulky to transport each week though - we left it at the church between meetings.

Another year I used a thick dowel (like a broom handle thickness) as an arrow shaft. Added wooden arrow point and fletching - probably 4' long - mounted it in the center to a stand, each boy had a cup holder attached for hanging bead and dangles. At the end of the year, we took it off the stand and removed the cup holders and just had a cool giant arrow for the den.

I've seen giant plywood diamonds painted like the rank badges, mounted on stand - but all these are much too cumbersome to transport every week. Besides, too much handling will cause your dangles to get all tangled up (or worse, fall off).

There are some in the Cub Scout How-To book - one is in a big coffee can. You could use a tree branch painted blue and yellow, secure into the coffee can with plaster of paris, hang dangles from the branches. That would be much less bulky. Maybe you could use something like a portable cork board to hang things from.

Or is there a way to hang the dangles from a 'biner? Give each boy his own carabiner with a thin rope attached. He wears it hanging from the back of his hat. Each week, add more and more beads - by the end of the year, he'll have his own keepsake. We did something similar when we made Ranger pacer beads - each boy had his own strand.

clyde

 

[DYB-Mike]

Hi Knitwitmom,

 

Ill be starting a Tiger den this year and something Im planning on doing, which could be considered a den doodle of sorts, is to make a den standard. While I was inspired by the standard my sons Webelos den (a.k.a. the Dragon Patrol) had, I always had the idea from the standards carried by the Roman legions that not only identified the legion but also was a rallying point and an object sacred to the legion.

 

I had planned to use a stave with a short piece (1 foot?) lashed horizontally near the top. Id attach a canvas rectangle to the horizontal piece. On the front of the canvas there would be felt den and pack numbers and something symbolizing tigers. On the back of the canvas I though I might have the boys make individual tiger heads out of felt and personalize them with their names (first names only) and whatever else they would like. I thought of capping the top off with a plush tiger.

 

Once created, the standard should be easy enough to be transported to den and pack meetings and other events. It could be used as a rallying point to bring the den together at events.

 

I had envisioned the standard as an evolving den symbol. As the boys advance (Wolf, Bear, Webelos) the standard would advance with them. The rectangular canvas would be changed with each rank and the old canvas would be attached to the back kinda as a pennant. The boys would decorate each subsequent canvas with the pack and den numbers and whatever else they choose.

 

I hadnt thought about using the standard to record advancement. I figured the bragging vests and tiger track beads would take care of that. You could adapt the standard by perhaps hanging leather lacings from the bottom of the canvas for the boys to string beads or hang whatever. The key would be to try to not load the standard down and keep it portable and easy enough for a boy to at least hold and stand with, if not actually carry.

 

YIS

Mike

 

[Bob White]

Have you looked at the ideas and examples in the Cub Scout "How To Book"?

[knitwitmom]

Thanks to those that have responded. I have looked at the Leader How To Book. I was just hoping to find something a little different.

 

Teresa

[tbrooke2000]

This is probably too late for you, but I learned this at our University of Scouting:

 

Use a wooden clothes hanger and cut out a tiger or wolf or bear head to put in the center near the "hanger". Use leather rope (or could be yarn, etc) for the beads. Make a small notch in the bottom of the hanger or you could use small nails (this is used to keep the string from sliding.) The boys could make their own name plate to go above their string. It is easily portable and easy to present at the meetings!

 

I am doing it this year. There was about five to six strings per wooden hanger. I am using two this year (cause we just keep growing) but will still be very easy to transport!

 

Hope this helps anyone out there...

 

Tracy

Pack 5

Lancaster OH

[AnnLaurelB]

(*raises hand from back of classroom*)

 

Um... What's a Den Doodle? I get that it's a focal point, a flag, etc... But what are you saying you ~attach~ to it?

 

I'm in the dark here. (By the time I have anything figured out, my son will be OUT of Cub Scouts!)

[sawdustr]

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.