Lion Cub scouts!

[AlFansome]

 

Saw this while surfing around:

 

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/pocketchangelimited/scouts.html

 

Discuss amongst yourselves...

[SSScout]

 

 

Wow.

 

?2005? Anything new known?

[scoutldr]

I'm so conflicted...

[CNYScouter]

Our council is now in the 3rd year of using the Lions Cub Program (Kindergarten).

It is a LFL program.

Dens, called Prides, go to a Pack meeting and have 2 meetings a month.

A monthly trip or activity is optional.

 

These are parent/child activities and use the shared leadership like Tiger Cubs.

Pride meetings are to be only 45 min. long.

A sample Pride meeting theme on Citizenship would be saying the Pledge of Allegiance, a simple explanation of the American Flag, a game and the activity would be to color a picture of the flag.

 

Our councils FD was at Roundtable and said that last year we had over 200 Lion Cubs in the council.

He also said that they have a 95% retention rate so far.

 

I talked with a Cub Pack Leader who has been using this program since the begining.

Because this program eases a parent into the Cub Scout program they have had good success in recruiting Lion Cub parents to be Pack leaders and helping out once they become Tigers.

 

[ScoutNut]

These were not kindergarteners, they were 3rd graders.

 

I am glad the boys had a great Scouting experience.

 

I am glad they did so much service for their hometown.

 

I just wish they had followed the BSA program while they did it.

 

And the SE endorsed this program?

 

I wonder if their CM is still having boys who join earn any and all past rank awards they missed?

[Eagle92]

In reference to these CS in the link above, What the HECK? They are not follwoing the program.

 

In refernce to CNYS, is your council part of a pilot that national is doing? i've heard for several years now that national was going to bring back Lions as a program for Kindergarteners.

 

[CNYScouter]

I missed the part about 3rd graders the first time I read it.

 

After reading it again a couple of comments:

 

I also have to wonder how much did these kids really learn?

In 5 months they earned the Bobcat Patch, the Wolf Patch with Gold arrow, and silver Arrow, Bear Patch with Gold arrow, and an average of 11 silver arrows each.

I just seems like an awful lot of requirements in a short period of time.

 

This statement also stood out to me:

I started poking around the Cub Scouting organization to locate 4 Lion Patches for the boys, working my way all the way up to the Cub Scout National Committee, and at each step I expected someone to say no, stop that, you cant do that, but I was floored by the support I got,

 

I guess National is not very concerned if someone follows the program or not.

 

As to the Lions Cub program:

Yes we are in a pilot program.

Ive heard rumors that we were asked to stop running the program but it is still being run this year.

I dont know about the future of this program.

The councils FD was the driving force behind this and he retired in July.

 

This program is a LFL program and they have material available that our councils uses.

If anyone is interested you may want to contact the LFL people in your area and ask to look at the program material.

 

[scoutldr]

Bob White must be on vacation. He'd be downright apoplectic!

 

So the Lion program is LFL, yet they are allowed to mingle with real Scouts at a Pack Meeting? What about the "wall of separation" between Scouting and LFL? What about the DRP? What if a Lion is, like gay or atheist or something and one of the real Scouts gets converted?

 

Gasp! Say it ain't so, Joe!

[Twocubdad]

I am also conflicted. It's hard to criticize Scouts who are enthusiastic and motivated. I'm glad they've had a good time.

 

Our unit used the actual Cub Scout program and had enthusiastic and motivated Scouts who also had a good time.

[fgoodwin]

With so many uniform and program errors to choose from, its hard to know where to start.

 

First of all, boys don't "re-earn" ranks they did not earn the first time. This isn't Boy Scouts, where every new boy starts with Scout and Tenderfoot. Cub Scouts earn the Bobcat, then the rank appropriate for their age. Third graders work on Bear -- they don't "catch-up" by earning Tiger & Wolf.

 

MB sashes are for MBs, not as a place to show a hodge-podge of temporary patches, obsolete rank patches and arrow points. Arrow points and CSP go on the uniform; temp patches go on the red vest. Subject to check, I think the denner cord is worn only during the term of office, it isn't a permanent award.

 

Cub Scout patches are for boys -- I'm sorry, I don't care how helpful the young lady was, it isn't appropriate to have her wear an ADL patch and other Cub Scout ranks and patches.

 

Since proper uniforming apparently isn't an issue for the adults in this den (or pack), one wonders why they took care to keep the Lion badge off the uniform?

 

Where is the UC in all this? And what was the district and council thinking that authorized all of this?

[AlFansome]

 

Yeah, the uniform stuff is so far out there, that (as you say) it's hard to know what to jump on first. I personally like the fact that they awarded the Boy Scout version of the Leave No Trace patch instead of the Cub Scout one (maybe they started doing Boy Scout advancements as well!). Also looks like a Boy Scout Good Turn / Conservation patch at the bottom of the middle sash.

 

You're right about the denner cords...only the currently serving denner (and assistand denner) wear the cords...otherwise, just the tabs.

 

In addition, the Girl Scout doesn't seem to be related to anyone else in the pack. Not registered, probably no parent present at all times. What about youth protection?

 

While the boys did a lot of good with the service project, and should be commended, I think that the leaders let them down a bit with executing the program. Interesting that 2 boys dropped out so soon after the "Lion" year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Herms]

Don't even know what to say but, WOW!?!

[fgoodwin]

Ya know, Cub Scouts is a fun program, as written.

 

There's really no need to embellish it or change it (or worse yet, run a completely different program cloaked as Cub Scouting).

 

I'd really like to talk to the council folks who encouraged this.

[jmwalston]

I think this was an interesting quote for the article:

 

"Pack Cub Master Cathy Tomassoni solicited Todd Mannebach who had spent nearly six years in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in several Escanaba Units, and was in fact the last scout in the country to have recieved the Lion Patch back in 1975."

 

I thought the Lion rank was discontinued in 1967. The Arrow of Light was introduced in 1972. How would this gentleman receive it 8 years after it ceased to be?

[fgoodwin]

jmwalston, I thought the same thing.

 

I joined Cub Scouts as a third grader in 1963; I earned the Lion badge as a fifth grader sometime in the '65-'66 school year, but dropped out before earning my Webelos (equivalent to the AOL now).

 

I had always heard the Lion was discontinued shortly after that.

 

Even if the guy earned the Lion in 1975 (highly doubtful), since National does not track ranks other than Eagle, how could he possibly know that his was the very last?

 

I'm sure the boys had fun earning all those patches, but the leadership leaves me baffled.