Questions from a new den leader

If your Cub Scout pack is typical, you’ll not only be recruiting Scouts this fall – you’ll also be recruiting adult leaders. Den Leaders are the ones that packs usually need the most, and they’re the most important because they deliver the program.

Your prospective den leaders will undoubtedly be full of questions, since many will come to you with either no Scouting background or perhaps have experienced Scouting as a youth member many years ago. I found this list of questions a new den leader might typically ask, Continue reading “Questions from a new den leader”

Cubs can canoe! New aquatics rules now in effect

When you think about Scouting, you think about doing things in the great outdoors. Fishing, archery and hiking all come to mind. So do aquatics like swimming and boating. But certain activities have traditionally been off limits or restricted for various age groups because of safety, training, or other considerations. You’re probably aware that Cub Scouts weren’t supposed to go canoeing, kayaking or rowing unless it’s at a camp or program operated by the Boy Scouts of America or your local council – but not as an activity conducted by your pack.

In April of this year, however, the rules for Cub Scout aquatics changed to allow a range of activities permitted at the unit level. Continue reading “Cubs can canoe! New aquatics rules now in effect”

Plan now for summer fun

It’s May, so summer is almost here, and many Cub Scout packs are wrapping up their school year meeting schedules with springtime events designed to cap off a year of fun with a lighter activity or a ceremony to mark the transition from one year to the next. Our pack combined a crossover-of-sorts from one rank to the next along with an ice cream social.

But there is no reason that the fun has to stop in May. Continue reading “Plan now for summer fun”

The OA and Cub Scouting

Cub Scouting is for boys in kindergarten through fifth grade or up to age 11, and the membership of the Order of the Arrow is largely made up of Boy Scouts, all of whom are First Class or higher. It would seem that they have little in common. After all, Cub Scouts can’t become OA members just yet.

So what does the OA have to do with Cub Scouting? Plenty!

Since the Order of the Arrow is all about service, there are lots of opportunities to put that ethic to work for our little brothers in blue and gold. There are benefits for both the Cub Scouts and the OA in doing so. Continue reading “The OA and Cub Scouting”

Mid-year Cub Scout program updates

cub_scout_sign_200If you follow Scouting Magazine on social media, you might have heard about some updates to the Cub Scout Adventure program that were announced last week.

(Look in the comments for links to the updates that you can print and paste into the Scouts’ books. Thanks Tom!)

The BSA Advancement Team found that, after the Adventure program was introduced last year, there has been a decline in the number of Cub Scouts advancing. As advancement and re-registration numbers start to appear, it has become apparent that an alarmingly low number of Cub Scouts completed their rank requirements last year.

Was this due to the newness of the program and the unfamiliarity of it among den leaders? Or could the requirements have just been too complex and rigorous?

The Advancement Team concluded it was probably the latter, and so have made a few easements to hopefully allow more boys to complete their rank advancements. Continue reading “Mid-year Cub Scout program updates”