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
Required Adventure #1: Cast Iron Chef (about nutrition and food) complete #1 and 2, 3 is optional
Plan a menu for a balanced meal for your den or family, including the budget. Participate in shopping for the items and stay within your budget.
Prepare a balanced meal for your den or family, practician good food safety. Cook the food using a camp stove, Dutch oven, box oven, solar oven, open campfire, or charcoal grill.
Build a fire using tinder, kindling and wood fuel, in accordance with local laws and adult supervision. Manage it safely, and extinguish the flames and return the site to its original condition. (optional)
Required Adventure #2: First Responder (about emergency preparation) complete #1 and 5 others
Explain what first aid is. Tell what to do after an accident.
Show what to do for Hurry cases: Serious bleeding, heart attack, stopped breathing, stroke, poisoning. (optional)
Show how to help a choking victim. (optional)
Show how to treat for shock. (optional)
Show how to treat at least 5 of the following: (a) cuts and scratches, (b) burns and scalds, (c) Sunburn, (d) blisters on hand or foot, (e) tick bites, (f) bites/stings from other insects, (g) snakebites, (h) nosebleed, (i) frostbite. (optional)
Assemble a first-aid kit. Explain what is included and how to use each item correctly. (optional)
Create and practice an emergency readiness plan for your home or den meeting place. (optional)
Visit with a first responder or health care professional. (optional)
Required Adventure #3: Stronger, Faster, Higher (about exercise and health) complete #1-3 and 1 other
Demonstrate the proper way to warm up before exercise and cool down afterward. Explain why it is important.
Perform these activities and record your results: (a) 20 yard dash, (b) vertical jump, (c) lifting a 5 pound weight, (d) push-ups, (e) curls, (f) jump rope.
Make an exercise plan that includes at least 3 physical activities. Do the plan for 30 days, and write down your progress each week.
Try a new sport you have never tried before. (optional)
With your den, prepare a fitness course or games that include: (a) jumping, (b) obstacles, (c) weights, and (d) running. Time yourself going through the course, and try to improve your time over a two week period. (optional)
Help younger Scouts perform a fitness game. (optional)
Great Falls Park, McLean VA
Required Adventure #4: Webelos Walkabout (about hiking and preparation) complete #1-4 and 1 other
Plan a hike or outdoor activity.
Assemble a first aid kit for your hike or activity.
Recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles from memory. Explain how you followed them on your adventure.
Hike 3 miles. Pack a nutritious lunch or snack, eat it on your hike, and leave no trace afterward.
Describe any poisonous plants or dangerous animals/insects you might find on your hike. (optional)
Perform a leadership roles during your hike: trail leader, first aid leader, or food leader. (optional)
Brightview Woodburn Nursing Home & Memory Care, Annandale VA
Elective Adventure #5: Aware and Care (about disabilities, empathy and service) complete #1-4
Participate in an activity that simulates blindness or deafness.
Participate in an activity that simulates a physical disability or dexterity impairment.
Participate in an activity that focuses on the acceptance of differences in general.
Do 2 of the following:
Do a Good Turn for residents at a nursing home or retirement community.
Invite a disabled person to your den. Discuss what activities he/she finds challenging or overcame.
Attend an event like Special Olympics, an adaptive sports event, a performance with sign language or activity with service dogs. Talk about the experience with your den.
Talk to someone who works with disabled people. Ask about how he/she helps disabled people.
Sign the Scout Oath using Sign Language.
Talk to someone who trains service dogs, learn how pups are trained to help clients.
Participate in a service project that focuses on a specific disability.
Participate in an activity with and organization of disabled people.
Elective Adventure #6: Build It (about tools and safety) complete #1-4
Learn about basic tools and safety.
Build a project using wood, with the help of a parent or den leader.
Make a list of the tools and materials you used. Note the tools used for the first time.
Visit a construction site, and talk to someone about that field with your parent or den leader.
Elective Adventure #7: Castaway (about survival skills and improvisation) complete #1-6
While camping, cook 2 different recipes that do not require pots and pans.
Light a fire without using matches OR build a shelter using fallen branches to protect you overnight.
Assemble a survival kit. Explain to your den leader why these items are important for survival.
Demonstrate 2 ways to treat drinking water to remove bacteria and impurities.
Tell what the universal distress signal is. Tell what the letters "S-T-O-P" stand for. Describe 3 ways to signal for help (demonstrate 1). Describe what you can do to help rescuers find you.
Make a list of 4 qualities a leader should have in an emergency. Act out 2 for your den. Describe how each relates to a point of the Scout Law. Describe how this relates to the Boy Scout motto.
Elective Adventure #8: Engineer (about design and engineering) complete #1-2, others are optional
Research 3 things about a type of engineering with your parent. Share your findings with your den.
Find a set of blueprints or specifications with your parent. Construct your own set of drawings, and build a project to your own design. Share your project at a den or pack meeting.
Explore other fields of engineering and how they helped our past, present, and future. (optional)
Complete 2 projects using engineering skills. Share your projects at a den or pack meeting. (optional)