New to Scouting, Forum, New Tiger Den Leader

[bchan]

I'm in Naperville, IL - western suburb of Chicago.

 

We just started our den in October and it's been such a whirlwind. We began with 3 tigers and now have 4. I'm having so much fun with it, I hope the boys are too.

 

My biggest concern is balancing between too much and too little for the boys to do. We had a lot of catching up to do, trying to meet February/March time frame. But with the holidays and New Year, we're doing 2 den meetings, go see it, and pack meeting - which I think is typical of this level.

 

I've already browsed through the forum and gotten so much information. Thank you all!

[ScoutNut]

Welcome to another IL Scouter! We are "next door" to 3 Fires in DesPlaines Valley. 3 Fires has a good website, make sure to visit it & check out the council & district news. Attend Roundtable to get to know folks from your area & learn interesting thing to take back to your Pack & Den!

 

Tigers are a fun group! I love it when they realize I WANT them to be loud!

 

Keep in mind that you do NOT have to rush your Tiger Teams. Feb/Mar is simply an arbitrary deadline. They have until the end of the school year to earn their rank.

 

There are some fun things to do around you. Maybe your Pack could do some caroling as part of Naperville's Christmas celebration!

 

Have FUN!

[SemperParatus]

Welcome to the fun! Sounds like you are off to a GRRRREAT start.

[ScoutNut]

DuPage Forest Preserve District is GREAT!! Much better than Cook County IMO.

 

For a great outing in Dec check out Kline Creek Farm in Winfield. They have the farm decked out for the holiday's. This weekend they have holiday crafts, fires, & hot cider. Next weekend they have blacksmithing demos! Also, if you call them they can send you a list of questions that the boys have to answer as they hike around the farm. Then you can order patches from your council shop! This will also cover achievements #1G & #5G!

 

[EagleInKY]

Welcome. Glad to have you on the forum. We hope to get to know you throughout your scouting experience. May it be long and prosperous for you and your family.

[KurtB]

Welcome! from another 3 Fires Scouter. Being fresh off of the Tiger trail (my son is a wolf), the one thing I can say is to not rush to earn the badge. Unlike the Wolf, Bear, & Webelos ranks, after the badge is earned, the advancement stops (no arrow points, etc.). There is still plenty of fun to be had, but getting that small token of advancement at each Pack meeting really kept the kids interested. As previously mentioned, they have until the end of the school year (June) to earn the rank.

 

Most of all, keep having fun! You will be amazed at how fast the year seems to fly by.

 

Kurt

ACM/DL Pack2 Elgin

Webmaster - Shabbona District

www.shabbona.org

 

[ScoutNut]

Kurt, although the Tigers do not have Arrow Points to work on after earning rank, they DO have the Tiger equivalent. After earning rank, Tigers can get recognized for every 10 Tiger electives they complete by receiving yellow disc beads called Tiger Tracks. The Tiger Tracks hang from their Tiger Totem with the rest of their beads.

 

Tiger Tracks or Arrow Points, there is never a reason to rush boys thru the program at any level. It is set up so that boys can advance at their own rate.