New Den Leader Helper

First of all, we at Pack 211 thank you so much for volunteering to be a den leader this year! All of us current den leaders have been right where you are: thinking Ive never done this before and have no idea what to do. Dont worry, we are here to help you in any way, and will provide you with tons of resources to help you get started.

Handbook:
The first thing you need to do is to get your cub scout handbook specific to the group you are leading - and read it! Cub scouts in first grade are Tiger Cubs, second grade are Wolves, third grade are Bears, fourth and fifth grade are Webelos I and II. There is a handbook for each group which is very well organized. The handbook lists all of the achievments that each cub is required to complete in order to earn the badge for that year. The handbook also lists tons of electives that the scouts can do to earn extra recognition. Scouts have from the beginning of the school year in September to the end of the school year in May to complete the requirements for the badge they are working on.

Uniform:
You will need to get your den leader uniform and required patches. You can get this in Longview at the Army Navy Store on the loop or online. (You may be able to find discounted uniforms on Ebay). The website below describes the official Cub Scout uniform for men and women. We would like you to wear your den leader uniform to meetings and cub scouting events whenever possible. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Uniform/cubscout.aspx.

Bobcat Badge:
All new scouts must earn their Bobcat Badge. The requirements for the bobcat badge can be found at the beginning of each handbook. Our pack typically has a bobcat ceremony in October or November, so you will want to work on these requirements at your first few meetings.

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Den Meetings:
You will be holding two den meetings per month. Typically these will be held on the first and second Tuesday of the month. The key to successful meetings is planning ahead. Your job as the den leader involves doing or delegating the following responsibilities: gathering materials needed for the activities, planning activities, lending organizational structure to the den meeting, keeping track of each boys progress, and communicating with your den about upcoming activities. By all means - incorporate shared leadership within your den. Each parent/scout pair in the den should plan and lead a couple of den meetings during the scouting year. This will lessen the load on any one person as well as give everyone a chance to contribute to the success of the den. Here is the link to a years worth of sample den meeting plans for your age group: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/DenLeaderResources/DenandPac kMeetingResourceGuide/DenMeetingPlans.aspx There are tons of other scouting websites with great activity ideas for meetings. A list of some of these sites is provided later in this packet and can also be found on our website under scouting resources at http://longviewpack211.webs.com How to plan a den meeting: **You will want to plan a gathering activity for the boys as they arrive. This will allow you time to set up and will give them something productive to work on as you wait for the rest of your den to arrive. Ideas for gathering activities: puzzles, brain teasers, worksheets, drawing, memory games, buddy work)**

A note on den dues: In order to cover den meeting expenses, you may want to collect den
dues. How much you collect will depend on the size of your den and the type of activities you plan. Den dues should not cost more than $5 per month.

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Pack Meetings:
The pack as a whole meets once per month. Typically this is the third Tuesday of each month. This is where awards such as belt loops, pins, patches and other forms of recognition will be given. Your den will be asked to perform a skit, song etc. It is important to have all of your boys sit together with you during pack meetings. Please make sure they are quiet and respectful. You will need to turn in your awards request by the first Tuesday of the month to our awards chair. Our website lists our current awards chairs name and email address.

Communication:
Communication within your den is so important!! You need to make sure and get a working phone number and email address for each of the members in your den at your first meeting. It is important to send out a quick email reminder at least a day or two before each meeting or cub scout event. You can delegate this responsibility to another parent in your den. Also, be sure and make contact with any scouts who have missed meetings so that they are kept aware of what they have missed and need to complete at home as well as upcoming events. Den Newsletters: A monthly den newsletter is a great way to keep all of your scouts and parents aware of what is going on, what is coming up, and other issues which need to be addressed.

Keeping Track:
One of the major responsibilities of running a den is keeping track of each boys progress. This can be a daunting task (especially for large dens). With a little organization upfront, this will not be as difficult. Here are just a few ideas you might try: 1. Keep a record for each meeting/ den outing of what achievements/electives were covered and who was in attendance. Put these records in one place so that they are easy to refer back to. 2. Keep a folder for each boy in your den. List all achievements and electives in that folder, and check them off as each boy completes them.
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3. Use the free cub trax series excel spreadsheets to keep track of each boys progress. It can be found online at: http://trax.boy-scouts.net/cubtrax.htm

Retention:
Retention of scouts is very important for a pack to thrive. In order to prevent scouts from dropping out we need your help by doing the following: Communicate with your dens: Lack of communication is one of the main reasons boys drop out. If your cub scouts are involved in other activities and are missing meetings, be sure and let them know that you are still there for them when they are able to attend and keep them updated on all events. Make your meetings fun: Be sure and plan activities that the boys will enjoy. Plan more than you will need in case something is not working. Get parents involved: Get input from the parents in your den and ask for their help when you can. If the parents of your scouts feel connected, involved, and important, they will be more likely to keep their child in scouts. Be positive: Leading a group of young boys is challenging. Try to come up with incentives for good behavior, and try to stay positive. Let the boys help you make a den expectations chart. When you need to redirect a scout or correct a scout try to tell them what to do instead of what not to do.

Required Training
Training is required for all new den leaders. Much of the required training can be done online at your convenience. There are two short training courses that you will need to take online: Cub Scout Leader Fast Start, and Youth Protection Training. These courses can be found at the BSA online learning website:
https://myscouting.scouting.org/_layouts/MyScouting/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f_layouts%2fAuthenticate.aspx%3fSour ce%3d%252f&Source=%2f

You will have to create an account to access the courses. If you are asked for a BSA number dont worry, you can sign in as a non-member and go ahead and complete the
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course. You will receive a BSA number at a later date and can register as a member at that time. Local in-person trainings for new leaders will also be held throughout the year. The first of these are usually held in September and October (see the calendar on our website for exact dates and times.) Finally, in-house training can be provided at any time. Just let us know what area you need additional training in and we are happy to help!

Helpful Websites:
Our Pack 211 website is a great resource for all of our scouts, parents, and leaders: http://www.longviewpack211.webs.com/

Den meeting Guide:

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/DenLeaderResources/DenandPackMeetingResourceGuide /DenMeetingPlans.aspx

Tons of general info about scouting can be found at:

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/CubScouts.aspx

Online training website: https://myscouting.scouting.org/_layouts/MyScouting/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f_layouts%2fAuthenticate.aspx%3fS ource%3d%252f&Source=%2f

This site has tons of great info and suggestions for den leaders: http://www.boyscouttrail.com/cub-scouts/cub-scouts.asp

This website offers Baloos Bugle, a scout publication offering tons of great suggestions for leaders: http://www.usscouts.org/bbugle.asp

This link will answer any questions you have about the cub scout uniform: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Uniform.aspx

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This link provides all kinds of cub scouting forms you might need such as your den meeting planner template, Uniform inspection sheet which explains where your badges need to be placed, and many more:
http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/CubScouts/~/link.aspx?_id=81F4E8DBC9664BAFABEDBBF171BC 6936&_z=z

This website is where you find the downloadable Cub Trax Advancement Spreadsheets: http://trax.boy-scouts.net/cubtrax.htm

This website is where you go if you want to by cub scout stuff online: http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsasupply/ This is the website link to the scout shop in Tyler:
http://www.etexscouts.org/about-us/scout-shop

Scroll down to next Page for a sample den newsletter

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January

Newsletter

Den 2 * Cub Scout Pack 211 * The Church at Grace Creek * Longview, Texas * 2008* Jolene Ray& Leigh Barr, Den Leaders bobby-jolene@sbcglobal.net / leighbarr3021@yahoo.com http://longviewpack211.webs.com Get Ready, Get Set. This is going to be a fun month for our cubs! Our Pinewood Derby will be this month on Saturday, January 17th. If you have not already purchased your kit, you can get them at the Army Navy Store on Loop 281 for under $4.00. Remember, there will be an award for the best designed car as well as awards for the cars that win the derby race.. More details to come soon. Dont forget to check out our pack website to see what else is going on: http://www.orgsites.com/tx/pack211/. Please let Leigh or me know if you ever have any questions, concerns, suggestions. Wolf Trail This month we will be working on Achievement 4: Know Your Home and Community (pg 60-63) At our first den meeting this month our boys will be making lists of important phone numbers (4a). They will also complete a chore chart listing 3 chores that they will be responsible for for the next month (4e). We will talk about what to do when someone calls, comes to the door, and when we leave the house (4b, 4c, 4d). At our second den meeting this month, each boy will talk about a book he read and make a book cover for it (elective 6b & 6c). We will sing a couple of new song and play a game or two. Remember your Collection Requirements 6b and 6c (pg 71-73 of the Wolf Handbook) involve starting a collection and showing it to others. Several of our scouts still need to do this. They can bring their collection to any of our den meetings. (They will also earn their collection beltloop for this.) Dues are due If you still owe dues to pack 211, we need to collect them asap. (If you sold $370 or more of popcorn, no dues are owed). We will not be able to give patches, beltloops, badges etc. to boys whose dues are not paid. If you need financial assistance or need to make payments, please contact Adam or Catherine Holland at 903-295-1492. Remember If your son has missed a den meeting, please help him complete the requirements he has missed at home. Also, remember requirements 9 through 12 will not be covered in our den meetings, and must be done at home. Our boys can only earn their wolf badge once they have completed every one of the 12 requirements and this will require your help and involvement Lets go to the Library On Tuesday, January 27th, we will meet at the Longview Public Library (Cotton Street) at 6pm for a tour of the library and family story night. The boys will learn more about the library, get to listen to a couple of stories, sing songs, and do a craft. This will be lots of fun and satisfy requirement 4f. Calendar of Events January 6th 13th 17th 27th 6pm 6pm (tbd) 6pm Den Meeting Den Meeting Pinewood Derby/Pack mtg Library tour & family storytime

February (so far) 3rd 6pm 10th 6pm 17th 6pm

Den Meeting Den Meeting Blue & Gold Banquet/ Pack Mtg

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Applause & Cheers

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Applause
AFTER MEAL APPLAUSE: "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz oh what a relief it is!" OVER-EATERS APPLAUSE: Looking uncomfortable, rub stomach and say slowly... "I can't believe I ate the whoooooole thing!" GIANT BEEHIVE APPLAUSE: Buzz like a hive of bees. When you raise hand, volume increases. When you lower hand, volume decreases. MOTORCYCLE APPLAUSE: Start by pumping foot down to get the cycle going, then rev up and take off with hands on handlebars, yelling "VAROOM!" WATERMELON APPLAUSE: Pretend to open the refrigerator, pull out a watermelon, and kick the door shut. You are holding a 2 foot slice. Pull the watermelon rapidly past your mouth, slurping the fruit. Then spit out the seeds. CLOWN APPLAUSE: Hold fingers at both corners of mouth, pull mouth up into a smile and say, "SMILE EVERYONE SMILE". STRONGMAN: Pretend to lift heavy object and go "UH, UH, UH, UH, UH, UH AHHHHH". ELEPHANT: Hold arms down in front of body like a truck, putting hands flat together, lean over slightly and swing arms slowly back and forth while bringing fingers of both hands up and down saying "I WORK FOR PEANUTS" several times. POPCORN: With one hand closed, cover it with other. Let hand grow from under other hand and spring fingers open and go "POP POP POP SEAL OF APPROVAL: Put elbows together and open and close forearms and hands, barking like a seal. "Arf, arf..." BIRDWATCHER APPLAUSE: Make your fingers into pretend binoculars and put them up to your eyes. Saying, "I see one, over there." PENGUIN APPLAUSE: Hold arms stiff to sides, slapping your legs as you turn in a circle. RAWHIDE YELLSay, "Head 'em up! Move 'em out!" while circling your arms.

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HAY AND STRAW: Divide group in half. When you call out "Hay" or "Straw" that group responds with the opposite word. THE SKUNK: Hold your nose with your fingers and say, "P U!" PICNIC APPLAUSE: Rub stomach and say, "Yummy in the tummy!" PAUL REVERE APPLAUSE: Pretend to ridding a horse moving up and down. Say, "The British are coming, the British are coming." JOHNNY APPLESEED: Rattle on a tin hat, Shinny up a tree, Little Johnny Appleseed, Planted trees for me! FLAPJACK APPLAUSE: Pretend to pry a spatula under a pancake, then throw it up into the air and nod your head three times up and down as if watching the pancake and then catch it on the spatula.

Scroll down for Cheers

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CHEERS
GREAT (Tony the Tiger cheer): Leader starts quietly starting with GRRR and goes around the circle to complete word. Ziggy : Ziggy, ziggy, hoy, hoy, hoy Ziggy, ziggy, hoy, hoy, hoy Watermelon : Take up watermelon slice in both hands, chomp up one direction, and spit out seeds the other direction in a Bronx cheer. Skyrocket: In pantomime, the group following the yell leader, plant imaginary rockets in the ground, light a match on seat of their pants, and apply it to the rocket fuse. As the rocket rises with a WHOOSH!!, the group begins to whistle (softly at first and then louder) and after a short pause, all shout BANG!! Flower cheer: Imitating a flower growing, you rise up slowly, pausing part way. You look around, then quickly stand erect, yelling 'sprooooooong'. Round of applause: You clap your hands while holding your arms straight and moving your hands around in a wide circular motion. Timber cheer: When you point to one half of the group, they yell, CHIP! When you point to the other half, they yell, CHOP! Then alternate CHIP! CHOP! CHIP! CHOP! faster and faster, ending with a loud "TIMBER!" Stomp and slap: When you raise your right hand, everyone stomps feet rapidly. When you raise your left hand, everyone slaps thighs rapidly. When you raise both hands, everyone stomps and slaps. Rain clap: Everyone starts by tapping their right thumbs on the palms of their left hands to represent the first few drops of rain. Then use two fingers, three fingers, four, five and the palms of hands. Increase volume of clapping from soft to loud. Then in reverse sequence back to thumbs on palms, as the rain passes. Handkerchief Cheer: You throw a handkerchief into the air. While the handkerchief is in the air, everyone applaudes and cheers. They must stop the moment it touches the ground. Vary lengths of cheer with high throws, low throws and no throws. Balloon cheer: Pretending to blow a big balloon, you put your hands to your mouth and puff laboriously. You spread your hands slowly apart at each puff, then fling your arms out, yelling 'BANG'. Ketchup cheer: Everyone makes a fist with their left hand and slaps the side of their fist with their right hand, as if trying to coax ketchup from a bottle. Six quick slaps and then the ketchup comes out in one big noised dollop: Slap-slap-slap-slap-slap-slap-sploooooosssssh! Mosquito: Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z(Trace flight of mosquito with finger)Clap hands once for the swat saying 'GOTCHA'. Zig-a-mala: In this yell, the leader shouts ZIG-A-MALA three times, each time increasing the volume and each time the campers answer Z-E-E-E. After the third Z-E-E-E, the leader throws up his hands, and all shout together, WHA.

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Bouncing Ball : Using a golf ball (preferably) Have the group yell 'POW every time the ball hits the floor when dropped initially from an outstretched hand above the head, or thrown up. Be Prepared: Be Prepared, Be Prepared, Shout it out, Shout it out. Pioneer, Voyageur, Pathfinder Scout! Big Hand: The cheer leader says:"Alright! Let's give that skit a Big Hand."Upon which, everybody silently holds one hand, palm open, up in the air. Boomalacka: Boomalacka, Boomalacka, Bow-wow-wow. Chingalacka, Chingalacka, Chowchow-chow. Boomalcacka, Chingalacka, WOW! WOW! WOW! Bravo #1: The cheer leader says:"That deserves a Bravo! We'll do this in a circle."He then proceeds to have one end of the circle start with the 'BRR' sound and proceeds to point around the circle while they do the 'AVOOOO' sound. The sound level should rise as more of the circle comes in. Bravo #2: The cheer leader says:"That deserves a real cheer. Give me a 'B' "...(and the group responds with a resounding 'B'),"Give me an 'R'"..., etc. When all letters have been called, "What have you got?" Response from all: BRAVO! Buffalo: Bonzo Bonzo Buffalo Bonzo Buffalo buffalo Bonzo Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo! Bury it: Cheer leader:"! think we had better bury that skit. Alright, everybody stand up and dig a big hole with your shovel."(suitable grunting sounds and shoveling actions),"Now throw the skit into the hole..."(thump)"and cover it up..."(more shoveling and grunting),"now, jump on it to keep it in there."(Everybody jumps up and down three times.) Clam Cheer: The cheer leader says:"O.K., do you know the sound a clam makes? Alright then, put your hands together at the wrist and hold them way up in the air like this..."(demonstrates)."Now, move your hands together like a clam she 11."(Everybody moves curved hands open and closed five times.)"Thank you." Fireworks: One half of circle: Place the palm of your hand in front of your mouth and keep it moving in a circular motion while hissing. Second half of circle: Starting a couple of seconds after the first half, the rest of the circle whistles down the scale. (Doh, Te, La, So, Fah, Me, Ray, Doh.)When the whistlers get to the bottom of the scale, everybody responds with a well rounded BOOM! Repeat all but BOOM twice, repeat all but BOOM three times. For Goodness Sake: Cheer Leader: Give me an OFER'. Circle: OFER'. Cheer Leader: Give me an OFER! Circle: OFER! Cheer Leader: Give me an OFER'. Circle: OFER! Cheer leader: What have we got? Circle: OH FER GOODNESS SAKE! For the Birds: Cheer Leader: That calls for a High Flying Cheer. Was it a ONE? Circle: NO! Cheer Leader: Was it a TWO? Circle: NO! Cheer Leader: Was it a THREE? Circle: NO'! Cheer Leader: Was it a FOUR? Circle: YES! FOR THE BIRDS! Good Heavens: The Cheer Leader says:"Let's give this something really GOOD. Repeat after me."Cheer Leader: GOOD. Circle: GOOD. Cheer Leader: GOOD Circle: GOOD Cheer Leader: Good Heavens! What next??Circle: Good Heavens! What next??

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Competitive Yells: Boys love to yell, so do a competitive Yell to work off steam and build up the level of excitement. Split the camp fire into two halves have one side say: There ain't no flys on us'. There ain't no flys on us'. maybe fly's on some of you guys, But, there ain't no fly's on us'. The other side responds with: Give 'em straw! Give 'em hay! give 'em something to stop that neigh! Get both sides going at once and wear ear plugs!

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