Tips
for New Leaders
Milford
Pack 4 Information
Helpful Hints for New
Leaders
The Tiger (1st
grade), Wolf (2nd grade) and Bear (3rd grade) ranks are
achieved through completing a specified number of achievements (see the handbooks
for complete details).
New Tigers first learn the
Tiger Cub motto, the Cub Scout sign and the Cub Scout salute, for which he
earns the Tiger Cub Totem, a plastic paw with space to hang his achievement
beads. The Tiger Cub rank consists of completing five achievements, each of
which has three parts. As a Tiger completes each part of a given achievement,
he earns totem beads—a white bead for each family activity component, an orange
bead for each den activity component, and a black bead for each “Go See It”
component. Numerous Tiger Cub electives are presented in the handbook as well,
and while any of them may be completed, the Tiger Scout cannot earn recognition
items for their completion until the five Tiger requirements are completed.
After the Tiger Cub rank
requirements have been completed (typically by the Blue & Gold Banquet in
February or early March), the next rank is the Bobcat; this rank must be
completed before any other Cub Scout rank is tackled, and by all boys who enter
Cub Scouts, regardless of their age. This rank may be earned before the end of
the Tiger Cub year in May, or the following Fall.
Scout requirements grow with
the boy. The Wolf and Bear ranks are achieved by completing a specified number
of achievements; each achievement has multiple parts and not all parts are
required to complete the achievement. Any extra parts completed can be credited
toward arrow points. Although the scout can earn credit toward arrow points
prior to earning the badge of rank, the arrow points cannot be awarded until
the badge of rank has been awarded. Field trips can help you complete Wolf and
Bear achievements or earn arrow points, as well as meet requirements for Webelos 1 and 2 pins.
Most scouts earn their
badges of rank by February. The Blue & Gold Banquet is meant to be a major
awards ceremony. The goal is to have the boys receive their badges of rank at
this banquet in February or early March. Therefore, it is best to plan to
complete enough achievements to earn the badge of rank by then.
If you look through your
books ahead of time, you will find that you can work on one or two achievements
at a time or you can work on arrow points along with the achievements. Leader
Training, Scout “POW WOWs” and outdoor “BALOO”
training sessions (offered periodically by our local BSA Knox Trail Council)
can help out with those areas you are unsure of. If you have any questions,
please ask one of the other leaders. We were all in this beginning stage at one
time!
As a den leader, you should
establish den dues to help pay for all the supplies you will find yourself
purchasing or chasing down. It is up to you to figure out how much is
appropriate: it can be a dollar a meeting or $20 for the year (payable in two
installments), or a variable fee that depends on what’s bought each month. An
alternative is to assign parents a list of things to bring, although you should
be prepared for forgetfulness! It’s best for you to bring what’s needed and
then spread out the cost.
Field Trips
When you go on your den field
trips, get the most out of the trip by looking ahead in the book and Be Prepared (scout motto). You need a local tour permit for out of town
travel. You can get these at the council office (Bob Wyman is our district
representative) or download them from Council web site:
Knox Trail Council
508-872-6551 http://www.ktc-bsa.org/
In keeping with the
“two-deep” leadership guidelines, at least two registered adult leaders must go
on any field trips. This includes driving: no leader may be alone in a car with
any scout other than his or her child(ren). Thus,
it’s usually best and easiest if all scouts go to any field trip in his own
parent’s car. If you decide on car-pooling, the tour permit must include all
drivers’ license numbers, plate numbers and basic insurance information (this
will cover all drivers under the BSA insurance rider).
Permission slips from
parents are required for all field trips, whether in or out of town (Tiger
trips are exempt, as each Tiger must be accompanied by his parent or Tiger
Adult anyway.)
The
Stony Brook/Audubon Society
508-528-3140
www.massaudubon.org/PDF/sanctuaries/stonybrook/sb_scouts.pdf
You will go to the library
in all levels of scouting. The library staff is very helpful. Just call ahead
and they are always willing to help you out with whatever you need. In
addition, if you need a private space in which to meet there, you may request
the use of a room. Again, call ahead to reserve it.
508-473-2145
The Milford Police and Fire
Departments have always been helpful with scouts. There are many things in the
scout handbooks that they can help you teach your scouts. Many Webelo patrols have earned their Readyman
pin at the
508-473-1215 508-473-1113
Principals in the public
schools are always helpful if you need them for something. Webelos
can visit a principal to work toward their Scholar pin.
Call ahead for a tour of the
Milford Daily News during your den time to go on an early release day. The
scouts like this tour and they learn alot. If you go
early enough in the day you may be able to see the paper being made (not sure
if the paper is still being printed in
508-473-1111
Some time back, a Webelos den went to see the Milford Town Engineer, Mr. Santora, who helped them with their Engineer pin. The
scouts learned a lot toward their pin on that trip, and they got a tour of the
building as well!
Town Engineer’s office: 508-634-2317
The local Veterans are happy
to provide information on the correct use and display of the flag, and are
willing to answer any questions. They also have a pamphlet on flag etiquette.
Veteran’s Services 508-634-2311
Webelos scouts need to complete their Athlete and Fitness
pins, and a good place to tackle some of those requirements is at a local gym
or fitness club. Most people you talk to will be willing to help out with
scouting organizations; don’t hesitate to call and ask them! I would also
suggest that you get your rank handbook at the beginning of the summer before
you start the new year; that way, you can plan ahead and have your scouts work
on some achievements during the summer. There are requirements (and electives,
to earn arrow points) in every rank
handbook that scouts can and should do at home with a parent.
Belt Loops
The scouts love belt loops.
The more they earn, the more they love it. There are belt loops for just about
everything—chess, basketball, astronomy, computers, math, fishing, and so on.
There is a “Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide” that will give you
all the information you need about what loops and pins are available, and what
the requirements are for each. You really need this guide to make sure all the
requirements are being met—not that they are particularly arduous, however.
You can play the game within
your own den or work with another den, or perhaps your scouts play in a local
league. You can handle the requirements outside during the nice weather, or
perhaps talk to a principal to see if you can schedule a time to play in a gym
indoors. Working on a belt loop every once in a while helps break up the
monotony of working toward a badge. However, be sure to save two individual
sports (such as bicycling, bowling, marbles, swimming, skating, fishing) and
two team sports (such as baseball, football, soccer) to use toward earning the
Sportsman pin as a Webelo scout.
Other Tips
Preparing monthly den
newsletter is highly recommended. They don’t have to be fancy or even typed,
but it’s very helpful to get accurate information to the parents of the scouts in
advance of the activities. This is especially important when you need the
scouts to come dressed and prepared for specific activities—a sports event, for
instance—instead of their uniforms, or when you will meet at a different
location for some den meetings.
A very useful technique for
calming the boys is the “conduct candle.” This is a standard 10” or 12” taper,
usually blue. The candle is lighted at the beginning of each meeting and is
blown out if the boys fail to conduct themselves appropriately. At the end of
the year, if the candle has burned completely or is VERY small, the boys have
earned themselves a conduct award. This is usually a party of their choice,
within the scope of the remaining dues. KEY HINT: Keep the candle in your
freezer between meetings; otherwise, it burns much too quickly.
Finally, I cannot emphasize
too much how important it is to go through the scout handbooks in advance to
plan the achievements and other activities.