Bobcat Den

[SeattlePioneer 144]

I've experimented with forming a Bobcat Den after spring recruiting and been quite happy with it.

 

All boys recruited form the new Bobcat den, and I lead it as Cubmaster. The aim is for boys to complete the Bobcat requirements by the time of our June campout and crossover, at which time they cross over into their regular den for the new year.

 

There are two big advantages:

 

1) You aren't adding new boys to existing dens which are trying to complete achievements and activities for the year.

 

2) New boys and parents get an intensive introduction to Cub Scout methods and activities aimed at new noys, parents and families.

[ScoutNut 147]

Bobcat requirements are EXTREMELY simple, and should take a month, at MOST to complete.

 

If you are keeping these Scouts from participating in activities with their dens for more than a month, you are denying them the chance to try and earn their rank award, and to get to know their fellow den mates before Summer sets in.

 

[83Eagle 11]

When do you do spring recruiting compared to moving them into the "regular" den?

 

Also, you're dealing with mixed ages in the den, then? How does that work?

 

This is an interesting idea because we've discussed the idea of spring recruiting, but other packs I've talked to that have done it have had mixed success with keeping kids engaged in the program over the summer. Even if the pack is a Summertime Pack (like ours is), it takes being part of a Den to make them feel most like part of the gang, and most Dens don't ramp back up until fall. So this is an interesting idea, albeit "unofficial."

 

The one drawback that I see is that adding new scouts to an existing den gives the existing scouts a chance to help the new boys through the Bobcat trail, which can be a badge activity itself, and reenforces the CS motto, promise, etc among the whole den.

[Scoutfish 16]

In my opinion, having a Bobcat den is not a good ideea, but it is only my opinion.

 

But first, I want to be clear on a few things:

 

Spring recruiting? Is this your annual recruiting drive for the whole pack or is this a second time event along with the fall campaign?

 

If you just do the recruiting drive in the spring, there should not be an issues as it'sa new year.

 

But if it is a secondary drive, you are short changing the scouyts who only have half a years worth of any rank before they go to the next rank due to age/ grade. They will be working on trying to meet rank when most opther dens are slowing down and just coasting til the end of the scout year.

 

Now, having said that... do you put all ages of boys in a single Bobcat den? Do you have 6 year olds and 10 year olds together? I'm sure it's great for the 6 year old, but the 10 year old probably hates it!

 

And echoing what ScoutNut said...all our new scouts usually have Bobcat within a month.

At that time, you'd have to mix them in with the existing dens or create a new one.

 

 

[Lisabob 13]

Around here, many packs do spring recruiting in May, in expectation of getting new Tigers who can register with the pack officially on June 1 and also attend the district cub day camp with the pack.

 

A few packs also recruit for other rank levels in the late spring, in addition to new Tigers (boys finishing kindergarten).

 

I can see some limited benefit of having a quick start-up den for new folks, particularly those who are not joining as new Tigers. However, it would need to be very, very brief - a couple of weeks, basically, to orient the new families to cub scouting and get them moved into their long-term dens. It would also raise some concerns about age-appropriate activities. How many 4th graders are really going to want to spend much time hanging with a bunch of kindergarten boys (those new Tigers)? And it might add to confusion about how cub scouting really works (typically, age/grade-based dens). Will parents who are new to scouting understand this temporary structure?

 

Realistically, I think the better way to handle things would be to help prepare existing den leaders for an influx of new boys in the spring. Let them fold these newcomers straight into existing dens. Probably, most of the new boys will already know some of the existing scouts anyway through school or neighborhood ties. So it shouldn't be that big a deal.

 

 

[clemlaw 55]

I would also limit it to a couple of weeks. In my Tiger den, I think everyone finished Bobcat in two weeks. The most time consuming requirement is the Youth Protection stuff, and that needs to be done at home anyway.

 

So at the first meeting, we went over the Cub Scout Motto, Cub Scout Sign, Cub Scout Handshake, and meaning of Webelos, and got everyone "signed off" on these easy requirements. We also recited the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack in "repeat after me" form.

 

For "homework", they were given a sheet with the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack, in case they didn't have their books yet. (I also offered to give them a copy of the Youth Protection pages, but everyone had their book already.)

 

At the next meeting, everyone recited the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack, and everyone seemed to know it, so we signed them off.

 

The requirement says "learn" and not "memorize", so especially for Tigers, I figured there was no need to individually test them. They seem to pick it up just saying it at meetings, so they'll know it soon anyway.

 

So if you have a large group, I could see doing a couple of introductory meetings, and if you want to call those meetings the "Bobcat Den", I don't see why not. But after one or two meetings, they should be ready to join a regular den, and they'll probably have more fun that way.

[83Eagle 11]

Why is it that when someone tells about something that works, there are a half dozen people ready to pounce and say why it's wrong or won't work? Not real scout like folks...

[ScoutNut 147]

It's called Feedback.

 

I hear it is a gift, and it IS gift giving season!

[83Eagle 11]

Yep, another smarta$$ comment from the king of all caps....

[Scoutfish 16]

83Eagle,

 

Yeah, it does work, but so does waiting until the last den or pack meeting to hand out rank badges.

 

Just because it works does not mean it's the best or most ideal way. We could have a scout take 3 years to earn the LNT award just to make sure he really gets it, but if he can do it in a month or even two...why drag it out?

 

 

Besides, bob cat is not a long thing, it's a beginner step. That;'s all.

[Lisabob 13]

Presumably, people who post on this forum are looking for feedback and alternate perspectives. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't post here at all.

 

Others then come along who are new to the program and read what has already been posted. Especially in the cub forum, we get a lot of new people with little or no scouting experience coming through. Maybe it will be helpful to some of them to see the diversity of opinions on an idea, rather than just the idea, itself.

 

And then a few people always seem to want to reinvent the wheel, without fully understanding the basic structure of the program, first.

 

For all of those reasons, I think it is pretty reasonable for posters to comment as people have. It isn't unscout-like to do that at all.

 

Besides, the initial poster didn't give us a lot of details. Depending on how he or she is using the "bobcat dens" it might be a better, or worse, idea for a bunch of reasons.

[83Eagle 11]

I know the value of feedback. However, in my experience when I'm soliciting feedback from someone I usually start with a statement along the lines of, "What do you guys think of this idea?"

 

I would encourage everyone who has posted here to look at the thread above and try to be objective. The OP gives some info about a recruiting practice that s/he is "quite happy with." Then...POUNCE!

 

"you are denying them the chance to try and earn their rank award"

"having a Bobcat den is not a good idea"

"it might add to confusion about how cub scouting really works"

"I think the better way to handle things would be"

 

Plus plenty of ALL CAPS just to make sure we know that some opinions are REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

 

Did the OP ask for any of this advice in his post? No. Does the OP mind? I have no idea. Maybe since s/he has been around on the boards since 2005 s/he has an idea of how things work here and this is all just fine. However, if I had made this post as a "noob" and gotten these replies, I'd be pretty turned off to these forums!

 

Sadly, this seems to be the way things work here based on my (albeit limited) experience here.

 

I know that cyberspace is a different animal and things don't come off online they way they do in real life, but I had higher expecations for a Scouting forum. My mistake I guess.

[clemlaw 55]

>>>>>>>Then...POUNCE!

 

"you are denying them the chance to try and earn their rank award"

"having a Bobcat den is not a good idea"

"it might add to confusion about how cub scouting really works"

"I think the better way to handle things would be"

 

 

[Basementdweller 608]

Before jumping all over him did you guys read his post.

 

After spring recruiting.

 

Kinda makes sense. If I follow the logic, the boys would be in the den for 2 or 3 weeks after the may recruiting. Then the enter the new den at the graduation camp out.

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

[jamist649 10]

We do spring recruitment in June around here and we start our program in August...or so. I was at a loss as to what to do with the new guys who are anxious to get started as opposed to the existing boys who are ready for a bit of a break.

 

I like the idea...I'll be the oddball. LOL You can sign them up in June, do an introductory meeting or two and then put them in Dens in late July/early August.

 

I may try this. Thanks!