May Pack Meeting

During the April pack meeting, I thought that I had not connect with the kids even when I put my myself out there.  This pack meeting was for the Fishing Derby that our Council puts on to get new cubscouts.

It was also the meeting where the boys really did not get the whole Flag Ceremony.  I kept beating myself up over and over about it.

I realized that this is my first year (9 months) as the Cubmaster for the Pack. I am not seasoned.  I am learning and to learn people have bad days.  It is how we learn. With all of this in mind, I re-grouped and planned.

At the end of the Arrow of Light Ceremony my Wood Badge Troop Guide asked me, “Do you sing?”  He continued by telling me that a pack needs to sing and that we should always do “Cubscout Vespers.”  So that is what I did.  In the first Tiger Den meeting after the Arrow of Light, we learned “Cubscout Vespers”.

For this meeting the entire pack was going to earn the Music Beltloop.  We were also going to going to work on the Flag Ceremony.  This was due to how bad I felt when the boys did a normal Flag Ceremony compared to the modified version we had been doing for four months.

This modified version already had the flags up front with the boys via rank reading from cards.  These cards had pictures of their rank.  These cards allowed the boys to repeat the Cubscout Law, Promise and WE BE LOYAL SCOUTS on it.  The cards also had the Pledge of Allegiance on them.

This week we worked on the whole Flag Ceremony with two openings and closings before the real Opening.  During the real opening I played the National Anthem on my iPod.  This was part of the plan to introduce different music.

Now, I love music, a lot.  My plan was to start asking the boys what music was to them. What they liked, what music is, what bands they like.  I also started playing different types of music.  Unfortunatley I found out that the boys were not interested in kid tunes from Phines & Ferb, but Bon Jovi, Micheal Jackson, Ozzy and Europe!  I think that the “Stars and Stripes Forever” really was not up their alley either.

Think fast think fast…..

Let’s SING! I needed to teach the boys Two Songs.  I also explained that when they are at Cubscout Camp this summer, they will sing even more!

First song was Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips .  It was a great tune.  The boys liked it a lot. However, I really needed help, so I summoned the parents from their Blackberry Farm.

Now, with everyone in on singing songs we got into a repeat after me. The Grand Old Duke of York.
The great part is I really got the parents to sing with everyone and do all actions as well.  It was a blast.

The last part….I needed live music….

So, I brought up my friend Bart Ferguson who has been in several bands and toured the US.  He is a singer/songwriter and harmonica player.  Bart was able to talk to them about how music makes him feel, how he writes music and plays it.  Working with the boys they talked about all different bands that they saw, instruments they liked or played.  Bart also shared with them how he wrote a song called “79 Country Squire.”   It was a blast to hear him sing and play the harmonica.  I actually joined in on the chorus only because I have been at so many concerts I know it.

After that Bart accompanied all of us on Row Row your Boat.  (That we did not plan).

I knew that we made a connection when after we had handed out all the nights awards.  The boys did not know that they all had earned the Music Beltloop. Neither did the parents.  I told the boys that they all earned the Beltloop and that Bart was going to hand it out to them as they gave him the Cubscout Handshake.

The connection made was when one of the boys asked for Bart’s autograph.  Then others wanted it.  He signed autographs for all the boys.  It was great.  That’s when you know a connection, no matter what it is is made.  The boys got it. They had fun. They learned and that was the goal.

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