Transcript littlephilmontoregon.com

PLANNING THE CUB
SCOUT YEAR
For Cubmasters and Wolf and Bear Den Leaders
Why Plan?
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Life is so much easier when there’s a plan
Plan your work, and work your plan
Today we’re going to discuss planning at the pack
and den levels, as well as budgeting for what
you’ve planned.
What is the objective?
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Good planning always starts with an objective, a
goal.
From lds.org: “Scouting for boys 8 through 10 is a
learning, happy, fun-filled home-centered, activity
program.”
Objective cont.
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Cheryl C. Lant, Primary general president, has said:
“Scouting is fun and has an important purpose! Woven
through all the fun is an inspired program that really
works. Scouting is about learning and living the gospel.
Scouting can reinforce positive character values and
leadership skills that are taught in the home.
“Scouting prepares boys to become righteous men who
hold and honor the priesthood of God. Scout leaders
have the responsibility to help each boy
connect what he is learning in Scouting to
his priesthood preparation and his future as
a covenant keeping missionary, husband,
and father.”
Purposes of Cub Scouting
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Character
Development
Spiritual Growth
Good Citizenship
Sportsmanship and
Fitness
Family Understanding
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Respectful
Relationships
Personal Achievement
Friendly Service
Fun and Adventure
Preparation for Boy
Scouts
KISMIF
Keep it simple,
make it fun!
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Planning the Cub Scout Year
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Annual Pack Program Planning Conference.
Mostly involves planning Pack Meetings, Pack
Activities, and Summertime Activities.
Should happen over the summer.
Takes a couple of hours!
People Who Should Attend:
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Pack Committee Chair
Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster
Den Leaders and Assistant Den Leaders
Webelos Leaders
Anyone else you’d like to invite—parents, other
committee members, etc.
Primary Presidency member, bishopric counselor?
Things to Bring to the Meeting:
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Pack Program Planning Packet
Program Helps
Council, Ward and Stake Calendars
School Calendars
Guide to Safe Scouting
Cub Scout How-To Book
Cub Scout Leader Book
Pack Roster (to know how many boys will be in the
program in any given month)
Last
First
DOB
Phone
Sep-06
Oct-06
Nov-06
Dec-06
Jan-07
Feb-07
Mar-07
Apr-07
May-07
Jun-07
Jul-07
Aug-07
Sep-06
Oct-06
Nov-06
Dec-06
Mitchell
1-Jul-96
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Chance
13-Jul-96
10
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Garrett
22-Jul-96
10
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Jacob
29-Aug-96
10
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Chris
9-Oct-96
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Dominic
1-Jul-96
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Danny
22-Oct-96
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Caleb
13-Nov-96
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Aaron
30-Apr-97
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Nathan
30-Apr-97
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Matthew
19-Jun-97
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Kenneth
11-Aug-97
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Caleb
28-Oct-97
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Duncan
5-Nov-97
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Tyler
12-Nov-97
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TJ
9-Dec-97
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Jared
21-Apr-98
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Caleb
21-Sep-98
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Joshua
14-Nov-98
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Jeremiah
28-Nov-98
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Alek
21-Dec-98
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Andrew
1-Jun-99
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Jared
16-Jul-99
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Levi
4-Aug-99
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Steps to Planning the Year
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Go through the council calendar and decide if there
are any council or district events that the pack needs or
wants to go to.
Review the other calendars for any relevant events,
holidays, school breaks, etc.
Then, go month-by-month, deciding if you want to do
the BSA theme or something else, when you want to
have derbies, etc.
Take input for ideas for guests or activities for pack
meetings or pack activities.
Once you’ve got your plan, make a printed calendar
for the year, and ask parents to help with planned
activities.
Summertime Activities
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Cub Scouting is a year-round program.
Den and Pack meetings can be hard in the summer!
Pack Summertime Activity Award helps encourage packs to stay active.
Requirements:
Plan and hold 1 pack activity during each of the summer months—that’s it!
Awards include:
Ribbon for pack flag for meeting the pack requirements
Ribbon for den flag, for those dens that have at least 50% of their boys in
attendance at each event
Pin for boys attending all three events
Segment
Typical Summertime Activities:
Hikes
Day Camp (if your whole pack goes together)
Picnics
Derbies such as Raingutter Regatta
Helping with a Quarterly Primary Activity Day
Now, Let’s Get to Den Planning
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What do you do from here?
How do you plan your year?
The Ideal
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BSA training suggests--Den meetings are for fun,
theme-related activities, and electives
Parents work with their boys on most achievements
The Reality
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Cub Scouts is “conscripted” in the church.
Parents don’t understand the Cub Scout program.
The Compromise
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Den meetings include achievements.
Homework assignments and communication.
Increased achievement leads to increased retention
BSA is moving toward this model with their “Cub
Scouts 2010” program.
Cub Scouts 2010, f.k.a. Fast Tracks
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A program with a prescribed set of meetings,
designed to enable each level of Cub Scouts to
achieve their rank between September and
February, along with achievement of electives, belt
loops and other awards.
Includes homework for families, field trips, and
more, in two den meetings and one field trip a
month.
If Fast Tracks can…so can we!!
Getting Started on Planning
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After the Annual Program Planning Conference, it’s time
for the den leaders to meet to plan out their year of
den meetings.
Gather your materials:
Assistant den leader
Handbook for your den level
Faith in God book and correlation charts
Program Helps (or Fast Tracks)
Cub Scout Leader Book
Cub Scout How-to Book
Council, ward, and school calendars
Now…
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Plug in the big events first—any council or district
events, pack meetings, etc.
Now work on your den meetings. You can use the
Program Helps or the Fast Tracks helps to help do
this.
Remember that both of these resources are
designed to help the boys achieve rank between
September and February…you can stretch some of
this out if you want.
Now…cont.
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A field trip once a month or so is a good idea. Program
Helps and Fast Tracks both offer ideas for these. Some
field trips can be planned for days off from school.
Don’t forget to work in Faith in God requirements
whenever you can.
Use the How-To book for lots of ideas for games, crafts,
etc. You can also use the internet for more ideas.
Use the Guide to Safe Scouting as a guide to make
sure that any field trips or outings are safe and ageappropriate.
Remember that LDS Cub Scouts do not go camping as a
pack.
Tracking
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Den leaders have responsibility to track each boy’s
progress toward rank, arrow points, etc.
Methods: old-fashioned paper charts, or
computer—options include free Trax spreadsheets,
or various subscription online tracking methods
As soon as a Wolf or Bear has completed 3
achievements, make sure to give them a “Progress
Toward Ranks” bead in a brief ceremony at the
very next den meeting.
Service
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The LDS church is big on service, and so is the BSA.
It’s a good idea to include a service project of some
sort at least once a quarter, at either the den or pack
level.
The council and district provide several opportunities for
service projects: Scouting for Food, Goodwill Good Turn
Day, Tree Plant.
Don’t forget to do some kind of service for your
chartered organization every now and then!
There are lots of other ideas out there too. Sharing
time!
Bell-ringing caution
Combining Groups
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What do we do about small Cub Scout groups?
Need to combine Wolf and Bear dens?
See “WolfandBearTogether” in my folder for this
class for a complete example of a way to combine
these two dens.
Don’t combine Webelos with any other group
Consider “correlating” with another ward if “critical
mass” is a constant rather than a temporary
problem.
Planning Philosophies
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Do it once and repeat—I’m recommending this
approach, for several reasons:
All the boys will be able to advance fairly
uniformly no matter what time of the year they
come in.
Once you get through the first year, you will be
able to re-use materials and cut down on
planning/prep time in future years.
With the new Cub Scouts 2010, you Cubmasters
might be able to do something similar with pack
meetings.
Budgeting
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Budgeting guidelines from church.
Just keep in mind that any activities you do, other
than the summer week-long day camp, need to be
paid for out of the ward budget.
Keep activities as low-cost as possible. It is quite
possible to have a great program that hardly costs
anything.
If using Fast Tracks or Cub Scouts 2010, it may be
necessary to substitute some activities.
How to Make a Budget
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Don’t just give the Primary President or Bishopric a
vague number. Work out a detailed budget.
First figure out awards.
Include amounts for Pinewood Derby, Blue and Gold,
and regular pack meetings, expenses for Day Camp
Prep (and Day Camp if that comes out of your ward
budget)
Give dens an amount per boy per meeting. $.25 per
boy per meeting for Wolves and Bears, and $.50 per
boy per meeting for Webelos seems to be adequate.
When you submit a detailed budget it is more difficult
for the Primary or Bishopric to just cut your budget
arbitrarily.
2006 Springville & Rock Creek
Wards Pack 597/587 Estimated
Budget
Awards/Advancements
Bobcat Rank:
Wolf Rank:
Bear Rank:
Webelos Rank:
Number
10
8
9
2
Arrow Points for Wolf and Bear Ranks: (average 5 per boy)
Activity Pins for Webelos (average 1 per boy per month)
Compass Badge for Webelos
Compass Points for Webelos
Arrow of Light Rank:
Arrows for AOL Ceremony
Graduation Certificates
Segments (average 10 per boy per year)
Summertime Award Pins
World Conservation Award
Religious Square Knot
Den Chief Award (certificate and cord)
20'er award and patch holder (this is for boys who earn all 20
Webelos activity pins)
Belt Loops (Academics and Sports) (Average 4 per boy per year)
Quality Unit Patch--for leaders only?
Outdoor Activity Award
BSA Family Award
Cost Each
Cost Total
$2.47
$24.70
$2.47
$19.76
$2.47
$22.23
$2.47
$4.94
85
$0.65
$55.25
48
3
9
5
5
5
200
15
5
5
1
$1.42
$2.20
$1.15
$2.36
$2.75
$0.40
$0.45
$1.10
$1.75
$1.25
$3.00
$68.16
$6.60
$10.35
$11.80
$13.75
$2.00
$90.00
$16.50
$8.75
$6.25
$3.00
1
$2.50
$2.50
90
8
10
2
$1.45
$1.00
$3.95
$5.45
$130.50
$8.00
$39.50
$10.90
$555.44
Total
Pack Meeting Expenses
Number
Cost Each
Cost Total
Day Camp Expenses
Day Camp Fees (assume Presidential FOS and Early-Bird
Discount)
Day Camp Expenses--Flags, Doodles etc.
Pack Meeting Supplies--for award ceremonies, theme-related
games, decorations, etc.
Pinewood Derby--Cars for 22 boys
$53.25
1
$50.00
Total
Training and Leader Supply Expenses
Number
Books (small fund to replace outdated or missing materials)
10
Funds for craft supplies and field trips--figuring on .50 per
boy per meeting (some meetings cost little to nothing;
others, such as the one where they make an Easter FHE
lesson or a Mother's Day gift can be a little more expensive)
Average of 16 boys throughout year, 31 meetings
Number
$150.00
$150.00
10
22
$10.00
$3.55
$100.00
$78.10
$328.10
$40.00
$70.00
Cost Total
$248.00
124
$1.00
$124.00
7
$10.00
Webelos Den Activities
Funds for craft supplies, field trips and activities to earn
Activity Badges--figuring on $1 per boy per meeting.
Average of 4 boys, 31 meetings
Summary
Awards/Advancements
Total
$4.00
$0.50
Total
1
Cost Total
$30.00
Cost Each
496
$50.00
$10.00
Total
Wolf and Bear Den Activities
$1,118.25
$1,168.25
Cost Each
3
Program Helps--1 for each den leader, CC, CM,
Advancement Chair
Webelos Woods
Blue and Gold Banquet--Dinner and Program. Invitations,
decorations and games made by boys to fulfill some rank
requirements. Pack purchases necessary paper goods. Families
asked to bring most of food.
21
Pack Meeting Expenses
Day Camp Expenses
Training/Leader Supplies
Wolf and Bear Den Activities
Webelos Den Activities
Grand Total
$555.44
$328.10
$1,168.25
$70.00
$248.00
$194.00
$2,563.79
$70.00
$194.00
Fundraising
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Fundraising guidelines from handbook.
Remember that fundraising is the third option, but that
doesn’t make it out of the question—check with your
bishop.
If your Cubs do fundraisers, what kinds of things have
you done?
Popcorn is OK—quote from letter
Intel and other corporation matching funds—should
probably be counted as a fundraiser and used for
camp and equipment, rather than going into the
general ward fund
Resources—Where to Get Ideas, Help, Etc.
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Roundtable Meetings
Pow-Wow—Coming up November 14th!
Websites
E-mail Lists: Scouts-LDS and LDS_CSL on Yahoo
Groups
Other websites. Usscouts.org, theideadoor.com, and
many more. I do a lot of Google searches when I
am looking for Scout info.
Conclusion
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Remember when planning to keep your objectives in
mind, and pray for the help of the Holy Ghost
Keep it simple, make it fun! Make those boys want
to come to Scouts! We are the first step on their
road to Eagle and Duty to God!