Gift for Cub Scout Leader?

[diznedream]

I really hope that I am posting in the right spot...

My son is a Wolf scout this year (2nd grader). We have a FABULOUS Den Leader and I want to show him how much our family appreciates him with a gift at the end of the Cub Scout year next month. I don't think that handmade cards are going to do the trick, and I'm wondering if any of you thoughful SCS folks have ever given a gift to your Cub Scout leader and what it was. Our den leader is the Dad of one of the kids in my son's class. Due to time restrictions, I can not compile a scrapbook of events or the like (wish I had thought of that idea months ago!). Any of your thoughts or tried and true ideas are very much appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Jessica

[PMR]

My husband is a den leader, a thank you gift is a great idea! I know he would appreciate a card or gift card to a coffee shop or restaurant. Maybe a photo frame with a picture of the den. I think anything all the kids sign would be good. Maybe even a little camp survival kit if he is going to camp this summer, a water bottle filled with some first aid stuff would be cute. My answer may not be the best because we are trying to cut down the clutter in the house.
Hope this helps.

[RiverIsis]

There was a thread not long ago about thanking coaches and IMO this probably falls into that category AND I remember a coaches' wife nearly begging for no more "stuff" as her husband had coached about 3-4 teams every year for the past so many years (you can imagine right?)... think the consensus was that anytime anyone did something for a kids group it made an impact on their family life so something that gave back to the whole family was great - the one that stuck in my brain was a family movie night box with a giftcard for a movie, some candy and microwave popcorn and maybe some soda - but you get the idea.

[askagain]

I made some clipboards for our girl scout leaders.... they're always carrying around lists and forms so thought this might be helpful. Also put names on the back for multiple troop events.

Brownie Leader Gifts by askagain at Splitcoaststampers

[andesmets]

would love some ideas, too!!!

[jenny24]

Any appreciation gift will be warmly received. When I was a GS and Cub scout leader, only 2-3 kids ever acknowledged my work. I loved all presents that I got - kitchen towels, holiday ornaments, restaurant gift card, bath and body works, beautiful notepad. I think handmade cards would be appreciated. Leaders aren't flooded with gifts like teachers!

[diznedream]

These are all GREAT ideas! Thanks for your help ladies. I just have to narrow it down now :-) I knew this site would have some wonderful ideas!
Jessica

[Susandr]

I am a Cub Scout Leader and a former Girl Scout leader, and I think the best gift was just having the parents acknowledge that I put in a lot of time and effort. I don't think that going out and buying a gift is as important as knowing that I might have made a difference in the child's life or that the parents appreciate what I did for their kids. That said, I did enjoy the bag of Stonewall Kitchen jellies, etc and a gift certificate to my local scrapbook store! I think whatever you do you should not buy clutter - same goes for teacher gifts.

[diznedream]

Susan,
Thanks for your post. I agree about not buying something that will be "clutter". I am only too conscious of the Clutter Monster in my own life. I think I am on the right track with a nice card full of thanks for everything he has done and a gift certificate to some sort of local fun family activity. Thanks for your input!
Jessica

[sharonstamps]

My husband was Scoutmaster , and I was a GS leader for 11 years, I agree with the 'no clutter please' as well as 'any recognition would be appreciated' statement. The movie in a box idea sounds great too.. Some of the BEST gifts I received were a very sincere Mothers' Day card from one of my girls who viewed me as a 'second mom' or the next best thing to her own mom.... a really nice collectible GS pen, and a thanks badge (framed) signed on the matt by all the girls. My husband received gift certificates to restaurants quite regularily, and even home depot gift certificates from the appreciative parents...

Another 'gift' I got was when a parent called me up and thanked me on the phone for bringing so many different experiences into her daughter's life.. ones that she would never have experienced otherwise. Another 'gift' was when one of my former scouts came by during spring break of her second year of college to introduce me to her boyfriend, and to thank me for teaching her how to protect herself at parties (carry your own beverage, don't let someone else open one for you, don't drink and drive, self protection, etc.). That was a big one!

Most scout leaders don't ever expect thanks or rewards, they simply want to make a difference. A simple card, or helping out when they ask for extra hands/bodies speaks volumes!

[Laurie FW]

My son's den leader is also his school counselor. I have given him a selection of note cards, mostly masculine with a few feminine ones, too (he is a single Dad with full custody and has a teenaged daughter as well as 2 boys.) He loved the note cards (I am lucky enough to have the SU Wolf stamp set and made him several with that set during Wolf years!) I have made him a post-it-note pad and matching pen with SU's "Roughing It," along with some snacks like nuts, dried fruit, trail mix and beef jerky. This year I decorated a Target mailbox with a red, white and blue patriotic theme (he is also in the Air Force Reserves) and put in a movie gift certificate and some candy to share with his kids. He has really appreciated it all! Good luck deciding what to give him!

[kyloescards]

I am a den leader and planned the Blue and Gold for our pack leader who was moving up to Boy Scouts - we gave him hand made plaque with a cubmaster poem and a small scrapbook (we just made our own with watercolor paper and bound it with ribbon) and each boy took a photo of themselves in the scout uniform and wrote a personal thanks on the page with the photo. So, they were small and personal. The cubmaster sent a thank you saying the poem was just awesome and as most cub scout volunteers they are in it for the kids and not the recognition.
Oh, we also took a photo of the boys with a huge cardboard sign that said thanks Mike (the cubmasters name) and put it on the first page of the scrapbook.
As a den leader my best thing ever was one of the boys told me how much he appreciated all that I had done for him as I dropped him off from camp one day. I had tears in my eyes - it was genuine and without prompting.

[Rush'd Lady]

Cool ideas!