Themes / Core Values
2000
2001
2002
2003
- Uncle Sam Depends On You
- Why Does It Do That?
- Land Of The Pharaohs
- Lights, Camera, Action!
- Fun In The Sun
- A Hiking We Will Go
- Circle The Wagons
- Soaring To New Heights
- Once Upon A Time
- Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock
- A Cub Scout Gives Good Will
- Home Alone
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
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The anniversary week of Scouting is a great time for Cub Scouts to set the example of good citizenship. Check with your school or chartered organization about opportunities for uniformed dens to raise and lower the flag. Boys can discover the responsibility and adventure associated with commitment to United States military service as they tour the nearest military installation to see firsthand what goes on there. Dens can be encouraged to write letters to servicemen stationed in other countries. Den activities will also center around making placemats, centerpieces, and other decorations to honor our country at the Blue and Gold Banquet. After learning flag etiquette and the proper way to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Cub Scouts will conduct an extraordinary flag ceremony led by Uncle Sam to begin the Blue and Gold banquet.
Encourage the natural creativity of your Cub Scouts with a project for the pack Science Fair. Boys can exercise their minds and their handicraft skills while making these projects from materials found around the house. Projects could be completed by dens or by individual Scouts. Many Wolf and Bear achievements and electives can be worked on this month, including Space, Radio, Electricity, and Things That Go. This is the month for boys to work on the Science academic belt loop or pin. Show off science projects at the pack meeting and award a special ribbon for each.
Cub Scouts travel back in time to the amazing world of ancient Egypt. Explore the tombs of Egyptian kings and learn about the music, food, art, and science of ancient Egyptians. Use hieroglyphics to write secret codes. Observe how the Egyptian stargazers used the constellations to predict events, leading to the basis of early calendars. Boys can build their own sand pyramids and then float down the Nile River in the pack's Raingutter Regatta. King Tut can make a visit to present awards!
Everyone wants in on the act! What fun it will be for Cub Scouts to spend the month preparing to act in a play, sing a song, dance, do a magic trick, or perform a puppet show at the pack meeting. Dens might take a field trip to the local TV or cable station to see how the pros do it! A variety show at the pack meeting might also include acts featuring parents and siblings. Dens can create posters announcing their show, make programs, and let everyone know what's coming. Commercials, written and videotaped by dens during their den meetings, could be shown between acts. Popcorn will make a great treat for this pack meeting !!
Plan some outdoor activities this month that will encourage dens to meet and make preparations together for your pack event. It's a great time for a pack picnic, with each den planning a game or activity. Or have a Cubanopolis with dens preparing their vehicle and practicing maneuvers during their den meetings. Stress good sportsmanship and team building during the planning stages, as well as during the actual event.
"Over hill, Over dale, We will hit the Outdoor Trail, As the Cub Scouts go hiking around." This is the place to be to take a close-up look at nature. A field trip to the Forest Service or to a state, national, or local park will enhance the boys' imaginations as they participate in various kinds of hikes during the month -- alphabet hikes, crayon hikes, inch hikes, or one of the many others described in the Cub Scout Leader How To Book. Even the back yard can stir the imagination with a micro-hike! Hiking is a great way to find adventurous ways to complete Cub Scout outdoor achievements, electives, and activity pins. The pack's big outing could be a joint adventure with a local Boy Scout troop.
With summer ending, it's time to round-up your Cub Scouts to begin another Scouting year. Boys spend the month learning about the "Old West". What did frontier boys do for fun? There are lots of good stories to be told around the campfire and lots of fun costumes to make. Cub Scouts can use cardboard boxes to make their own covered wagons and horses, then have rodeos, roping contests, and wagon races. Circle those wagons around the campfire and have a Chuckwagon Dinner at your pack meeting. Don't forget the tin cups and plates!
Cub Scouts learn how man conquered the air and explore the history of aviation. Look at the ways we have taken to the skies, from airplanes, to helicopters, to balloons. Dens might visit a local airport or Air Force base and learn how airplanes fly. Cub Scouts can build model airplanes or hold a paper airplane-flying contest at your den or pack meeting. Make your very own homemade "aircraft carrier" and land your airplanes on it. Packs can distribute promotional "flyers" on the upcoming contest. How about having a kite making and flying contest? The runway is clear, so take off for fun!
Cub Scouts learn about the "bigger than life" characters in the land of make believe. Fairy tales... folklore... tall tales... or are there any local legends or stories from your area? Add a little local heritage to this theme to bring the "bigger than life" characters to life at your pack meeting. The boys will enjoy a local field trip, research and reliving this piece of local history. How about making up your own? Pack meetings and awards can be built around one or more of these characters -- Pecos Bill in the west, Paul Revere in the east, Paul Bunyan in the north, or even Mother Goose. Let your imagination fly.
What kind of people were the Pilgrims? How did they live, and what did they mean to our nation's history. The Pilgrims and the Native Americans who helped them gave us many things, including Thanksgiving. This month, Cub Scouts will re-enact the first Thanksgiving, which lasted three days, with games and contests in addition to a bountiful meal. Prepare Pilgrim and Native American costumes. Design some games that would have been played during this time. Dens can prepare a game or food for the feast, and help by building props or scenery. Consider a raingutter regatta as a modern day version of a game that might have been played at the first Thanksgiving. Most of all remember to give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy.
"A Cub Scout gives goodwill" - Cub Scouts learn about the spirit of Scouting and the meaning of the season by performing a good deed for someone in need during the holiday season. Making gifts for friends and family is a fun part of the celebration of the season. Keeping service to God and others in mind, have your den collect donated food or gift items for an "adopted" family in need. Conduct a pack-wide collection of winter coats and gloves or blankets for the homeless. Prepare an outing to work in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, make decorations to brighten up a nursing home or other care facility or sing carols for the people who live there. The opportunities to "do a good turn" are endless this month.
Many boys are left at home alone after school. This month is a good time to review basic first aid, emergency plans, calling for help, and family rules for when you are home alone. The Red Cross, a local nurse, or doctor may be willing to come to a den meeting to discuss basic, age-appropriate first aid. The boys can make a home First Aid kit, too. Many public safety offices offer brochures that contain tips for being home alone; these ideas can be used for role-playing and skit ideas. What kinds of snacks can the boys make when they are alone? This would be a good month to find out. Being home alone won't be so scary after this theme is explored.
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