FOCUS
Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide
Spring is in the air and just around the corner. Stop and look at the beauty of budding nature. Cub Scouts can help nature along by planting flower gardens to attract butterflies and bees to pollinate. Learn about helpful insects such as ladybugs, praying mantis and spiders by going on an insect safari. Amaze yourself and friends by building an ant farm and watch these critters at work. Make bug jars and display your bug zoo at the pack meeting. This is the time to be outdoors – there are endless choices for dens and packs.
CORE VALUES
Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide
Some of the purposes of Cub Scouting developed through this month’s theme are:
- Spiritual Growth, All the wonders and creations on this earth will help boys understand more about their own spirituality.
- Respectful Relationships, Cub Scouts will learn to treat the earth and its creatures with extra care.
- Fun and Adventure, Boys will explore the wonders of nature and what lives in the earth.
The core value highlighted this month is:
- Citizenship, Boys will become aware that it is their duty to protect the earth and environment.
Can you think of others??? Hint – look in your Cub Scout Program Helps. It lists different ones!! All the items on both lists are applicable!! You could probably list all twelve if you thought about it!!
COMMISSIONER’S CORNER
Well another busy month has come and gone –
- I was invited to (and attended) three Eagle Ceremonies for four new Eagles – 2 from my 2002 Philmont trek, 1 from 2004 and 1 from 2006 trek. Each ceremony was different and unique. Some simple, some fancy.
- I had a great time training at Central NJ Council’s “Cubstruction” Pow Wow. My friend Ben Polanski, whose RT was featured in Scouting a few years ago, was the chair. Usually I am one of the craziest people there, this time I was just typical. Good job Ben!!!
- Our first Philmont shakedown hike was a success!
- Plus my wife and I took a trip to Disneyworld with our daughter and we were greeted by a friend of hers from Philmont staff who is interning at Disney and then we went to Cleveland to help her Mom get ready to move.
At the Eagle for the two Scouts from the 2002 trek, I got to talk with an old Scouting friend, who had invited me to trek with his troop on that trip. He was the Scoutmaster. Watching and talking with Phil is always great. You see how involved he is with the youth and how dedicated to Scouting. He is a living example of Mark Twain’s quote, “The really great make you feel that you, too, can become great!"
Which direction are you supposed to take this theme??
As always, read the vignette from National and you get some good ideas. You can follow up on the digging – dinosaur bones, planting seeds and growing things, a little more “Cubstruction,” maybe. Or you can take it to be an Insect theme. When I went through the Pow Wow Books this month, I found emphasis on Insects and was wondering why?? (I did not read the vignette before starting Baloo) I know that the April 2007 theme will be “Cubs and Bugs Galore,” and assumed (Uh Oh there’s that word about U and ME) insects and bugs were not the focus of this theme. So I looked hard to find more variety. And wound up leaving out lots of good insect and bug stuff. If you want more insect and bug stuff, go to the April 2000 issue of Baloo’s Bugle. It has a lot of good insect and bug theme related ideas. Another reason you should always review your CS Program Helps and RT Pack Resource Page before using other resources, including this one
National makes a patch for every Cub Scout Monthly theme. This is the one for this theme. Check them out at www.scoutstuff.org go to patches and look for 2006 Cub Scout Monthly Theme Emblems. The 2005 Theme patches are still available at about one-third off!!!
Months with similar themes to
Diggin’ In the Dirt
David D. in Illinois
This one was kind of hard to pin down. The general category is Nature but so is Birds (last month’s theme), Bugs (next May’s theme) and trails, trees and more. So here is a list of all the Nature themes from Dave D’s spreadsheet minus Birds, Bugs, Trails and a few others I took out just because. CD
August |
1940 |
Natural Adventures |
May |
1942 |
Victory Gardens |
July |
1942 |
Nature |
July |
1943 |
Back Yard Month |
May |
1944 |
Gardening |
May |
1945 |
Gardening for Victory |
June |
1945 |
Nature |
August |
1948 |
Nature |
August |
1951 |
Nature |
May |
1953 |
Mother Nature's Backyard |
September |
1956 |
Cub Scout Naturalist |
July |
1959 |
Mother Nature's Back Yard |
April |
1963 |
Up Above and Underneath |
April |
1964 |
Cub Scout Naturalists |
April |
1965 |
Green Thumbs |
June |
1965 |
Backyard Adventure |
April |
1966 |
Mother Natures Backyard |
May |
1970 |
Mother Nature's Backyard |
June |
1972 |
Backyard Adventure |
April |
1975 |
Cub Scout Naturalists |
July |
1982 |
Backyard Theme |
June |
1985 |
Backyard Fun |
August |
1987 |
Back to Nature |
June |
1991 |
Backyard Fun |
May |
1994 |
Back to Nature |
June |
1996 |
Backyard Fun |
May |
2000 |
See the Forest for the Trees |
Here are months with a bug theme
April |
1984 |
Bugs & Things |
May |
1992 |
Bugs and Things |
June |
1995 |
Bugs `n Things |
April |
2000 |
Bugs & Things |
