Cubmaster Mike

All of our den leaders are voting members of the committee. The requirements to serve on the Pack committee are shown in Leaders Section 23 of the Cub Scout Leader Book. If they meet those requirements they are fine. We have a seprate treasurer, advancement chair, etc., and our den leaders serve as simply committee members with a vote. It shouldn't be a problem.

We push the use of flags by each den and encourage each den to make their own. All dens use the numbering system except for Webelos at their option. Each den maintains their number throughout their time in the Pack and numbers are added as needed. WHy flags? Casue we use them as Den brags! At each pack meeting, the den that has the best uniform inspection gets the inspection award. This consists of a large tabletop figure that they can add their name to the bottom, as well as an Eagle feather for their den flag (imitation eagle feather with leather thong and safety pin). The boys love i

Way to go Lynda! Lazy mind is the right term. We all have enough control over the English language that we do not not need to use expletives. A Scout is Clean in mind, body and actions. The restrictions on outings are simple. No swearing, no alcohol, no smoking. When we're camping, we set the example 24/7. If they can't abide by the rules, then don't come. I remember one time I let me language slip as a boy scout in camp. My goodness did one of the parents come down on me hard! And so did my parents when we got home and he told them....ouch....

Uzz- Set the expectation. I start off the first Pack meeting of the year with a flip chart. Ask the boys what rules do they think we should follow. They come up with some pretty good ones and I suggest the others and they agree. I then explain that these are the rules and that discipine will increase from a warning all the way up to suspension. And sometimes you have to act. Last week in the middle of our graduation ceremony for the Wolf den, wearing the ceremonial Akela headdress and breastplate, I had to stop the ceremony, walk over to the Bear den and ask a parent to come s

Yes, we did ask for assistance Seattle, and the Distrcit recommended we go to Small Claims Court. We decided that rather than force a new pack committee to go on the attack and dredge up an ugly part of our pack history,we would rather take the high road and let this one go. CMM

Never an easy thing to do, but we did it this year. Last year when I joined the pack and took over as CM, the COR was also serving as WDL and the fundraising chair. The outgoing CM and treasurer surprised me at the end of the year (as they were walking out the door) with the news that the COR had collected a large sum (hundreds) of fundraising money and failed to turn it in. We discussed it with the District Key 3 and tried to collect from him with phone calls and even certified letters, but the COR (who had the old CM illegally award his boy the AOL and bridge over to Boy Scouts at the Pa

Another poster from Ut-in Selica Lodge in California. Wek Wek Apanuc

Wow madkins, that's a first for me. We supply the book. It's included in their annual dues. Part of the responsibility learned int eh Cub years is how to be responsible for items, and the book is a big part of it. Yes, they bring it to every meeting. And yes, there is a lot of the program that get's done in the meetings, I agree with Cubbingcarol, the boys who get the rank would be half if we did not do some of the requirements in the meetings. There are a lot of electives and missed opportunities if we did not have a book. I can't imagine running a program without it.

My basic response- you are the den leader. Even if the boys contribute, you are stil the one setting the rules and yo are the one deciding on the consequences and when to act. Don't worry about "stepping over your bounds", my experience has been that some parents will step forward to control the boys behavior and others either can't or won't. Set the level of expected behavior. If they cannot meet it, then you need to meet with the parent and boy and explain that if they cannot meet that level, then they will not be allowed to attend- "suspended" for a defined period of time.

I'm talking about that pin that used to be referred to as the "Perfect attendance pin" but is now called the "Attendance pin and bar." The Cub Scout Leader Book states that the Pack Committee establishes the criteria for this award. In the past this pack has let each den leder make up their own requriements, the differences between which I noticed caused some grousing from den leaders and parents. I'm trying to establish a baseline that would apply to the pack as a whole and am looking for some examples from other groups. I'm thinking of recommending to the Pack Committee that the baseline

I have a Webelos 1 boy. He is one of our special needs boys and has a pretty severe case of ADHD. For the last two years he has been getting harder and harder to handle. When the boys graduated from Bear to Webelos last year, we lost three out of four other boys in the den. I spoke with the parents of the one other boy to remain and they acknowledged that this first boys behavior almost made them not to return. They had visited another pack in town, but our program is so strong they decided to stay with us. I have confirmed with the other parents who left that the boys behavior was a dec

So the boy was gone the whole school year, you see him in a store and he says he wants to come back and now you cant get hold of him? At this point you have "done your best" to borrow from the motto. Time to move on. If it was really imporatant to the boy, thenhe should be contactingyou at this point. We had a similar situation. Dad was Webelos 1 leader and boy in den, come Webelos 2 year,the boy and dad did not show up. Dad said they were still around, but another parent took over the den. One month before AOL and bridging, dad said they were not moving on to boy scouts but wo

cmarrero- see my post under "Summertime Blues" for some ideas. Good luck and keep it up!

Our pack has activities planned for late June, July and August. Most of the dens don't meet during the summer except for the webelos. The summer activities are family get togethers. They have a specific singular purpose and help retain the sense of community and family int he pack. June starts with a graduation ceremony then ends with "Water Wars" at a local park- boys bring squirt guns and we play water type games for an afternoon. July starts with the July Fourth parade and ends with a bike ride. August starts with a family picnic and ends with a family campout.

belt loops and beads should go out immediately or as soon as possible at den meetings. Don't wait for a pack meeting. Rank advancements and webelos activity pins should be given out at the very next pack meeting after award is earned. SO you mayhave only one or two rank awards at each pack meeting. It shows the the other boys and parents steady progress by the pack! Get those rank cards out. One of the coolest things I've shown the boys in the pack is my Webelos Arrow of Light card from 1972.

First remember that the webelos need to plan and cook meals as one requirement for their AOL. Other ranks, wolfs included need to plana nd cook an outdoor meal for acheivements. Recommend that if you have good representation from each den, then let each den be responsible for one meal for the entire pack campout. That way the boys can compare different styles and it challenges them to create meals that get away from beanie-weanies and instant oatmeal.

Proud Bird is right about the obsessive nature of these cars. I have been toying with the idea of ban in our pack, but would never institute it without first consulting the CC and DLs. Our problem is that a couple of boys bring them to den meetings and they become a distraction for these one or two boys. And if they can't find them or see someone touching them without their permission, it can get very exciting. I like card games but they should be kept to a specific part of the meeting if at all, and only in moderation. Outdoors, hey let 'em go wild.

I take the commemorative approach instead of useful. The boyus get ceremonial arrows and a Cub Scout coin (don't see many of those around!) It's the little things that get tucked in a drawer and found 10 years later that you tend to treasure.....

The den meeting place is only unlocked on dry days. How early you arrive to set up for the Pack meeting is inversely proportional to how many boys show up on time. The more e-mails you send out about cub scout day camp, thge more likely it is that a parent will ask "what days and what time is it again?"

When I got back into a pack last year, the old cubmaster and committee chair had the pack running (or so they thought) with 7 people doing 20 positions. They got really nervous when I said that we should change and require every family to volunteer. But we did it..... We switched to "mandatory volunteerism" for this year and pointed to the sports model. If you want your son or daughter to play soccer or baseball, you are REQUIRED to sign up for some responsibility with the team (or at least that is the way it is with our local leagues). We had ZERO complaints when we put it out to ou

At our Council Pow Wow, I saw a great presentation on Pinewood Derbies. One of the points made by the presenter is that since it was their big event of the year (ours, too) every boy goes home with hardware, i.e., a small participation trophy. Bigger ones for the den and pack winners. This is similar to the youth sports model, where all boys on the team get a participation plaque or trophy. I'm looking for some good places to put together trophies. What is the experience out there with different trophy retailers? Any suppliers out there who offer Scout discounts? E-mail of any r

MY goodness, what a place to wade in for my first post. I will try not to be so longwinded in the future. Duty to God- it's part of the Principle, it's part of the Oath, it's in the Pledge of Allegiance. Don't agree with it? Fine, accept the policy and play nice, or leave. It's as simple at that. Look, I work for a public utility and I don't always agree with my boss or the publically elected Board of Directors. Sometimes I don't agree that what they decide is in the public's best interest. I speak my mind but afterwards they will act according to their own priorities. I do