In preparing to lead your cub scout den, it’s a good idea to assemble a “Busy Box” so that you will be ready for anything. I actually have two busy boxes — one for essential items, and one for everything else. The essential items are things like paper, markers, scissors, and tape — things that you might […]
Fire Stations vs. Police Stations
Cub Scout Go See Its often entail a visit the local fire and police station. I’ve been to every station in a ten-mile radius and have come to the conclusion that the two are very different outings. Local firemen love to put on a show for cub scouts, and a visit to the fire station is […]
Less Talk, More Action
Your scouts are squirmy little fellas. After sitting at school all day, the last thing they want to do is sit and be lectured, so make sure your den meetings contain at least a small amount of physical activity. Even if you just have all the boys stand up and run in place, that’s better […]
Do this at your very first Cub Scout den meeting
After my oldest son’s Arrow of Light ceremony, every parent, grandparent, and many of the scouts, left the event in tears. It was wonderful! The scouts in that den had been together since the first grade, and all of us parents had been taking snapshots and videos of them since the beginning. During the very first den […]
Time to Suit Up!
“Do I really need to wear this uniform?” “I look like an enormous third-grader.” “Does my butt look big in these pants?” Get over it. Some people might really like the standard Den Leader uniform, but many of us would much rather wear a comfortable t-shirt and flip flops, so why do we have to […]
You are not a babysitter!
Imagine having eight overactive, screaming boys dropped off at your house for an hour every week — their parents barely bringing the car to a full stop before sending their little bundles of noise your way. You didn’t sign up for this. Fortunately, one of the great things about the Cub Scouts is that the families that participate tend to […]
I don’t have time for this!
Okay, planning and running den meetings can be a bit of work, but it’s not that bad. Honest! Most den meetings only last an hour or so, basically the same amount of time as a single soccer practice. To save time planning the meetings, you should recruit the other parents in your den to help lessen the load […]