The Dens are the most important unit in the Cub Scouting program, and Den Leaders and parents set the tempo for the entire experience. This guidebook is the BSA doctrine for Den Leaders and Parents on how to run a Cub Scout Den. It contains:
How to make a den schedule
How to run a meeting
Requirements for each adventure/badge
Activity ideas and suggestions
Camp Snyder, Haymarket VA
With tent platforms, bathrooms, showers, water, Scout Store, etc.
Required Adventure #1: Call of the Wild (about camping and preparation) complete #1-6 and 1 other
Attend a Pack or family campout, or an outdoor activity with your den or pack
Make a list of possible weather changes that could happen during your outing, given the season and time of day. Tell how you will be prepared for each one.
Recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles with your leader. Talk about how these principles support the Outdoor Code.
List the ways you are careful with fire or other outdoor dangers.
Demonstrate what to do in case of a natural disaster, like an earthquake or flood.
Demonstrate how to to avoid spreading germs.
Show how to tie an overhand knot and a square knot (optional).
Identify 4 types of animals you can see evidence of their presence. Explain how you know (optional).
Falls Church Vet's Day Ceremony
Required Adventure #2: Council of Fire (about community and service) complete #1-2 and 1 other
Participate in a flag ceremony. Learn how to care for and fold the flag.
Participate in a community service project with your pack, den, or family.
Talk to a military veteran, Police officer, Firefighter, doctor or a first responder. Ask about their service to the community or country. Write a short thank-you note. (optional)
Learn about challenges in your community. Create a project to describe the issues and potential solutions (optional).
Develop a duty chart for your Den. Perform your assigned tasks for one month (optional).
Participate in a parade or assembly celebrating military veterans or first responders (optional).
Required Adventure #3: Howling at the Moon (about performance and communication) complete #1-3
Show 2 ways you can communicate with others (besides verbal).
Plan, prepare, and rehearse an original skit to present at a campfire or Den or Pack meeting.
Perform your role in the performance.
Great Falls Park, McLean VA
Required Adventure #4: Paws on the Path (about hiking and preparation) complete 1-5, others are optional
Identify and pack your own Essential 6 for an outdoor hike.
Describe the buddy system and why we always use it. Explain what to do if you get separated.
Choose your own appropriate clothing to wear on your hike based on expected weather.
Recite the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles. Tell how you showed respect for wildlife.
Conduct a 1-mile hike with your den or family. Describe 2 interesting things never seen before.
Name 2 birds, 2 insects and 2 other animals in your area. Explain how you identified them. (optional)
Draw a map of an area using map symbols. Show which direction is north. (optional)
Required Adventure #5: Running with the Pack (about fitness and health) complete #1-6
Play catch with someone standing at least 5 steps away.
Practice balancing as you walk forward, backward, and sideways.
Practice flexibility by doing a front roll, a back roll, and a frog stand.
Play a sport or game with your den or family. Demonstrate inclusiveness and good sportsmanship.
Demonstrate 2 of the following: frog leap, inchworm walk, kangaroo hop, crab walk.
Plan a healthy menu for a meal for your den or family. Make a list of the food needed for the meal.
Elective Adventure #6: Cubs who Care (about disabilities, empathy and service) complete 4 of 8 below
Try using a wheelchair or crutches. Reflect on the challenges.
Describe a sport that has been adapted to accommodate athletes in wheelchairs or other disabilities.
Learn about "invisible" disabilities. Take part in an activity mimicking these types of disabilities.
Conduct the following while wearing mittens: tie your shoes, use a fork to eat, play a card game, play a board game, blow bubbles.
Draw or paint a picture, and then do it again using a blindfold. Describe the challenges.
Use Sign Language to express 4 points of the Scout Law.
Describe someone famous who had a disability.
Attend an event where people with disabilities are participants, or where accommodations are made for people with disabilities.
Elective Adventure #7: Air of the Wolf (about pneumatics and science) complete 2 of #1-4, and 2 of #5-9
Make a paper airplane and fly it 5 times, record the average distance. Alter its shape, and fly it 5 more times, to see if you can make it fly farther.Â
Make a balloon-powered sled or boat. Test your sled or boat with larger and smaller balloons, to see which goes farther.
Bounce a basketball 10 times, and record the average height. Remove some air and bounce 5 times, and record the results. Fill it up with more air and bounce 5 times, and record the results.
Roll a tire or ball and record the distance it travels. Remove some air and roll, and record the results.
Go outside with your den and record sounds you hear. Identify sounds caused by moving air.
Create a musical wind instrument, and play it with your den or family.
Investigate how speed affects sound with an adult (the Doppler effect).
Make and fly a kite using household materials with your den or family.
Participate in a kite derby, space derby or rain gutter regatta with your den or family. Explain how air helps the vehicle move.
M-NCPPC Dinosaur Park, Laurel MD
Elective Adventure #8: Digging in the Past (about dinosaurs and paleontology) complete #1-4
Play a dinosaur game, such as the dinosaur match game.
Create an imaginary dinosaur. Describe its name, diet, and where it lives.
Make a fossil cast. (optional)
Conduct an archeological excavation, carefully digging for items placed by other members of your den or family. Explain how paleontologist works carefully during an excavation. (optional)
Elective Adventure #9: Finding your Way (about navigation and orienteering - on foot or on bike) complete #1-6
Find your home on a map.
Draw a map for a friend so he/she can find your home or other landmark. Use symbols to show parks, buildings, trees, and water, and include them in a legend.
Explain what a compass rose is, and locate it on the map.
Use a compass to correctly identify north, south, east, and west.
Go on a simple scavenger hunt using a compass, and locate an object or landmark with a compass.
Using a map and compass, go on a hike or walk with your den or family.