What did I do??

[haas0311]

Well my two boys are really interested in Cub Scouts this year and we went to the meeting last night. Come to find out, my youngest sons pack doesn't have a leader so when they asked for volunteers, my hand went up.

To be honest, I have no idea what I am getting myself into to so if anyone has experience in this area, please give me some advice. Our pack is the Tigers and most of the kids first time scouting. Any advice is appreciated!

[sailor]

call some other leaders...…..
maybe get some pointers...……..

[Texas Grown]

Be a Trooper, and a leader?


Congrats and thanks for taking the reins! Those boys and girls will enjoy all the experiences you help bring them. Especially out doors. Now, find your Den Leaders . I sure enjoyed my time in, back when I was in grade school.

[yaqui]

Having been in your position, and having done so for 15 years, here is what I can advise.
1. Follow the Program helps book. It has all the meetings laid out.
2. Keep meetings as short as possible.
3. Always keep the kids active and keep it fun.
4. Have a back-up plan for everything.
5. Get other parents involved by delegating them to help with meetings.
6. Have fun yourself.

You will get parents and kids that are going to p you off. If you know this ahead of time, it won't bother you.

Some kids need scouting because they don't have parents or much else in life to look forward to.

[AntlerCollector]

Good luck

[agtex42]

Having been in your position, and having done so for 15 years, here is what I can advise.
1. Follow the Program helps book. It has all the meetings laid out.
2. Keep meetings as short as possible.
3. Always keep the kids active and keep it fun.
4. Have a back-up plan for everything.
5. Get other parents involved by delegating them to help with meetings.
6. Have fun yourself.

You will get parents and kids that are going to p you off. If you know this ahead of time, it won't bother you.

Some kids need scouting because they don't have parents or much else in life to look forward to.

Great Advice, I was in your shoes last year with my son's first year in Tigers and pretty much followed these recommendations to a tee. "Keep it Simple, Keep it Fun" and the boys will have a great time. I also offered to let the boys and their adult sponsor select "elective" adventures to complete once we were done with the core requirements. Only had a few takers but both boys really enjoyed the experience.

The Den Leader Handbook really lays things out well, I only deviated from it a few times throughout the year. I also found the online leader training to be a solid resource, particularly since it'd been a few years since I was involved with Scouting (not much had changed but it was a good refresher).

You're going to have a ton of fun this year, Tiger den is great and you'll be surprised to see just how much some of your scouts will come out of their shells between now and May!

[76aggie]

You may want to talk to DRT. His name is Gary and he posts a lot in the traditional section. I think Gary has been a Scout leader for a while.

[quarterback]

Good for you for your willingness to do this. I wish more dads would step up and take on these types of leadership roles for their boys. It will mean everything to your sons as well as the other boys who join.

[yaqui]

One thing I forgot to add...We had meetings outdoors as much as possible, and our craft was usually outdoor related. Having another parent or two with a positive attitude that can help goes a long way. If the other parent is a super hot mom, who's husband is never around, and if she is clingy, get even more help. Haha

[Pstraw]

Get in touch with your Area Council office and they will have all the information that you need. Also try to find/recruit another adult to assist with this.
How many young scouts will you have in your 'den'?

[999]

Having been in your position, and having done so for 15 years, here is what I can advise.
1. Follow the Program helps book. It has all the meetings laid out.
2. Keep meetings as short as possible.
3. Always keep the kids active and keep it fun.
4. Have a back-up plan for everything.
5. Get other parents involved by delegating them to help with meetings.
6. Have fun yourself.

You will get parents and kids that are going to p you off. If you know this ahead of time, it won't bother you.

Some kids need scouting because they don't have parents or much else in life to look forward to.

I couldn’t stress #5 above anymore. Spend your time organizing and communicating. Delegate the meeting to other parents with some guidelines from the program. Give each parent 2 meetings or something so no one person is overloaded. Most parents will want to help but, don’t want a long term commitment, and think they won’t know what to do. So get them to sign off in increments or chuncks.

[Traildust]

Get ready to do lots of work while other parents use you as a baby sitter. Ask my wife. Glad my boys lost interest in it.

[toomuchsun]

Similar. I took my Grandson Last night to his first meeting Cub scouts. He is a brand new member Webelo (I hope I spelled that right). The Pack (64) is also in dire need of volunteers. I am a bit old and cranky for the job but considering. It appears to be very demanding work but certainly fun. My Daughter the Mom of the kid is not well. The dad is not an outdoors guy and lives separately. So I am it (I guess). Just took the Mandatory Training to go to camps outs etc "Youth Protection Training". Took roughly 2 hours on line and a test I barely passed. Also background checks come up and many folks have something in their past. Go for it. I think it will be very rewarding but be ready to give more than I would have expected as I am quickly learning.

[haas0311]

I am for sure going to do it but it will be demanding. Only got about 6 kids so hopefully it’s not too bad. Just bought all the uniforms and books. I think someone could have warned me about that!!! Holy **it! 2 kids and myself, just under $400, I feel like I have been violated...


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[White Falcon]

Having been in your position, and having done so for 15 years, here is what I can advise.
1. Follow the Program helps book. It has all the meetings laid out.
2. Keep meetings as short as possible.
3. Always keep the kids active and keep it fun.
4. Have a back-up plan for everything.
5. Get other parents involved by delegating them to help with meetings.
6. Have fun yourself.

You will get parents and kids that are going to p you off. If you know this ahead of time, it won't bother you.

Some kids need scouting because they don't have parents or much else in life to look forward to.

I did this for 13 yrs with scouts. You will find that most parents don't volunteer. Still had a great time!!