FOCUS

Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide

This month’s theme promotes creativity and imagination.  Close your eyes and dream.  Cub Scout’s will learn that the sky’s the limit when it comes to a great idea!!  The boys will also see that anyone with an idea and the desire can be an inventor.

CORE VALUES

Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide

Some of the purposes of Cub Scouting developed through this month’s theme are:

ü     Character Development, Cub Scouts grow and develop a sense of accomplishment in a job well done as they work on their inventions.

ü     Fun and Adventure, What better way to have fun than by creating something from our dreams!!

ü     Respectful Relationships, Cub Scouts learn that they must cooperate with each other and help others for all to be successful.

The core value highlighted this month is:

ü     Resourcefulness, Looking at things a different way and finding other ways to use them can help boys develop a life skill of learning to use resources to solve any problem.

Can you think of others??? Hint – look in your Cub Scout Program Helps.  It lists different ones!! All the items on both lists are applicable!!  You could probably list all twelve if you thought about it!!

COMMISSIONER’S CORNER

I received a question this month about finding how to tie rank requirements to the ideas in the Cub Scout Program Helps.  It is real easy – CS Program Helps is annotated with what requirements are met by what suggested activities.  The plan though is NOT to have the Den Leader do every requirement in Den Meetings.  That is the parents’ ( or parent’s) responsibility.  The Den Meeting activities just help the process along.  (Yes, I am an idealist but I do realize we will never get back to 1957, my Wolf year)

Be sure to read Bill Smith’s “Seven Lessons I Learned as Cubmaster” and “Projects for Boys.”  I know I am going to make a point of having more boy-oriented projects in Baloo.  Better projects = Better retention!!!

 On a Cubmaster’s Discussion Group to which I belong, recently there was question about being both Cubmaster and Scoutmaster simultaneously.  While not debating the point here, I do want to say that there were some fine, thought provoking answers.  My friend Vince espoused a position that many times we are all pulled too many directions not because we are asked but because we let ourselves.  He has seen it many times how a well-meaning person that has all the skills to put together great programs has let him/herself be pulled in too many different directions and it comes down to them not having enough time to devote to each area so they all suffer.

Roger’s position is, “My real concern is that though we love what we do, overloading ourselves leaves less time for some other important things in our lives. Somebody isn't getting the full attention that they deserve. Are our employers getting less than 100% from us?  Do our wives have to take a backseat because of our Scouting (when was the last time just the two of you went out?). Do our daughters get short shifted. When we have to deal with all of the Scouts, do our own sons feel that we are more interested in the group than them?  We like to say NO,  NO ,  No, no, but the truth is there is a fair amount of yes in some of the answers. We only have one life to live and the scouting world won't fall apart if we are not always there to be the glue to hold it together. It was around before us and will exist after us. Others have a way of filling in if given the chance and support. Scouting is a part of life but shouldn't be all of life.”

Which makes me wonder, what I have missed in my life because of my Scouting commitments?  My son is almost out of college (after 6 years) and my daughter is a sophomore, my wife and I should have more time together.  But we don’t – I am playing Cubmaster, CS RT Commissioner, on the District Training team and Pow Wow staff, FOS presenter, and Wood Badge staff as well as assembling Baloo every month.  My wife has adopted the Tiger Den in our Pack, does Meals on Wheels and helps people in our church and probably more I have forgotten.  It is fun but certainly isn’t the way I had imagined it.

Months with similar themes to

Invention Convention

Voyageur Area Council

June 1992, Genius Night

January 1995, Invention Convention

January 1998, Genius Night

October 1998, Imagine That

March 2003, Why Does It Do That