Your First Webelos Meeting

1. Get a list of scouts that will be in your den from your Cubmaster or Membership committee person. Make sure the list includes home phone numbers. Call each Scout before the meeting and introduce yourself to both the Scout and a parent. Tell them that you're looking forward to the first den meeting and that you plan on having a lot of fun in your den.
2. Ask your Cubmaster or Pack Committee Chair what the monthly themes are for the next few months. (Webelos dens don't use the themes in quite the same way as the rest of the Pack; instead you'll be focusing on Webelos Activity badges. However knowing what the monthly theme is may provide you with the opportunity to have some additional fun by presenting a related skit or song at the Pack meeting.)
3. Prepare a list of your den's meeting dates for the rest of the year. Make sure you take into account that some dates are pack meetings. You can get the Pack's complete calendar of den and pack meeting dates from the Cubmaster or Pack Committee Chair. (Hint: Look on this CD for the Parent Guide, which includes the calendar.)

   Working with your co-leaders, plan out the meeting topics for the entire year. Try to relate each meeting to one of the Webelos Activity badges. (Many of the Activity badges will require more than one meeting to complete and the Scouts should also be encouraged to work on some of them at home.) Include leader assignments on the den calendar so that all of the leaders in your den know which weeks they are responsible for. Give a copy of the den calendar to all of the parents in your den and to the Cubmaster and Pack Committee Chair.

   (It's always possible to change the plan later if it's really appropriate to do so, but you'll find that having the plan as a guide will make things go so much smoother in your den. All of the leaders will know well in advance what they need to prepare for and all of the parents will know what they can help their scout make up if he misses a meeting because of illness, vacation, or sports. If you do make changes to the plan, be sure to communicate the changes to everyone, preferablly in writing.)

4. Den Chiefs are particularly valuable and important in the Webelos program. Talk to you Cubmaster about having a Den Chief assigned to your den. Call and introduce yourself to your Den Chief and make sure he knows your meeting schedule and meeting locations. Add him to your den's email distribution list. Make sure your Den Chief knows in advance what activities you'll want him to demonstrate during den meetings.
5. Make copies of the Webelos Word Search page to use during Gathering Time.
6. Buy a 50 ft length of nylon rope and cut it into 5 ft sections. Bring the rope, masking tape, a lighter, and some kite string (for demonstrating whipping and fusing and for tying knots.)

As Scouts arrive, give them this Webelos Word Search page to work on. (Start by giving them just the first page and if they can't figure out what all of the activity badges are you can give them the second page. The third page is an answer key for you to use.)

Have your Den Chief lead the den in a flag ceremony. The flag ceremony will be a little more formal than many of the Scouts may have experienced in the past. Among the differences the Den Chief will issue specific voice commands to call the Color Guard to attention, to enter the room, to post the colors, to salute, to drop the salute, and to dismiss the Color Guard.

It should be a goal of the Webelos Den to be able to perform a flag ceremony in this manner and at upcoming Pack meeting.

After the flag ceremony, have an ice breaker game such as Who Am I? or 15 Minutes of Fame

Have your Den Chief demonstrate the proper way to whip and fuse rope and to tie the following knots and hitches and then allow your den to practice typing them:

• Overhand Knot
• Square Knot
• Bowline
• Clove Hitch
• Tautline

Some suggestions to help teach knot-tying skills more effectively:

1. Face away from scouts and hold your hands above your head when tying knots so that the scouts see the knot as it appears when they are typing it, instead of being reversed.
2. Use two ropes of different colors so that scouts can understand the movement of the ropes easier.

With input and discussion from the members of the den, develop and document a code of conduct that defines the behavior expected from everyone in the den.

Have the Webelos Scouts repeat this as a chant:

We'll be loyal Scouts - we'll do our best!

After each repetition, leaders and scouts can add three quick 'drum beats' on the table.

1. Clean up your meeting place thoroughly
2. Discuss how the meeting went with your Tiger Cub and with some of the other members of the den. Adjust future meeting plans as appropriate.
3. Request a Tour Permit for any Go See It activity that you'll do in a upcoming weeks.
4. If any of your scouts have completed awards or advancement report it to the Cubmaster or Pack Advancement chairperson.
5. Review plans for your next meeting.
6. Thank your co-leaders and den chief (if you have one).