This is my entry for LJ Idol: Wheel of Fate, Week 11. This week's topic is "Tiger Team."

"What should I put on my section of the shield?" one of the Cub Scouts asked me.

"Something that you think represents you or represents the group," I suggested.

As the den leader for a group of first graders, I loved activities that encouraged creativity. Usually, I tried to help them work towards their own ideas rather than just giving them specific suggestions of what to create.

We were working on the Good Knights elective adventure. For those unfamiliar with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts USA), "adventures" are thematic units. Upon completing them, the Cub Scouts receive a metal belt loop they can slide onto their uniform belt. The den had voted on Good Knights as one of two electives required to complete the rank of Tiger, along with several other required adventures.

This was the first year of scouting for my son, KFP, and my first year as den leader. I'd shown up at the information meeting at the beginning of the year, because my brother had had such a great time in Scouts. Recently, he'd given me his old Cub Scout shirt and a bunch of Cub Scout hats and neckerchiefs that his son had outgrown. The main reason we attended the info meeting, though, was because the Cub Scout pack was being run by the mother of KFP's good buddy, whom we'll call Connor.

Not only did we walk away from that meeting with KFP registered as a Cub Scout, but I'd somehow volunteered to be the den leader for his den. Since then, it had been a learning experience for us both.

KFP, of course, had learned the many things that Scouting provides to kids: useful real-life skills, camping and outdoor knowledge, and tips on how to be a good neighbor and friend.

I, on the other hand, had learned that I'd better include a hands-on activity if I really wanted these youngsters to listen to any concept I was trying to teach. Although I had purchased the den leader workbook that was supposed to provide me with instructions on teaching each adventure, I soon learned that some of the activities were too involved or too off-topic to get through in a one-hour weekly meeting. And some activities mostly consisted of me, as the adult, talking to them about something like the meaning of the flag.

I spent hours online, researching suggestions from other den leaders and being active in a Facebook group for Cub Scout leaders. And still, I found that some of my well-planned activities just didn't resonate. Like the time we were supposed to draw on construction paper with chalk, and one of the boys spent most of the meeting creating a big, messy pile of chalk dust.

The rewarding moments, where the kids were engaged and seemed to be picking up new concepts, were at constant war with the frustrating moments, when kids were, for example, shooting rubber bands across the room instead of making the wind-up cars I'd planned. Even with the Scoutmaster regularly praising me for helping my den advance towards earning their rank, I still doubted myself and often got a little nervous before the meetings.

My son's journey was a bit different, as he didn't fret about advancement but mostly cared about the social aspect. While KFP already knew Connor, having met when they were babies at library storytime, he was still getting to know the other Tigers. This included one guy, whom we'll call Cyrus, who had joined the pack halfway through the school year.

The Good Knights adventure taught about the ancient concept of chivalry, and the Scouts were encouraged to compare the concepts of chivalry with the Scout Law: "A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent." They also learned about heraldry, built a castle out of recycled materials (destined to become a favorite hang-out for our kitty Luke), and now, they were making a shield that represented the den.

I'd drawn an outline of a shield and then divided the shield into portions for them to fill in their own way. On the bottom edge and down the center, I'd affixed some beautiful die-cut appliques created by Cyrus's mom, who had her own die-cut machine. I provided the kids with markers, crayons, colored paper, scissors, and glue. They then were asked to fill in their section. But they were all stumped at how to begin.

To get them past their creative block, I asked them to think not just about how they defined themselves but also how they defined their little group. "There are no right answers," I said. "Do whatever you feel fits."

Much to my surprise, they started a conversation about their memories of the den. For them, it came back to one key moment: a "backyard nature hike" we'd taken the night that Cyrus first joined us.

That hike had been part of a different adventure. We were supposed to go outside and use our senses to take notice of the nature around us. Because we met in the evening, and it was fall, we'd stepped outside into the grassy area near the church, only to be met with inky darkness. At first, the kids joked that it was too dark to see any nature.

I told them to listen to the sounds around them. Once they stopped giggling, they could hear a few lonely crickets chirping in the November chill. We could hear the rustle of leaves underfoot.

Our eyes having adjusted, I told them to look around. We saw the silhouettes of trees, backlit by street lights. And then, in a voice suffused with wonder, Cyrus spoke up: "Look up, everyone! The moon!"

Through tree branches, we could see the crescent moon, hanging like a silver smile, beaming down at us. It seemed closer to Earth than usual: as large as a first grader's imagination.

"Wow" was on all of their lips, as they marveled at the moon that seemed to have been hung for their pleasure. When we talked about the experience after going back inside, the moon was the one thing they all remembered.

And now, all these months later, they agreed that that moment had been special. As they worked on their individual sections of the shield, they all chose to include their version of the moon: a symbol of the first moment they came together as a unit.

We'd had plenty of fun experiences as a group before Cyrus joined the den, but in their intuitive way, they'd gotten to the heart of the activity. The moment that defined them as a group was the first time they'd all shared something meaningful. I realized, then, that this journey we were all taking together meant something to me, as well.


The Pack 63 shield, on fading dark blue card stock, with a shield drawn in black marker. Each of four sections is filled with cut and glued paper and a few marker and crayon line drawings. They all include either a crescent moon or, in one case, a full moon.

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A couple hours after posting this, I learned that Dave Biche, the assistant Scoutmaster of KFP's troop, died suddenly over the weekend. We had just spent a happy time with him the week before, building LEGO structures at a meeting. He became the primary instructor of Scout material for KFP once he moved up to regular Scouts, and his good humor and unflagging community spirit set a good example for those he led. He will greatly missed. I'd like to dedicate this post to him.