Because we meet at a recreation department facility, I bought a plastic storage bin similar to this one to hold and transport our supplies.
I love this! It is stocked with all kinds of things that I might need at the meeting including office/school supplies (pens, crayons, paper, etc.).
It’s great to keep game supplies available for when you need a quick activity to burn off some of that little boy energy. I found quite a few games online, and after we play them, I add the supplies to our den bin.
For example, we played the game where the boys try to bounce a ping pong ball into an egg carton. I store the ping pong balls inside the carton and keep that in our bin. The boys like eagle golf where you drop beans into a tin can. Again, the beans and cans stay in the bucket.
Soon, you’ll have the supplies for quite a few games from which to choose when boredom sets in!
The bin is a great place to store a binder with reference materials in it. I made up 8 1/2” by 11” signs for the Scout Oath, the Scout Law and the Cub Scout Sign & Handshake. I keep these in sheet protectors (which I got at a back-to-school sale), and I pull them out whenever we need to review. Feel free to download these Bobcat Rank review pages for your use.
If there’s anything else I need to take to the den meeting, I put it in my den bin. This includes handouts, napkins (for snacks) and awards for boys who missed the pack meeting. If it’s in the bin, I won’t forget to take it!
Even if you meet at your home or at a place that has most of your supplies, having a den supply storage bin can be helpful.
What supplies do you keep handy for Cub Scout meetings?
Yours in Scouting,
Sherry
P.S. Looking for inexpensive den supplies? Check out where I got most of mine!
howarth says
I tried putting together such a thing in a suitcase with roller wheels. It did not work well for me at all.
Sherry says
Oh, no! Did all of your things fall to the bottom of the suitcase when you raised it up to roll it? Maybe try a container such as the one here. Things won’t shift around as much. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for reading!
Patrick Cox says
I just got a super-sized bin at the local sporting goods store. It was on sale for $22. Here’s a link: http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/plano-storage-locker?repChildCatid=1584797
I started with a bin smaller than yours, and found myself switching things out too often. I hope this is my one place for everything bin. I also built a hanging folder holder on the wheels side, that way, when I pick up to roll it around on the two wheels, the heavy papers are on the wheel-side and they don’t go flying all over as much.
Other good things that I keep that have tons of uses: balloons, straws, tape and since my box is large enough, I can keep a ball or two in there as well.
Old Time Cub Scouter says
I carried my first Den supplies to our meeting place at school in my wife’s laundry basket. I quickly learned that I was going to need a larger storage system to handle the “basics” for most every Den meeting. After a couple weeks the basket was swapped for a 12 gallon container, which I used for the remainder of my first year as a Wolf Den Leader. Shortly into my second year I upgraded to a 33 gallon container w/ a hinged lid due to the accumulation of craft supplies. Ultimately I ended up using both containers, depending on the main activity for the meeting.
The larger container went with me to most meetings. This was where I kept my copy of my Den’s current Cub Scout handbook, my “Program Helps”, my Den Leader How-To Book, a three-ring binder for organizing my paperwork (Scout registration forms, parent surveys, and spreadsheets for tracking advancement, etc.), the latest edition of Boy’s Life (love them jokes!), and the usual office/craft supplies. I also found out early that it was best to have enough tools/supplies so that there was no need to share or wait for that “insert crayon color/glue stick/pair of scissors/etc”. Also in the box was a first-aid kit (which accompanied me to every Scouting event), a spool of string, balloons, and a Frisbee for games, 8 pieces of ¼” nylon rope cut in 3 foot lengths for practicing knot tying, and some cleaning supplies- a bottle of Fantastik brand cleaner, a sponge in a zip lock bag, a roll of paper towels, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer.
For those Den meetings where we worked on construction projects- building bird houses, catapults, etc., I brought the 12 gallon bin that was stocked with safety glasses/goggles, (8) 8 oz. claw hammers, various bar and c-clamps, screwdrivers, a tape measure, a bottle of wood glue, a box of pencils, sandpaper, and boxes of nails and/or wood screws for assembling our projects.
While acquiring these supplies, I was constantly watching out for sales and shopped at discount and office supply stores. Certain craft stores also offered discounts to Scout Leaders by showing your BSA registration card at check-out (sometimes just telling the cashier that you are a Scout Leader was enough for the discount savings). I bought the hammers for $1 each at a tool supply house, and a friend that worked in a factory donated the safety eyewear. The rest of the tools were my own.
Sherry says
Old Time Cub Scouter, that is awesome!! You have some great ideas. I never thought about bringing cleaning supplies even though we always need them. Thanks for sharing!
Noreen B Latshaw says
I use a tool box for all my small supplies (crayons, pencils, glue, scissors, markers). I have posters of Scout oath, law, and progress chart since we meet in the church basement. I mounted them on foam board and carry them in an artist’s portfolio (24″x36″) so that I can set them up at each meeting. Reusable eco-friendly grocery bags are used to transport other items I may need for a specific adventure.
Sherry says
I like the artist’s portfolio idea! I’m going to share that with our leaders who have the posters mounted on foam board too! 🙂
Jason says
I have a cardboard box right now, but need to switch to something sturdier. Thanks for the good ideas. I’m learning a lot here!
Sherry says
Great! I love it when folks let me know that the information is useful. Thanks for reading!
Kelly says
I found this rolling tool box at Home Depot for around $40. The two boxes detach so I can lift easily in two sections if it’s too heavy.
“Stanley Mobile Work Center”
Stevie L. Funk-Kelly says
Yeah, I tried the wheeled suitcase too. Did not work at all!
That’s why I too use a set of 2 or 3 plastic snap lid totes as well. I wheel mine around on a luggage hauler.