Surviving your first Blue & Gold Banquet: The big day

bluegoldlogo_225Your Blue & Gold Banquet is tomorrow and you’re fully prepared. You’ve planned, checked and re-checked every detail. Your committee, den leaders and parent helpers have everything taken care of, and you’re ready to step up and run a successful event.

Or so you wish! Bearing in mind that a visit from Murphy isn’t out of the question, you can still have a successful banquet by doing everything possible to ensure a smooth event ahead of time. And by being quick-thinking and flexible, you can sidestep any kinks and make it look like you planned it that way.

There are some ways to keep those kinks from ruining your day. Continue reading “Surviving your first Blue & Gold Banquet: The big day”

Surviving your First Blue & Gold Banquet: Final preparations

bluegoldlogo_225OK, the big day is approaching and you’re hoping your Blue & Gold Banquet turns out all right. You’re concerned that the boys will have fun and the parents won’t be disappointed.

The good news is that by following the Scout motto – Be Prepared – you can improve your chances of having a smooth banquet with enthusiastic boys and impressed parents.

First, be sure to review the steps I discussed last week. Continue reading “Surviving your First Blue & Gold Banquet: Final preparations”

Surviving Your First Blue & Gold Banquet: Planning

bluegoldlogo_225If there is one event in the Cub Scout year that could be considered the high point, it’s the Blue and Gold Banquet. Every winter, Cub Scout packs hold a celebration of Scouting’s anniversary. Scouts gather, along with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins for food, fellowship, recognition, entertainment and Scout spirit.

And the Master of Ceremonies is you – the Cubmaster.

If you’re a new Cubmaster, you might be wondering just what you’ve gotten yourself into! Continue reading “Surviving Your First Blue & Gold Banquet: Planning”

Where does patrol spirit start?

Courtesy of cashmeremiles.comThe cog that turns the wheels of Boy Scouting is the patrol method, and the grease that lubes the axle is something nebulously called patrol spirit.

Just what is patrol spirit? It’s the sense of friendship and cooperation that exists between members of a patrol. It’s the competitive nature and persistence that propels a patrol toward higher performance in fun, adventure, service and advancement (and winning those games of Capture the Flag).

Troops that don’t have standing patrols, where Scouts belong to – and do everything as – a patrol, are missing out on the major attraction of Scouting. Continue reading “Where does patrol spirit start?”

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”