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What is Cub Scouting?
The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger
boys through Cub Scouting. It is a year-round family
program designed for boys who are in the first grade
through fifth grade (or 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of
age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together
to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently,
Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA's three membership
divisions. (The others are Boy Scouting and Venturing.)
The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:
- Character Development
- Spiritual Growth
- Good Citizenship
- Sportsmanship and Fitness
- Family Understanding
- Respectful Relationships
- Personal Achievement
- Friendly Service
- Fun and Adventure
- Preparation for Boy Scouts
Cub Scouting Ideals
Apart from the fun and excitement of Cub Scout activities,
the Cub Scout Promise, the Law of the Pack, the Tiger
Cub motto, and the Cub Scout sign, handshake, motto,
and salute all teach good citizenship and contribute
to a boy's sense of belonging.
Membership
Cub Scouting members join a Cub Scout pack and are
assigned to a den, usually a neighborhood group of six
to eight boys. Tiger Cubs (first-graders), Wolf Cub
Scouts (second-graders), Bear Cub Scouts (third-graders),
and Webelos Scouts (fourth- and fifth-graders) meet
weekly.
Once a month, all of the dens and family members gather
for a pack meeting under the direction of a Cubmaster
and pack committee. The committee includes parents of
boys in the pack and members of the chartered organization.
Cub Scout membership includes:
834,562 Cub Scouts
667,153 Webelos Scouts
493,165 Pack Leaders
243,609 Tiger Cubs
51,469 Packs
Click here to see a list of FAMOUS CUB SCOUTS and WHAT
SCOUTS BECOME
Overview
The Cub Scout program is composed of five years of
graduated activities as follows:
- Tiger Cubs - 1st graders
- The Tiger Cub program is for first-grade (or
age 7) boys and their adult partners. There are
five Tiger Cub achievement areas. The Tiger Cub,
working with his adult partner, completes 15 requirements
within these areas to earn the Tiger Cub badge.
These requirements consist of an exciting series
of indoor and outdoor activities just right for
a boy in the first grade.
- Bobcat
- The Bobcat rank is for all boys who join Cub
Scouting.
- Wolf - 2nd graders
- The Wolf program is for boys who have completed
first grade (or are age 8). To earn the Wolf badge,
a boy must pass 12 achievements involving simple
physical and mental skills.
- Bear - 3rd graders
- The Bear rank is for boys who have completed
second grade (or are age 9). There are 24 Bear
achievements in four categories. The Cub Scout
must complete 12 of these to earn the Bear badge.
These requirements are somewhat more difficult
and challenging than those for Wolf rank.
- Webelos - 4th graders
- This program is for boys who have completed
third grade (or are age 10). A boy may begin working
on the Webelos badge as soon as he joins a Webelos
den. This is the first step in his transition
from the Webelos den to the Boy Scout troop. As
he completes the requirements found in the Webelos
Handbook, he will work on activity badges, attend
meetings led by adults, and become familiar with
the Boy Scout requirements—all leading to
the Arrow of Light Award.
- Webelos - 5th graders
- Continued from Webelos 4th graders
A boy can enter at any age. Each level has its own
book and advancement program that results in a variety
of badges, pins and other awards. The initial part of
the advancement program (except for Tiger Cubs) is to
qualify for the Bobcat badge. This covers the basics
of Cub Scouting, e.g. the Cub Scout Promise and handshake.
Advancing to Bobcat is done in a short time and must
be done once by any cub scout, no matter what age they
enter.
Any boys joining later into one of the older groups
will complete the Bobcat requirements and then go directly
to the program for their age e.g., go from Bobcat directly
to Bear or Webelos dens, skipping the badges between
those ranks. This isn't a problem and happens frequently.
Typically, we award the Bobcat badges at our mid-year
awards ceremony in January.
Pack/Den Meetings
Parent participation in all meetings is strongly encouraged.
Pack 478 is particularly interested in creating an opportunity
for parents and sons to participate together. Either
fathers, mothers, or other guardians are welcome. We
want to create opportunities for special one-on-one
parent/child experiences.
Den meetings are held twice per month on days/evenings
and times that are mutually beneficial to all den members.
Some find it easiest to meet right after school while
others find weekday evenings best for all. Den leaders
always try to be as flexible and accommodating as possible
so that the scouting experience is maximized for everyone.
One of the important goals of the pack is to share
the responsibilities so it doesn't take too much time
for any particular parents. Therefore, for example,
the main job of the Den Leader is to organize all the
other parents to take turns planning the den activities.
There are plenty of fun activities in the advancement
books to fill the year, so it isn't hard to find something
to do, that will also help the boys advance.
Den leaders may arrange for additional meetings/events
at their discretion. These will be announced directly
to parents well in advance.
Advancement Program
One of the key elements of our pack's program is to
advance the cubs through the various badges, e.g., Tiger
Cub, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and Arrow of Light.
In the Cub Scouts advancement is primarily a parent
responsibility. As mentioned above, some of the den
meeting time will be devoted to advancement in order
to maintain planned progress and quality in the advancement
program. Our advancement "guidelines" are
as follows:
- First graders: do the Tiger Cubs activities.
- Get second graders advanced to Wolf and to one Gold
and two silver Wolf Arrow Points.
- Get third graders advanced to Bear and to one Gold
and two Silver Bear Arrow Points.
- Get fourth graders advanced to Webelos.
- Get fifth graders advanced to Arrow of Light.
It is the parent's responsibility to monitor and keep
track of the Cub Scout's advancements. The parent should
keep the Den Leader informed about the Scout's progress.
We have two award ceremonies each year: January and
June.
Uniforms and Books
The scout store is in Mesa on the North East corner
of Gilbert and Southern upstairs in the outdoor mall.
The basic uniform for our pack is as follows:
Required:
- Hat (cub ball cap style).
- Shirt (either long or short sleeves; most cubs have
short sleeve shirts). Webelos shirt is khaki, and
Wolves and Bears is blue.
- Council patch
- Numerals for the pack number: 478
- Den patch for cub's assigned den number
- Neckerchief (orange for Tigers, yellow for cubs
working on Wolf, Blue for cubs working on Bear and
plaid for cubs working on Webelos).
- Neckerchief slide
- Belt (not necessarily a cub scout belt - but recommended)
Notes: Uniform trousers are not required; just wear
jeans, sweats or shorts. The belt is useful because
a number of awards that the scout can earn are "belt
loops" that fit on the cub scout belt. We occasionally
have some used uniforms if a scout would have trouble
affording a new one. (If you have an old uniform to
donate, please contact the Cub Master.) eBay and Craig's
List are also useful in locating used uniforms. All
real BSA equipment and uniforms are made in the U.S.A.
In addition to a uniform, a cub will need a Tiger Cub,
Wolf, Bear, or Webelos book.
You can find locations and
maps to local Scouting Stores here.
Annual Fees
We are collecting $50 per cub for this year. That pays
for the annual registration with the Boy Scouts of America,
Boy's Life magazine, insurance, T-shirt and an activity fee.
The activity fee covers materials for the special pack
meetings such as the Pinewood Derby (not the car kit),
costs incurred in running the program (e.g., advancement
cards and pins, mailings), and decorations and food
for the annual Blue and Gold Banquet to which all family
members are invited (siblings are included). If there
is more than one cub in a family, subtract $7 for each
Boy's Life subscription that is not needed.
There may be occasional additional charges for various
optional Pack activities, such as winter and summer
camp, and various trips. This is typically rare.
If a family has a problem paying any of the fees, please
contact the
Cubmaster and special arrangements can
be made. We don't want any
boy left out due to financial issues!
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