http://www

Colors

The Cub Scouting colors are blue and gold. They have special meaning, which will help boys see beyond the fun of Cub Scouting to its ultimate goals.

The blue stands for truth and spirituality, steadfast loyalty, and the sky above.

The gold stands for warm sunlight, good cheer, and happiness.

The Language of Cub Scouting
Cub Scouting has a language all its own. Here are definitions of many terms you will encounter as you get more and more involved in the program.

Achievement
To earn the rank badge, Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts must complete Achievements found in their Handbook. The Achivements cover these areas: God, Country, Family, and Self.

Activity Badge
There are 20 Activity Badges a Webelos Scout can earn. These are divided into 5 areas: Physical, Mental, Technology, Outdoor, and Community. A pin is presented for completion of each Activity Badge.

Arrow of Light
This is the highest award a boy can earn in Cub Scouting. It is also the ONLY (non-religious) award from Cub Scouting that can be worn on a Boy Scout Uniform.

Arrow Point
Arrow Points are awarded to Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts for completion of electives beyond the Achievements covered for earning the Wolf or Bear rank badge. A Gold Arrow Point is awarded for the first 10 electives; a Silver Arrow Point is awarded for each successive 10 electives completed.

Bear Cub
These are generally third grade Cub Scouts, who work on activities in the areas God, Country, Family and Self. Of the 24 possible Achievements, they must complete a prescribed amount in each area, for a total of 12.

Bobcat
Every boy who joins Cub Scouts must first earn the Bobcat badge. Doing this, he learns the seven basic tenets of Cub Scouting: the Promise, the Law of the Pack, the sign, the handshake, the motto, the salute, and what Webelos means.

Boy Scout
A Boy Scout is between the ages of 11 and 18 and belongs to a Troop. He advances through these ranks: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle.

Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is a nationally chartered organization that encompasses Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturing Scouts.

Committee
This is the group of adult volunteers who "run" the Pack. Any interested adult is welcome to attend Committee meetings.

Council
The Council is an organization of professional Scouters that oversees all Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and other units in a particular geographic area. Pack 71 is part of the Minsi Trails Council.

Cub or Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is any member of Boy Scouts in first through fifth grade (or age 7 to 11).

Cubmaster
The Cubmaster is the chief adult volunteer leader. The Cubmaster runs the Pack meetings and advises other leaders.

Den
The Den is a group of Cub Scouts who meeet at regular intervals. Ideally, a den consists of 6 to 8 boys who are all working toward the same rank.

Den Leader
The adult volunteer who is in charge of planning and running den meetings is the Den Leader.

Den Meeting
Individual Den Meetings are held for each rank level of Cub Scouts. These usually occur at a regular intervals, such as weekly or bi-weekly. Wolf and Bear dens work on fun projects, crafts, skits, or some of their Achievements. Webelos dens use this time to work on the various Activity Badges.

District Each Council is divided into a number of Districts. Pack 71 is part of the Trexler District.

Handbook
Each level of Scouting has its own Handbook. The Handbook is ESSENTIAL for your Scout, as it spells out the requirements for advancement, as well as providing a place to record completion of the same.

Pack
The whole group—all of the dens and families together—is called a Pack. The Pack usually meets once every month.

Rank Badges The Rank Badges, in order, are: Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelos.

Sponsoring Organization
Each Unit must have a sponsoring organization, such as a church or service club. Pack 71 is sponsored by Solomon's United Church of Christ, Macungie.

Tiger Cub
Tiger Cubs are first-grade boys who, with an adult partner, participate in several of 17 Big Ideas. The Tiger Cub program serves as an introduction to the Cub Scout program. Tiger Cubs and their families are encouraged to participate in Pack events. As of 2006, all Tiger cubs will work on earning their Bobcat badge prior to receiving their Tiger Badge.

Tiger Partner The adult partner of a Tiger Cub, usually a family member, is the Tiger Partner.

Uniform
The Uniform is the prescribed clothing for any and all official Cub Scout events. Webelos Scouts use the "colors" for activity pins. For "casual" events, a Cub or Webelos Scout T-shirt and shorts is acceptable.

Webelos Webelos means WE'll BE LOyal Scouts.

Webelos Scout
These are fourth- and fifth-grade Cub Scouts, who work on up to 20 Activity Badges in the den setting. These activities are designed to prepare the boys for the merit badge methodology utilized in Boy Scouting.

Wolf Cub
These are second-grade Cub Scouts, who work on 12 achievements, mostly in the home setting. Arrow Points are awarded for work done on a multitude of electives.

Unit Each individually chartered Pack, Troop, Post or Lodge is a Unit.

	*The Basics of Cub Scouting* Cub Scouting is for boys in grades 1-5 or aged 6-10. The program focuses on making things, going places, and learning in a fun way. Boys have already spent most of their day in school, so Cub Scouting is meant to be "hands on." The founder of the Boy Scouting movement, Sir Robert S.S. Baden-Powell, was friends with Rudyard Kipling, the British author who wrote the popular JUNGLE BOOK stories about a boy orphaned in the jungle of India and subsequently raised by a wise wolf with help from a loveable bear. Many of the terms and much of the imagery of Cub Scouting was taken from Kipling's stories. The animals called the orphan boy a "man cub" and from that came the term Cub Scout. The boy's primary care-giver was the wise wolf. A wolf face is the Cub Scout logo and the Cub Scout Sign, two fingers raised into the air, symbolizes wolf ears, a signal for scouts to be attentive and listen to their leader. A large group of wolves is called a pack, the term used to describe a whole group (unit) of Cub Scouts. A smaller group of wolves is called a den, the term used for the smaller, age/grade specific sub-groups within a Cub Scout pack. A boy may join Cub Scouting upon entering first grade or reaching age 6. Boys are grouped into "dens" with other boys the same age or grade. This makes it easier for the adult den leader because everyone in the den will have about the same skill level and work at about the same speed. This would not be true if 4th graders were to be mixed with 2nd graders! If a boy joins the program at an older age, he is placed with his age group. Such scouts are not required to "make up" any ranks they may have missed as a result of not beginning as a first grader. As boys progress through the 4~5 years they will typically be in the program, they earn ranks for which they are awarded badges to wear on their scout uniform to signify their achievements. Each rank takes about one year to earn.
		Upon joining, first graders are placed into a Tiger Cub Den. Not yet being able to read or write very well, every Tiger Cub is required to have an adult partner, usually mom or dad, but a grandparent, aunt/uncle, or even an older teenage sibling may fulfill this role. It is also OK for adult partners to switch off so long as the boy has an adult partner at every meeting and activity.
		The first badge earned by all Cub Scouts is the Bobcat Badge. To become a Bobcat, boys simply need to memorize the Cub Scout promise, the Cub Scout Slogan, and the Cub Scout Motto. They also learn about the Cub Scout Sign and its meaning. Most boys are able to do these few simple requirements within their first month of membership. They then proceed to work on whichever rank is appropriate for their age/grade.
		Second graders are placed into a Wolf den. They are not required to have an adult partner in attendance at all times, but parents are ALWAYS welcome in Cub Scouting and most den leaders will really appreciate extra pairs of adult hands to help boys with projects.
		Third graders will go into a Bear den. The requirements and projects for each successive rank get a bit more challenging to correspond with the boys' increasing abilities.
		Fourth and fifth graders are called Webelos. The term is an acronym and means "We'll be loyal scouts." Some larger packs have enough scouts to have separate dens for 1st and 2nd year Webelos (4th / 5th graders, respectively). In smaller packs, all the Webelos may be grouped together. Advancement during the 2-year Webelos program works a bit differently than for the Tiger, Wolf, and Bear ranks. Similar to the merit badge system in Boy Scouting, Webelos Scouts earn a series of "activity pins." These may be worked on in any order, which is why it works for 1st and 2nd year Webelos to be grouped together.

		Second year Webelos will also work on earning the Arrow of Light Award, the requirements for which are taken directly from the requirements to become a Tenderfoot Boy Scout.
	One of the major goals of the Webelos program is to prepare Cub Scouts to eventually "graduate" into Boy Scouting. One way to help prepare them for this transition is for Webelos dens to go hiking, camping, and participate in other activities with a local Boy Scout troop (so long as the activities are appropriate for boys of their age). Boys who have a positive experience all the way through Cub Scouting almost always want to continue into Boy Scouting. Many will "walk the Eagle Trail" to its summit and become Eagle Scouts. Cub Scouting is very much a family-centered program and parental involvement is important for a boy's advancement. Even though parental attendance may not be required at every weekly den meeting for 2nd~5th graders, some advancement requirements do need to be completed at home with adult help and supervision. Cub Scouts will typically take numerous field trips and other "outings" during the year. Parents, and usually other siblings, will generally be welcome to attend and participate in most pack activities. As with just about any extracurricular activity, a greater commitment typically results in a greater benefit. Boys whose parents put forth an effort to be involved in the pack and pack activities will get a whole lot more out of the program than those whose parents can't or won't.

If you could give your boy the greatest gift of all, what would it be? It wouldn't be money or anything money can buy. Whether you are rich or poor, the greatest gift is within your power because that gift is helping a boy become a person with genuine concern for others and good feelings about himself. Cub Scouting can help you provide this gift.

Your Son, Scouting, and You

As a parent, you want your son to grow up to be self-reliant and dependable - a person of worth, a caring individual. Scouting has these same goals in mind.

Since 1910 we've been weaving lifetime values into fun and educational activities designed to help parents teach their sons how to make good decisions throughout their lives and give them confidence as they become the adult leaders of tomorrow.

In a society where your son is often taught that winning is everything, Cub Scouting teaches him to do his best and be helpful to others as expressed in the Cub Scout Promise, Cub Scout Motto, and Law of the Pack.

A Cub Scout den will involve your boy in a group of boys his own age where he can earn status and recognition. There he will also gain a sense of personal achievement from the new skills he learns.

The Purposes of Cub Scouting

Cub Scouting is the phase of the program offered by the Boy Scouts of America for 1st through 5th grade boys. The purposes of Cub Scouting are to help parents and community organizations help boys by:

· Positively influencing character development and encouraging spiritual growth.

· Helping boys develop habits and attitudes of good citizenship.

· Encouraging good sportsmanship and pride in growing strong mind and body.

· Improving understanding within the family.

· Strengthening the ability to get along with other boys and to respect other people.

· Fostering a sense of personal achievement by helping boys develop new interests and skills.

· Showing how to be helpful and do one's best.

· Providing fun and exciting new things to do.

· Preparing boys to become Boy Scouts.

Cub Scouting

Your Cub Scout is a member of a den. Most dens have 6 to 8 boys in them and meet once a week. Den meetings are a time for learning new things and having fun. Dens are lead by a team a adult volunteers - the den leader and assistant den leader(s). Den leaders are usually parents of boys in that den.

Your Cub Scout is also a member of a pack. Packs consist of several dens. Most packs ( including ours) meet once a month. Pack meetings usually follow a suggested theme and are a time for the boys to be recognized for their accomplishments during the month, to perform skits and songs they've learned in den meetings, and to have fun with the entire family.

Packs are led by a Cubmaster and pack committee. Like the den leaders, the Cubmaster and assistants are volunteers and are usually parents of boys in the pack