Practical Tiger Skills

[5thGenTexan]

Shortly after the beginning of the new year the boys that have shown up to most if not all the meetings will make Tiger.  Might have one or two that are short a belt loop by that point, but we have a camping trip planned in Feb. to make up much of that.  It might not be a popular view, but I am not exactly enamored with some of the content for the elective loops.  I would like to have a den meeting or two with something more practical for a Scout that of course is age appropriate.  Things in our pack are changing from how they were done in the past.  For instance, it has been discussed that each den will have its own chuck box and cook their own meals.  I know that Tigers wont be cooking on a campout, but they will be able to observe the responsibility to provide the meal and not just come when its time to eat.  So, what are some things we could work on to learn to be Boy Scouts some day?  Personally I don't think things like making up a magic trick cuts it.

[Stosh]

Really?  Sitting around watching the adults cook is a fun program for Tigers?   For me that would rank right up there with watching paint dry.  When they're done eating, do they get to watch the adults clean up?

When I taught Webelos overnight training for DL"s it was always interesting how just two people could lead the class and somehow breakfast just appeared, then lunch and then dinner.  While one of us taught, the other did behind the scenes camp chores and we had an extensive discussion on this very topic.  How, with just two people, one could maintain the attention and interest of the participants and still get the camp chores done.  Even the adults hadn't noticed and one can even more easily apply this to Tigers.  The whole idea of that demonstration was to show the importance of keeping the kids busy with some really fun stuff and still being able to get the "adult" stuff done behind the scenes.

@5thGenTexan one needs to focus on the boys having a great time outdoors.  For the most part outdoors to them is walking down city streets or maybe going to a city park for a picnic with the folks.  Nawww!  This has to be an adventure, walking trails into the woods, looking at trees, listening to birds, finding squirrels, picking berries, and anything else that they have either never experienced or never noticed before.

Throw out an old hula hoop on the ground in a meadow and have the boys find all the fun stuff inside.  Then do it in the woods.  Stop and find tadpoles in the creek.  Hear a bullfrog, try to find him.  You might come across a turtle sunning themselves on a log.  Hear a woodpecker, go find him.  Heck, boys go bananas over finding bunny poop.

I took my granddaughter out on one of these nature adventures and we went into a swamp area where there were tons of birds, muskrats, beavers and sure 'nuff we come across a dead racoon.  For at least a week, that's all she could talk about.  It was the last thing before going to bed and the first thing in the morning.  My daughter still hasn't forgiven me for "breaking her child."    Now when I go over there and invite her to a great adventure, her eyes light up and she runs for her coat.  My daughter gives me the death-ray stare, and off we go.

This is the wonderment one has at this age after all.  I might have been only 4 years old at the time, but I remember my dad bringing home the new camper that became my second home for many years.  It was the catalyst for opening a world of camping and being outside.  If one can do that for a Tiger, then they are well on their way to being a great Boy Scout. 

Please, please, please, don't sit the boys down on a log to watch the adults do anything.

[WisconsinMomma]

Are you having a Pack overnighter?  Den-only camping is not recommended by the BSA:

https://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss03.aspx

Sky is the Limit and Tiger Tag sound appropriate for your Pack camping trip.   Tiger Tales and tall tales is also a fun one. 

You can do other activities of course, and if you want you can have them make trail mix or something like that if you want them to have "cooking" experience.

Learning a magic trick can help a kid focus.  And they are not easy at all!    Otherwise Google and Pinterest can give you tons of ideas for fun Scout activities

Have a great camping trip.   Thanks for being a den leader!

And I agree with Stosh, you've already done some hiking - go on another hike.    The Bears and Webelos in my Pack love skits,  they love making up their own skits, they are a bunch of little hams.  

Edited December 15, 2017 by WisconsinMomma

[Tampa Turtle]

I used to practice setting up tents with the little ones (only ones I wasn't worried about getting damaged) just so they got acquainted with it. At that age they get excited about just getting in a tent even if you are talking to them.

Walks and hikes are fun. Just realize they can get tired out quickly and get cranky. Figuring the pacing is tricky. But that age is fun.

Also really basic repairs are interesting to them. We would practice things like using a screw driver and a pliers to take something apart and put it back together. But be aware that some boys hand strength and hand-eye coordination can lag behind the others--they may literally need 'hands on hands help' to avoid frustration. 

10 years ago our Tiger Den's used to go on a yearly Den campout with the dads. I guess we were apostates.

[WisconsinMomma]

Setting up tents is a great idea.   Finding sticks for kindling is another good one. 

[Tampa Turtle]

14 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said:

Setting up tents is a great idea.   Finding sticks for kindling is another good one. 

Yes teaching them the sizes using their body. And they are closer to the ground...less work for you!

A silent night hike with no lights on a well used trail was always a hit. The parents are usually the problem there. 

[perdidochas]

12 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

Shortly after the beginning of the new year the boys that have shown up to most if not all the meetings will make Tiger.  Might have one or two that are short a belt loop by that point, but we have a camping trip planned in Feb. to make up much of that.  It might not be a popular view, but I am not exactly enamored with some of the content for the elective loops.  I would like to have a den meeting or two with something more practical for a Scout that of course is age appropriate.  Things in our pack are changing from how they were done in the past.  For instance, it has been discussed that each den will have its own chuck box and cook their own meals.  I know that Tigers wont be cooking on a campout, but they will be able to observe the responsibility to provide the meal and not just come when its time to eat.  So, what are some things we could work on to learn to be Boy Scouts some day?  Personally I don't think things like making up a magic trick cuts it.

 

Well, in terms of the camping trip, I recommend that you talk with the parents and have their Cub Scout aged kids help them set up their campsite.  Yes, I know that it is harder to set up with a 6-9 year old "helping" you than it is to set it up yourself, but IMHO, in Scouting, doing things the easiest way doesn't help the boys.  When my boys were Tiger/Wolf age, they helped me set up our camp for family camp. They helped me unload, they helped put in tent stakes, they helped put the tend poles through the sleeves in the tent, etc.  Their first campout as Boy Scouts wasn't a surprise. They were used to working to set up camp, not playing while their parents set up camp (they played afterwards).  

 

Another thing our Pack used to do for all aged scouts is to have the Scouts (with their parents), cook their lunch hamburgers over "buddy burners."  Buddy burners are homemade "super candles" made of a spiraled piece of cardboard in a tuna or pineapple can (the short ones) filled with paraffin.  The Webelos den would make enough buddy burners and stoves (stoves being a large can with a few airholes and an opening to put the buddy burner in ) for the Pack, and parents/Cubs would cook their burgers.  Took 5-10 minutes after the burners really got going/stove was heated up.  

[WisconsinMomma]

3 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

10 years ago our Tiger Den's used to go on a yearly Den campout with the dads. I guess we were apostates.

Don't call it a Tiger den campout, call it a Father-son weekend, leave the uniforms at home, be safe and have a great time. Not every camp experience has to be an official BSA camping experience.   (Had to look up apostate, good vocab!)

[WisconsinMomma]

You can also have the Tigers lead grace to contribute to a shared meal experience.   Duty to God, oh my!  Keep it simple, make it fun! 

Rub a dub, dub, thanks for the grub!    

[EmberMike]

On 12/14/2017 at 11:05 PM, 5thGenTexan said:

So, what are some things we could work on to learn to be Boy Scouts some day?  Personally I don't think things like making up a magic trick cuts it.

There's a lot of time for that, and even when they become Boy Scouts, they'll still have lots of time to learn Boy Scouting things. 

I understand the desire to prepare boys for Troop life, but emphasizing it this early I think could actually have a detrimental effect on their interest in Scouting long-term. If a scout joins as a Tiger and sticks with it to earn Eagle, they'll have been in Scouting for nearly a decade in many cases, sometimes longer. If Tigers learn absolutely nothing about camping, cooking, woods skills, etc., in their Tiger year, I think that's of absolutely zero consequence. 

On the other hand, I think a Tiger (or even a Wolf or Bear in some cases) being asked to sit through skills lessons that are more appropriate for Webelos or Boy Scouts could negatively impact their willingness to stay with the program. 

Scouting is a long road. Don't burn them out early. The Tiger year should be 100% fun above all else.