Chat thread to help us Scout leaders be better at it!

[exhaustedbeaverleader]

So this weekend I helped at my first Beaver sleepover as a Leader, I picked up quite a few things from the more experienced leaders about how best to look after the kids. I thought it might be nice to exchange tips, especially Beavers but also Cubs and Scouts as I know lots of people cover more than one section on occasion 🙂

Here’s mine:
If a request won’t hurt anyone and won’t cause absolute chaos if all the others want to do the same, say yes as much as possible. Take a moment to think why you want to say no if you could say yes.

Conversely, don’t be afraid to say no to preserve your own sanity occasionally e.g. if they ask for more food just as you sit down for yours it’s ok to explain you have to eat too and ask them to wait.

For nervous Beavers, especially in the dark, a (literal) handhold does wonders and they will usually let go and run off of their own accord once they see something to get involved in.

Agree rules with other leaders so you can show a united front about e.g. eating sweets

If a kid is crying bc something’s unfair or they’ve hurt themselves a tiny bit, try to validate their feelings in a “I know it’s sad/ it hurts” way if they’re the sulky type where “you’re fine off you pop” doesn’t work

I'm a parent of a Beaver and a cub but have been a guide leader previously.

I'd say good communication is important. Do you use online scout manager? It's fab for keeping a track of who is going to what event and great for parents to see badge progress.

I am hoping our pack will soon have online payments available as I hate having to Scrabble for change or entrust my forgetful children with envelopes of cash. It helps in that it automatically leaves a receipt of payment so will cut down on time spent writing receipts.

It would be nice for parents to know who is who with leaders. With all the jungle book names it can be hard to know who bagheera is.

Our hall has a display board for each section which could be used for info like this. Obviously this isn't possible in all halls.

Can I just say thanks for giving up your time for this. My children have gained so much through scouting in the few years they've been attending. They've had so much opportunities and have become much more independent (except when handing in envelopes!).

Agree a code of conduct with the children to help manage behaviour.

Getting them to listen and not all talk at once is our biggest challenge

We do use OSM, not online payments though - the money side of things isn’t my job but I’ll bear it in mind. Good point about knowing the leaders- in our group the kids don’t always stick to the jungle book/ animal names (mainly bc we forget and say things like “ask Fred no I mean akela”) so the parents will know our real names I think. We do have a display board too, maybe we could do something with that - thanks! Also for Beavers especially the parents are very welcome to come in at the start and end of each meeting which might help

And tbh I barely see it as giving up my time most of the time - it’s hard work and I’m knackered this morning but I do really enjoy it.

@reginafelangee omg yes same here! I don’t know how many times we’ve repeated “what happens when a leader has their hand up”

Ooh I like the idea of a code of conduct, I think we had one briefly and it’s fallen by the wayside. Must have a look.

Hi, I've taken over as the Akela Cub Scout leader at my local pack. I've been in scouting and cub leader for many years but have had a break for 4 years due to moving about and having my own child. So following to see what others come up with.

Got my first meeting as the official Akela and we always do a code of conduct at the start of September every year, but since I've taken over now it will be tomorrow.

We use OSM for everything which is so helpful (instead of the old badge records we kept) with record keeping and monies.

We are having to implement a parent rota as we only have me and one other person doing g our cub pack so limited to 18 cubs. Desperately trying to get a regular helper so we can get our pack up to 24. Any advice on how to get parents to help would be great.

Not a leader but a long term parent (Beavers through to Explorers) and exec. committee member. We have had some success with volunteer recruitment by holding a drop-in evening for potential volunteers to come along and chat with the leaders about what help is needed to run the group (anything from occasional help with meetings to becoming a leader ot exec. committee member). Also we made our AGM into a big family event this year, bbq, games for the children etc, it went down well. Also going down the waiting list and saying your child can start now if you become a leader otherwise you might be waiting for a year sometimes pays off.

Our group use Go Cardless for money collection alongside OSM and as a parent this is great, it makes everything very easy. Also we can download the term programme to our phone calendar from OSM.

The leader name thing is very confusing. We just guess or use real / Scout names interchangeably. A list would be useful but as personnel change fairly often (especially Young Leaders) it might be hard to keep updated.

Last year the AGM as a BBQ with games for the kids worked great. This year we had hardly anyone. Yes going down the waiting list saying your child can come if you help is the next thing we will have to do now.

We have an AGM on group camp and get the parents to come along to it when they collect their kid, as well as having a look at what we do. I’m not sure effective it is in terms of recruitment though

Family camp is used to recruit parents onto exec.

Exec social evenings are used to recruit parents into leaders

This has resulted in 3 x beaver leaders (I'm one) and 2 x scout leaders.

We are currently working on 2 parents who we've now got on the exec and are hoping to get into the Cub or scout sections.

Cub leader here.
My top tip would be to concentrate on the positive moments and let go of the petty complaints. We can never please everybody (especially parents). But we can learn from our mistakes and Do Our Best.

Also don't take on more responsibility then you have time for. You just end up resenting it and burning out.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves I think that’s a really good point, we are all just doing our best and learning as we go along- much like the kids really

Would say do what you say you will. Have a still disappointed older ds scout, patiently waiting for the last Christmas team winning prize, plus another prize. My scout older dd is also awaiting a couple of prizes. Even after reminding they aren’t happening. Shame on the leaders. A biscuit would do. So don’t promise if it’s not happening.

Re. Getting parental help.

For Cubs we had a parent rota and a parent coordinator (me once upon a time!)

And every term when the cub timetable went out , i also sent a request with how many helpers we needed for each activity to happen .

And we made sure everyone was aware there was an expectation that each family must help at a minimum of one evening a term.

Same goes for beavers and scouts, it's part of the "rules" when joining now.

To be honest, a couple of hours every 8/12 weeks isn't a lot really.

I'm on Exec Committee. We use OSM but not for payments as I think there is an additional cost implication. We do encourage parents to pay by BACS for as much as possible though (I hate dealing with cash)

Our Beaver group use the traffic light system for behaviour (similar to that used in the local school so children are familiar with it)

We use the AGM as an awards ceremony for the children to encourage parents to come, still a struggle to get people on the committee or become leaders.

We have a parent rota for all sections and ask parents to sort out any changes to the rota if they can't make their session. We also have a few parents (I am one) who can usually be called upon to help out if need an additional adult.

We are camping this weekend. Any tips for not freezing overnight? Unfortunately sneaking off home is not an option as the ratio is tight...

We had camp a couple of weekends ago. Are you in a tent by yourself? If so use the smallest tent possible and fill it up. I had rucksacks one side of me then the 'spares' the other side so my bed wasn't up against the walls. Then it's all about the layers: clothing (including a hat) and bedding. I had foam rollmat under my airbed, then fleece blanket under sleeping bag with another blanket (duvet ) over the top.

First night I'll be sharing with DH (as he's making up numbers, he's the Scout leader) second night by myself. Not sure if we can both fit in our smallest tent, the hike tent. Next biggest is our 3 man. (We have 5 tents in total in our personal collection (

As a parent, I'd say don't make a song and dance about 'welcoming everybody', and them adopt faux concern and act like the autistic kids are 'doing Scouting wrong'.

Interesting thread. I’m an assistant Beaver Leader desperately trying to work through all the modules to get my wood badge. Absolutely love doing it. We’re off to crazy golf tomorrow night, come rain or shine!

If you get cold when camping put a hat and gloves and socks on, but try not to get to that point. A decent sleeping bag and plenty of blankets (underneath and on top) should keep you snug, particularly if you have a onesie.

Oh and when packing for a camp, put sets of clothes in a carrier bag labelled with what they are. Saves scrambling around for what you want, plus they will be dry even if your rucksack gets wet.

Those that are Beaver Leaders, are you members of the 1st Facebook Beaver Scout Colony. It's fantastic for ideas and advice.

@BouleBaker I’m not, I’ll join now I’ve seen it!
@Unshriven this makes me really sad, there is no such thing as “doing Scouting wrong”! We have a few autistic children in our group, one has a one to one for support and I hope we’re getting the balance right in terms of helping them to participate in a way that works for them, and balancing the other children’s needs to make noise and run around with providing quieter alternatives for the child(ren) that gets overwhelmed. Is there anything more specific that we should be doing/ not doing to help autistic children? (Of course I realise that all autistic people are different and what works for one may not work for another, but we can look out for any unhelpful attitudes etc)

Bollocks, name change fail, I’m sardines

Was going to ask, does anyone else have difficulty accessing training/ find the sessions are only really doable for those that work mon-fri 9-5 in local jobs? Round me if you commute for more than 30 min or so (sessions starting at six and usually not in the same town, 20min away ish) or you work weekends it can be pretty tricky to get onto a course