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Cub Scout Pack 36
(West Bloomfield, Michigan)
 
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Tiger Cubs


           

What is "Tiger Cubs?"

Your boy is growing up fast. Just look at how quickly he outgrows his clothes! Ten years from now, he’ll be 16 or 17 years old. Wow! As he is growing, you can give him something that can help him develop selfassurance as he builds respect for other people. And he and you will both have fun doing it.

This adventure with him begins with Tiger Cubs - a program of exciting indoor and outdoor activities just right for a boy who is in first grade and/ or is 7 years old. You are there with him as his support and guide, but you don’t do things for him. He will learn by doing things himself. And as he learns and grows, your relationship with him will grow, too.

At the end of the school year, he will graduate into a Wolf Cub Scout den. Later, he will be in a Bear den, and then he’ll become a Webelos Scout.

How does it work?

Your Tiger Cub will be a member of a den. Most dens have five to nine boy-adult partner teams, meet twice a month in a den meeting, and have one outing a month, called a Go See It. The den also takes part in the monthly pack meetings. During den meetings, Go See It outings, and pack meetings, boys learn new things and have fun.

A den leader and an adult partner of one of the Tiger Cubs lead each den meeting and den activity. An adult partner can be a parent, relative, or friend who is at least 18 years old and who cares about the boy. Each adult partner takes a turn working with the den leader to plan and lead a den meeting and/ or activity. (You’ll read more about this shared leadership later.)

Your Tiger Cub is also a member of a Cub Scout pack. Most packs are made up of several dens that gather monthly at a pack meeting. Pack meetings usually follow a suggested theme and are a time for boys to be recognized for their accomplishments during the month, to perform skits and songs they have learned in den meetings, and to have fun with the entire family.

Packs are led by a Cubmaster and pack committee. Like the den leaders, the Cubmaster and assistants are volunteer leaders and are usually family members of boys in the pack. The pack committee makes plans for pack meetings and activities and takes care of the "business" items that are necessary for a pack to operate smoothly.

Most pack committees consist of family members and members of the pack’s chartered organization. The chartered organization is the community organization that is granted a charter by the Boy Scouts of America to use the Scouting program. This chartered organization might be a school, service club, religious group, or other group interested in youth. The chartered organization approves the leadership of the pack, provides a meeting place, and operates the pack within the guidelines and policies of that organization and the BSA.

The shared leadership concept:

The Tiger Cub Adult Partner

The success of a Tiger Cub den depends on active, enthusiastic families and a knowledgeable, well-trained den leader. The den leader plans and carries out a year-round program of activities for the Tiger Cub den and gives continuity to the program.  Each month, however, the den leader also works with a different boy-adult partner team to plan the two monthly den meetings, the Go See It, and the den’s part in the pack meeting. (Some teams may serve more than one month, depending on how big the den is.) This is called shared leadership.

Shared leadership is a key part of Tiger Cubs because the direct involvement of you and other adults is important for boys at this age. Shared leadership also gives each boy and adult partner a chance to lead, often resulting in an interesting variety of activities as each boy - adult partner team shares its knowledge and resources.


The Tiger Cub Den Leader

The Tiger Cub den leader is a registered volunteer position within the BSA. Each Tiger Den MUST include a person in this role. The responsibilities of the Tiger Cub den leader can be summarized as:

  1. Work directly with other den and pack leaders to ensure that their den is an active and successful part of the pack.
  2. Coordinate shared leadership among the Tiger Cub adult partners, ensuring that den meetings and outings are planned, prepared for, and con-ducted by all adult partners on a rotating basis, and that the den activities provide advancement opportunities for the boys in the den.
  3. Attend pack leaders’ meetings.
  4. Lead the den at the monthly meeting and pack activities.
  5. Ensure the transition of boys in the Tiger Cub den into a Wolf den at the end of the year. See the Cub Scout Leader Book for additional information concerning the responsibilities of this position.

        

When and Where do Tiger Cubs meet?

To experience the fun, excitement, and other benefits of Cub Scouting, you and your Tiger Cub will do the following things each month:

  1. Go to two one-hour den meetings at the host adult partner’s home or other location. Leaders will try to hold the meetings at a time that is convenient for all adult partners and is appropriate for boys of Tiger Cub age. Some dens meet at a school, a place of worship, or the location of their chartered organization. But meetings can be held almost anywhere in a basement, recreation room, backyard, or park - as long as the meeting location is safe for boys and their families.
  2. Take a field trip, or Go See It, with the entire den. The Go See It is a planned field trip to a place  that is interesting to boys. It may be associated with the monthly theme
  3. Attend the Cub Scout pack meeting.

Planning the Tiger Cub Den Meeting

With shared leadership, each month a different boy-adult partner works with the Tiger Cub den leader to plan the two monthly den meetings and the Go See It. Together, they also organize the participation of the den at the monthly pack meeting. It is important that each boy-adult partner team has a turn at planning and conducting the den activities.

The den meetings will be based on the theme of the month (see "Using the Monthly Theme in the Den Meeting" below) or on one of the den activity parts of an achievement. (You’ll read more about the three parts of achievements below.)

The Tiger Cub den leader and the host adult partner can also use the resources of other families in the den for den activities. Let the boys give their ideas, too. See "Tiger Cub Den Resources" on page 17 for creative program ideas. Remember: A well-planned den meeting will hold the boys’ interest, and they will be excited to return.

Using the Monthly Theme

Each year, Cub Scout Program Helps (No. 34304) suggests 12 monthly themes suitable for Tiger Cubs and Cub Scouts. This annual publication includes songs, skits, games, crafts, and ideas for Go See It activities that complement the theme. Boys’ Life magazine also features ideas and articles each month on the recommended theme, and the monthly adult leader roundtable meetings provide program ideas and instruction for these same themes. (You’ll read more about roundtable below.)

Packs aren’t required to use the recommended theme each month, but they are chosen and planned to appeal to boys and to offer opportunities for them, and you, to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting (see page 24 for more about the purposes of Cub Scouting). By following the themes, den leaders and the Cubmaster have a lot of support material available to them.

Tiger Cub den leaders and host adult partners introduce the theme at the first den meeting of the month. The activities for the second den meeting and the pack meeting also use the monthly theme. Therefore, the theme provides continuity among the two den meetings, the Go See It, and the pack meeting. The theme is different each month, which helps provide variety and hold the boys’ interest.

Achievements and Electives


Working on Achievements and Electives

In Scouting, advancement is the process by which a member meets certain requirements and earns recognition. Boys in Cub Scouting work on advancement with their families. The Tiger Cub advancement program is a blend of activities boys do in their home and activities they do in a den setting with their adult partner. This is unique to Tiger Cubs. A Tiger Cub may earn the Tiger Cub rank. This rank is for those boys who are in first grade or are 7 years old. All the Cub Scout ranks (Tiger Cub, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos) are tailored for a grade and the corresponding age level. (A Tiger Cub must earn the Tiger Cub badge first and then the Bobcat badge [rank] before all other ranks. See here for the Bobcat badge requirements.)

To advance, Tiger Cubs work on achievements and electives, which are described in the Tiger Cub handbook. As a boy completes these, you, his adult partner, sign in this handbook where it says "Akela’s OK." Akela means "good leader" and is an important part of Cub Scouting. Akela can be a den leader, a teacher, or other important adult. As your boy’s adult partner, you are Akela.

As boys advance, they receive recognition items to mark their progress. These items will be given to them during a simple ceremony at a pack or den meeting. It is important for boys to be recognized for the good work they do. The Tiger Cub recognition items are the Tiger Cub belt totem and totem beads, the Tiger Cub badge, and Tiger Track beads. (Although participation with an adult partner is required for all Tiger Cub awards, adult partners don’t earn these awards. Recognition items are for boys only.)


              

Earning the Tiger Cub Belt Totem

To begin his path towards the Tiger Cub rank, a boy must do three things. They are:

  1. Learn the "Tiger Cub Motto" (SEARCH, DISCOVER, SHARE)

  2. Learn the "Cub Scout Sign"

  3. Learn the "Cub Scout Salute"

When he has done these, he is awarded the Tiger Cub belt totem at a pack meeting. This is a plastic recognition device that he wears on his belt. The front side of the totem is emblazoned with a tiger paw print, and the reverse includes a recessed space for your Tiger to mount his Tiger Cub badge (see above) when he earns it. The lower end of the totem includes space for four strands for totem beads. A boy earns totem beads by working on the five Tiger Cub achievements.

How to use Totem Beads

There are five achievements in Tiger Cubs:

1. Making My Family Special

2. Where I Live

3. Keeping Myself Healthy and Safe

4. How I Tell It

5. Let’s Go Outdoors

Each achievement has three parts: a family activity, a den activity, and a Go See It outing. A boy receives totem beads as he completes each part:

  • He earns a white bead for each required ’family activity’ part he completes.

  • He earns a black bead for each required ’Go See It’ part he completes.

  • He earns an orange bead for each required ’den activity’ part he completes.

These beads go on the first three strands of the Tiger Cub belt totem. (The fourth strand is for Tiger Track beads which signify completed electives.) A boy can earn only one bead for each of the 15 achievement parts, regardless of how many times he may repeat a part. As each bead is awarded and added to a boy’s belt totem, he should be recognized with a simple ceremony at a den meeting. When a boy has earned all 15 beads, he is eligible to receive his Tiger Cub badge, signifying that he has earned the Tiger Cub rank.