More ideas for den meeting planning

denmeetingIf you’re a den leader, you realize that successful den meetings are planned in advance and have a variety of activities for the boys. The new Adventure program puts everything together so you don’t have to try to figure out for yourself how to run your den meetings. The goal is engagement, with advancement as the most visible byproduct.

The November/December 2015 issue of Scouting Magazine has a great article describing steps to planning better den meetings. In the article, Webelos leader David Kampa describes five big ideas for not only making meetings more fun for the boys but easier for you to plan. Continue reading “More ideas for den meeting planning”

ScoutingU: The new look of online training

If you have ever tatrained_monitorken an online course, you know how cumbersome they can be. Usually it just involves watching some video clips, or reading text (sometimes with pictures) and possibly taking a quiz. At best, it’s a one-way introduction to a topic; at worst, it’s a nightmare that never seems to end, as the progress bar slowly moves along.

The Boy Scouts of America has tried to fix some of this with the rollout of the new online training system. Continue reading “ScoutingU: The new look of online training”

Cub Scouting’s New Beginning

tigerwolf_250Today is June 1, 2015 – a date that a lot of Scouters have been anticipating, either with excitement or dread. It’s the day on which the biggest overhaul of the Cub Scouting program in recent memory takes place.

The rollout of the Cub Scout Adventure Program, an outcome of the 2011 strategtic plan, includes many features intended to increase interest, engagement and retention for the Scouts as well as make life easier for the adult leaders. By condensing the myriad requirement complexities of the various den-level programs into a common, more easily understood structure of Adventures, it’s hoped that planning den and pack meetings will be streamlined (giving you back one of those one-a-week hours that seem to mysteriously multiply). It makes things clearer for the parents as well – and hopefully a lot more fun for the boys we serve.

As with any well-run activity, though, you can’t just drop in unprepared and run an interesting and engaging den or pack meeting. Continue reading “Cub Scouting’s New Beginning”

Arrow of Light changes

oldest_island_boyWrapping up our series on the upcoming changes to the Cub Scout program, this time we’ll discuss what is changing with the requirements for the Arrow of Light award.

Although these changes take effect on June 1 of this year, bear in mind that current Webelos Scouts can continue to use the current Arrow of Light requirements. Any boy joining Cub Scouts after June 1 must use the new requirements.

The most significant change is that the Arrow of Light no longer requires first earning the Webelos rank. Continue reading “Arrow of Light changes”