An exploration in the Tiger year, which is one of the first experiences in the cub scout program.
Show Notes:
- Tiger Scout Resources (boyscouttrail.com)
- Tiger Badge Requirements (usscouts.org)
Transcript:
Tiger year is one of the first structured years in the cub program, while most of these tips would be applicable to a Lion den if you have one that meets regularly.
Tiger year has 6 adventure requirements, plus one elective requirement and cyberchip requirement. There is also the How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse Parent’s Guide.
Putting aside the parent guide that breaks down to 8 items to complete in a 9 month timeline, depending of course on your pack’s meeting schedule.
Tiger rank is designed for different families to take a turn running a meeting, or a set of meetings, and if done correctly, this can work out well for the den and can set up involvement for years to come, all the way through the boy scouting program.
By having each parent get involved in the role of leader, firstly you get to sus out who has good leadership potential, and who does not. Leadership, specifically over young kids and their frazzled parents is not easy, and it’s not for everyone.
But what it does do is show parents it doesn’t need to be that hard, and they can make a real impact on the program and the scouts.
It also takes the burden off of the leader in charge of having to do everything.
The trick to this actually working though is planning. You need set up the situation for success by doing some pre-work.
It’s one thing to ask parents to help without specifics attached, but it’s wholly something else to have what the call in business a SMART goal. That is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and time based.
But to get to your SMART goal you need to first break down the tasks the needs to be completed. With the 7 adventures, each has at least 1 required, and a few pick one or two of five types. That gives you 22 items plus between 3 and 7 items for the elective.
As the leader, pick make the choices of what you plan to do, thinking about what can be achieved as a group activity through local go-see-its, such as building birdhouses at the local Home Depot.
When you have a list of den-specfic activities, put them all out on a index cards, and time box them to how long they are expected to take.
If you plan on getting all the items done in 15 meetings , leaving some meetings for pack meetings and go-see it meetings, it averages to 2-3 items per meeting.
Then plan on having a parent meeting, and have them pick items they are most interest in, and are able to prepare for. Letting parents choose something that is specific, the task on the card, measurable, the cubs learning or experiencing the task, Attainable – the whole requirement process is attainable, and tested by years of use, Relevant – that’s the adventures themselves and time based, which is the time boxing task, makes it hard to a parent not to help.
By doing this with all the parents in a visual way you sort of twist the arms of the parents through peer pressure.
Your job as a Tiger leader (other than the choices you have selected) is to keep everyone on task through reminders, and following up before the date. By time boxing all the requirement in 15 meetings, which is about 5 months it allows you to pick up if something gets dropped without having to really scramble.
All of this makes it easier the next time you ask for help, as they will have had a good experience because you planned it right. But, this is what works for us.
Take what you like and leave the rest, and as we say in Woodbadge, feedback is a gift, leave yours below in the comments, with the hope we can all learn together.
I’m Scoutmaster Dave, and this was a look into your tiger year.
