CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Character development should extend into every aspect of a boy's life. Character development should also extend into every aspect of Cub Scouting. Cub Scout leaders should strive to use Cub Scouting's 12 core values throughout all elements of the program — service projects, ceremonies, games, skits, songs crafts and all the other activities enjoyed at den and pack meetings.

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LEADING THE REFLECTION

Lay the Ground Rules for Discussion

Have participants sit so they can see each other, and ask them to agree not to interrupt or make fun of each other. Let them know they are free to keep silent if they wish.

Facilitate the Discussion

As a leader, avoid the temptation to talk about your own experiences. Reserve judgment about what the participants say to avoid criticizing them.

Help the discussion get going, then. let the participants take· over with limited guidance from you. If you describe what you saw, be sure your comments do not stop the participants from adding their own thoughts. Above all, be positive. Have fun with the activity and with the session.

Use Thought-Provoking Questions

These types of questions are useful in reflecting:

Open-ended questions prevent yes and no answers. "What was the purpose of the game?" "What did you learn about yourself?"

Feeling questions require participants to reflect on how they feel about what they did. "How did it feel when you started to pull together?"

Judgment questions ask participants to make decisions about things. "What was the best part?" "Was it a good idea?"

Guiding questions steer the participants toward the purpose of the activity and keep the discussion focused. "What got you all going in the right direction?"

Closing question help participants draw conclusions and end the discussion. "What did you learn?" "What would you do differently?"

Remember, reflecting on an activity should take no more than ten to fifteen minutes. The more you do it, the easier it becomes for both you and the participants. Remember that the value and the values of Scouting often lie beneath the surface. Reflection helps you ensure that these values come through to Scouting participants.

A Model for Reflection

Discuss what happened. Direct openended questions toward specific incidents. For example, you might ask, "Who took leadership? What did they do to make them a leader?" or "How did decisions get made?"

Make a judgment.

Ask the group to decide if what happened is good or bad. Try to focus on the good things first, Direct your attention toward specific skills. For example, you could ask, "What was good about the way decisions were made?: Then you could ask, "What didn't work so well about the way you made decisions?"

Generalize the experience.

Try to get the participants to see the connection between the game or activity and regular Scouting experiences. You could ask, "How can we use the ideas we learned today in our own units?" If you can, be more specific. "How can we use what we learned about decision making on a unit campout?"

Set goals.

Begin with the positive. Ask the participants what skills they used today that they would like to keep doing. Then ask what things they need to change to work together better.

lwjones

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DISABILITY AWARENESS GAMES

To make Cub Scouts aware of the needs of others, three special games are suggested. These "disability awareness" games are fun in themselves, but they also serve to show able-bodied boys the problems of boys who have physical disabilities.

Without making a big deal of it, you might introduce these games with the thought that disabled boys must deal with the limitations imposed for the games in their everyday lives. The idea is to make them aware of the needs of others.

FUMBLE FINGERS

Divide the den into two teams. Tell players to untie their shoelaces. Then tell them to put one hand behind their back (or tie one hand to belt). On signal, each team tries to tie their shoelaces, with each player using only one hand. First team finished wins.

SHIPS IN THE FOG

Divide the den into two teams and line them up relay fashion at one end of the room. For each team set up a series of obstacles--chairs, tables, stools, etc.--between them and the other end of the room. Blindfold the first player on each team. On signal, he starts for the other end of the room, trying to avoid the obstacles. His teammates may call out directions ("Go right," "Turn left," etc.). When he reaches the other end of the room, he takes off the blindfold and runs back to touch off the next Player, who is already blindfolded. Continue until all team members have raced. First team finished wins.

MUFFLED SOUNDS

Divide den into two teams and give each player two cotton balls to stuff into his ears. When all ears are covered, one leader steps outside the room where he or she cannot be seen and produces a series of sounds--tinkling bell, sentence spoken in normal conversational tones, pan being scraped, barking dog, hammer on a board, etc. When the leader returns, each team huddles and writes a list of the sounds it heard. Winning team is the one with the longest list of correct sounds.

Variation: Record the sounds in advance.

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Resources:
ETHICS IN SCOUTING

Resources and references that discuss BSA values and ethics.

• Cub Scouting And Core Values Cub Scouting's Character Connections Program enables leaders to incorporate character development into regular pack and den programs and activities.
• Scouting is a Game with a Purpose Thoughts on bringing the values of Scouting through to youth.
• Scouting is a Game with a Purpose Thoughts on bringing the values of Scouting through to youth.

Resources for instilling values in young people.

• 10 Tips for Raising Children of Character It is one of those essential facts of life that raising good children--children of character--demands time and attention. While having children may be “doing what comes naturally,” being a good parent is much more complicated. By Dr. Kevin Ryan,Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character.
• Goodcharacter.com If you work with kids, and you need to implement character education tomorrow, and you want some immediate help, this is where to start.
• Youth's Frontier -- Making Ethical Decisions - A Manual for Parents and Youth Leaders -- A Guide to Help Youth Meet Today's Challenges . B.S.A. No. 33620.

BSA Family Activity Book -- An easy to follow guide to developing "family talks" on such matters as becoming responsible, learning to trust, communicating, and developing belief in self, family, God, and country. B.S.A. No. 33012.

Guide to Safe Scouting: A Unit Leaders Guide for Current Policies and Procedures to Safe Activities -- When planning any Scouting activity, safety is a primary concern. B.S.A. No. 10-212.

Learning for Life -- a BSA subsidiary providing school systems with action-learning lesson plans to enhance and supplement core curricula. The kindergarten through sixth grade lesson plans include moral and character development themes.

The Values of Men and Boys in America --There is a battle of significant consequence taking place in the lives of boys in America today. In simple terms, it is the struggle between doing RIGHT or WRONG...A Call to Action for Parents - A pamphlet to give to current and prospective Scouting parents. B.S.A. No. 2-121.

PB

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CUB SCOUT Character Development

	CITIZENSHIP	COMPASSION	COOPERATION	COURAGE
Hikes	Hike to a polling place during an election. Hike to a museum or historical building and learn about the history of your community. Take an historical hike.	Take turns carrying items for each other on the hike. Do an inch hike” to become aware of small animals we may harm if walking quickly.	Watch an anthill and point out cooperative behavior. Pair boys to work together when doing an activity.	Meet the challenges of the trail. Plan ahead for situations that will challenge the boy’s courage, including hug a tree if lost.
Nature Activities	Clean up trash in a designated area. Observe a certain species to see how its citizens live together and what “laws” they obey.	Make bird feeders and keep them filled for at least one winter season. Play the Camera Game (Cub Scout Leader How-To Book).	Have den or pack collect recyclable materials to earn money for a good cause.	Study a certain species and how it reacts to danger, paying attention to how adults are courageous when guarding their young.
Service Projects	Raise the flag at the local school every morning for a specific period of time. Do some community clean-up projects.	Give service to elderly or disabled people, such as helping with trash, filling bird feeders, planting flowers, sweeping, watering, taking in newspaper, etc.	Play some games that involve cooperation of team members. (There are many outdoor games involving cooperation in the Cub Scout Leader How To Book)	Arrange for a safe visit to a food kitchen or homeless shelter and talk about how it takes courage to ask for help from others and courage to help those who are different than we are.
Games & Sports	Play a team sport and discuss how the whole is greater than the sum of the individuals making it up. Relate this to everyday life and our society.	Experience a disability ri a game or sport (for instance by being blindfolded or having an arm rendered unusable). Show understanding when others have trouble with a game. Never tease. Show how winning is doing one’s best.	Demonstrate cooperation in a ceremony. (Example: one boy alone cannot light a candle with a match if the wind is blowing, but can do it when another boy shields the wick from the wind.)	Play a game in which a boy has to ask for help from someone else. For some people, admitting they need help is having courage.
Ceremonies	Hold a ceremony to inaugurate the denner or to graduate Wolf Cub Scouts to Bear or Bear Cub Scouts to Webelos Scouts, complete with “tux,” “top hat,” and judge.”	Hold a ceremony to recognize compassionate behavior, especially to peers.	Demonstrate cooperation in a ceremony. (Example: one boy alone cannot light a candle with a match if the wind is blowing, but can do it when another boy shields the wick from the wind.)	Award the “Lion’s Heart” to a boy who shows real courage in any appropriate situation. Place flags at a cemetery on Memorial Day.
Campfires	Reenact the signing of the Declaration of Independence or other historic event. The boys could even be in costume and use a huge feather pen.	Give a skit showing opportunities for compassionate behavior. Don’t laugh if someone makes a mistake. Clap for everyone	Give a skit showing cooperative behavior. Boys show cooperation by joining in with songs and other campfire elements	Give each boy a speaking part in the campfire, even if some fear speaking in public; give plenty of praise for their efforts. Do a skit about a hero.
Den Trips	Visit a local governing body— city council, county commission, school board—to see government in action. Have lunch with the mayor or chief of police.	Visit shut-ins or elderly people at times other than holidays. Be patient and compassionate when waiting for others who need to rest or who are slower.	Visit a grocery store or other business and talk about how the employees cooperate to make the whole enterprise work smoothly.	Visit a dentist’s office. Many people are afraid of dentists. Visit with a firefighter, or EMT.
Pack Overnighter	Boys make up “laws” to govern their “tent city,” discussing how good law benefits all citizens.	Bring someone who needs friends (child or adult). Share belongings with others who may have forgotten something. Be kind to those who may feel uncomfortable being away overnight.	Every boy brings one item for a special dessert or breakfast treat or craft project. Careful planning is necessary to ensure the project will not work if not all the parts are there.	Have a story-sharing hour around the campfire where adults share their experiences of being afraid or uncertain, and how they handled it. Plan a camp at military installation.

	FAITH	HEALTH & FITNESS	HONESTY	PERSEVERANCE
Hikes	Conduct a Scouts Own hike. Hike to a place of worship.	Go on an exercise hike with stations to do specific exercises (many local parks have these already set up). Learn to take your pulse when walking to see how your body is reacting to the exercise.	Follow the Outdoor Code when hiking. After a hike, report accurately, what was observed or done.	Plan a hike where boys encounter obstacles similar to those an early explorer might have encountered. Talk about how pioneers and early explorers persevered to reach their destinations.
Nature Activities	Find reverence for the big and small things of nature.	Study what a certain species eats and how it lives, Discuss how eating right relates to health. Harvest healthy food (with permission or at a pick-your-own farm) or plant an edible crop.	Listen to boys when they are participating in an activity and praise honesty when you hear it.	Study plants that survive difficult environments. Encourage boys to keep trying when an activity is difficult.
Service Projects	Help clean up a local place of worship or help with one of their activities (feeding the homeless or conducting a blanket drive).	Make gifts using recycled materials. Make exercise equipment for a local shelter.	Make posters that address being honest with parents about offers of drugs. Make posters discouraging shoplifting. Aim posters at peer group.	Institute a tutoring program. Boys can plan rewards for the students who persevere until they finish.
Games & Sports	Remind boys that their physical abilities are a gift and reinforce that they should be thankful that they are so wondrously created.	Challenge each boy to compete against himself to become more fit. Record initial abilities and record again at end of a specific period to see improvement. Most outdoor games and sports help to make bodies more fit.	Play a game in which each player must apply the rules to himself. Discuss how honesty makes playing games more fun. Discuss how winning feels when you are dishonest.	Play a game related to pioneers and discuss their perseverance to complete their journeys. Tell boys that those who persevere improve their skills.
Ceremonies	Hold a trail devotion. Hold recognition ceremonies and pack celebrations outdoors in the beauty of nature.	Incorporate exercise equipment (real or prop) into a ceremony. The Cubmaster could jump rope across the room or lift “barbells” to find awards for boys.	In a ceremony, tell the George Washington-cherry tree story or one about Abraham Lincoln.	“Lewis and Clark” could conduct an awards ceremony. “George Washington” could also, after “crossing the Delaware”. Pioneers could deliver awards from a covered wagon.
Campfires	Include an item related to duty to God. Sing a song for the closing ceremony that incorporates faith (applicable to all members’ faiths).	Plan an entire campfire around this theme. Use songs with physical movements. The opening and closing ceremonies and skits could all use health and fitness themes.	Incorporate some good stories about the benefits of honest behavior.	Pioneer and frontier days are good themes to incorporate,
Den Trips	Take a field trip to a place of worship. Visit an early church or mission and learn about the history and faith of people who lived in your area earlier.	Visit a local water treatment plant to see how this vital liquid is made safe for the population. Visit a farm or a place where healthy food is processed. Attend a sporting event.	Visit a local bank or courthouse and include a discussion of honesty. Visit a local retail store and talk about security and shoplifting. Turn something in to “Lost and Found.”	Visit a local gym and talk with a personal trainer. Visit with a doctor and talk about education. Visit a local outdoor track facility and talk with a longdistance runner. All of these demonstrate perseverance.
Pack Overnighter	Conduct a Scouts Own service, even if the overnighter does not take place on a traditional day of worship. An after-dark or sunrise Scouts Own could also be planned.	Boys plan the meals, discussing good nutrition. Discuss the need for lots of water.	Involve boys in counting the money so they see whether everyone was honest in paying. Discuss what the result will mean for future overnighters.	Plan some Dutch oven cooking and open campfire cooking so boys experience something like pioneer life.

	POSITIVE ATTITUDE	REORCEFULNESS	RESPECT	RESPONSIBILITY
Hikes	Have fun even when it is hard to do. If possible, plan a hike that is challenging (lengthy or difficult terrain). Have boys explore how to make this a good experience with positive attitudes.	Take a “search and find” hike. Look for different animal homes and discuss how resourceful they are in finding or making shelter	Involve boys in getting permission to hike in a city, state, or national park. Work with park rangers in planning hikes on the public lands. Don’t pick plants or harm wildlife.	Pair up with a buddy and be responsible for him throughout the hike. Stay on the trail. Leave no trace.
Nature Activities	Visit a herpetologist or entomologist to talk about how insects and snakes contribute to world ecology. Relate this to having a positive attitude about everyone’s place in the world.	Find nature everywhere: in a backyard, a puddle of water, a vacant lot, a flowerpot, Examine different birds’ nests and discuss how resourceful birds are in finding materials to use.	Watch nature at work, but do not disturb it. Talk about respect for life.	Each boy brings a specific nature item to the meeting, demonstrating he is responsible to remember his assignment. Also, each boy is to show responsibility by bringing items that can be returned as they were found, and not disturbing any nature preserve or ecology site.
Service Projects	Make cheery cards for others. Mail these to an “adopted” elderly or shut-in person on a regular basis. Look for opportunities to serve friends or family members who are having a tough time.	Have the boys make a quilt from materials they glean from their closets (with parents’ permission) or extra material the families have. Donate the quilt to a local shelter.	Demonstrate respect for family by offering to help family members with tasks before being asked.	Mow the grass for an elderly neighbor for a specified time. Make a duty roster.
Games & Sports	Bowling and golf are good games that bring the importance of positive attitude to mind. Design a game where boys have to turn “don’ts” and “can’ts” into “do’s” and “can’s”. Always have a good attitude, whether you win or lose.	Play some problem-solving games. Have boys create their own game, or choose a pioneer-style game or a game from another culture.	Play croquet, which is a good game that requires respect for other players —waiting to take turns, conducting oneself in a courteous manner, etc.	Have each boy bring a certain piece of equipment to play a game (bat, ball, glove for baseball).
Ceremonies	Discuss the positive attitude shown by the recipient of a public recognition, especially when it is for advancement.	Point out the resourcefulness of a boy in accomplishing advancement. Talk about prehistoric people and how they made tools from what they found. Note that we all must work with what we have.	In a ceremony, show respect for parents or leaders who helped teach the skills to meet requirements for the award.	Do a den ceremony where each boy is responsible to act or say his part. Adults model responsibility by having advancement.
Campfires	Use a story about positive attitude. Talk about why we applaud and join in when others are performing. Discuss why it’s important not to grumble or complain about your part in a skit or ceremony.	Have boys build an “indoor campfire” for those times when they want a campfire setting but cannot be outdoors.	Involve boys in planning appropriate activities for a campfire. Discuss the importance of respecting others’ feelings while having fun: no put-downs or negative cheers.	Boys could help set up and clean up the campfire area, making sure the fire is completely out.
Den Trips	Visit with someone who has overcome an adverse situation through positive attitudes. Thank others who show a positive attitude when they have to wait in tine, or take second choice on something.	Visit a recycling center. Visit a quilt shop and talk about the history of quilts—how early Americans used everything they had. Discuss how early Americans had to raise and grow all of their own food.	Visit a local courthouse. Talk about the jury system in America and how our law respects each citizen by presuming innocence until guilt is proven. Note that it is not that way in all countries. Conduct a mock trial during the visit or in the den.	Visit a local bank or credit union and talk about how these institutions are responsible for safeguarding other people’s money.
Pack Overnighter	Present boys with obstacles to overcome in order for overnighter to happen (can’t get campground we wanted; rain forecast for that weekend; not enough tents or sleeping bags, etc.). Guide them to a resolution, emphasizing a positive attitude.	Have an indoor overnighter— playing board games, cards, or games the boys have made themselves.	Involve boys in setting rules for overnighter (quiet hours, duty roster, who eats first). Discuss how many of these relate to respect for others.	Have boys help plan one of the overnighter activities. Be sure to discuss afterwards how success is related to responsible behavior.

BSA 13-097
2004 Printing

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