Cub Cartons

I think these are so neat!  I'm just going to send you right on over to the site where I found this, titled I'm A Cub Master...Now What! Be sure to check out her other unique and fun ideas while you are there!

In June our cubs and Webelos attend Cub Scout Day Camp.  As a result, in July each boy will receive a whole bunch of awards. I think it would be wonderful to pack all their awards in these Cub Cartons!

These cartons would be great for:
*awards
*snacks
*collections
*gifts
*memorabilia
*invitations
*I confess, I don't have much of an imagination.  I'd love to hear your ideas how to use these! 

February - Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness can be defined as "doing with what you have on hand", "recycling", or "respecting and preserving our resources".  Here are some games, activities, and field trips that support the value Resourcefulness, but it's up to you to "teach" it to the cub scouts by having a short discussion before, during, or after the activity, connecting the activity and their experience with Resourcefulness in their own lives.

FREEEE Field Trip Ideas & thensome

At last week's Roundtable the Den Leader Intermediate class discussed some FREE Field Trip ideas. I have listed here some of the one's we discussed as well as some additional ones. Each one has a link to a page with the patch & detailed information. REMEMBER some of these field trips are FREE if leaders and Scouts are in Uniform, otherwise there IS a fee. Make sure you pay attention to those. Another reminder, the patches themselves are NOT free. There is a small cost for the patch itself. Keep in mind that some of these are located in Salt Lake County...NOT Utah County. Always remember to fill out a Tour Plan (and submit to the Council, if required) & to get Permission Slips (or this one)!!  It is also good to make sure all boys have a current Annual Health & Medical Record on file (Parts A & B). 

Here is the handout that was passed out at Feb 2012 Cub Scout Roundtable.  This is for the Utah and Salt Lake Counties only, and it is not an exhaustive list. It will, however, give people ideas of possible field trips in their area. It does include many of the field trips mentioned below, but includes many other ideas as well.  It ONLY includes truly FREE field trips in our area.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine Visitors Center phone 801-252-3234
Tours available April 1-Oct 31 Open 8am-8pm Seven Days a Week
Entrance fee is waived for all vehicles with Scouts & Leaders in unifrom. Otherwise cost is $4 per car.

Monte L. Bean Museum: Located on the East side of the Marriott Center on the BYU Campus
801-422-5051 Mon-Fri 10am-9pm  Sat 10am-5pm
A packet to help earn the patch is located at the Council office as well as at the information desk at the Museum. You can also print it off yourself if you'd like.
*Live reptile shows are scheduled and offered to the public on Monday evenings at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Shows for private groups can be scheduled free of charge by calling the museum at

Wheeler Historic Farm: 6351 South 900 East Murray
Hours: 9:30am-5:30pm Year Round (If you are there at 5pm the boys can milk a cow for .50cents each).
Reservations avail for large groups, call 801-264-2241

This Is The Place Heritage Park 2601 E Sunnyside Ave SLC (across from Hogle Zoo) 801-582-1847
The Visitor Center, Monument & Grounds are open Year Round Mon-Sat from 9am-5pm
Old Deseret Village Memorial Day-Labor Day Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
No Fee for Scouts & Leaders in Uniform; Otherwise Scouts $4, Leaders/Adults $6
*(On the Salt Lake Councils website it states that there is a discounted cost for scouts & leaders in uniform, I am double checking to see if it is indeed free while in uniform or if there is just a discount..update coming soon)

Hogle Zoo: 2600 East Sunnyside Avenue SLC 801-584-4551
March 1-Oct 31 9am-5pm, Grounds close at 6:30pm
Nov 1-Feb 28 9am-4pm, Grounds close at 5:30pm
*Free on the LAST Wednesday of the month from November-March
Otherwise, Scouts and two leaders per 10 Scouts may receive $1.00 off admission if in uniform. Additional guests will be charged regular price admission.

Museum of Peoples and Cultures 700 North 100 East Provo (1 block from Brick Oven) 801-422-0020 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Evenings m\by arrangement
There are usually 2 patches available at a time, one for each exhibit. Questions to answer to earn patches are available at the Museum.

Utah County Freedom Festival Patch
Do 5 activities listed online

Utah County Trails Patch
Follow activities listed online

Utah Firefighters Museum & Memorial Located at Deseret Peaks Complex in Tooele: 2390 SR 112
Open to the public Fri & Sat from 11am-3pm
For more info & tour times call 435-843-4040 or to make an appt w/Dave Hammond 435-830-6556
*(The Salt Lake Councils site indicates that there is a $1 donation per person admission. I will also double check on this).

U of  U Observatory  Located on top of South Physics Building, 1400 East and 175 South SLC
Make reservations by calling 801-581-6901

U of U Physics Lab North Physics Building, 1400 East and 115 South \
Make reservations by calling 801-581-6901

Museum of Natural History Walk 1390 E. Presidents Cir. (220 S.) SLC 801-581-5567 or 801-581-4303
Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm Sunday 12pm-5pm Cost w/uniform: Leader $4, Scout $2.50
FREE admission & open 9:30am-8pm on the 1st Monday of each month

Benson Gristmill 325 State Road 138 Stansbury Park (near tooele) 801-435-7678
For groups larger than 15 please call ahead.
Open May 2-Oct 31 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm Admission is FREE however donations are gladly accepted.  

Sons of Utah Pioneers
The Hollady Chapter of the SUP has joined with UNPC to create a patch for our boys to learn about the pioneer heritage in our area.The cost of the patch is available for $3 through:
Preston Hunt 4933 South 1575nWest Taylorsville, UT 84123 801-266-8216
       To earn this patch, the Scout with their Leader must visit a Historical Building, Monument or a place that represents the Pioneer History of that area and do the following:
1. Learn the Pionner history of that place and why it is important.
2. Write a short story about your experience and what it means to you.
3. Fill out a pedigree chart of your ancestors and tell a story about them.
4. Find out who is the earliest pioneer of your area and when they came to that area.
5. Have your Scout Leader pass you off on these requirements and sign that you have accomplished these things.

There is a SUP Library in SLC you can take a tour of. If you are interested in that click on the link above and it will take you to their website.


I thought I would also list some more Field Trip ideas. These ones DO cost money but they are fairly inexpensive.

Camp Floyd State Park 18035 West 1540 North Fairfield (approx. 22 miles west of Lehi) 801-768-8932
Open year round Mon-Sat 9am-5pm (excluding certain holidays)
Children up to 5 are free; Adult or Child $2

John Hutchings Museum of Natural History 55 North Center Street Lehi 801-768-7180
Open Tues-Sat 11am-5pm A reservation is required.
Leaders $3, Scouts $2

Hiking Themes, Hunts, Checklists, and Activities

Webelos: Outdoorsman 9

Doing a scavenger hunt while hiking will help the boys really explore the world around them while they are walking, rather than getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This scavenger hunt is a “check off” type hunt. They don’t actually bring the items with them. This fits in with the Leave No Trace guidelines. Here is a list of 14 Themed Hikes, including: Hold the Front, Puddle, Stop-Look-Listen, Crafts, Color, Historical, City, I Spy, Nature Cribbage, Follow the Odor, Awareness, Breakfast, Sealed Orders, Touch and Feel. Another fun hike is taking the boys Geocaching! Do you have petroglyphs or fossil sites nearby? Have the boys draw a picture of what they see to take home with them. Without A Trace are activities that can help the boys appreciate nature, getting a feeling of why we would want to preserve it and why we adopt ways such as Leave No Trace. Ready, Set, Go! includes things the boys need to know before taking a hike, as well as things the adult leaders need to know before taking the boys on the hike. Happy Hiking!

Field Trip Safety

This post has been updated with more current information.  Starting March 1, 2011, Tour permits were replaced with Tour Plans. 

As always, there is a little controversy surrounding field trips. In the Intermediate Den Leader class, we attempted to dispel some of the myths surrounding taking the boys out of our normal meeting places.

Myth #1--I don't need a tour permit unless I'm going way far away.

The National BSA now requires that you fill out a Tour Plan (replaces Tour Permits effective 3/1/11) for every activity that takes place outside of your regular meeting place. 
 You then need to keep a copy of your tour plan with your chartered organization. 
You do not need to submit the Tour Plan to your council for approval in most Cub Scouting outing scenarios. 

Times when a tour plan must be submitted for council review include:

• Trips of 500 miles or more

• Trips outside of council borders not to a council-owned property

• Trips to any national high-adventure base, national Scout jamboree, National Order of the Arrow Conference, or regionally sponsored event

• When conducting the following activities outside of council or district events:

Aquatics activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.)

Climbing and rappelling

Orientation flights (process flying plan)

Shooting sports

Any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles, boating, etc.)

• At a council’s request

Please complete and submit this plan at least 21 days in advance to ensure your council has enough time to review the plan and assist you in

updating the plan if it is found defective. When review is complete, the second half of the plan is returned to you to carry on your travels.

Myth #2-- I don't need that pesky Guide to Safe Scouting with me.

Well, that's another biggie. This must be in a car traveling with scouts. The official guide must be in at least one of the cars attending the field trip. Many with large vehicles who routinely drive cub scouts around have chosen to purchase their own guide and let it live in their car. A good idea would be to read it through, as a leader, and be aware of what it contains and the procedures for various events. An online version can be read here: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/toc.aspx

Myth #3-- As long as the leaders stay in eye sight of one another, they can drive the boys in 2 separate cars.

Two leaders per car is always better, but having only one leader per car is fine according to BSA policy.  The Guide to Safe Scouting states (Section I-Leadership Requirements for Trips and Outings): If you cannot provide two adults for each vehicle, the minimum required is one adult and two or more youth members (never one on one). The BSA also states in the Cub Scout Leader Book that when driving in more than one car, you should NOT try to caravan or convoy (2010 printing, page 126, under Tips For Outings).

However, the units sponsored by the LDS Church MAY have a different guideline. General Church policy does not specify the need for two leaders in a vehicle, but your stake and/or ward leadership may require that you have two leaders in each vehicle (or one leader and one parent).  Church guidelines can be found online at lds.org in the Church Handbook 2:  Administering the Church, sections 11.5.3, 11.8.1, 13.6.2, and 13.6.24.

Don't Forget--
Always remember to get Permission Slips (or this one)!! It is also good to make sure all boys have a current Annual Health & Medical Record on file (Parts A & B). 

I know, I know. I can hear you now. You're wondering why on earth this has to be so difficult. Why don't people just understand we want outings and not all this red tape. Well, due to the day and age we live in, it's easier to prepare a little more in advance and be safe rather than sorry.

I think the BSA puts it perfectly:

"The purpose of the Guide to Safe Scouting is to prepare adult leaders to conduct Scouting activities in a safe and prudent manner. The policies and guidelines have been established because of the real need to protect members from known hazards that have been identified through 90-plus years of experience. Limitations on certain activities should not be viewed as stumbling blocks; rather, policies and guidelines are best described as stepping-stones toward safe and enjoyable adventures."

Always think ahead of time what is needed to achieve the guidelines of both the BSA and your charter organization (in the Pony Express District that would be the LDS Church). These guidelines are not meant to make your life hard. They are only there to help you succeed in providing the best program you can for these great boys.

Field Trips

It's warming up out there. Really. It is. Or at least spring is getting closer. What are we to do with these Cub Scouts who have been cooped up all winter? Our last pack meeting was full of ideas to take these boys on field trips.

Outdoor trip ideas included:

• Living Planet Aquarium
• Bingham Copper Mine
• the Bean Museum at BYU
• Paleontology Dept. at BYU
• Cabella's 
• Hutchings Museum in Lehi
• Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake
• Petroglyphs in Eagle Mountain
• Tracy Aviary
• Hogle Zoo
• Parks
• Nature Trails
• Friends in Need Animal Shelter in Eagle Mountain

When all else fails, some things can be learned from books. Imagination is the key here.

The Intermediate Den Leader class had a discussion on field trips, also. Some successful field trips suggested were:

• Camp Williams
• Home Depot
• Lowes

When attending a Saturday morning class at Home Depot or Lowe's, call well in advance to place your den or pack on the list. These classes fill quickly. Often, when a class isn't full and leftover kits are available, they have been known to donate to the cub scout troops who take the time to ask.

We also discussed some not so successful trips leaders have taken with their boys. The consensus was taking rambunctious boys to the Library. When a Library trip is needed, a willingness to leave is necessary on the leaders' part. This way the librarians and patrons are not disturbed too terribly much by boys having loud fun amongst the quiet readers.

The point to field trips is to have fun. Enjoy each other and the many activities in our area. If you have other ideas to share, please email us or leave comments and we will add them to our lists.