New to cub scouting- Feeling a bit underwhelmed.

[Michael Ray]

Bill,
I'd like to know more about your program. You can PM me. Thank you.

[Colin Dunlap]

You have to remember, Cub Scouts is not just all about camping and hiking. Cub Scouts is supposed to help the young men become more well rounded and develop interests. Cub Scouts is about service to the community, academics, and personal fitness just as much as it is about hiking and camping. Cub Scouts should appeal to all young men, not just the outdoorsmen (outdoorsboys?). Notice that in Cub Scouts, as well as in Boy Scouts, merit badges include reading, aviation, sports, personal fitness as well as the hiking, cycling, camping, first aid, and all other outdoor related badges.
So do I think that the Cub Scouts requirements are too light? No! These requirements are just to expose the boy to something new and give him the basic knowledge needed to take part in the event safely yet still have some fun doing it. Then, if he enjoys it, he can pursue it in greater detail on his own or with his father/brother/grandfather and take longer hikes or go on more remote camp outs.
Being an Eagle Scout, I can attest to the fact that scouting definitely helped to develop many interests aside from just camping and hiking.

[William Van Cleave]

As a scout from Wolf (missed Tiger Cubs) all the way up to Eagle and a current leader for a local troop, I'd just like to chime in with support for what's been said in the thread already. I'm only four years out of being an active scout so my experiences are still pretty fresh.

Colin's comments concerning the wide scope of skills and values Scouting attempts to instill in scouts is spot-on in my experience, even though it's taken me these four years to realize it. Being a scout not only provided MY introduction to the great outdoors (a relationship I have continued and expanded), it also made me a better person. I know for a fact that I am more well-adjusted and more self-sufficient than many (most!) of my peers. Things like working with and leading your peers, doing your fair share of the work and looking out for others are all traits I can attribute to scouts more than anything else.

The trips are fun and will be what you look forward to as a scout(er), but the weekly meetings are just as vital to the scouting program. Just remember that pointless fun (in small doses) can be constructive too! Heck, my den leaders used to stop by the town dump and grab some non-functioning appliances (VCRs, Toasters, etc), cut the electrical cords off (for safety) and unleash us (2nd-3rd graders) on them with screwdrivers and pliers. Some of the most fun I had as a kid! Activities are limited only by your involvement and ingenuity, so make the most of the hours you have with them each week. I'm sure scouting will be great for both of you!

[frank clay]

Hi All,

This is my third year as a den leader and we have retained 90+% of our scouts, since Tigers. We have 13 scouts(Bears).

I'll focus on our weekly one-hour Den meetings;, we are in a large city with a lot of expansive parks and we meet in the evenings.
Our objective is to make these Den meeting experiences fun and unique(what their non-scouts friends aren't doing).There are endless activities competing for our scouts' time.

And we have a motto "Leave no kid inside". That means we are not meeting in a church room every week, but we are out exploring and playing in the city and its parks,regardless whether its dark or inclement weather.
And when it comes to the parks we have yet to run into anybody when the sun goes down; we have the parks to ourselves.

With a little creativity you can weave the scouts achievement/elective requirements into endless fun and unique activities. There are many sites such as
http://www.inquiry.net/ where you can find things to do.

Here are some of the things we have done in our outside Den meetings;
-Fun Treasure hunts with maps and flashlights,along the way the scouts need to locate
different animals by their sounds. We have adults hiding yelling out all types of animal sounds.
-night-time whiffle ball, soccer ball kicking, football tossing relays with lighted balls. You just push a button and these ball light-up.
-Goofy Olympic games such as tossing sticks at targets, frog hopping and then tying knots, etc.
-Blindfold games such as twirling the scout around and have them try to walk to a target 50 yards away
-camouflage hide and seek, cover the scouts with branches and leavers and have the others find them.
-we have a beach park with fire pits-scouts cooked many things on sticks such as popcorn and marshmellows.
-Owl hike with flashlights off and dissecting owl pellets
The list goes on and on and on.

Also structure the meeting so scouts have diferent assigned roles each week, whether it be greeting everyone, telling a tall tale, being a team captain,leading the flag ceremony, etc.

The only caveat, when you go outside(even inside) is to ensure that you have
scoped out the area that you will be playing in;removing and/or identifying any obstacles for safety reasons. And ensure that the scouts know the Buddy System inside and out.

And because your scouts are part of a group, there are many activities that you can participate in, that you couldn't as an individual(cost prohibitive.

Just some thoughts.

Hope it helps.

[Matti West]

As a Scout Leader in Australia I would say that this is the most insightful and wise post I have ever seen from a Cub Leader and is how ours work.

"The hallmark of a successful Cub Scouting program is to prepare young boys for the high adventure activities of Boy Scouting. A successful Cubmaster will "graduate" a highly motivated group of 5th grade Webelos into a local troop and get them so excited about Boy Scouting they can't wait to join."

I love getting motivated Cubs coming up to Scouts, makes my life a lot better. Having said that I did not put my son in cubs as I believed he would get bored and drop out. My daughter did cubs and loved it. Scouts is COED over here.

Oh and g'day my first post.

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