Webelos and belt loops

[EagerLeader]

OK, so I'm just a bit early with this question, since my cubs aren't done with Bears yet, but I have to ask...

 

In looking through the Webelos handbook (yes, I already have one!) there are several activity pin requirements to earn specific belt loops. If the Cub has already earned them previously, I know they need to repeat the work in order for it to count for Webelos.

 

So here's my question... how many of you will award a belt loop a second time? And if you don't give the Cub a second loop, how do you recognize his work at a Pack Meeting? I only ask because there are 3 Bears in my den who have already earned over 20 belt loops, and will be repeating them. I don't see the point in awarding them a second time.

 

EL(This message has been edited by EagerLeader)

[msnowman]

Other Packs may do it differently but what we have done in the past is that the Pack will purchase the Beltloop the first time it is earned. The parents purchase it for any future earnings. If the Scout repeats the requirements and earns it a second time for rank (following your Web example), he would be acknowledged at the Pack meeting but no further beltloop would be awarded unless his parents bought it.

 

YiS

Michelle

[MaScout]

Ditto Michelle. They receive the BL the 1st time, subsequently, they are recognized, but do not receive the actual BL.

[Lisabob]

We've done the same thing for the most part - but where feasible, we've sometimes used those little "rocker" patch segments to recognize the second time through a beltloop. Advantages: they're cheap (about 40 cents each) and the boys love them. Disadvantages: it is still 40 cents the pack is paying and parents don't like sewing them onto the red vests!

 

I think the most important thing is to be clear up front about what you will/won't be purchasing as a pack, and then be consistent.

 

Lisa'bob

[mbscoutmom]

Sorry to disagree, but I think that, since Webelos have to get a new belt, they should be able to earn belt loops again that they earned before as Cubs. It's an awful lot of trouble to move them from one belt to the other, anyway.

[Vigil-Hiker]

I will be in the same boat next year as my Bears move up.

 

Yes, they do need to re-earn the belt loop using current activities.

 

In some cases the belt loop is one of the choices for the requirement - opt for some other choice if possible to explore other areas of the Activity pin.

 

We only award one belt loop in my pack. As for the new belt for Webelos - depends on what uniform they wear. Remember that Cub Scout Sport and Academic belt loops do not fit on a olive Boy Scout belt. National does have a picture of a Webelos Scout in the Tan/Olive uniform wearing a blue Cub Scout belt with the belt loops on it.

[WDleader]

Just a point of information, the green Boy Scout belt, is larger and the Belt Loops will not fit on it, if they want to continue to wear the belt loops the will have to wear the Cub Scout blue belt.

 

 

Robert

[molscouter]

All of the above is good advice. When I was in that situation a few years ago, I offered the boys the choice of receiving the loop a second time (at their expense) or just giving them the credit. Most of the time, especially in the second year, they just wanted the credit. Also, since they are older, a little deeper understanding should be required. For example, a boy earned the baseball loop as a Wolf. The rules portion might have consisted of four balls, three strikes, three outs, because at that age, that's what the game basically is. As a Webelos, I might expect some knowledge of the infield fly rule, or what a ground rule double is, as those things can into play when playing the game at that age.

[EagerLeader]

Thanks everyone! Glad to know I'm not the only one who wonders about stuff like this....

 

Our pack doesn't have a policy in place about repeat belt loops, maybe we need to make one for next September. I'll bring it up at the next Leader's meeting, see how the rest of the committee feels about it.

 

EL

[SpongeBob]

My pack doesn't have any policy regaring beltloops (or recordkeeping), but we do things as each den leader pleases, since we lack an advancement chair.

 

I agree it is a bit silly to award a second belt loop, but I do think that the second time around should be more challenging. What I will do when we get to Webelos (den leaders move up with their son) is that I will give them the little card for it again, and they can purchase the loop themselves if they want a second.

 

 

Lisabob-

 

I have never seen the "rocker" patches. Are they an official BSA item? Do you have a link?

[Lisabob]

Spongebob,

 

They are not official BSA - although my scout shop stocks them. There are no specific requirements for them (so you can use them as you feel appropriate) and they can't be worn on the uniform. Most folks I know put them on the back of the red vests, in concentric circles around the "Great Activities" patch or something similar. In the past our pack has used them as monthly pack meeting mementos, as well as to mark other special occasions or events. And as I mentioned, to recognize boys who are earning a beltloop the second time around (where there's a rocker patch that correlates). So by the time a boy crossed over, he had quite a display on his vest. The kids all thought these were so cool and they remembered exactly what each one stood for, which I thought was neat too.

 

Here's a link to the Grand Teton Council's page where they show a bunch of these segments. (Note, they seem to have established their own criteria for earning some of these - but this is a local thing, not a BSA policy. You can use them however you want.)

 

http://www.grandtetoncouncil.org/index.cfm?pageid=1379

 

Have fun with these!

 

Lisa'bob

[clydesdale115]

I agree with the previous posters about not buying a 2nd BL for the boys. Our pack will purchase the 1st BL, after that the parents must purchase, although I don't believe anyone ever has (except to replace a lost one!) For most of our den, their belt is full already - another BL probably wouldn't fit anyway :-)

 

I do like the idea of giving them the little card that accompanies the BL - it is a good way to acknowledge they completed the requirements again, without having to provide the BL again.

 

From the # of posters on this link, looks like we have a lot of Bear-soon-to-be-Webelos leaders onboard!

 

[ScoutNut]

You can easily avoid all (or most) of the drama of to award or not to award duplicate beltloops to Webelos Scouts.

 

There is only ONE beltloop that MUST be earned.

 

Earning the Citizenship beltloop is required in order to earn the Webelos Citizen Activity Pin. The Citizen Activity Pin is required to earn the Webelos Rank.

 

ALL other beltloops are OPTIONAL requirements.

 

If you feel that the boys have already "been there, done that" with the beltloops, simply do different requirements.

 

[AnnLaurelB]

Good to know. I know this is a zombie thread, but I googled and got here. :0)

 

SWMNBN kept telling us that Webs started all over and "had to" earn all their BLs a second time.

 

Pfffft.

[DLChris71]

As long as the zombie thread has been resurrected I had two comments/questions.

 

#1 My son is a Bear Scout and will be going to Webelos. He has had a lot of fun earning several belt loops. But once we got into B&G (our pack had it March 29) we started looking through the Webelos manual. So he's got several requirements for a belt loops completed, Weather for example, with all of his work documented. Loops are a family sided award any way, especially in our pack. So my ethical dilemma is this, would it be ethical or unethical for him to sand bag on reporting completion of belt loop requirements, or completing belt loop requirements, until after the end of the school year?

 

I'm a little grey on this because even though technically he can't pursue Webelos until after the school year ends the Council we are in says that Bears will be attending Spring Camp in April as Webelos. My over all experience was in Boy Scouts and so the entire idea of waiting months to be awarded a rank badge and waiting months to pursue the next is pretty alien to me.

 

#2 Who's bright idea was it to require Webelos to earn a requirement twice...yes I understand that in certain cases it's not required but like in Citizenship it requires you to definitely earn the Citizenship loop. It would make more sense to me for the scout to have to earn the citizenship pin, or if already earned to complete different requirements for the pin.

 

#3 More on uniform. At our B&G our boys were given their rank patch and next neckerchief. In your experience do they start wearing their next rank uniform now or wait till after the end of the school year?(This message has been edited by DLChris71)