Volume 6 Issue 4
November 1999

LEADER IDEAS

Morris Hollis writes:

I created a small totem pole for each one of my cub scouts. It is about 12 to 15 inches tall with a square base and square pole. attached to the top is a eagle that we cut out of wood and painted. The cub scouts customize this totem pole as they go through scouts by adding things that would remind them of special events.

My son added a tiger button for Tigers, a Wolf pin for his year in Wolfs, a small car for the pinewood derby and so on , each totem should be unique. I believe that the more the scout sees at home that reminds him of scouting the more likely he is to keep going in scouts.

The totem has worked great for my den - the kids bring them in every quarter to show them off - my son is always looking for things to go on his. We found that a lot of cloth stores have nice buttons that can be mounted on the totem in the shapes of tigers, wolf, bears, etc. Also places like the zoo have pins with their names on them. I cut out wooden feathers on my scroll saw and put the year on them for my son to put on his totem for each year he is a cub. Anything can go on these - it is up to the scout.

My son decided to use one side of the pole for each year - some cubs put everything around the bottom of the pole. If you have any questions on this totem email Morris Hollis

mhollis@bv.net

Cubmaster, Pack 57 in Palm Bay Florida. We are in the Central Florida Council - South Brevard District.

Service To America

Pack 888 Sailfish district, Gulfstream Council in Stuart, FL participated in the Service to America Project by helping their PTA's Walkathon. Read how the Cub Scouts helped with a fundraising event.

Project Name: Pinewood PTA Walkathon

Our school PTA's big fundraising event this year was a Walkathon. The Cubs made posters that were placed around the school to encourage other students to sign up sponsors. During the walkathon itself the Cubs all wore their pack T-shirts so the rest of the school knew that the Pack was supporting the school.

The service projects below in the archives of Scouts-L. So if you are think Service Project at Christmas time here are a few ideas.

A Service Project we will be doing for the first time this year is called, "Trim a Mitten Tree". The idea came from Family Fun Magazine. Set up a holiday tree and ask the den or pack to trim it with mittens, scarves, and hats. Then, donate the offerings to a local shelter or another charitable organization that can distribute them. Also in the magazine it mentions the following books for ideas:

160 Ways to Help the World:Community Service Projects for Young People (Facts on File, Inc.)

Teaching Your Kids to Care (Carol Publishing Group)

The Kid's Guide to Service Projects (Free Spirit Publishing)

The Kid's Guide to Social Action (Free Spirit Publishing)

I hope this helps.

Laureen De, Knox Trail Council, MA

Den Leader, Advance Chair, MOM

Tim Harkness

I will tell you all the "Mother" of all Cub Scout service projects. First off I love service projects, and this one would be the best. I was doing service calls in a senior citizen apartment complex. Three stories with a hall way down the middle of each floor. The hallway was roughly 200 feet long on each floor. Never actually measured it. Anyway these hallways have not been painted since the building was built in the early '70's. Bingo! I thought, SERVICE PROJECT!!!! I told up the owners, which was the local housing authority, that the BOY Scouts would paint the hallways if they supplied the paint. The manager agreed and all arangements on their end to get the supplies were taken care of.

On my end, I went to roundtable, advertise the service project for 2 months. Pushed it real hard. Told everyone that each boy had to have a roller brush and a parent to help. What I did get for Boy Scouts was my troop, and another out of town troop totaling 9 boy scouts and four parents. 13 people, how are we going to do this big building with 13 people? Then came in five Cub Scout Webelos Dens and parents wanting to do a project for the Citizenship Activity badge! We had a boy and parent every 10 feet for two of the floors and saved the third floor for the next Saturday.

It was great, the boys had a great time, the senior citizens loved having the boys around and the walls got a great paint job.

Now I admit the manager was nervous seeing all these young kids painting the walls, but when we pulled up the plastic off the floor, it was like a professional had done the job. We won't mention all the paint puddles and foot prints all over the plastic though!

YIS

Tim Harkness, Asst. Scoutmaster Troop 59

Peter Farnham
Our pack does an annual service project, usually in mid-June. It consists of a clean-up of the parking lots and grounds for our chartered organization (about 60-90 minutes worth of work) followed by a picnic, and some sort of other fun event to finish off the afternoon. Last year we played volleyball; this year we're doing a "field day" activity with round-robin stations where the boys do different exercises. The boys will get a fitness belt loop out of it at the end of the afternoon.

This year, we are also supplying 20 boys to support some of the booths at our school's spring festival. They'll shag balls, fetch and carry, etc. We'll have applications available for non-cub boys expressing an interest in joining the pack, and uniformed adults around all day to answer parent questions.

A couple of years ago I organized a shoreline cleanup along the Potomac River south of Alexandria for a couple of wolf dens. Only a few boys turned up (we were competing with basketball, soccer and baseball leagues) but it was worthwhile--we picked up an unbelievable amount of trash. We coordinated this through the National Park Service. We also all received a very nice "NPS Volunteer" patch. Service projects are good things to do. Cubs should do more of them. Hint--link them with something fun, however, like a picnic, and be sure the boys get something out of it they can wear on their uniforms.

Pete Farnham CM, Pack 1515
The Great GW District, NCAC

*******************************

Lydia sent this to me. This would be something that could be modified to say A Leader:

A FRIEND.....

(A)ccepts you as you are

(B)elieves in "you"

(C)alls you just to say "HI"

(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)

(F)orgives your mistakes

(G)ives unconditionally

(H)elps you

(I)nvites you over

(J)ust "be" with you

(K)eeps you close at heart

(L)oves you for who you are

(M)akes a difference in Your life

(N)ever Judges

(O)ffers support

(P)icks you up

(Q)uiets your fears

(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you

(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it

(U)nderstands you

(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you

(X) plains things you don't understand

(Y)ells when you won't listen and

(Z)aps you back to reality

"Flexible people don't get bent out of shape."

This would make a nice ceremony to thank an adult leader with the boys of the pack holding posterboard with their alphabet letter on the front and the saying on the back.

The author of this is unknown to us. An important note that Lydia included to those she sent this to: Give to your local Red Cross or other disaster organization.


Materials found in Baloo's Bugle may be used by Scouters for Scouting activities provided that USSSP, Baloo's Bugle and the original contributors are cited as the source of the material.




clear.gif - 813 Bytes

Materials found at the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Website ©1997-2002 may be reproduced and used locally by Scouting volunteers for training purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations. No material found here may be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP) or other copyright holders. USSSP is not affiliated with BSA and does not speak on behalf of BSA. Opinions expressed on these web pages are those of the web authors.

The U.S. Scouting Service Project is maintained by the Project Team. Please use our Suggestion Form to contact us. All holdings subject to this Disclaimer. The USSSP is Proud to be hosted by Data393.com.


Visit Our Trading Post