One of my nephews has joined Tiger Scouts this year. The experience so far has been less than encouraging from the parents' point of view. It seems that the scouts are allowed to run wild with very little learning or growing going on.

I hear from quite a few people that send me email here making similar comments - that the cub scout program (and mostly tiger cubs) is just a madhouse with no direction or goals. I assure them that it is not supposed to be that way.

The program in the Tiger Handbook has specific activities for scouts to do, not just have boys run around and play the whole time. The den leaders should set behavior expectations right at the start of the year with the buy-in of the parents and scouts and then stand by those expectations.

An adult is required to attend every Tiger meeting and activity for every tiger scout that attends. This is so the tiger has some fun time with the adult and so the adult can keep the tiger in line and on track. The den leader should not be expected to play the role of parent.

A den leader needs to have the leadership skills to talk with a parent if a tiger scout is disrupting the den's activities. There should always be a goal for every activity, game, meeting that scouts do. Scouting is a game with a purpose and it's important that the adults know the purpose but the scouts don't need to know it. The scouts should just think they are playing and having fun - they'll learn as they do the activities in the handbook.

One of the really great things I've discovered from being part of the entire scouting program from Tiger to Eagle is 'Continuity'. The small tasks that tiger scouts do build into larger, more complex tasks for Life and Eagle scouts. For example, Tigers take a hike with their den, Wolfs plan a walk, Bears plan an outdoor family day, Webelos participate in a den campout, Tenderfeet camp out 1 time, 2nd Class camp out 5 times and plan some meals, 1st Class camp out 10 times, planning and supervising meals. The tasks build from year to year and are age-appropriate with more being expected as a boy matures in age and skills. The same sort of progression is in the program for first aid, leadership, citizenship, swimming, knots, camping, and other scout skills.

When folks plop down into a Tiger den, they usually are not aware that it is the first small step that is part of a 12 year program helping their little boy become a well-rounded man. They also are sometimes not aware that no program can be successful without support, love, and guidance from the scout's family. I believe those two points should be emphasized at the start of each scouting year by the den leader, cubmaster and scoutmaster.

Scout On


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