Whittlin Patch, where can it go?

[Docrwm]

Taken directly from

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/csoutdooractivityaward.aspx

 

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award

Tiger Cubs, Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts have the opportunity to earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award. Boys may earn the award in each of the program years as long as the requirements are completed each year. The first time the award is earned, the boy will receive the pocket flap award, which is to be worn on the right pocket flap of the uniform shirt. Each successive time the award is earned, a wolf track pin may be added to the flap. Leaders should encourage boys t o build on skills and experiences from previous years when working on the award for a successive year.

 

Requirements

All Ranks

 

Attend Cub Scout day camp or Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camp.

Rank-Specific

 

Tiger Cubs

Complete one requirement in Achievement 5, "Let's Go Outdoors" (Tiger Cub Handbook) and complete three of the outdoor activities listed below.

 

Wolf Cub Scouts

Assemble the "Six Essentials for Going Outdoors" (Wolf Handbook, Elective 23b) and discuss their purpose, and complete four of the outdoor activities listed below.

 

Bear Cub Scouts

Earn the Cub Scout Leave No Trace Award (Bear Handbook, Elective 25h) and compete five of the outdoor activities listed below.

 

Webelos Scouts

Earn the Outdoorsman Activity Badge (Webelos Handbook) and complete six of the outdoor activities listed below.

 

Outdoor Activities

 

With your den, pack, or family:

 

1. Participate in a nature hike in your local area. This can be on an organized, marked trail, or just a hike to observe nature in your area.

2. Participate in an outdoor activity such as a picnic or park fun day.

3. Explain the buddy system and tell what to do if lost. Explain the importance of cooperation.

4. Attend a pack overnighter. Be responsible by being prepared for the event.

5. Complete an outdoor service project in your community.

6. Complete a nature/conservation project in your area. This project should involve improving, beautifying, or supporting natural habitats. Discuss how this project helped you to respect nature.

7. Earn the Summertime Pack Award.

8. Participate in a nature observation activity. Describe or illustrate and display your observations at a den or pack meeting.

9. Participate in an outdoor aquatic activity. This can be an organized swim meet or just a den or pack swim.

10. Participate in an outdoor campfire program. Perform in a skit, sing a song, or take part in a ceremony.

11. Participate in an outdoor sporting event.

12. Participate in an outdoor Scout's Own or other worship service.

13. Explore a local city, county, state, or national park. Discuss with your den how a good citizen obeys the park rules.

 

The award requirements are detailed in the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award brochure, No. 13-228.

[rjscout]

The Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award is a COOL award that we are pushing strongly. The toughest part, really, is satisfying the summer camp portion. It isn't difficult, it is just that a lot of boys don't go to summer camp. We are trying to rectify that in our Pack.

 

But what about the official word on wearing the Whittling Chip patch on the right pocket (not flap)?

 

 

[AlFansome]

 

The Insignia Guide says that all temporary insignia are "worn centered on the right pocket and must not exceed the dimension of the seams of the pocket, nor extend higher than the lowest tip of the pocket flap." (See http://www.scouting.org/media/insigniaguide/03.aspx).

 

If you were to center the Whittlin Chip on the right pocket, it might look a bit silly because of the shape, but perfectly OK according to the Insignia Guide.

 

The Cubs in my pack tend not to put things on the right pocket since all the bead holders and compass point emblems just cover over them anyway.

 

[gwd-scouter]

A lot of people post that all one has to do is read the insignia guide. Yes, the guide is very helpful. Proper uniforming and patch placement is also nice. It is certainly something we strive for in our Boy Scout Troop.

 

I'm thinking back to my years as a Den Leader. The only thing I knew about patch placement was the inside cover of the handbooks that showed where the council strip and unit number were to be sewn. No one, not during training, not other leaders, not the Cubmaster, not at roundtable, ever mentioned a uniform guide. All manner of temporary patch placement arrived every Monday (that is, of course, if the cub was actually wearing a uniform shirt). Medals from several years' worth of pinewood derbies were displayed. Multiple temporary patches hanging from both the right and left pockets.

 

It was not until I took Cubmaster training that I learned about the insignia guide. At the Cub Scout level I admit that I really didn't care about proper patch placement. The parents got the council strip, unit number and den number on correctly thanks to the helpful inside handbook covers. Good enough for me. The boys were proud of their achievements and wanted to show them off and I wasn't going to step in and stop them.

 

Now back to the original question - other posters are correct - the Whittlin' Chip patch is not worn on the pocket flap, but worn either as a temporary patch on the right pocket or sewn on a patch blanket or vest.

[Docrwm]

" The Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award is a COOL award that we are pushing strongly. The toughest part, really, is satisfying the summer camp portion. It isn't difficult, it is just that a lot of boys don't go to summer camp. We are trying to rectify that in our Pack. "

 

FYI - the Summertime Camp option is an option not a requirement. Look at each rank and see that it has different requirements. For Wolves its " Assemble the "Six Essentials for Going Outdoors" (Wolf Handbook, Elective 23b) and discuss their purpose, and complete FOUR of the outdoor activities listed below." That means ANY 4 of the 13 listed. Should make it more manageable for your Pack. Good luck.

[AnaMaria]

No, attending camp is not optional for the Outdoor Activity Award, it's the first requirement listed for all ranks.

 

Requirements

All Ranks

 

Attend Cub Scout day camp or Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camp.

 

I'd say maybe a third of our pack goes to camp, and most of those are our district's twilight camp, so not many boys in our pack earn the Outdoor Activity award.

[rjscout]

The summer camp requirement is easily overlooked. I was sure that my son earned the Outdoor Activity Award as a tiger, but then I realized that he had to go to Day/Twilight camp or resident camp during the summer. Most of our boys complete enough of the other requirements, by rank, to achieve the award, if they would have gone to summer camp. I went as a leader. They are missing out on a lot of fun.