PACK
AND DEN ADMIN HELPS
Marbles
Kris Monroe
This reminds me of
the old Good Conduct candle used to help encourage the Cubs to behave. I
really liked the idea when I saw it on Scouts-L. In discussing this with
Baloo, she commented that she never needed an incentive in her Den for good
behavior. They kept the Cubs very busy!! Commissioner Dave
Each boy has the
potential to earn 3 marbles at every meeting. Although the boys earn
marbles individually, they are used to earn a reward for the entire Den. It
is important that the Cubs get idea of teamwork – working together. Don’t
embarrass a boy who misses a marble –there may be a good reason.
After the pledge they
line up and get 1 marble for being in uniform, 1 for having their rank (Wolf,
Bear, Webelos) book and another for telling about a good turn they have done
since we last met. (Alternately, they can tell how they used one of the Cub
Scouting's core values.)
The Denner then gives
each boy his marbles. Then the boys put them all in the jar (I use a Mason
Jar) and I shake it really loudly - they love that.
When the jar is full we
get to do something fun. On another list I read about a huge ice cream sundae
in a rain gutter and thought that would be a good one.
Instead of regular
candles, if you use floating candles for a ceremony, you can pour all the
marbles into the bowl to represent your accomplishments as a den. Much to my
surprise, my Cubs always note how many more marbles were in the bowl than last
time.
Marbles can be bought
really cheap at Wal-Mart or a dollar store, and I carry the mason jar and a
smaller jar for the Denner to pick from in my tote bag and of course it's
really noisy when I walk and they love it. I have had super success with it -
my boys are in uniform every time and with rank book every time and are
starting to internalize the idea of doing a good turn each day.
Once, I even had a boy
make his dad run home to get his rank book so he could get his marble. Cool.
Also, if you're too late
to line up, you're too late to get your marbles. Punctuality has increased
greatly too, we don't wait.
Leader Recruitment
Circle Ten Council
The following is a skit
from the 2002 Circle Ten Pow Wow book that can be used very effectively to
recruit new leaders. You should modify as needed to better deescibe your unit
and its needs. Commissioner Dave
Who Else…
Set Up:
Have all the Cub Scouts
and Webelos line up at the front of the room with a spotlight shining on
them. Have the adults read the following parts from the back of the room.
Assistant CM:
Boys are the nicest things that ever happened to me … those arrogant,
self-assured little men-children who assume that all the great big world
revolves around them.
Tiger Leader:
Who else can carry half a worm, one crushed daisy, a piece of scrap metal, a
three-day old apple core and two cents all in one pocket?
Den Leader:
Who else can take a bath without getting their shoulders wet, and wash for
dinner without turning on the faucet?
Den Leader:
Who else can believe that right is right and wrong is wrong, and the good guy
always wins in the end?
Webelos Leader:
Who else can be a fireman, sword fighter, cowboy, deep-sea diver, all in the
space of an hour, and then solemnly hold a funeral, complete with cross and
box, for a shell off a turtle lost a month ago?
Webelos Leader:
Who else can be a cutter without teeth, meaner without malice, kinder without
embarrassment, sillier without foolishness, and clean without neatness?
Committee Chair:
The world gains much in leaders and manpower when boys grow up … but it loses
something too. That magic feeling that comes with being nine! The feel of
dust between bare toes and the ability to lie quietly while time stands still,
to watch a minnow in a brook.
Cubmaster:
Me … I like Cub Scouts - the boys! They smile when I need a smile; they tease
me when I'm somber; they keep me from taking myself too seriously. No, I
don't wish that I were nine again. I just hope that somehow God will see to
it that I always have someone nine years old in or near my house and heart.
All:
Cub Scouting is the nicest thing that ever happened to ME!
At this point you begin
your recruitment of new leaders and committee people building off the theme of
that the adults enjoy Cub Scouting too.
