Mar 28 2009
Can Cub Scouting Be Life Changing???
Well, if you ask me, I say it can ! Joining the Cub Scouts gives little boys and their families a new social outlet that leads to fun, friendship, fun, activities and did I mention fun?? When a family joins Cub Scouts they attend weekly meetings with a group of same aged boys called a den that has a specific name. The name of the den is based on the age / rank of the boys. First graders are in Tiger Cub dens. Second graders are in Wolf dens, third graders are in Bear dens and fourth & fifth graders are in Webelos I & II dens.
We open our meetings with a serious flag salute and the Cub Scout Promise.
Cub Scout Promise
I, (name), promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.
At the weekly meetings the cubs work on themed activities and also things from the Cub Scout Handbook as they earn their ‘rank’. The boys are having so much fun that it never occurs to them how much learning is actually taking place because they are working on things that interest them. A game of marbles, making a bird feeder or building a toolbox are things kids enjoy doing while at the same time learning a new skill, learning about nature or being a team player.
Then once a month all the dens and leaders (who are all trained volunteer parents) come together for a Pack Meeting and have more FUN !!! At our last Pack meeting (3 nights ago) the theme was Physical Fitness. The leaders (Kim, Bill, Norman and me-Gail) set up an obstacle course and with various balls, hula hoops, jump rope, cones, exercise stations, etc… At the Pack Meeting each Cub Scout is recognized for any achievements or awards he may have earned then everyone enjoys the themed activities (such as the Physical Fitness meeting we just had this week.) After the boys ran the obstacle course and the three-legged races and all the games we had in our mini-olympics (as we called it) they all received a ribbon for participating in all that fun ! We try to keep meetings to an hour in length and close the night with the kids all shouting in a circle “DO YOUR BEST !” which is the Cub Scout Motto.
As a Den Leader for a Bear Cub Den (and the mother of an Eagle Scout ) - I know firsthand that the boys have fun. My 10 year old foster son is a Webelo II Cub Scout (adorable child seen in photo above!) and as a volunteer leader I try hard to make the weekly meeting as interesting as I can. Just as a side note: we have enrolled all of our foster children over the past ten years in boy/cub or girl scouting because we know how it can change a life.
The BSA (Boy Scouts of America) makes it easy to plan a den meeting as they offer so many resources and ideas. This blog does not even cover the tip of the iceberg with regards to how much more is involved in the Cub Scout program. There are lots of outdoor activities as well such as summer daycamp and family camping, field trips, hiking, service to community (Scouting for Food Project) and much more. Swimming, fishing, archery, BB gun shooting, leather crafts, skits, whittling, songs, cooking, campfires, games, games and more games !!! It is exciting to be a boy lucky enough to be in the Cub Scouts!
