Bobcat Badge ~ Tips Needed for Leading a Den Meeting

[BetterWithCheddar]

I'm hoping to crowd-source some tips for leading a successful Tiger Den Meeting where the primary focus is on earning the Bobcat Badge.

I know the kids are excited to earn some recognition (let's be honest, badges are cooler than loops and pins 🙂); however, I'm fearful of our Den meeting turning into "night school." The Bobcat Badge requirements don't lend themselves to the "learn by doing" philosophy as easily as most adventure loops. How can I keep the Scouts engaged and avoid delivering a lecture?

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

Arguably, they've already discovered the reasons for most of that stuff, just not at a scout meeting. Why is it important to be kind and friendly? They know.

I would suggest applied philosophy discussion plus some puzzle-type memorization aid, if possible lead by tigers who already have their bobcat. Worked pretty well for us.

[Armymutt]

Bobcat takes like 5 minutes if the Scout has studied at home.  One of the things our council usually has as part of the fall Spookoree is a "Bobcat Trail".  The kids needing Bobcat go to it and get the requirements completed.  I haven't seen how they do it, but I bet that a little walking through the woods with various stations set up would work well.  Stick an index card with a requirement on it in a tree or under a rock for the kids to find.  I'd have the parents do the Protect your chidren from child abuse at home.

[DannyG]

Break it down into chunks. Learn one or two requirements per den meeting and plan to do another activity in-between.  There are some good ideas on the internet for playing Bobcat/Scout Law/Scout Oath type-games. Or substitute any fun game your den likes to play. My general flow goes like this:

First meeting:  Get to know you game + Cub Scout Motto + Cub Scout Sign
Second meeting: Craft + Scout Law + Cub Scout Salute
Third meeting: Outdoor game + Scout Oath + Cub Scout handshake

Etc.

If you are a new den leader, one tip you will quickly learn: Be flexible. If you have an outdoor game in mind but it rains, have a backup plan in place to do inside.

Be aware the requirement is "learn" and "say" the scout oath and law. Not memorize. We learn what it all means in our den meeting. I am fine if they can say it with help from their adult partner and looking at the back of the book. They will memorize when they return to den meetings week after week and say it over again.

[BetterWithCheddar]

Well, my den meeting bombed. I should have come here sooner for feedback. I appreciate the replies.

For context, this was a Tiger Den with 5 of 6 Scouts returning from Lions and one new Scout who joined in 1st Grade.

We were able to cover the Cub Scout sign, salute, and motto quickly. I had the kids repeat the Scout Oath twice, but did not require them to memorize it. Then I had a breakout session for Scouts and their parents. I wrote each point of the Scout Law on an index card, placed them in a popcorn tin, and had the Scouts choose 2 index cards from the jar to discuss briefly with their parents. Then we reconvened and had them share what they learned.

My biggest challenge was getting them to sit still and pay attention. They were a squirrely bunch. My own son was probably the worst offender. He and I attended an outdoor District event together last weekend and he was as well-behaved as any Scout there. But put him in a small room on a weeknight with a few of his peers - all bets are off. I need to think of some different approaches for promoting good conduct before the next Den meeting.

For the fun part of our 45-minute meeting, I arrived early and used painters' tape to make a giant "Sorry" boardgame. I bought a large foam dice and let the Scouts play the game as if they were the markers. (moving from one end of the board to the other). Unfortunately, they had a hard time staying still on the spaces they landed, which lead to confusion. There were also some hurt feelin gs over being "sorried" and sent back to the beginning. So I went 0 for 2 on the night. 😟

 

On 10/18/2023 at 12:07 PM, Armymutt said:

One of the things our council usually has as part of the fall Spookoree is a "Bobcat Trail".  The kids needing Bobcat go to it and get the requirements completed.  I haven't seen how they do it, but I bet that a little walking through the woods with various stations set up would work well.  Stick an index card with a requirement on it in a tree or under a rock for the kids to find.  I'd have the parents do the Protect your children from child abuse at home.

I love the Bobcat Trail suggestion. If the kids had to burn a little energy walking from station to station, I think it would cut down on the squirrely-ness.

I did find a nice PDF of the Bobcat Badge requirements, which I sent home with the parents and asked them to cover the YP portion at home. 

[DannyG]

If you talk to your scouts and parents you might find it went better than you think. Sounds like you are going to do fine. You learn by making mistakes. You will also learn the personality of your den the more you meet with them. Sounds like you have a very active bunch, as I did when I led Cubs. We had to run out some energy before we could tackle something as serious as Bobcat. Luckily the rest of the Tiger requirements are more active so they will be having more fun soon. Good luck.

[BetterWithCheddar]

On 10/30/2023 at 10:09 AM, DannyG said:

Luckily the rest of the Tiger requirements are more active so they will be having more fun soon. Good luck.

Thanks for the input. Another challenge I grapple with is getting Scouts outside. Once the school year starts, it gets dark and cold (at least in the Upper Midwest). We could schedule a few one-off outdoor Den meetings on Saturdays, but I worry that would complicate family scheduling. Right now, our Pack has a leader call on the 1st Tuesday of the month, a Pack meeting on the 2nd Tuesday, and Den meetings on the 3rd Tuesday (so Tuesday = "Scout Night").

My multi-year plan as a Den Leader is to "ramp up" with more meetings / outdoor activities as the kids get closer to Scouts, BSA, but right now, I'm just trying to make our monthly Den meeting at the library as enjoyable as possible while checking the boxes on some Tiger requirements.

[DannyG]

I live in the Northeast, so I am in the same boat as far as scheduling outdoor activities during den meetings. We have to load them in the beginning or sit on them until the end of the school year, before/after time change, to get any daylight outside. Our Pack strives to schedule one outing per month on a weekend to get the cubs outside; Non-mandatory, except for specific rank requirements, as there are always conflicts with sports -- But they get multiple chances to complete an outing since we are outside at least once a month.