Preparing Cubs for Boy Scouts

[DanKroh]

What do you think are the most important skills/lessons/interests that a Cub Scout leader can teach/foster in Cubs to prepare them for Boy Scouts?

 

And, as a follow up, when should preparation for Boy Scouts start? As Webelos, from the beginning as Tigers, or somewhere in between?

[SWScouter]

I think the only preparation needed for preparing a Cub Scout for Boy Scouts is ensuring that the scout has so much fun in Cub Scouts that he won't hesitate to join Boy Scouts.

 

I think that, too often, the Cubs get bored with Cub Scouts and then don't want to join Boy Scouts.

 

KISMIF! Keep It Simple, Make It Fun!

 

SWScouter

[Eagledad]

Hi All

 

These are very good questions. Looking at these questions from both the CM side and the SM side, I learned that scouts mostly needed the confidence of meeting and participating in activities with strangers, learning new skills and camping overnight in a tent with other scouts.

 

I know that sounds very simplistic, but I found that Webelos who had the most exposure to standing and performing in front of a audiences had the most confidence to joining a Troop where just about everyone is a stranger. Most of the Webelos that I found afraid of the Troop program were afraid of camping. But that doesnt mean they need a lot of camping, that means they need enough experience to take away their fears. The largest group of new scouts that we ever lost who as Webelos camped every month for a year and knew all the first class skills. They were bored to death in our troop.

 

Now I know that knowing a few skills helps a lot in building confidence, but reality is the Troop is going to go all through that again. Rather, I learned scouts needed enough skills to feel familure with the environment. They didnt need to be experts.

 

When I first was dragged in Cubs as the Cub Master, heals dragging, the pack averaged 30 or so Webelos every year with only 10 percent crossing over to troops. Five years later after changing our program, we had 98 percent crossing over with 80 percent of those scouts continuing into their second year into the troop.

 

What we did was make sure that the scout had opportunities at the Wolf and Bear age to build self confidence. Mostly we did this with songs, skits and presentations. At the Wolf age, I asked the leader to help her scouts practice and perform the skits and songs with their scouts. I asked the Bear leaders to help the boys practice, but not to perform with the boys. The first year Webelos handed their Scouts the skits and asked them to learn the parts and practice. The Second year Webelos picked out their own skits practiced on their own time (usually before the meeting) and performs the skits.

 

Every den was going to stand in front of the Pack at every pack meeting. The Webelos were expected to do at least two skits or songs at every meeting. The Webelos IIs lead every Pack opening and closing ceremony. The Den would pick two scouts who had to show up 30 minutes before the Pack meeting to train the Wolf or Bear den next to carry the flags in the ceremony. The Webelos I den also selected two scouts whose job was to assist the Webelos IIs, but in reality, it was basically training them for next year. The two Webelos IIs stood in front and did all the calling for the flag and prayer presentation. The Webelos Is stand slightly back and to the side of Webelos IIs.

 

As you can see, each age group is given just a little more responsibility and exposure to standing in front of the group. Also, the Webelos IIs are expected to show up early to set up the chairs for the Pack meeting, and the Webelos Is are responsible for cleanup.

 

Other activities I did specifically to get scouts ready for Boy Scouts were camping. Our Webelos did one campout in September and May where they also prepared the Pack Campfires. And they went to a summer campout where they camped for at least three nights. I learned that most scouts who were afraid of camping never camped in a tent with other boys and never more than one night at a time. So I made sure that the Webelos had camped at least once without sleeping with a parent and had camped at least once two nights or more in a row.

 

I did teach some scouts skills but more to have games that reassembled the patrol they may join. I asked the Webelos dens to start their Den meeting like a Troop. One scout was selected call the flags up and lead the Scout Law and Oath. It usually took at least a year or more for most scouts to learn the oath and law without a cheat sheet. I had no trouble with cheat sheets. I was more concerned about time up front as leaders. Doing those ceremonies were huge confidence builders because the very first thing they will do as new scouts is the opening ceremony. My Webelos were always bragging after visiting a Troop that they could lead an opening as good as the scouts in the troops. That was the kind of confidence I was looking for.

 

Our Webelos were given the responsibility of role modeling for the Bears and Wolves. I told the Webelos they had to dress in full uniform because it shows the younger scouts how to dress. The Webelos always assisted the CM when presenting awards and anything else where the CM needed more than two hands. The Webelos helped with running the pinewood derby event and they were asked by the Bear Den leaders teach Flag etiquette and knots at their Den meetings.

 

Now that may sound like a lot for Webelos, but they loved it. And I praised them a lot. Webelos were different in that they got to wear the cool military boony hats. Those are great hats because you have the choice of several colors styles. Our Webelos were very cool and every Bear and Wolf couldnt wait to be one.

 

I think that is more than you were really asking for. So I will let other share their experience and ideas.

 

I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

 

[DanKroh]

Actually, Barry, that was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[gwd-scouter]

Once again, Barry put into much better words what I was going to say. I was CM for 6 years before moving up to Boy Scouts. At the beginning of my tenure, very small pack. By the time I was ready to give up the CM post six years later, we averaged 120 boys in our Pack, each den doing skits or songs at pack meetings appropriate to their age level, Webelos dens were going camping a couple of times a year with the 2nd year Webelos helping out with the campfire program on pack campouts. Even had a few budding thespians serve as master of ceremonies at pack campouts.

 

Helping the boys through the years of Cubs to gain confidence in themselves and their ability to be comfortable with different groups of people will go a long way to helping them with the transition to the "foreign" world of Boy Scouting. It is also very important to have the Webelos Dens meet with different Boy Scout Troops, go to meetings and participate in a campout or two before they crossover, so that they can at least have some idea of who the players are and a feeling for what kind of Troop they would like to join.

 

Of course, SWScouter hit it right, too, in that you have to keep the little guys interested through the Cub years so that they are eager to continue in Scouting when the time comes to join a troop.

 

[prairie]

What Eagledad said!

I would like to add: any Webelo working on his Arrow of Light should be exposed the concept of Boy Led.

[Gonzo1]

In preparing cubs (webelos) for Boy Scouts, make sure they have every opportunity to EARN the AOL. Keep their program fun, get them outdoors and make sure they can build a fire and know what a duty roster is. ....... That should do it.

[BrentAllen]

Great answers above! The only skills I would add would be learning knots and basic first aid. It is hard to set up camp without knowing a few basic knots - bowline, clove hitch, two-half hitches or a taugh-line hitch. When teaching these, I have found that unless you show them a real world application, they go in one ear and out the other. Showing the boys how to set up a small tarp as a simple shelter lets them see how to use the knots - clove hitch to tie main rope, bowlines on the 4 corners, and two-half hitches or taught-line at the stakes. I could light bulbs clicking on when we did this excercise.

Basic first aid for cuts, burns and shock should cover most problems they might see.

 

I would start introducing these skills at the Bear level. By time the reach Webelos II's, the skills might have sunk in.

[FScouter]

I'd say the best preparation is to cover all the topics found in the Wolf, Bear, and Webelos handbooks. There is plenty of time to learn the Boy Scout topics when they become Boy Scouts. In fact, joining the Boy Scouts doesn't need any preparation at all. The Boy Scout program is fully self-contained; no prerequisites at all.

[epalmer84]

Webelos is essentially a transition phase towards Boy Scouting. They get to wear the tan/green uniform, they can have a den name, and the denner gets a bit more responsibility.

 

The best way to prepare them for Boy Scouting is to involve them in Boy Scouting. Hopefully, the pack has a good relationship with the troop or team. This can be aided with the use of the den chief and by involving the Webelos with the troop. If you don't have a relationship, start working on it.

 

Our district has an annual "Scouting Adventures" camporee that is designed for interaction between the Webelos dens and the troops. Each troop hosts the dens and helps with the camping skills and meal preperation. The troops run stations for the Webelos- they get a demonstration of a skill and then they perform it. This has become very popular on both sides and seems to help a lot with Webelos retention.

 

When a den crosses over to our troop, we have an orientation for the parents. Many things are different between the Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting programs and we go over these. We used to have problems with new parents who wanted to sign off on everything like they did in Cub Scouting. We have an information packet that gives everything from meeting times, dues, uniforming, and suggested equipment.

 

The key is communication and teamwork between the troop and pack.

 

Ed

[Beavah]

Yah, here's some of my observations on what preparation helps new boys.

 

* Parent-free experience - things like sleepovers at a buddy's house without mom and dad, a webelos overnight without mom and dad, going somewhere with a friend's family without mom and dad.

 

* Having a basic level of fitness. Regular hikes, bikes, runs, whatever. The ability to do something moderately strenuous with confidence.

 

* Some prior preparation with water/basic swim skills, which can be intimidating.

 

* Some basic cooking (boil water, make noodles) and pot-cleaning experience. It's amazing how many Boy Scouts have never cleaned a plate before.

 

* How to dress himself in the outdoors (dress properly for weather - as simple as puttin' on a rain jacket when it's rainin').

 

* How to keep his things organized (flashlight always goes in this upper pocket, etc.)

 

* At least some time out having fun in "bad" weather.

 

* At least a night or two sleeping in a tent.

 

* At least a couple of experiences going to the bathroom in a pit toilet.

 

* Some practice at working with/playing with older boys.

 

All of these come in da same package as Barry's - "build basic confidence." If they can approach their first experiences with a reasonable sense that they "can do this" and have "success" on their first Boy Scout events, they're golden, eh?

 

 

[Lisabob]

I'd categorize the difficulties that new boy scouts, fresh from cubs, tend to face, in three groups:

 

1. Attachment issues - never done anything w/out a parent or guardian in attendance and right by their sides.

 

2. Experience issues - not acquainted with the outdoors and/or never had to "tough it out" and yet have a good time (hopefully) in slightly nasty weather (I'm not talking about awful conditions, just less than perfect conditions). Consequently the boy may be uncomfortable with the whole idea of being outdoors.

 

3. Interaction issues - a lot of kids who don't have older siblings may not know how to interact with older boys and let's face it, sometimes even our sweetest teenage boys get a little rough around the edges, especially on a cold/wet Sunday morning.

 

We can work on the first issue by encouraging den leaders to build independent activities into their program as appropriate, but beyond that there's not much we can do about it - and more often than not this is an issue on the parent's end more than on the boy's end anyway. Sometimes it is a trust issue on the parents' end (how can I send my child off to the woods where he'll be using sharp things and building fires, with people I don't/barely know?) and in that regard the "face time" that somebody else mentioned in the thread on preparing parents for cross over is key, I think. Make sure they know who you are, that you are competent and safe, and that you will keep an eye out for their boy.

 

In the second and third group, WDLs are hopefully seeking out opportunities for interaction with troops or at least with a few boys from a troop. Start a tradition of an annual webelos den camp out and invite a boy scout patrol from a nearby troop to join you. Seek out a couple of day events for your younger webelos to attend with a troop. Look for a couple of opportunities to camp with a troop. Have a "dinner meeting" where your webelos help cook and eat dinner outdoors at the local county park or what have you. Request den chiefs from troops - relentlessly, if need be. (I never had any luck with this but I still wish we could've done it)

 

Cub day camp and resident camp are also great activities. But I'd say they are not good approximations of life as a boy scout. Around here at least, they tend to be geared more toward cub advancement with an emphasis on activities that are age-appropriate for wolf/bear scouts (esp Day Camp - probably because these boys are present in the largest numbers). And of course they're held when the weather is almost always beautiful, whereas most troop camping takes place when the weather isn't so cooperative.

 

There are also skill issues and gear issues. But although I think on the gear issues a head's up to webelos parents is helpful (Christmas usually comes just before cross-overs...and at least make sure they know what NOT to buy...), I really don't think these are the main issues that cause difficulty for new boy scouts. A good troop should be able to teach basic skills to all the boys once they join, no matter what skill level they start with. And most troops have some extra gear that they can lend until the new scouts and parents are ready to equip themselves.

 

 

[featherbear]

Sorry for resurrecting a 2-month-old thread.

 

I agree with those above that working through all the Den books, keep 'em active, keep it fun, and working on that AOL definitely made it easier on my guys.

 

In Webelos, however, I took it further. I gradually coaxed my guys into utilizing the Patrol Method, with the Denners eventually becoming PL's and my Den Chief becoming SPL. This was not a sudden thing but a gradual transition with each step being taken as the boys were ready. We kept it fun, highly active, and highly engaging. When it came time to pick Troops, they couldn't wait and all hit the ground running once they crossed. That was almost a year ago and I keep tabs on them because I know the most critical time is that first year - that's when many drop out. Only one did, due to family matters. I'm CM now, along with being ASM - our two current Webelos Dens in the Pack adopted what we did as Webelos and are having considerable success with it.

 

And - the importance of a good Den Chief cannot be overemphasized!! He'll do a world of good in helping the Cubs prepare, and can be great in fielding questions about what it's like in Troop. The boys want to hear it from a youth who's in Troop. To them, he's an authority!

 

Best of luck to you!

[prairie]

Lisabob touched something with her #3, it is a hugh change to go from a adult led group of boys your own age to a troop that includes boys far older (11-17), what to the older boys might seem like tame horseplay might frighten an eleven year old into never coming back.

Hopefully the older boys understand the life of the troop depends on recruting new boys.

 

[eghiglie]

I see a lot of great suggestions here, but one thing I focused on was having the boys stand up and report on there own accomplishments related to activity badges, belt loops and pins. The goal was to get the parent to let go a little and let the boy step forward. This worked very well as four of the boys took to it well and 2 even kept separate notebooks.

 

I tried to teach knots, setting up tents and sleeping bags. They did OK on these things but because they didn't practice they would lose the skill. Setting up tents and bags was easy, but the folding part was tough.

 

We do have a rule that they were not allowed to play at a campout until everyone was all setup and the cars unloaded. The boys themselves were glad to hear this because in the past the parents didn't want the help because the parents thought they couldn't unload the vehicles better.