Gospel Centered Cub Scout Den Meetings & Pack meetings

We had our annual stake primary auxiliary training meeting and I shared some of the documents that I have been working on.  I attended the Summit Leadership meeting as part of the University of Scouting and I feel like the overall thing I learned was that we need to include some aspect of the gospel in every den and pack meeting.

Loved this quote" Every opportunity we have to meet with the boys is an opportunity to teach them the gospel."

Here is what I learned in a nut shell at the training:

A month ago I attended the Summit Leadership training that was held as part of the University of Scouting.  Elder Monk gave the keynote address and I just wanted to share a few of the things that I learned there. He talked about how important relationships are and referenced the "big three" that the Gen. YM use in their training to help accomplish the purpose of young people becoming converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are

Be with them,

Connect them to Heaven

and Let them lead.

I feel like these principles really apply to us as we help bring the cub scouts unto Christ.

#1- BE WITH THEM . This is having leaders who care, getting to know the boys, their names and learning about them, it’s building trusting relationships, and being consistent.  I have seen how children come to love their leaders and teachers, how they trust them. BE WITH THEM!

#2- CONNECT THEM TO HEAVEN.  We need to enlist the help of  Cub Scout and 11 year old Scout leaders with connecting the boys to heaven. Church activities should be planned to fulfill gospel-centered purposes. To maintain a gospel focus in Scout activities, leaders use the Faith in God for Boys guidebook as one of their resources (see Handbook 2, 11.5.3). The Faith in God program should be coordinated with Scouting to lay a foundation that prepares a boy to keep his baptismal covenants, better serve his family, and receive the priesthood (see Scouting Handbook, 4).

 #3-LET THEM LEAD -

"In Primary through Scouting we're seeking to support boys in keeping their baptismal covenants and prepare for the Aaronic Priesthood, and ultimately we see them as righteous husbands and fathers."

"As we view our Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, and eleven-year-old Scouts, do we envision them as future leaders? Do we recognize their potential? Are we planting seeds in these young boys to help them seek, embrace, and enjoy leadership opportunities?...Scouting has given us clarification of what these "seeds of leadership" might be."-Joy D. Jones, Primary general president

Elder Monk told us how he attended a conference and there were several less active members that as adults came back into full activity because they remembered primary lessons and the love they felt as primary children. 

Elder Monk talked about how it can be hard to measure the impact that we are making on the lives of these boys. But he stressed that YOU really CAN and DO make a difference.

Thank you for all you do!

IDEAS TO CONNECT THEM TO HEAVEN:

CUB SCOUT DEN LEADERS
*Encourage Den Leaders to bring in a gospel element to each den meeting.
As leaders plan out their monthly adventure and then the weekly plans ask them to consider how they can tie the gospel into that particular adventure.  Can be very simple:
 ·         Is there a scripture story that goes with what they are learning for that particular adventure? (Could just be a verse of scripture)
 
·         Is there a primary song that goes along with the adventure that they could sing?


·         Look under the Primary Resources for a possible story from the friend. (Lds.org click on serve & teach then select primary then teaching children then click on resources for teaching children then lesson helps by topic)

·         Does the adventure tie to a Faith in God activity?  Look at the Correlation sheet for the adventure you are working on.

·         Is there an aspect of the Scout Oath or Law that can tie in with a gospel element to what the boys are learning?

·         Will you be out in Nature?  Discuss how we can feel God’s love out in nature. Talk about gratitude for all of God’s creations.

·         Remind them of the Savior and His love for each of the boys.

 SEE THESE SHEETS FOR VERY IN DETAIL FAITH IN GOD IDEAS at this LINK
WOLF
BEAR
WEBELOS
HERE IS A LINK TO SPECIFIC RECOGNITON IDEAS FOR THE 2 A YEAR THAT THE FAITH IN GOD BOOK SAYS THEY SHOULD HAVE

CUB MASTERS

*Encourage Cub Masters to include a gospel element in their Cub Master Minutes each month at pack meeting.  Same principles as above, is there a scripture story or scripture that goes with the monthly theme?

 *We should use every opportunity to bring the boys and their families unto Christ.  CONNECT THEM TO HEAVEN!
 

SAMPLE OF A GOSPEL THEMED PACK MEETING LINK

11 YEAR OLD SCOUT LEADERS

*Encourage 11 year old Scout Leaders to bring in a gospel element to each patrol meeting.

As leaders plan out their monthly meetings and then the weekly plans ask them to consider how they can tie the gospel into that particular activity .  It can be very simple.  See ideas above.

*Try to tie Faith in God in as well as the Preparing for the Priesthood from the Faith in God Booklet.
 

Trail to Eagle

Other recipients:

When my son turned 11, our Primary President gave this to my son in a 3 ring binder (she got it from roundtable). It has been the best thing ever for a mom! I mainly use it to keep track of what merit badges my son has completed. I put the blue

When my son turned 11, our Primary President gave this to my son in a 3 ring binder (she got it from roundtable).  It has been the best thing ever for a mom!  I mainly use it to keep track of what merit badges my son has completed.  I put the blue cards in the slots of the "sports card page protector sheets" along with the actual merit badge card when it is completed.  I also keep track of his 20 campouts on the sheet that was given to us with this booklet as he works toward earning his camping merit badge.  I have updated the older version that we were given to the 2016 printing version and included the August 2017 camping changes.  Things do change so, please always double check with the BSA's current rank requirements and don't just go off of these, because it is inevitable that things will change.

 

LINK to the document. Here are pictures of the book.  some were super blurry but I am sure you can get a picture of how it works.

 

Cub Committee Challenge - Leader Specific Training for committee members

 THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO CAME TO THE TRAINING TODAY!
Please feel free to copy and paste into a new document any of the documents I have shared with you. (they are all in view only mode, so in order to change them you will need to do that). I tried to highlight in yellow what you would need to change and update to reflect your pack.

Cub Committee Challenge class syllabus

Link to my resources

Other Administrative link

Trail to Arrow of Light / Cub scout binder

A couple of months ago at roundtable this idea was shared.  HERE ARE THE DOCUMENTS

 

The ward gave the boys in their pack a 3 ring binder with all the requirements for each rank so the boys can see what they need to do to get their next rank.  Kind of like the Trail to Eagle books (you keep all the merit badge blue cards in them and it has all the requirements for each rank as well)

This book has the requirements that were updated effective Dec. 2016.  Then you would insert a trading card page protector (Used for baseball cards or Pokémon) after each rank section. I also printed out filing labels that have the 6 required adventures and a label for the required elective and a label for the rank to stick on the slots in the trading card protector page.  The Webelos/Arrow of light have less required, but hopefully you get the picture. 

My son who is 8 loves his book. As he completes an adventure and is awarded the belt loop and card, he can put the card in the pocket of his book (in the slot with the label for it).  It is a visual way for him to see what he needs to do to finish his rank. I also have seen where saving the cards proves that the boys have earned a certain belt loop or rank, so having a place to store them is very helpful.

 

The 3 ring binder that I used has a pocket in the front for his Faith in God book.

You could also have a section for Faith in God tracking sheets and requirements.

Mine is very basic.  It could be made a whole lot more fancy, but at least this is a start.

 

I know some wards buy the boys their handbooks, and other wards that have the parents buy them.  This could be a way for both to keep track of things and if the ward elected to not buy the handbooks to save money the parents could still buy one, but if not the boy & family know what needs to be done. 

 

The order of this book: Link to the Pages

• Bobcat title page in a page protector, just a simple bobcat picture (could also include a tab making it easier to locate)
• bobcat requirements
• trading card page protector with labels for Cyberchip & Bobcat rank card
• Wolf title page in a page protector (could also include a tab)
• wolf requirements
• trading card page protector with labels for the 6 required adventures, 1 elective adventure & Wolf Rank card and CyberChip
• Bear Title page in a page protector (could also include a tab)
• Bear requirements
• trading card page protector with labels for the 6 required adventures, 1 elective adventure & Bear Rank card and CyberChip
• Webelos/Arrow of Light Title page in a page protector (could also include a tab)
• Webelos/Arrow of Light requirements
• trading card page protector with labels for the 5 required Webelos adventures, 1 elective adventure & Webelos, plus 4 required AOL & 1 elective & AOL rank card and CyberChip Rank card
• Faith in God tracking sheet

You could give them the whole book (all sections), or  give them a section each year.  Wolf  part when they turn 8, Bear part when they turn 9 etc.

some pictures

Hope this helps!

Changes to the New Cub Scout Program

Some changes have been made to the new cub scout program.  This article spells all those out.  Please let your den leaders know of these changes.

http://blog.utahscouts.org/cub-scouting/cub-scout-modifications-need-know/

Here are direct links to the Addendums for each group.  You can print these off and put them in their books.  I am not sure when they will start printing new books with these new requirements. They are a PDF so you can choose "booklet in the print options and it makes it into a booklet (see pictures)

Wolf Addendum

Bear Addendum

Webelos and Arrow of Light Addendum

Keys to a Successful LDS Cub Scout Program

Here are links to the Utah National Parks Council's blog. This is a GREAT read, very informative!

Part 1 of Keys to a successful LDS Cub Scout Program
Part 2 of Keys to a successful LDS Cub Scout Program

My 2 cents: (Some Clarification)
On Key #3 – Get Adult Cub Scout Leaders Trained ASAP. 

IT is so Important to get these new leaders trained and oriented!

The way she describes Step 2 is not necessarily how it is usually done.  At least the stake that I belong to does not have the Unit Commissioner train all new leaders.  “The role of a Unit Commissioner is to help every unit be successful.” The Unit Commissioner is a friend to the pack and a great support, but does not necessarily train each new person called in each ward. 

It seems to make sense to either have a Pack Trainer, or have the Cub Committee Chair or Primary Councilor over Cub scouts do the Orientation and Training of new leaders in their pack because they are familiar with how that pack is ran.  The person doing the training would also be the one in charge of collecting materials (handbooks, manuals etc.) from the person that was just released to pass on to the new person(s) being called.

Getting Started

So you have been called to be over cub scouts in your primary?  Where do you start?

This link is the Utah National Parks Blog and this article is awesome to help you get started it covers the Pack Committee Challenge - Getting Started

I handed the following documents out to the councilor over cub scouts at our stake's Annual Primary Leadership meeting.  I have highlighted (in Yellow) the things that will need to be changed to fit with what your ward does

#1-This document is from 6.5 in the LDS "Scouting Handbook" entitled Ward Primary Presidency and I expounded a bit on what exactly the handbook says that you are to do in your calling as the Councilor over Cub Scouts.
LINK TO GOOGLE DOC entitled 6.5 Ward Primary Presidency


#2- This document is a whole sheet of resources entitled Cub Scout Required Reading, Training & Resources  I updated this, I received it from a Leader Specific Training that I went to and it was given out by Jenny Woods.

ORIENTING THE PARENTS Documents:

#3 - I like to give something like this out to parents at our baptism preview, or maybe a month or two before the boy turns 8.  It helps them plan and know when cub scouts will be as well as knowing what to purchase for the uniform.
New to Cub Scouts (for Parents)

#4 -This is a more in-depth document that talks about the purpose & methods of cub scouts.  Has definitions of scout terms as well as information on uniform and den meeting times.
Cub Scouts  - Your Role as Parent

#5 -This is a one page summary of responsibilities of parents, leaders and the pack :
 Whose responsibility is it?


#6 - This one page document shares with parents important information about weekly meeting time& place as well as leader contact info and what the boys should start doing at home, which is earn the Bobcat badge.  Welcome to the Wolf Den   Welcome to the Bear Den
A similar document could be given to the boys as they advance to Bears & Webelos.  Parents usually do not know what they need to do, or who the leaders for the next age group are.  It is also nice to be informed about the time and place of the den meetings.

ORIENTING New Leaders Documents:

#7 -This document is a very basic "getting started" type document for new leaders.

 Information for new leaders 

 

This document spells out the roles of each calling in cub scouts.  This could be given to the bishopric member that extends the calling so that they know what commitment is required of the person being called to a certain calling.  RESPONSIBILITIES of leaders serving in cub scouts

 

 

FAITH IN GOD Documents:

# - This document is some ideas that we have used in our ward/stake and as a mother of 4 boys things I really appreciated that leaders did to help me know what to do.
Ideas for Faith in God and communicating with parents about cub scouts

#- I made these to be copied on a single paper (both sides) the information comes from here, I wanted it to fit to one sheet. I am still trying to figure out how to attach a pdf to this blog. If you know how, let me know please!

Here is a link the PDF version that prints well! LINK