Parents of young boys face many choices in after-school activities. Boys want to have fun, while parents want them to learn positive values and skills that will last a lifetime. If your boy is about to enter first through fifth grade, Cub Scouting may be exactly what you are both looking for!
Generations of American men have participated in and benefited from Cub Scouting, and the experience of serving millions of participants over almost a century has enabled us to make Cub Scouting one of the most exciting and rewarding programs available to your family today. The Cub Scout program involves a variety of family activities, encourages good behavior, teaches lifelong values, and strengthens the bonds of family.
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 Ranks
Bobcat
Bobcat is the very first rank that all Cub Scouts earns. It provides the foundation for the Cub Scout to perform tasks in Cub Scouting and his everyday life. To earn the Bobcat, the Cub Scout must do the following: Learn and say the Cub Scout motto, the Cub Scout Promise, and the Law of the Pack and tell what they mean; Show the Cub Scout sign, salute, and handshake and tell what they mean; and Show that you understand and believe that it is important to be honest and trustworthy.
Tiger Cub (1st Graders)
The Tiger Cub rank is for boys who have finished kindergarten (or who are 7 years old). To earn the Tiger Cub badge, a boy must complete 5 Tiger Cub achievements. As a boy finishes each part of the five Tiger Cub achievements, he earns an orange bead (for den activities), a white bead (for family activities), or a black bead (for "Go See Its"). When the boy has earned five beads of each color, he can receive his Tiger Cub badge. The Tiger Cub badge is given to the boy's adult partner at a pack meeting. Then, during a ceremony, the adult gives the badge to the boy.
Wolf (2nd Graders)
The Wolf rank is for boys who have finished first grade (or who are 8 years old). To earn the Wolf badge, a boy must pass 12 achievements. His parent or guardian approves each achievement by signing his book. When the boy has met all requirements, the Wolf badge is presented to his parent or guardian at the next pack meeting. During a ceremony, the parent or guardian then presents the badge to the boy.
Bear (3rd Graders)
The Bear rank is for boys who have finished second grade (or are 9 years old). There are 24 Bear achievements in four groups. A boy must complete 12 of the achievements to be a Bear Cub Scout. These requirements are harder and more challenging than those for the Wolf badge.
Webelos (4th and 5th Graders)
Webelos dens are for boys who have completed third grade (or reached age 10). The Webelos den program is different from the Cub Scout den program as it prepares the Cub Scout for Boy Scouts. Everything in the Webelos Scout program is more challenging than what younger boys in the pack do. Webelos Scouts can earn up to 20 Webelos activity badges.
When a boy has done the requirements for an activity badge, the Webelos den leader or activity badge counselor, rather than a parent, approves most of the activity badges. It takes three activity badges, including Fitness and Citizen, to earn the Webelos badge.
Arrow of Light
The highest rank in Cub Scouting is the Arrow of Light Award. Earning this rank prepares a Webelos Scout to become a Boy Scout. Webelos Scouts who have earned the Arrow of Light Award have also completed all requirements for the Boy Scout badge.
This award is the only Cub Scout badge that can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform when a boy graduates into a troop. Adult leaders who earned the Arrow of Light Award when they were young may also show their achievement by wearing a special square knot on their adult uniform.
