Arrow of Light and Webelos Crossover Momento

[Just Asking]

I am a second year Webelos Leader and my scouts will be getting their Arrow of Light in January and crossing over in February. Other leaders in our Pack have given the boys items, usually hand made things like plaques, for these occasions. I am not very crafty. What kinds of things do other leaders give the boys for these occasions and is that a tradition?

[mdutch]

My pack gave out Boy Scout pocket knives to everyone recieving the AOL.

[dan]

not sure if you well have time to get them, but they are great kits.

 

http://www.cubitems.com/

[Eagle1973]

Our Cubmaster gave the cross overing (is that a word?) Scouts a Handbook.

 

The knife is a great idea, but they can't use it until they re-earn the priviledge.

[pamchuckm]

Don't know what your budget is ... but some other suggestions .. Whistle, Compass, Mess Kit.

[sm41]

We give the Boys Arrow Plaques.

Does not cost much, and If you have some-one that can work with wood they take about ten minutes to construct. For more info let me know.

 

(This message has been edited by sm41)

[Eagledad]

Our pack tradition was an arrow for AOL and a Scout Handbook for crossing over. I think both gifts are wonderful, but I've noticed that when I visit the personal displays that Eagles scouts set up at their Eagle COH, it's usually that arrow I gave them on display, not the book.

 

I like the knife idea also.

 

Barry

[fling1]

Arrow plaques are great! Our pack had the boys build their own arrow plaques over the course of several meetings. They cut and sanded and routed and stained the plaques. They cut fletchings and painted and assembled their arrows with waxed string (sinew substitute). It was a great project for them and a good momento of their Cub Scout careers. The arrows were presented at the graduation/crossover event (even boys who do not continue to Boy Scouts get their arrow to remind them of their Cub Scout days).

As a gift at crossover, we gave the boys leather drawstring pouches, made from some nice soft scrap deerhide. Part of the ceremony included removing their cub neckers and slides, and blue epaulets, as these have no place on a Boy Scout uniform. They go in the pouch for safe-keeping, of course!

We also gave them a Boy Scout handbook, but the receiving Scoutmaster presented it to them, along with a new set of red epaulets.

As a nice touch, if you are at a crossover to accept one scout, take the epaulets off of your own uniform and present them to the scout :-)

[Just Asking]

To SM41

I would like to know more about the plaques you mentioned.

 

Thanks

[anarchist]

Just Asking...

my Webes still talk about the plaque I did for them and it took a only a couple of evenings to do for seven boys.

 

In their last couple of meetings I had each Webe II 'craft' an arrow (BSA catalogue/scout shop) under the guise that we were going to give it to their parents after crossover. Now, rather than use the plastic point supplied with the kit I had a friend ship me real stone points...bit 'classier' than colored plastic.

Local craft store supplied plaques, (I used ones that had rather fancy routed edges and were roughly rectangular shaped) stain golden oak (or whatever suits you) and then I drilled a 1/4 inch hole, near the bottom, (centered), and put a small piece of stained 1/4 inch dowling into it. Next procure round wooden balls 2-21/2 inch diameter (craft stor again) and drill dowel sized hole into 'back' (centered) of wooden ball this becomes the sun symbol in the "arrow of light" by drilling a series of seven small holes around the upper circumference (see AoL picture) and using a few small diameter brass rods cut in appropiate small lengths to 'make' the sun rays...(shortest pointing up, progressively longer as you move 'out')place brass rod pieces in holes with little glue/epoxy and paint wooden ball brass/gold color or stain 'golden' oak and you have the 'sun'.

Finally, the arrow will go above the 'SUN' on the plaque...bend two small pieces of the remaining brass rod (for each plaque)into "U's" just large enough to 'hold' the arrow shaft and extend far enough behind the arrow (1/4-1/2 inch) into the plaque... sort of like staples...and drill two (sets) of appropriately spaced holes for these "brass staples" in order to balance, hold and keep the arrow attached to the plaque.

 

It sounds harder than it is...but it looks really cool... and I have been told most of the boys still have them hanging on their walls

 

I also gave each boy a small medicine bag containing a small 'lucky stone' (the earth and our foundation) a very small feather (future adventures...supplied by one of our barn cats) and a large pinch of fire ashes in a small plastic vial (for remembering the good times we had...from our last Webelos 2 campfire)kind of sentimental but powerful...

good luck...and thank you for your efforts in scouting!

[Eamonn]

Now I feel really cheap!!

All we gave our departing Webelos Scouts was a Scout Handbook and a pat on the back. The Lads who opted not to join a troop only got the pat on the back!!

Oh Well, it's the thought that counts.

Eamonn

(Feeling like the Grinch who stole Cross over.)

[Twocubdad]

Our Webelos I's make shadow boxes for the graduating Webelos II's, similar to the ones in the Scout catalog. It counts toward the Craftsman badge for the WI's. The boys build them but the pack pay for the materials.

 

We also give the boys a Boy Scout Handbook and their red shoulder tabs.

[Lynda J]

When my boys crossed over last year I got the arrow kits from the Scout Shop. I painted each one with the achievements each boy had earned. Then mounted them on a board and had a silver plack made with his name, the pack # and the date on it. Kevin's is now handing on the door of his bedroom. There is a wonderful cross over ceremony using the signs of the arrow.

[scoutingagain]

We(the troop I serve) used to give the Webelos a handbook a crossover but frankly a good percentage never showed up to troop meetings, so we now give them a handbook when they show up and register in the fall.

 

A good item to give instead of a knife might be one of those multi-use signal/survival whistles. The ones with a compass, whistle, matchholder, etc.

 

My 2 cents.

 

SA

[Eagledad]

This reminded me of one of our AOL ceremonies. I went to a party supplies store and bought one of those cheap plastic table clothes and painted the Arrow of Light emblem on it. The emblem was about 18 inches by 30 inches. Before the meeting, I taped the tablecloth between to vertical post and then set a lamp behind it. Then I hid the tablecloth by putting a large piece of cardboard in front of it. One my mark during the ceremony, someone turned off the room lights and while I pulled the cardboard away and plugged in the lamp behind the tablecloth. The whole room was dark except this white tablecloth that appeared to glow in the dark with a big Webelos emblem in the middle of it. I brought each Webelos up one at a time, gave a brief story about him, and presented him with the arrow I made for him. I then gave him a bow and let him shoot his arrow through the tablecloth. The arrows were only about 12 inches long, so they couldnt pull back far enough to get much velocity. They had just enough speed to punch through the tablecloth. It was really cool.

 

If we ever have time, let me tell you about the Lighted Neckerchief Ceremony we did for crossovers. Flames about three feet high. Ahhh, I remember those wonderful Cub days. No wonder I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry