Pack Meeting Plans on Scouting.org

[Armymutt]

Does anyone use the meeting plans posted here: https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/pack-meeting-resources/pack-meeting-plans/

They all have a section for rank advancement.  We do rank advancement at the end of the year.  These seem like they are more like Scouts BSA where Scouts earn rank asynchronously.  

[fred8033]

Timely advancement is important.  ... For my old pack ... end of the year was for the last-push to help stragglers and to transition to focusing on the next rank.

... aka ... award at the next pack meeting whenever possible.

Edited July 19, 2021 by fred8033

[Armymutt]

Our dens do the Adventures together, so there's no real stragglers.  In the 80s it was different than today.

[Eagle94-A1]

With CSDC and folks working on their own, my former pack's advancement was asynchronous. The only thing that folks waited on was AOL and Cross Over. My youngest was finished with AOL 2 months before the last member of his den finished it. He started attending Troop meetings as a guest prior to Cross Over to not be bored.

[yknot]

58 minutes ago, Armymutt said:

Does anyone use the meeting plans posted here: https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/pack-meeting-resources/pack-meeting-plans/

They all have a section for rank advancement.  We do rank advancement at the end of the year.  These seem like they are more like Scouts BSA where Scouts earn rank asynchronously.  

We did requirements together throughout the year as a den and then everyone advanced rank at the blue and gold in February. At that point, AOLs would transition over to troops. Parents/scouts would work on requirements they missed on their own whenever they needed to so it wasn't an issue if they had to miss a meeting. We felt it was more fun to do things together.  Don't get hung up on who does what, do what works for your den and unit There is no right way to do it Just make sure it's fun. 

[FireStone]

Cubs cannot advance in rank at their own pace like in a Troop. They can only reach the rank that their current grade level allows. So Awarding rank at the end of the year (or some other predetermined time) is the way to go.

Adventure belt loops and pins are the method of awarding achievement in between ranks. Scouts should be recognized for what they have achieved in a timely manner, but ranks probably are best left to be awarded together at some pre-determined time or event.

[qwazse]

I’m gonna push back, just a little. Scouts like being recognized for their achievements. They don’t like being recognized for things they didn’t do. And they regard less highly people who give an award just so they don’t feel left out.

If you have a tight knit den, obviously they are going to earn their rank patch simultaneously. But, what if a scout skips a required adventure and doesn’t want to do it with a parent or guardian? The best thing you can do for that scout is to award the other scouts promptly so that he/she may reconsider and make-up the requirements for the award. If you wait until end-of-year, you deny that scout an opportunity.

All that said, don’t make monthly awards suck the oxygen out of the room. Each DL lists awards earned by whom, then announces the next months activities.