Value of Hand Washing

Let kids discover for themselves how effective their hand-washing habits are in keeping germs from spreading. Here is a 55-min hand-washing experiment for kids. I found Glogerm to be the best price of the germ-glowing agents ($5.50 for 25 applications in a 2 oz bottle) and have included it's link here.

Mini Gel - 2 ounce Code: MG2O Price: $5.50

Teach them this song, to the tune of Happy Birthday To You to sing twice while washing hands.
No dirty paws for me
No dirty paws for me
A cub scout is clean
No dirty paws for me

Organizing for CCC

The resources listed are NOT requirements to do the job, but C. Sears's suggestions for making it easier and more organized. Click CCC Getting Organized You should not need to spend a great deal of money to get organized. Most of the items listed here are made, or found, or free, or on the Internet, etc.

Pack Planning Meeting Agenda

During the monthly pack leaders’ planning meeting, you will finalize the upcoming pack meeting and will plan in detail the next month’s pack meeting. This meeting is usually held one or two weeks before the pack meeting

All leaders—den leaders, assistant den leaders, Cubmasters and assistants, and all committee members—are invited to this monthly meeting. Make the meeting fun as well as informative.

Click here to obtain copies of monthly planning pages. In each month’s pack planning pages, there are suggestions for topics for the pack leaders’ planning meeting.

Sports Opening and Closing

Included in these links are the script and pictures associated with this Opening and Closing Ceremonies (click for Opening or Closing ceremony) of a pack meeting with a Sports theme. Print the pictures. If printed on regular print paper rather than cardstock, attach pictures to a stiffer backing like construction paper. Cut the script into strips and paste script strips to the back of the picture so that a cub scout can hold up the picture and read his part on the back. Practice so that the cub scouts learn to both project their voice and not cover their face (and therefore voice) while showing and reading their part.

Cub Scout Religious Knot (LDS - Faith In God) Boondoggle

We learned at Roundtable about how one ward has incorporated Faith in God (or other religious awards) into their pack and how they are recognizing the boys so that they have more desire to work on it.

(The LDS Faith In God religious knot earned only while in cub scouts has only 7 requirements which are indicated in the Faith In God book with a tiny square knot next to the requirement, while Faith In God has many more and is earned up until their 12th birthday.)

This ward made an all white boondoggle (click here for instructions) with a loop on top big enough to fit over a scout shirt button, and 4 untied lengths at the end for stringing beads.

They picked up beads in 4 different colors to match the colors found in the Faith In God book: a purple/blue, teal/green, dark blue, and orange.

To keep the beads on, put the lace through the bottom bead, then wrap the lace back to the top of the bead and put it through the top again.

Each year, boys must complete 2 requirements in the purple, teal, and blue areas. So, whenever a boy completes a requirement, they get a colored bead to match that then goes on their boondoggle.

By the end of their first year (when they turn 9), they would ideally have all 6 beads - two of each color. By the end of their second year (when they turn 10), they would have 12 beads. By the end of their last year (when they turn 11), they would have 18 beads.

Then, when they are an 11-year old boy scout, they work on the orange requirements. There are 5 requirements total. You may want to give them one orange bead when they graduate to the 11-year old scouts so that they end up with 6 beads on each of the 4 strings.

When this is done, they earn their Faith In God award.

Please note that the Faith in God award is earned when the boy is 11. The religious square knot is earned whenever the boy completes all the requirements that have a knot after their description (there are 7 total requirements). Typically, this knot is earned when the boy is a Webelos scout.

For boys who are not LDS, you can do the same kind of thing by grouping the requirements into 4s and so forth. If you know of a faith's requirements, share them with us and we'll post them here for everyone to learn.

Cake Decorating Contest

For the Blue & Gold Banquet (Or Scout Birthday Bash) many packs enjoy having a cake decorating contest made by the cub scout with one of his parents. Some are given a theme, others aren't. I've seen these contests for other special events, like a Pack summer family barbecue or Pinewood Derby. In January's RT, at our Award's Ceremony, we had a cake decorating contest. The cakes were entered by a chosen leader in each stake. Here are some of the entries. The cakes were amazing!

Secret Code Wheel

This Secret Code Wheel will help pass off: Wolf Elective 1a (It's A Secret: Use a secret code) and Webelos Communication Achievement 5. Instructions: Print wheels on white or colored paper, cut out, and connect using a paper brad. The smallest wheel and the medium wheel each have common alphabet letters, numbers, and symbols. This is so that one wheel can be turned then matched up with the other wheel for one code. For example, T can match up with K, setting all the other letters on the wheels up as a code itself. The largest wheel is for the boy to make up his own code; write new code symbols lining up with an upright letter on the right side of the wheel. The picture in color includes my son's made-up code on the largeset wheel as an example of a finished project. If a boy's friend has the same wheel, the first boy writing a note to his friend could put the code at the top of the note, for instance "T=K", so that his friend can line up those letters on the wheel and decipher the note from there. Of course, in order to write in his secret code, the friend will need to have the same code on his wheel. This alphabet wheel by itself makes several systems, since A can = A or B or C or L or K, etc. If H=5, then 4WW1 7WY means GOOD JOB

February 2011 Roundtable Demos

For the quick, easy, and funny Emergency Alert System skit, press skit. For instructions how to make this attractive wax paper lantern, click lantern.

Outdoor Leader Training

BALOO and OWL trainings do focus on camping and outdoor skills for Cub Scout and Webelos Leaders. Although most Cub Scout units do not camp in Utah, these trainings are optional, but might be required for certain Adult Awards.  These trainings can also be invaluable in feeling comfortable holding successful and quality outdoor activities for the boys, providing more opportunities, and therefore putting the Outing back into Scouting. 

• Cub Scout Pack: BALOO – To have a Pack camp-out, at least one unit leader must be BALOO trained.
• Webelos Den Leaders: Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders (OWL) – To have a Webelos Den camp-out. 

 

To learn more about BALOO or to sign up click BALOO.
To learn more about OWL or to sign up click OWL.

Silly Awards here