30 Beautiful Trophy Stands for $50

In "This Old House"-style, Grove Rasmusson (Cubmaster) teaches us and shows us exactly how he makes 30 impressive Pinewood Derby trophies, each costing just over $1.50, depending on your available resources. In his own words:

     "Each year I make the awards for the Pinewood derby. The top piece is 5"x 1-1/4". The Middle piece is 5-3/4" high and the Bottom piece is 8" long. The whole thing costs about $50 depending on what you have around the house. 15 minutes long? I know, but I was pretty thorough! :)" Yes, the video is 15 minutes long, and it certainly is thorough. It makes it easy to craft a trophy worthy of displaying the cubs hard work for a lifetime. Click on the Cubmaster's name in the first paragraph to watch this video.

If you involve your den in making these, it can pass off:
Wolf 5 TOOLS FOR FIXING AND BUILDING
Bear 21 BUILD A MODEL  b. build a display for one of your models.
Webelos CRAFTSMAN  (technology) 1. Safe handling of tools. 2. Construct 2 different wooden objects. 3. Make a display stand to be used to display a model.

Power Point Games

These classroom games were created in PowerPoint and LOOK very attractive and user-friendly.  

Download the templates and modify the games to fit your curriculum needs here.

Lots of whole class participation games similar to Jeopardy,Wheel of Fortune, Pyramid, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Password, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and more.

Feb 2012: I just found another site with 52 more power point game templates.  Click here.

Pack Budgets

Budgeting for a pack can be difficult.  One of the best ways to know how to budget is to know what was spent.  Keep a detailed record of how much you spend in very specific categories.  Pair these records with attendance at den meetings and pack meetings to get an average spent per scout, then use all the information you have gathered to determine next years budget.

Also, here are some links to budget tools from the BSA.

Planned Budgeting

Planning Your Program Budget

Pack Operating Budget PDF

Opening and Closing Flag Ceremony Scripts

Copy, Paste, Shrink down, and Laminate these scripts so the boys can read from the card as they learn, practice, and perform flag ceremonies.  ... and did I mention:  PRACTICE!



 BASIC OPENING CEREMONY
(Have only scouts properly and respectfully dressed in uniform offstage, ready holding the flags. The US Flag is on the right, then State flag, then Troop flag on the far left. You may only have flag bearers, 2 or 3 scouts following, 2 in front and 2 behind, or any crisp formation depending on number of scouts in color guard.)

Leader: "Color Guard, Attention!"
              "Audience, Please Rise!"
              "Scout Salute! Those not in uniform, please place your right hand over your heart."
              "Color Guard, Forward March!"
(wait for color guard to reach the front)
(US Flag crosses in front of others to left-most flag stand, then state, then troop flags. Wait for flag bearers to move to the flag pole stands. DO NOT POST COLORS YET!  Also, FLAG BEARERS AND GUARDS DO NOT SALUTE YET, nor say the Pledge!)
             "Please recite the Pledge of Allegiance!"
(Silently count 1-2 in head, signifying 2 seconds of silence)
             "TWO!"
(Everyone drops salute)
             "You may post the Flag of the United States of America! "
             "Post the Flag of the Great State of [your state name]! "
             "Post the Flag of [Pack/Troop] 123! "
             "Color Guard, Honor your Colors!"
(Flag bearers and Color Guard salute the US flag)
             "Color Guard, return to ranks!"
(wait for flag bearers return to formation)
              "Audience, Please be seated!"


BASIC CLOSING CEREMONY
(leader assembles color guard in back of room or offstage so they are ready.)
Leader: "Color Guard, Attention!"
              "Audience, Please Rise! "
              "Color Guard, Forward March! "
(wait for color guard to reach the front)
              "Scout Salute! Please put your right hand over your heart if you are not in uniform."
              "Color Guard, Retrieve the Colors! "
(wait for flag bearers to pick up their flags)
              "Color Guard, Return to Ranks! "
(Scouts not carrying flags turn around so they are facing the audience. Wait for flag bearers to return to formation: US Flag is on the far right facing the audience, then state flag, then troop flag on far left.)
             "Color Guard, Forward March! "
(wait until color guard reaches back of room)
              "TWO!"
(everyone drops salute.)
              "Audience, Thank you for joining us. "
              "Color Guard, Dismissed! "
(flag bearers should immediately put the flags away before starting to play with the other guys.)

Annual Pack Planning Meeting

Every summer the Committee Chair sets up an extended meeting (often 2 to 2 1/2 hours) with the whole committee and interested parents to plan pack meetings for the next Cub Scouting year (Sept - Aug).  This is important to prepare the yearly budget. It's also good for calendaring around holidays, school, and church calendars, so that there are fewer conflicts. You may find a 1/2 year review is good for updating plans according to budget, newly calendared items, and resources.

Click HERE for slides in preparation of your own Pack Yearly Planning Meeting. 

When you have decided on your pack activities, print it on a poster-sized pack calendar to be displayed at pack meeting, place it on your pack blog, and give a hard copy to each family. 

The Boy Scouts have a Pack Calendar that I really like. Click HERE to be brought to the BSA page where you can scroll down and then view the 2014-2015 Pack Calendar Template (Excel). 

Old Ephraim District takes vacation from Roundtable in July.  That leaves one free night you can fill with your Annual Pack Planning Meeting.

Build-A-Certificate

 HERE are 93 Scouting and Cub Scouting certificates- some horizontal and some vertical - (13 that are only for Cub Scouts, but many others that work for Cub Scout Awards, as well) that you personalize and print from your computer.  Check them out!

Tour & Activity Plan

The Tour Permit has been replaced by the online Tour and Activity Plan.

A Tour and Activity Plan is only necessary when you travel outside of your council or when doing a high adventure activity, like any aquatic activity or shooting sports.

However, anytime you go on a field trip away from your normal meeting place, you should leave your plan with two leaders or parent staying at home. That way, should plans change or something prevent you from arriving home as scheduled, you have a contact person at home who can let other parents know what the hold-up is.

Required for all tours is at least one leader having been Hazardous Weather trained, and that training must be repeated every 2 years.

Also, at least one leader must be Youth Protection Trained, and that training must be repeated every 2 years.

You are also supposed to have an Annual Health and Medical Form filled out for each participant, child and adult.  The unexpected happens, and when it does you and an EMT will have the information needed to take care of a situation.

Steps to filling out the new online Tour & Activity Plan:

Go to www.myscouting.org and sign in

On the left hand side, there is a grey toolbar.  The third section down is Unit Tools.  The last item under that section is Tour and Activity Plan.  Click it.

You are now at the page that you fill out online for your own Tour and Activity plan.  :)    SO much easier than the paper way!

1 Doc = Cub Meeting Plans + Faith In God

Connecting Faith in God for Boys and Cub Scout requirements. (click HERE)

Connecting Faith in God for Boys and the plans from your Den and Pack Resource Manual (click HERE)