FOCUS

Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide

It’s Harvest Time!!!  This month, Cub Scouts learn about raising animals, growing crops, and the life of a farmer.  Dens might learn first hand about farm animals by visiting a farm, dairy, or petting zoo.  Boys can build a miniature greenhouse to start seeds for later planting in family gardens or patio pots.  Dens could take a field trip to a pumpkin patch, a farmer’s market, or an orchard.  Hold a pack harvest fair with rubber glove cow milking, pumpkin decorating, butter making, contest booths, and a good old-fashioned hayride.

CORE VALUES

Cub Scout Roundtable Leaders’ Guide

Some of the purposes of Cub Scouting developed through this month’s theme are:

ü  Spiritual Growth, Boys will gain a new understanding of God’s creations s they see the wonders of life in plants and animals.

ü  Fun and Adventure, Boys will have fun as they see farm animals and explore the grounds and buildings on a farm.

ü  Character Development, Boys will learn patience and responsibility while working with animals and plants.

The core value highlighted this month is:

ü  Resourcefulness, Cub Scouts will see that farmers need to make use of many different resources to be successful in raising animals and plants.

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

Great Salt Lake Council

When you eat breakfast tomorrow morning, thank a farmer. He grew the corn, wheat, and rice in your cereal. He raised the dairy cows that gave you milk.  When you eat lunch tomorrow, thank a farmer. He grew the wheat for your bread, the peanuts for your peanut butter, and the fruit for your jelly.

When you eat a snack tomorrow, thank a farmer. He grew the apples for your juice, and the celery and carrots for you to munch.  When you eat dinner tomorrow, thank a farmer. He raised the beef cattle for your hamburger, the potatoes for your mashed spuds, and the lettuce for your salad.  He may live down the street, in the next county, or across the United States. But, wherever he may be, remember--

Thank a farmer!

My annual reminder –

People have said to me, Baloo is used at more RTs than the official stuff.  If that’s true it’s disturbing.  It is, also, not the purpose of Baloo.  Baloo is intended to supplement “CS Program Helps” and “CS RT Planning Guide” and “The How To Book” and other publications just as a Pow Wow book supplements those publications.  There are ten purposes to Cub Scouting and twelve Core Values; the BSA materials suggest activities to help Cub Scouts learn those purposes and values in a subtle way (“More is caught than taught,” we always say).  The CS RT Planning Guide has notes explaining why certain games, songs, skits, etc., were chosen and what value or purpose they help the boys learn.  Please be sure to read through these materials before planning so you know how to properly focus your meetings.  Baloo may be a great collection of Cub Scout stuff but please use it with care.  First, learn what National wants you to accomplish with a theme.  Then use your resources to plan a program to accomplish that goal. 

And speaking of resources,

There is a great article in the newest issue of Scouting, September 2007, has a great article about all the resources now available for Den Leaders and Webelos Leaders. CS Program Helps, CS Leaders’ Book, Den Meeting in a Box (I bought the CS Express Den Meeting in a Box for my Roundtable and we all had a great time with it).  Also, all the materials now available for brand new leaders – Show your potential leaders this article and they will definitely know BSA and you will not leave them stranded!!!.  Pat from the Bayou District of Southeast Louisiana Council suggested I put in a link to National’s CS Program Helps.  And I said that fits with what I was planning to write.  So here is the link to the Cub Scout Resources page on National’s Website.  The CS Program Helps are under the subheading – Program:

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/

There are also suggestions for your Pack’s or Den’s First Months. And a New Den Leader Kit  i.e. a kit to help a new Den Leader get started.  I tried the themes button to see what was there and to see if I could find the 2009 – 2010 themes for Sandie who sent me a note asking if I knew what they were (Boy, talk about planning ahead!!), but they are only listed through the 2008-2009 Scouting year.

Podcasts – Cub Leaders and Commissioners

Rather listen than read??  Go to the Cubcast, a BSA Podcast for Cub Scout Leaders.  Start at www.scouting,org, then click Adult Leaders under Cub Scouts, then Cubcast. 

There is also a podcast for Commissioners – www.scouting.org, click on Commissioners, then Podcast

And the article has a great quote from Diane Canon, the volunteer National Program Enhancement Chair who I had the pleasure of having for an instructor at the Philmont Training Center, -

Every den has its own personality,
You just learn what they’re going to like to do

Months with similar themes to

Down on the Farm

Dave D. in Illinois

Dave D. classified this theme as “Rural America”
The Focus says to learn about animals and plants, so you might, also, want to look for themes relating to that.

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 2007 Cub Scout Monthly Theme Emblems.