Webelos Handbook - Scouting

492 Pages·2009·9.49 MB·English

This is my
Webelos
Handbook

Name _________________________________________

Webelos den number ___________________________

Pack number _________________________________

Webelos den leader _______________________________

Webelos den leader’s phone number:
___________________________________________________

Bobcat badge earned on _________________________

Webelos badge earned on _______________________

Arrow of Light Award earned on ____________________

(BLUE OR TAN SHIRT)

(TAN SHIRT)

LEFT SLEEVE

SHOULDER SEAM

2005

YOU SHOULD USE THIS BOOK IF:

You are a boy who has completed the
third grade or you are 10 years old.

Webelos
Handbook

33452
ISBN 0-8395-3452-3
©2003 Boy Scouts of America
2008 Printing

Webelos Scout Parent Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Welcome to Your Webelos Scout Den! . . . . . . 23
Rank Advancement and Special Awards . . . . 39
Activity Badges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Physical Skills Activity Badge Group

Aquanaut
83

Athlete
123

Fitness
245

Sportsman
455
Mental Skills Activity Badge Group

Artist
101

Scholar
391

Showman
429

Traveler
461
Community Activity Badge Group

Citizen
143

Communicator
165

Family Member
227

Readyman
365
Technology Activity Badge Group

Craftsman
197

Engineer
211

Handyman
299

Scientist
401
Outdoor Activity Badge Group

Forester
259

Geologist
279

Naturalist
317

Outdoorsman
343
Index and Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Contents

Webelos
Scout
Parent
Guide

Webelos Scout Parent Guide
3

Note: In the front of this book there is a tear-out sec-
tion for you on youth protection. Please do tear it out (that
makes the book easier to handle), read it carefully, and
keep it at hand for easy reference.

Parents, Guardians, or Other Adult Family Members:
This is your part of the Webelos Handbook. It tells what this
part of Cub Scouting for older boys is all about, how it oper-
ates, and how you can help your son as he joins the exciting,
challenging Webelos Scout den.

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Webelos Scout Parent Guide

Welcome to the Webelos Den

The Webelos den will open a new world of adventure for your
son: a way to learn new skills, to enjoy lots of outdoor activities,
and most of all, to have fun.
This guide will give you a head start on understanding how
the program works, and you’ll find out how you can help your
son and his Webelos den.

What Is a Webelos Scout?
Your son has joined the part of the Cub Scouting program
of the Boy Scouts of America that is for fourth- and fifth-grade
boys. Webelos Scouts are older than boys in the Tiger Cub, Wolf
Cub Scout, and Bear Cub Scout levels of Cub Scouting.
If a boy has completed third grade, or if he has not completed
third grade but is 10 years old, he’s the right age for this den.
Most Webelos Scouts are in this program for about 18 months.
This is a transitional program that shifts the emphasis from the
home-centered activities of Tiger Cub and Wolf and Bear Cub
Scouts to group-centered activities. This is preparation for his
later participation in the great adventure of Boy Scouting.
The program will provide your boy with a variety of new
experiences that will help him assume responsibilities and gain
maturity, knowledge, and skills.
After your son’s Webelos Scout experience, and after he has
completed the fifth grade and is at least 10 years old, or is age
11, or has earned the Arrow of Light Award and is at least 10
years old, he’ll be ready for more independence and adventure
in a Boy Scout troop.

After you’ve read this guide, be sure to sign your name
beside Webelos badge requirement 1 on page 49 (under
“Approved by”). This will help him earn the Webelos badge.

Webelos Scout Parent Guide
5

The Webelos Den Can Help You
As a parent or guardian, you want the best for your son. You
want a close relationship with him, and you want to help him
grow physically, mentally, and morally.
This part of Cub Scouting is designed to assist you. The
program is geared to your son’s developing abilities and chang-
ing interests. You’ll find yourself growing closer to him as you
encourage him in his advancement and when you take a turn
assisting with Webelos den activities.
Join him in this adventure!

Advancement
Much of your son’s progress will take
place through activities centered around
his advancement. He’ll advance by earn-
ing activity badges and other awards.
Each of the 20 activity badges focuses
on a different subject in the areas of
physical skills, mental skills, community, technology, and the
outdoors. Athlete, Scholar, Citizen, Craftsman, Sportsman—
these are just a few of the activity badges. The entire den works
on one activity badge each month, mostly in their meetings.
Your son may learn the backstroke for the Aquanaut activity
badge, practice first aid skills for the Readyman activity badge,
or learn about the minerals that make up the earth’s crust for
the Geologist activity badge. Each activity badge presents an
array of hands-on activities and fascinating information that will
enrich his life.
He will also earn the Webelos badge, which has its own set of
requirements. Later, he’ll be eligible to work on Cub Scouting’s
highest award, the Arrow of Light.
Your son will keep track of his activity badges on a chart (see
pages 75–78 of this book).

The name
Webelos comes
from “WE’ll BE
LOyal Scouts.”

Pronounce it
WEE-buh-lows.

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Webelos Scout Parent Guide

If Your Son Is New in Scouting
If your son joined Cub Scouting as a Webelos Scout, he must
earn the Bobcat badge before receiving any other award or
rank. The Bobcat badge requirements are on page 42.
He will need your help to fully understand the Cub Scout
Promise, Law of the Pack, and Character Connections. When
he has completed the Bobcat requirements to your satisfaction,
he’ll receive his Bobcat badge at a pack meeting.
Then he’ll be ready to start on his adventures in Webelos
Scouting.

Purposes of Cub Scouting
While the Webelos den’s activities are tailored to your
son’s age group, its main purposes are the same as those
for Cub Scouting at younger levels:
1. Character Development
2. Spiritual Growth
3. Good Citizenship
4. Sportsmanship and Fitness
5. Family Understanding
6. Respectful Relationships
7. Personal Achievement
8. Friendly Service
9. Fun and Adventure
10. Preparation for Boy Scouts

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Character Connections®

Cub Scouting’s Character Connections
program helps your son know, commit,
and practice Cub Scouting’s 12 core values
while enjoying fun and adventure in his
Webelos den. This symbol identifies Char-
acter Connections throughout this book
and in other Cub Scouting materials.

Character Development
Since its origin, the Scouting progam has been an educational
experience concerned with values. In 1910, the first activities
for Scouts were designed to build character, physical fitness,
practical skills, and service. These elements were part of the
original Cub Scout program and continue to be part of Cub
Scouting today.
Character development should extend into every aspect of a
boy’s life. Character development should also extend into every
aspect of Cub Scouting. Cub Scout leaders should strive to
use Cub Scouting’s 12 core values throughout all elements of
the program—service projects, ceremonies, games, skits,
songs, crafts, and all the other activities enjoyed at den and pack
meetings.

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Webelos Scout Parent Guide

Cub Scouting’s 12 Core Values

1 . Citizenship: Contributing service and showing respon-
sibility to local, state, and national communities.
2 . Compassion: Being kind and considerate, and show-
ing concern for the well-being of others.
3 . Cooperation: Being helpful and working together
with others toward a common goal.
4 . Courage: Being brave and doing what is right regard-
less of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences.
5 . Faith: Having inner strength and confidence based on
our trust in God.
6 . Health and Fitness: Being personally committed to
keeping our minds and bodies clean and fit.
7 . Honesty: Telling the truth and being worthy of trust.
8 . Perseverance: Sticking with something and not giving
up, even if it is difficult.
9 . Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our
minds to look for and find the best in all situations.
10 . Resourcefulness: Using human and other resources
to their fullest.
11 . Respect: Showing regard for the worth of something
or someone.
12 . Responsibility: Fulfilling our duty to God, country,
other people, and ourselves.

Where the Webelos Den Fits In
If you’re new to Cub Scouting, this will help you understand
how it’s set up. Your son belongs to a small group called a
Webelos den. The den is part of a larger Cub Scout pack that
includes younger boys in the Tiger Cub and Wolf and Bear Cub
Scout dens.
The pack is operated by a community organization, such as a
school, a church or other religious institution, a service club, or
other group interested in helping youth. It’s called the chartered
organization because it holds a charter from the BSA local
council that allows it to use the Scouting program.
In addition to their den meetings, Webelos Scouts take part
in monthly pack meetings led by an adult volunteer called the
Cubmaster. Parents and other adult family members can serve
on the pack committee, which plans pack activities.

Cub Scout Pack Structure

Den Chiefs
Den Chiefs

Adult Partners
Assistant Webelos Den
Leaders

Assistant Cub Scout Den
Leaders

Tiger Cub
Den Leaders

Webelos
Den Leaders

Cub Scout
Den Leaders

Assistant
Cubmaster

Cubmaster

Pack Committee

Chartered Organization
Representative

Chartered
Organization

Webelos Scout Parent Guide
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