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Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
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Last Update: 7/12/10
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A boy is what he does, he does what he can. What he is going to be, he is now becoming. He is going to sit right where you are sitting. And when you are gone, he will attend to those things you think are important. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out depends on him. |
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Even if you make treaties and leagues, he will have to manage them. He is going to sit at your desk in Congress and assume your place on the Supreme Court bench. He will take over your churches, schools, universities and tpink corporations. He will assume control of your cities, states and nations. All your books are going to be judged praised and condemned by him. All your hopes for him and the faith of the nations and humanities are in his hands. SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL PAY SOME ATTENTION TO HIM!! |
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Discipline is the process of learning.
Den discipline is a cooperative process where the boys behave in such a manner that both the boys and the leaders win: both achieve their objectives. The boys have fun, do exciting new things and feel good about themselves. The leaders achieve the aims of scouting, the boys are safe and they all get through the meetings with a minimum of damage and tears. Punishment is the opposite. Punishment happens when discipline fails. Punishment is adversarial: either the leader wins, the boy is punished and the boy loses or the leader backs down and the boy wins. Children need to develop self esteem. They need to win and feel good about themselves. When a leader uses punishment or the threat of punishment to control behavior, every time the leader wins, the boy loses and is motivated to misbehave in an attempt to win next time. Scouting relies totally on positive reinforcement. Chapter 16 (Ch. 2 in the older edition) of the Cub Scout Leader Book contains the official word on Cub Scout discipline. Every leader should read it and follow its recommendations. bill |
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For more, read |
York-Adams Area Cncl. Pow-Wow |
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'It is risky to order a child not to do something. It immediately opens him to the adventure of doing it' BP |
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SEVEN OTHER WAYS TO LOOK AT IT |
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"If Huck [Finn] and Tom [Sawyer] were in today's schools, they would be labeled ADD and drugged." Michael Gurian |
The emotional needs of boys between 1st and 4th grades are basically the same. All boys (in fact, all people) have:
How each boy tries to fulfill these needs is what really makes him unique. One boy may be very timid and quiet and another loud and rowdy, but both are afraid they won't be loved. We usually notice the rowdy one, but both need our care and attention.
If a boy wants to be noticed and receives a lot of attention from you when he misbehaves, his need to be noticed is fulfilled. He will probably continue his inappropriate behavior because it best fulfills his need.
Well then, what's a den leader to do? Boys will be boys and will probably get into trouble. How can you deal with misbehavior, build up their self-esteem and still maintain some kind of order in your den? You need a plan of discipline.
The boys have fun, do
exciting new things and feel good about themselves.
The leaders achieve the aims of Scouting, the boys are safe
and they all get through the meetings with a minimum of damage
and tears.
Here are some ideas on how to reach this state of grace. I am writing this mostly with den meetings in mind but much of what follows applies equally as well to pack meetings and other Scouting activities. Some of the most important points, I learned during my years working at the archery and bb-gun ranges at camp. There we had zero tolerance for misbehavior.
Baloo's Bugle
Surprisingly enough, most den leaders find that if their den has a Code of Conduct to follow, their home, their furniture, and their dignity remain intact throughout their Cub Scout experience. Boys need to know just how far they can go, and the Den Code of Conduct will tell them this.
Each den will want to develop their own code to fit those special boys. Don't make too many rules; omit any insignificant ones. The rules should be simple, clear, and concise so they can be understood by the boys. In fact, the boys should help set the rules.
Some dens use a good conduct candle. This is a large candle that burns during den meetings. When the conduct code is broken by any boy the candle is extinguished for the remainder of the meeting. After several den meetings, the candle will be burned down, and a special treat or tip is planned for the den. The sooner the candle burns down, the sooner the boys receive their treat. In this way, the candle serves as an incentive for good behavior.
Suggestions for a Code of Conduct
Friendly Reminders
It is important to keep boys under control at all times, without smothering them.
If you lose control, you need to know how to regain it. Don't try to out shout the boys. Stand where the boys can see you and raise your arm in the Cub Scout sign. Train your boys to respond to this signal. "When the hand goes up, the mouth goes shut."
Alternate sitting,doing,quiet, and less quiet. Know when the boys are getting restless and change the pace of the meeting. Go outside for an active game or contest. Give them a chance to blow off excess steam.
Balance is important. Know where to draw the line.
Leslie Herman - Pow Wow OnLine
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DID YOU KNOW.....
Boys behave better when they wear their uniforms. |
At your first den meeting sit down with the boys and discuss what a den meeting will be like and what you hope to accomplish.
Introduce the cubs to the Cub Scout sign. Let them know that you have no intention of wasting your time screaming an hollering at them ( the boys will appreciate that too!) and you will only be using the sign to get their attention. (A whistle is nice to use for rowdy outdoor games)
Have the boys tell you what rules they think would be appropriate for den meetings. You'll be surprised; the boys will be harder on themselves than you would be. They'll be delighted when you decide to throw a rule or two out.
Here's a sample Den Code of Conduct written by boys:
Don't interrupt
No nasty jokes
No punching or kicking
Listen to Akela and don't talk back
No cussing
Don't stick your tongue out or spit
No talking ugly about other people
You might add a few things, like:
Wipe your feet at the door.
No running or yelling in the house.
Write all the rules on a poster board and display them at every
meeting. You might find you need to add something later.
You may also wish to review them from time to time. Once you have
your den rules established, you need to find a system to enforce it
that will work for you.
One system that works well is "THREE STRIKES - YOU'RE OUT". The
first time a boy breaks a rule, he gets a warning. The second time,
the boy spends 5 minutes in Time Out. (Time Out is an interruption
of a child's unacceptable behavior, by removing him from the scene
of the action.) A chair off to the side, out of the activity of the
den meeting, can serve as the Time Out area. After 5 minutes the boy
is asked if he is ready to return to the group. If a boy doesn't
control himself in Time Out, he moves on to his third strike. When a
Cub commits his third infraction of the Code of Conduct, he is excused
from the meeting and must call a parent to come and get him. Have a
conference with the boy and at least one parent before he can return
to the next den meeting.
Be sure to explain the Den's Code of Conduct and the consequences of breaking the rules to the parents of boys in your den at each of our den parents meetings.
Orange County Council Pow Wow
Q I'm a parent of a Scout, was in Tiger Cubs last year. Can someone explain the conduct candle?
A A conduct candle is generally used in conjunction with a treat. You start off by saying that when the candle burns down to a certain point that all boys will participate in a pizza party or special field trip/treat. The candle is lit at the start of the meeting & stays lit till the closing or when someone in the den misbehaves the candle is blown out. Usually the boy who misbehaves blows it out, this is an incentive for the boys to behave.
CT DaveDeutch
As for the conduct candle, it's a gimmick you use to control your Den meetings. What you do is light the candle at the beginning of your Den meeting and if you lose control of your meeting you put the candle out until you regain control. When the candle is completely burned up, you provide the boys with some form of reward such as a pizza party. Make sure you don't use too small a candle or you'll be rewarding the boys quite often.
CT Jim Wiest
We started with a small candle and moved to progressively bigger ones. That way the boys got the idea that there really would be a reward.
CT Rob Blau
If you keep the candle in the freezer between meetings, it will burn slower.
CT Andy Henderson
A way to put a little bit of a positive spin on this is to give each boy who attends a bead, if they misbehave, take the bead away. At the end of the meeting they put the beads in a jar. When the jar is full, they get the treat. Of course you don't want to start out with a 5 gallon water jug, maybe a baby food jar with a smaller prize like ice cream and then work on larger jars, or smaller beads.
CT Jim Lindberg
Discipline is seldom a problem if you time the activities so that the NEXT activity is always something they would rather do than what they are doing NOW.
My meetings worked best with the following scheduler:
Gathering time
Flag Ceremony
Announcements
Advancement Activity or Craft
Games
Snack
Closing
For some reason there is always someone eager to do a flag ceremony in a wolf den, so that gets us started. They expect announcements, and have not gotten antsy yet, so it is an easy transition to explaining the activity or craft. When they are finished or bored (same thing) with the craft, they are always receptive to the idea of playing a game, likewise snack.
Also, plan a backup plan for when an activity that sounded great just does not go over with the Scouts. I have had the chance to work with two dens on the same activity at different meetings, and what works with one den might be a complete flop with another, so be prepared with an alternative. As long as you keep them busy they are easy to handle.
Another approach to discipline that worked well for us is the bead jar. Each time they come to a meeting they get one bead for attendance, one for being in uniform, and one for a good turn they have done if they have done one, or if they do one during the meeting. We put the beads in a small jar and when it is full they all get to choose a special treat for the den. We spent part of one meeting coming up with rules of conduct for Scouts that should result in a bead being taken away.
I had the Scouts make suggestions on what rules they thought belonged on the list, and then the Scouts voted on them. These became THEIR rules, and thinking about them and deciding about them was a positive learning experience. It only takes a gentle reminder from myself or one of the other Cubs to stop a behavior that is on the list.
Peter Van Houten
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Children need lots of positive encouragement to build their self esteem. When they comes from someone important, like Akela, words of praise means a lot to a kid. For every negative comment - like “NO”, “STOP”, “DON'T'”, or “QUIET!”, you should use at least four positive statements like these from the Orange County Council: |
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I like you! |
I can tell you really worked on this. |
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Some common reasons: |
Some common solutions: |
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They are not sure what is expected of them. |
Use code of conduct. Make sure that each boy and his parents are aware of the rules. Wearing uniforms, emphasizing the Cub Scout motto and promise all help. |
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They test limits. |
Do you really mean it? Be consistent and fair. Expect to be tested at every meeting. Be good natured about enforcing the rules. Use gimmicks like the conduct candle or marble jar. |
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They are bored. |
Activities should be active. |
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They want attention. |
Give them attention. |
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They try to dominate. |
Give them opportunities to control. They should have lots of input to the den code of conduct, the skits they put on at pack meetings, and other activities. Encourage Bear Achievements 15 and 24 at den meetings. Try to be a facilitator rather than a leader. |
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They are lonely. |
Watch out for cliques and little sets that exclude one or more boys. Keep den size small so that a quiet shy kid doesn't get overlooked. Use positive statements and encourage boys to give good will to each other. Encourage Bear Achievement 24d. |
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They need acceptance |
Use ceremonies to build each boy's self image. Use den
cheers, den doodles, hi-5's etc. to recognize achievement
and to build team spirit in the den. Make a den flag with
each boy's name on it. |
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They want to lead |
Give every boy the chance to lead, and support him when he does. Use the offices of denner and assistant denner, have boys lead ceremonies, games and other activities. Use Wolf Achievement 2b, and Bear Achievements 15a, 15c, 24b and 24c as opportunities. |
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They seek revenge. |
Abused or hurt children may lash out - not at their abusers - but at someone they see as vulnerable. You need outside help in this case. |