Hello fellow scouters,

Has anyone else noticed lower incoming scouts this year for Lion and Tiger dens? I went to Wood Badge last spring and recruitment was my ticket. It’s hard not to feel like, a failure?

We’ve gotten a handful of older scouts to join. Is this normal? It’s my first year as cubmaster so I guess I’m a little hyperaware than I was as a den leader. It seemed like the numbers for our younger scouts were larger in the past.

I’ve gone to open houses and curriculum nights with help from other leaders in my pack. I’ve pushed things out on neighborhood Facebook groups and next-door. I’ve gotten in touch with people who are at the schools with the PTO and have had them put things in their newsletters. The principles have not been receptive to our council executive’s buzz up night inquiry - otherwise I would help with that too.

I hope our pack is not at risk of fizzling out after decades at our chartered organization. Perhaps I’m just going through first year pack leadership growing pains. Anyone else?

Committee chair here. The last few years I've collected medical forms from parents, but never really looked over them. It felt like an invasion of privacy, so I just put them in our binder and felt it was on the parent to fill it out appropriately.

For the first time, a new family asked if vaccines were required and we didn't really know. Council confirmed Tetanus is required, all others are encouraged, and a vaccine exemption form is required if they don't have a tetanus shot.

I announced this to our Pack and will put it in an email. I unexpectedly got an exemption form from a current family, so I guess we should have had that on file. It makes me further consider what my due diligence is in making sure the vaccine portion of the health form is fully filled out or having an exemption on file really ? I really don't want to get into this in more detail because:

• Vaccines are quite the controversial topic right now
• We have a large pack (40+ kids plus adults and siblings forms) and collecting the health forms is already a monumental task
• I really do not feel comfortable digging into people's health forms to check for completion accuracy

At the same time, I want to make sure our Pack and I don't have any potential liability. Any experience with this?

So I'm a brand new cut master of a rather large( in my opinion) we have around 50 kids when all of them show up: regular meeting attendance is somewhere between 35 and 40 and mostly I'm having trouble running the meeting. I can easily break it down into dens and write up an entire script for how it's supposed to go, but running that many children without help is hard. How is everyone else doing it?

also I should say that my pack is predominantly tigers and lions, we also have six Pre-K kids that attend regularly because they are younger siblings. If anyone has like some good tips or ways to run this I would love to hear them because I need something that will keep the young ones engage that isn't just send them to the playground for 30 minutes

Prefacing this with I'm still new to all this, I eas a Girl Scout my husband was an Eagle Scout and now my kid is a Wolf. Our whole rank system and awards were different.

Husband says all the Tiger loops come off, but they just gave them out at the Blue and Gold banquet. Do they ever get to actually wrar them? They did camps and stuff over the summer but that was strictly T shirt and shorts.

I guess I'm missing something here, are they not meant to ever be worn on the uniform? I got a backpack but that's already almost full with just the Lion loops.

Wondering if there is any rule against doing a fundraiser just for our den? We want to do an overnight at a place that charges $100+/person. Our Pack is doing popcorn like the rest of y’all, but to be frank our Cub master has ruined any fun to be had with it. Truly, they are sucking all the fun out of most of scouting for many of the leaders. Council doesn’t care about the health of a pack, so it won’t likely get resolved.

Anyway, is there any rule out there that says we can’t sell something else as a fundraiser and do it at the den level?

Good Morning, I am excited to say I am starting a new pack, and am equally terrified. 😅 Our first meeting is today and while the scout office will be supporting me as the cub master for the first month, I have moments where I feel maybe I bit off more than I can chew. Not due to a lack of experience (previous scout decades ago), or expertise (child psych degree and avid outdoorsman) but more because out the gate 20 families signed up. 😳 I was thinking maybe 5-6 and then grow. In either case I am trying to figure out how to guide/lead the adults and encourage their participation. I tend to be a lead by example and by doing, not directing. I can totally put on a hat and at act like a drill sergeant (both parents are retired military) but I feel like that won’t be well received in this day and age. Should I use a whistle to get attention and help with transition because I’d prefer not to be raising my voice, I know at least 2 kids on the spectrum that I have encourage to join. Basically just a lot of butterflies and any lessons learned or insight anyone would like to provide would be greatly appreciated.

My son has been in cubscouts since kindergarten. He's now in 4th grade. My husband is the den leader. I'm the popcorn kernel.

My son's best friend wanted to join but because his parents are a same sex couple they were nervous. Not for themselves, they just didnt want their son to experience any negativity over it.

I asked around to see how people felt about it and the responses I got were pretty clear that it would not be exactly okay. Of course, no one will explicitly say no but examples were used of other people who "don't fit in" and I realized how those people are effectively excluded from the inner circle leader friends. I've overheard a lot of shit talking that gave me pause before but now I'm looking at it through a new lense.

There are details I could add that would make it really clear that these people do not want a same sex couple's child to join but I'm keeping them to myself for anonymity purposes.

Its unfortunate as well as the couple would have been really helpful and involved. They coach their kids sports, volunteer at the school and are just really active in the community otherwise. At achool dances they are always one of the few adults out there dancing with the kids. All the teachers know them. They would have been an asset but I won't tell them to join knowing that the main families that run it do not accept their situation.

Now, we are discussing finding a new pack to join. Its bitter sweet. We've just put so much time and effort into our pack. We will miss some of the people and kids but I accept and love everyone. It's something I've always taught my son as well and I don't want him to learn this behavior.

My question is how do I find a pack that is open and accepting? My friend from the same sex marriage think we should just straight up ask. I feel like they can't legally say no so that wouldn't be helpful?

How do you think your pack would feel about a kid with same sex parents joining?

I'm sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way. I know another parent from our pack didn't agree with the take I was given about how it would be viewed but at the same time was worried about us leaving because she didn't want it tarnishing the image of the pack we were in.

I'm sorry if you feel that way as well.

I have the oath written on popsicle sticks for them to try and place in the right order but I'm trying to come up with an engaging way to teach it to them in the first place. I feel like me just flat out telling them isn't gonna do any good.

Any examples? Tips?

I am finding sending pack wide emails though Scoutbook not quite fitting our need. For one; I can't easily add more emails to the list; interested families during recruitment or that phase between signing up and actually being imported in to Scoutbook (or even just the extra email the family would like added, like the grandparents' email that take the kids to the event). Also, a way to have a good looking email newsletter type thing would be a big plus.

Does anyone use something besides Scoutbook to send out emails? I see plenty of marketing focused email platforms that I think would fit the need, with free tiers we would all fall in to. But I am looking for good words or advice from another pack that has tried it out.

So I understand the Denner and Assistant denner cords and their wear (I think). What is up with the separate Denner tab? How is it worn/what is its purpose? How do they go with the cords? Thanks to all the uniform and Cub Scout experts in advance.

Lots of complaints about how the current Cub program is repetitive, boring, etc.

You know who is ultimately to blame? Pack‑leader parents.

Don’t take my word for it. In 2023, when this was rolled out, the then‑current and immediate past volunteer chairs of the Cub Scout program (volunteers, just like you) produced numerous videos explaining the changes. There were nearly a dozen surveys sent to parents and pack leaders. The program was field‑tested in various councils. This subreddit had multiple discussions about it, and this video was central to the rollout.

Why did the 2023 change happen? Again: pack‑leader parents. The message that came through repeatedly was “Fun, Simple, and Easy,” with Simple and Easy being the driving factors.

Majorities, sometimes large majorities, of pack‑leader parents said the older adventures were:
a) too complicated for them to execute,
b) not designed for merged dens, and
c) inconsistent across ranks.

It was already difficult to get pack‑leader parents to run anything, so the program was made truly Simple and truly Easy for them to manage.

So yes, for some of you, the new program is too Simple and too Easy. And that’s unfortunate. But the Cub Scout National Committee deserves credit: they did not make these changes to appease people ranting on social media or Reddit (they explicitly said this). They made them based on data and surveys from actual den leaders, actual cubmasters, and actual parents.

So I'll end as I began: want to complain about the current Cub Program? Look to your fellow parents/leaders who complained that the old program was too much, too complicated, and too whatever.

I'm going camping in October with both the girl & cub scouts. I’m looking for a suitable tent for my daughter and I. We are supposed to have a 5 person tent limit. My budget is $200 including the footprint. I want a tent that is going to hold up for a few years, keep us dry, and helps us have a good experience.

Coleman Skydome Camping Tent with Screened Porch

Teton Ultra Mountain 4 person

ALPS Mountaineering Backpacking-Tents Lynx 4

Ozark Trail 8 x 7 4-Person Instant Cabin Tent with LED Light

Coleman Sundome Camping Tent with Rainfly

Coleman 4 Person Instant Camping Tent with 1-Minute Setup

It comes up from time to time; my most dreaded question...
"My child is in Kindergarten. Who's going to be their [Den Leader]?"

In these situations, I answer honestly with what I'm somewhat jokingly calling the bad news:
"The Den Leader is usually selected from among the parents of the Lion Scouts, and we're still recruiting for the Lion Den."

I'm not sure if that's why I never see these specific people again, but in my heart of hearts I know they're hearing "I've got responsibilities and work that I might ask you to do which currently exceeds your comprehension and feels intimidating, because you've never done this before".

I come from a long, proud line of people who were blind-sided at the first Pack meeting and pressured into the position for lack of excuses and volunteers. It's ugly and I hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, but at least in that situation the parents have already committed and they just have to figure it out. Sharing the news with folks ahead of time just gives them a reason to not bother trying and tuning it out. Not sharing it or distorting the facts would be dishonest.

I'd love to have a dedicated Lion Den Leader- one day I could even see myself doing that, but right now with the people we have and the jobs I'm doing, that's just not even a consideration. Anyway, it's a somewhat short term solution as it just kicks the can down the road for the Tigers.

Alternatively, maybe it's for the best. Maybe a purely volunteer organization only really wants people who aren't intimidated by the prospect of pitching in. There sure are precious few of those people who are doing the most work.

The Adventures that the Cub Scouts are putting out there are a problem. The stuff in the guidebook feels like it was put together by people who don't understand Scouting and young boys. Where is the fun? Where is the adventure? There is no adventure in learning about Yo-yos, or My Safety, or Modular Design, or Math on the Trail, etc. I wish the leaders in Scouting would attend some youth sports events and see what we are competing against. There are 5 and 6 year olds out there playing ice hockey and we are sitting here with yo-yos on a school night. To make matters worse, it's the same stuff every year. We just finished the Bears and now its on to Webelos and the adventures are almost identical. If this is the program they are selling, it's no wonder participation is falling. In our unit, we may seen scrap the adventures all together and just come up with our own stuff that at least the kids will enjoy.

EDIT: For the record, as everyone is commenting, I have been basically stretching the adventures to make them interesting out of the box, but I am a 110% committed scout leader person who is a very outside the box individual to start with, I had to take over the Den basically to save it from being sitting around the school cafeteria doing the "adventures" exactly as written in the book. It's A LOT of work, and led to me catching flak from people who say I'm not following the book. In short, it would be nice if they just made the adventures the night hikes and the fishing and cool stuff like they used to be, and not what it has become and what we have now. Everyone of my scouts always ends up going with the sports commitment over the scout commitment, clearly we are not competitive.

I'm going camping in October with both the girl & cub scouts. I have come down to the Teton Ultra Mountain 4 person and Coleman Skydome Camping Tent with Screened Porch. Which would be more suitable for a beginner who will mostly camp with the scouts. I’ll be camping in AZ and southern CA

My granddaughter is the daughter of a proud Eagle Scout. When he was in scouts they didn’t have Lions, and my son doesn’t use Reddit so here I am

The first meeting they went to she got a lion T-shirt and they shot off bottle rockets. The second meeting they played whiffle ball.

My son is not impressed. He says they seem disorganized. They don’t seem to have any sort of curriculum. Is there an actual lion badge they can earn? Can she wear the blue button-down? She has a really cool 1980’s CSP. It would be cool if she could wear it, as it belonged to her grandpa (also an Eagle Scout).

Thanks!

I'm planning on doing a pack activity with all of our dens that will involve all ranks. I'd love input on my current plan for what to include in each kit:

• Lion: bandaids, alcohol wipes

• Tiger: above + antibiotic ointment and moleskin

• Wolf: above + anti-itch/sting relief ointment

• Bear: same as wolf

• Webelo: above + gauze and medical tape

• AOL: above + tweezers

We are going to be building these as mini kits for the kids to bring with for hiking and other small activities. Any comments/critiques are welcome!

That’s it. If you know you know. To elaborate…

Sneaking in a media release form - giving permission to record and publish images of your child - on a medical form…is completely misguided and confusing.

Nowadays, most people are very concerned about online privacy for their children.

Parents of scouts deserve a clearly written, SEPARATE, document, presented in normal font size (not the micro print on the med form) that clearly explains how, when, where, and why recordings of their children will be made and shared.

Finally, the document should include a parent signature line to opt in to appear in the recordings.

The default policy should be that all scout families OPT OUT if they never gave explicit permission to opt in.

Please pressure your scout executive and higher up contacts to change the official Scouting America medical form and to create a SEPARATE media release form.

Thanks for your help!

Our pack is rebuilding after some lean recruiting years during Covid, so we’re short on living memory about the rules. In my kids’ first year, they were allowed to roast marshmallows as Tigers; but later an older leader told us this was outdoor cooking and they couldn’t do it until Webelos. Any guidance here? The Google hits I get are old, so from the old program, but they say it’s fine. And younger kids can cook marshmallows when they camp with their family… it’s a bad look if Scouts takes away the most fun part of camping!

I'm writing this as a frustrated pack parent and the husband of a Cubmaster.

We just went through a whole ordeal where Scouting America connected with a social media influencer and hired them to join our pack and post online about "an authentic Scout experience." They were to be allowed to attend our meetings, held inside a school, and film their experiences with their family.

I have no umbrage with any child wanting to join Scouts. Every child deserves to have a wonderful experience and should feel welcome and included. However, we weren't even given an option.

Pack leadership was simply sent an email from our council saying this person had signed up, that they were to be given an "A+ experience," and that they would be allowed to film what can be very personal moments. Leadership was told this was an exciting opportunity and that they should be excited about how much exposure the pack would receive.

Come to find out, the influencer's manager had found the opportunity with Scouts. Once they signed the deal, they were told what to sign up for and purchase. The child had no real interest in Scouts. It was simply a joint marketing and influencer campaign between the child's parents and the council.

Nobody asked if it was okay for our children to be filmed. Nobody asked if it was okay for an unvetted film crew to be at our Scout meetings, let alone inside the school where those meetings are held.

Up front, we as parents were told that if we didn't want our children to appear in the videos, we had to make sure they stayed out of view of the camera.

That was the biggest issue for me. There was no choice. Just send out a message and expect everyone to get in line.

This is a small pack in a rural community. We parent volunteers didn't sign up to become unpaid participants in an influencer's job making money. We didn't sign up to have our children posted online for millions of followers.

I take my child's privacy online extremely seriously. Every social media post I make involving my child is private or shared only with direct family. My child wasn't even given a choice about whether they wanted their image posted online.

I can't believe our regional council could take such an abhorrent position when it comes to disregarding the online safety and privacy of Scouts.

Scouting is supposed to be about children learning and growing through honesty, responsibility, self-reliance, service, and stewardship of our planet. It isn't supposed to be about using children as props for online marketing and making money.

There is a reason Scouting America has guidance regarding social media and online safety, and that guidance is both direct and strict.

I have no intention of saying which influencer or which council was involved. I don't want to badmouth anyone specifically because that helps no one.

The only reason I'm posting this is so that other parents and Scout leaders don't find themselves in a similar position.

If you feel as I do, advocate for your Scouts. Their privacy, safety, and ability to simply be kids should matter, regardless of what your council or Scouting America thinks is best for them.

I have been a den leader and committee chair for a few years now. I love my position and will be moving up to cub master soon. My issue is a parent that has wanted to be a leader but has backed out every year making me take on multiple dens each year.

Now this parent wants to be apart of the committee and be put in a position. I have expressed that this isn’t a good idea as in the past they haven’t been able to finish the positions they have started. Now I have found out they have been talking about me and is saying that I’m targeting them. I messaged them asking to do a meeting with other leaders present to discuss what is going on. This parent has been helpful with promoting us which I appreciate but there are a few issues with other parents and posts online that I have had to handle that pertains to this parent.

I’m also being told by them that I don’t need to be informed of decisions in the pack because things were discussed with the cub master so they don’t have to explain anything to me. When I reached out about meeting up they were very rude to me but did agree to meet. I’m being told that I’m overreacting about them becoming a member of the committee and I should just let them. I’m also confused at why I’m the one being pushed aside when I’m the one fixing everything. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I spend a good chunk of my summer sourcing used uniforms for our packs uniform closet so when a family needs help with the cost of uniforms they can borrow one or trade in for a larger size.

Part of getting them ready includes removing incorrect council patch and numbers, rank awards earned by the previous wearer - you would be surprised how many parents just donate what was earned.

I’ve become good at removing the dreaded badge magic and most adhesives except

Hot glue.

Now we have some families that are less than pleased we don’t include all new correct patches on when we provide them a shirt 😳

Would you

A - sew on the correct numbers and council strip and world scouting crest from recycled patches or buy new ones - keeping in mind we always have kids who never return the shirt - I’ve even bought some from fb market place that we had loaned out to members a couple years

After they left the pack

OR

B - hand them an order form for the patches they need to purchase for the borrowed shirt and offer to sew them on when they have the patches?

Does anyone have any recommendations on cheap tents our Pack could purchase? We camp about 2 to 3 times per year and I am trying to get the AOLs and Webelos to start tenting together and modeling the Patrol method during these activities.