Want to know the best way to engage the other parents in your den? Talk with them. Yep, it seems pretty obvious, but I’ve known den leaders who don’t even know the names of all the parents in their den after several years! Parents play a vital role in a successful cub scouting experience. Without […]
Remember: KISMIF
Kis-what? KISMIF is a valuable tool for the Den Leader: Keep It Simple, Make It Fun. Boys are easily entertained. Give them a stick and a piece of string and they can occupy themselves for hours. It’s up to you, the den leader, to make sure that your scouts are having a good time, and […]
The scariest den meeting you will ever lead
Most of the time, den meetings are filled with fun and games, but there’s one meeting that all den leaders dread: the one where the knives come out. Knives should not be introduced until the Bear level (third grade), and only after knife safety is taught. Scouts are always excited to receive their very own […]
A Busy Box is an essential item for cub scout meetings
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 […]
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 […]