Character Connections



Character Connections

Learn how to use these power-packed ideals to help your boys make responsible, ethical choices now and throughout their lives.

Why have Charcter Traits/Core Values?:

To help achieve the purpose of Cub Scouting which is:

1. Character Development

2. Spiritual Growth

3. Good Citizenship

4. Sportmanship & Fitness

5. Family Understanding

6. Respectful Relations

7. Personal Achievement

8. Friendly Service

9. Fun & Adventure

10. Prepare for Boy Scouts

A successful Cub Scout program will prepare each boy to be a successful boy scout and help him prepare to live a righteous, full, and meaningful life.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

- Frederick Douglass

“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

|Boy Scout Law |Character Traits | |

|Trustworthy |Honesty |Telling the truth and being worthy of trust. |

|Loyal |Citizenship |Contributing service and showing responsibility to local, state, and national communities. |

|Helpful |Cooperation |Being helpful and working together with others toward a common goal. |

|Friendly |Perseverance |Sticking with something and not giving up, even if it is difficult. |

|Courteous |Respect |Showing regard for the worth of something or someone. |

|Kind |Compassion |Being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others |

|Obedient |Responsibility |Fulfilling our duty to God, country, other people, and ourselves. |

|Cheerful |Positive Attitude |Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best of situations. |

|Thrifty |Resourcefulness |Using human and other resources to their fullest. |

|Brave |Courage |Being brave and doing what is right regardless of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences. |

|Clean |Health & Fitness |Being personally committed to keeping our mind and bodies clean and fit. |

|Reverent |Faith |Having inner strength and confidence based on our trust in God. |

Where should we teach them:

Everywhere – on hikes, on field trips, in den meetings, chance meetings, pack meeting

Ways to teach:

Plan it – Do it – Review it

Know

Character development includes developing moral knowledge and moral reasoning. Children must understand what honesty means, and they must understand and interpret what a situation calls for and decide how to apply the principles of honesty.

▪ Lecture - Cubmaster Minute

▪ Discussion – asking questions, boys sharing what they have learned, role play

▪ Example – YOU!

Commit

Character development also includes attention to moral motivation. Children must be committed to doing what they feel is right. They must be able to take the perspective of others, consider how others feel, and develop an active moral conscience.

▪ You are guiding them to discover the reason to have the character trait for themselves. When they say it themselves they are committed to it. It is their idea, not your idea, they own it.

Practice

Character development also includes attention to the development of moral habits through guided practice. Children need opportunities to practice what is good, to do what is right but difficult, and to experience the core values as they live in the world.

▪ Positive Reinforcement – Den Ten, Den Doodle, reflection

▪ Activities (tactile, doing, vision) - Role-Play, Games, service projects, songs, Den displays in Pack Meeting, hikes, anything and everything

▪ Problem Solving (allow them to figure out a solutions with lots of direction)

▪ Cooperative Grouping -

Core Values should be promoted through all phases of life and from different perspectives:

▪ God

▪ World/Country/Community

▪ Family

▪ Self

It’s easy to have “church behavior” around church people, but what about when there are no church people around?

Ways to Remember:

▪ Poster

▪ Coin

▪ Song

From Cub Scout Leader Book Section 4

Make a Character Connection With Any Activity

Leaders can emphasize more values and make more character connections as boys participate in the many activities they enjoy in Scouting. You can connect values while going on a hike, cooking an outdoor meal, or working on a project very easily, using this three-step method:

1. Plan it.

2. Do it.

3. Review it.

1. Plan it. Before the activity, gather the group and have a short discussion. Planning the Character Connection only takes a couple of minutes. Highlight one or two values that you would like the youth to learn by doing this activity.

• Will they need to show respect?

• Will they need to be honest?

• Will they need to cooperate?

• Will they need a positive attitude?

Identify the ways that youth might encounter these values in the activity.

• Will there be challenges or difficulties in the experience?

• Will there be a need to cooperate?

• Will there be temptations?

• Will they need to follow rules?

Explain leader expectations about learning the values in the activity.

• Why will these values be important on this activity?

• How can they use these values in this experience?

• What rules and consequences apply to these values in the experience?

2. Do it. As you conduct the activity, highlight both positive and negative experiences that are teachable moments during the activity. Some teachable moments must be done as they happen because the impact is lost if discussed at a later time. Others can be emphasized effectively during the review at the end of the activity. For these, make mental or written notes from the experience that could be discussed after the activity.

3. Review it. After the activity, gather group together and have a discussion involving all members. Celebrate positive examples of where the values were demonstrated in the activity and highlight areas for improvement.

• What part of the value does the group need to practice?

• What did the group learn about using the value?

• Discuss the experience and determine ways the value could be used at home, at school, etc

.

Ethics in Action

1. Reserve judgment—let them give their ideas

2. Open ended questions—require scouts to think and give personal ideas.

3. Feeling questions—what did they felt about the experience—that makes it personal to the scouts.

4. Judgment questions— about their feelings

5. Ask guiding questions and stay on track

6. Closing thoughts—Bring discussion to an end

Cub Den Meetings Agenda

Date: Meeting Place: Time:

|Achievement|Before the Meeting Starts: |Materials Needed |Core Value |

|s | |Character Traits Poster | |

| | |Timer (5 min warning) | |

| |Gathering Activity |Pencils, |Honesty |

| |Core Value Cross-Word |Cross-Word |Compassion |

| | | |Cooperation |

| | | |Positive Attitude |

| | | |Perseverance |

| |Prayer | | |

| |Review Bobcat/Flag Ceremony |Flag |Citizenship |

| | | |Respect |

| |Den Doodle |Doodle Totem, |Responsibility |

| |Cub shirt, pencil, paper |12 colors of beads |Resourcefulness |

| |Announcements | | |

| |Activity |Handouts |Respect |

| |What did you hope to gain from this class. | |Citizenship (those who |

| |BSA Prep | |participate) |

| |Why Character | | |

| |How to teach | | |

| |Game/Craft | |Health & Fitness |

| | | |Courage |

| |Closing Prayer | | |

| |Reminders/Notes Home | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

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