During the fall 2023 term, I worked with Pack 57 & 14 as den chief. As a cub scout, I was originally a member of Pack 14, and it was great to see everyone again. I also worked with Pack 57, where I was able to meet a lot of new people. Overall, I enjoyed working with both the Webelo 1’s from Pack 57 and the Webelo 2’s from Pack 14. I was able to work with two main den leaders, Mrs. Zhang and Mr. Moloney. I had a great time with them and their dens. At the seven meetings I attended, some highlights were playing Jeopardy with the Webelo 2’s and working on the ‘Stronger, Faster, Higher’ unit with the Webelo 1’s.
At the Pack 14 Den 7 meeting, they were all having a great time playing with each other. They were learning about the American Flag, and I was inspired by our troop games, so I created a Jeopardy for them to play. I learned that games are one of the best ways to motivate fifth graders to study, especially with one another. But the game system made them calm down a bit and made it so we were able to get more done. During the game, their spirits rose again as competed with each other They ended up having a ton of fun, and all enjoyed playing. In this den, we also developed another reward system, where when a scout answers a question or participates, they would get a marble. Because of this, the quiet cubs started raising their hands trying to see who could answer the questions first.
I also loved working with the Webelo 1’s at Pack 57. Pack 14’s meetings are at different times than the den meetings. However, Pack 57 combines Pack and Den meetings into a time slot, which is a lot more convenient. During a few different meetings with the den, we worked on the ‘Stronger, Faster, Higher’ unit made up of different physical activities. The fourth graders loved racing each other, and they helped keep each other motivated. They all became a lot like my friends, and they loved joking around with everyone. There were also several girls in that den, and they would most likely come to our troop in a few years, too. These scouts liked competing and trying to beat me, like how they were trying to see if they could beat how many sit-ups I did or how high I could jump. The cubs were enthusiastic and I loved working with them!
Overall, I learned that while working with different scouts and dens, you have to learn to work with different types of people. As den chief, some cubs needed help with different things, and you can’t just think of them as a group of scouts, but as individuals. If I were to work with a different den, I would have to learn about every cub so I could help them to the best of my ability as den chief.
