Resources for Combined Age Dens

[meyerc13]

When I started as Cubmaster back in 2013, we had a very small Pack.  A Pack that wasn't much bigger than some large Dens that I've seen.  Other than me as Cubmaster, I had one other Den Leader actively involved in the pack.  That was it as far as leadership.  Several of the age groups had only 2-3 boys, and running separate den meetings with so few boys wouldn't have been much fun for those boys, and would have been a lot of work for the two leaders.  What got us through that first year was the Alternative Cub Scout Delivery Manuals.  They were a great resource for running mixed age, combined den meetings that would result in all of the boys achieving rank advancement by the end of the year.

 

When the new Cub Scout program came out in June of 2015, these Manuals became out of date.  So far, I'm not aware of the BSA releasing anything official to help small Packs that don't have enough boys to fill out dens for all ranks.  However, some great volunteers have identified this need and worked hard to help fill it.  I'm going to start this thread to share resources I've found for running mixed-age dens or events under the new Cub Scout program.

 

Note - running mixed age dens isn't the ideal and I think all leaders who need resources such as these know that.  With that said, it is a reality that sometimes we need to make compromises in our program in order for small Packs and Dens to survive.  If I hadn't had the Alternative Delivery Manuals, my 73 year old Pack would have died.  Using these manuals got me through a tough first year, and over the next two years our Pack doubled in size each year and we made it through our 75th Anniversary as a unit.  Small units need a chance to offer the best program they can, and spend less of their time on 'lesson planning' and more of their time on recruitment and fundraising so that they can grow their Packs and outgrow the need for resources such as these.

• Cub Scout Connections:  Finding Common Themes in the New Cub Scout Adventure Program (by Dr. Nisha Zoeller)
  • This is one of the first resources I encountered and maps common Adventure themes (such as Aquatics, Camping, Cooking, etc.) across ranks.  It's a good starting point, but isn't 100% complete.  For example, it misses Cooking and Nutrition requirements in Games Tigers Play, Family Stories, Running with the Pack, Digging in the Past, Finding Your Way, Bear Necessities, and Castaway.
• Den Meeting Plans for Mixed Dens Southern Crescent District, Atlanta Area Council
  • Forum member bbender has been working on Den Meeting Plans for mixed age groups.  At the time I type this, he has Tiger/Wolf Meeting Plans, but is reportedly working on more.
• InSTEP Sam Houston Area Council
  • It looks like Advancement under the new Cub Scout program starts in the October 2015 plans.

 

That's what I've found so far, if anyone else has more, please share them.  If I run into more I'll post them here.  If anyone is using them, post your experiences, good or bad.  I'm sure those who have created these are willing to accept construction feedback to make them better.

[WPGZ406]

1-year schedule for combining Wolf, Bear, and Webelos (http://ablogforharmony.blogspot.com/p/super-schedule-for-combining-dens.html)  Has a list of requirements that overlap by theme.

1-year schedule for Wolf and Bear (http://ablogforharmony.blogspot.com/p/wolf-and-bear-combined.html)  has links on this schedule to Wolf and Bear badges that pair together well and ideas on how to present them.

[RememberSchiff]

Welcome to scouter.com  @WPGZ406

Edited December 1, 2017 by RememberSchiff