Annual Cub Scout Pack Program Planning

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Annual Cub Scout Pack Program Planning

• Tom Pahl, Pack 597
• Mustang District

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Class Objectives

• Introductions
• Me
• You
• How Long have you been in Scouting? Cub Scouts?
  Boy Scouts? What Positions?
• What do you want to learn, what objectives do you
  have for this class?
• My Objectives
• Answer your questions to the best of my ability
• Explain what is an Annual Pack Program and how
  planning for it could / should work for Cub
  Scouts

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Pack Plan

• Elements of a Pack Plan
• FUN is first and foremost
• Events
• Details
• Costs/Budgeting
• Responsible organizers / planners
• Recorder / Secretary / official copy
• Published what is sent to everyone

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Pack Planning Meeting

• Summertime is a good time
• Keep people thinking about scouting year round
• Make it a party! Food is friendly and social
• Host can be anyone, but Committee Chair or
  Cubmaster are good choices
• Leave 2-3 hours for discussion items and general
  brainstorming
• Dont forget Calendars for planning
• School Calendar
• Chartered Organization Calendar
• Sports Calendar, etc.

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Pack Planning Meeting

• Things to Bring to the Planning Meeting
• Calendars for dates
• Cub Scout Program Helps book Use the monthly
  themes for ideas and Old Faithfuls!
• Last years plan for what worked and what didnt
  work The Good, Bad and Ugly (GBU)
• Any issues from last year make sure that they
  are discussed or mitigated (GBU)
• FUN!

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Pack Planning Meeting

• Outcome from the meeting will be a Pack Plan and
  agenda!
• Pack Plan is your roadmap to a successful year in
  Cub Scouts parents are busy too
• Dont be afraid to make changes as necessary
  update the information and websites

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Pack Planning

• Questions
• We dont have a pack plan for this year is it
  too late? No, but get started NOW.
• We want to make some changes to our pack plan,
  but people dont want to change what can we do?
  Delegation is the key to dissension /
  discussion.
• No one has time to make a Pack Plan what can we
  replicate in our pack? Email and plagiarize from
  others

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Sample Pack Plan
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Second Sample Pack Plan
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Sample Pack Plan

• Month by Month Agenda/Program
• Awards
• Some choose not to have them every month
• Save them up for more awards more boys receive
  awards
• -- Be mindful of timing issues / delays (Log jam
  effect)
• Pre-meeting activities
• Keep the boys occupied until the meeting starts
  (sparklers)
• Set up chairs if needed / parental involvement

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Sample Pack Plan

• Song
• Cant be underestimated! Everyone loves cheesy
  Cub Scout songs! There are plenty out there
  books or on-line.
• Flag Ceremony
• Tigers later in the year
• Have a standard ceremony which is distributed to
  all leaders on-line resources such as
  www.usscouts.org/cubscouts/ceremony

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Third Sample Pack Plan
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Detail on Pack Plan

• Dens should keep their own calendar
• Merge with Pack calendar
• Avoid Conflicts (Scout Tuesdays)
• Detail to the level that is needed
• Everything can be planned out in advance
• The more you plan ahead The better the activity
  will be!
• -- Involve your helper parents they want to
  help but fear the commitment.

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Ideas for Places to go

• Camping!
• BALOO trained OWLS for Webelos
• Beautiful camps Northern Star Council is lucky
• Nothing like a campfire and scout vespers to
  finish the evening
• Mill City Museum
• Science Museum/Sleeping with Dinosaurs
• MN History Museum
• Nature Centers (Three Rivers/Ramsey Co.)
• Pack Bowling!
• Park at MOA/Waterpark and Grand Rios
• Bell Museum / Raptor Center
• Others?

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Ideas for Speakers

• Magicians
• Visiting Science / Wizards (3M, etc)
• Excel Energy demonstration
• Bug guy
• Raptor Center (visit there too)
• Congressman citizenship (keep it short!)
• Mayor City Council (Flag Ceremony)

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Summer

• Our plan only goes through the May Crossover
• Plan for the summertime activities during the
  months of March through May
• At least two activities per month almost assures
  the summertime activity award and keeps the boys
  and adults thinking about Cub Scouts Camping
  counts.

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Summertime Activities

• Memorial Day Parade
• A Baseball Game (Saints or Twins have scout
  deals)
• Twins Overnight lots of fun!
• Resident Camps
• Splash Party (reserve a park, squirt guns, water
  balloons, etc.)
• All pack swim event (Shoreview community center,
  YMCA, Ramsey Beach, etc.)
• 2 Liter Bottle Launching
• Pack Picnic / Combine with Ice Cream Social or
  Bike Ride
• Service Project (Pack Cleanup)
• Vertical Endeavors (indoor climbing a blast!
  20/boy)
• Fishing event
• Estes Rocket Launching
• Pack Camping
• Rain gutter Regatta
• Space Derby or Rocket Launch
• Pack Planning meeting with committee
• Some do it the last committee meeting

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Conclusion

• Pack Planning
• Have a good plan for the entire year
• Have fun making your plan!
• Summertime Planning
• Start thinking in the spring about your summer
• Make the plan and let it go!
• Questions?

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Closing

• Have I covered all of your questions?
• Are there any follow-up questions?
• http//www.pack597.org/schedule.html
• Pack Administration Handouts

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Helpful Internet Sites

• http//www.macscouter.com/ EXCELLENT
  material!http//www.scoutxing.com/ EXCELLENT
  material!http//boyscouttrail.com/ EXCELLENT
  material!http//www.scoutingresources.org.uk/ UK
  Scout ideas Very Good material!http//www.scout
  er.com/default.asp Good site for
  Materialhttp//www.cubmaster.org/ Good site for
  Materialhttp//www.scoutorama.com/ Good
  Materialhttp//www.woodbadge.org/ Wood Badge
  Websitehttp//www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resource
  s/34304/index.jsp Online Program
  Helps!http//www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources
  / Official Cub Scout Infohttp//www.scoutingmagaz
  ine.org/ Scouting Magazine onlinehttp//www.scctv
  .org/ Suburban Cable Channel (Tiger go-see
  it)http//www.scouting.org/ BSA official
  websitehttp//www.trails-end.com/ Popcorn
  sitehttp//www.northernstarbsa.org/ Northern
  Star Councilhttp//www.scouting.org/forms/ Every
  BSA form!http//www.nccs-bsa.org/ National
  Catholic Committee on Scoutinghttp//www.troopmas
  ter.com/ Software for managing your
  packhttp//www.mninter.net/blkeagle/insignia.htm
  Best Insignia Site!http//www.goscouting.org/ C
  amping for Northern Star Councilhttp//www.fastpi
  ne.com/ Pinewood Secretshttp//www.scoutstuff.or
  g/ Official Scout catalog
• http//trax.boy-scouts.net/ Spreadsheets for
  tracking progress for Dens

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Thank you! tpahl_at_foleymansfield.com