Webelo program tips wanted

[IM_Kathy]

also get a BSA handbook - especially helpful for the outdoorsman where they are given choices of what to do. We did ones that they would later need to know for T,2,1... for Webelos they still do their best so they learn the skill but like with the whipping the rope they don't have it really tight, but they learn the skill then when they come to boy scouts they know how to and are a bit older and are able to get it done tight.

 

while looking for nature centers and such for pin activities also check with them for service work... we went to 1 each summer for forester and naturalist and during their earth day clean up we showed up and pitched in. also look to see if you have any county conservation boards that are holding things - that's where my boys learned geologist.

 

find some troops in your area that you all can attend meetings with and camp with to help the boys see their choices and use toward AOL.

 

make the things fun to do... even the boringest things can be made fun. we made buzzers with one of the pins and then used them to do a quiz game using BSA info as questions (look at the scout badge requirements and AOL requirements for good ones) When the boys had to construct a bridge I brought hot wheel cars and we did a compition with some small prizes for everyone - first place held the most cars and got to pick first.

 

anything you can do outside do it... even if it's just learning to set up tents and dining flys... make them learn to work together and to think things out - I purposely gave them rope that was too short for their dining fly between the trees I told them to use so they had to remember to use a square knot to attach rope to make it long enough.

 

as to parents - find out what they are good at and maybe have them lead a pin. I had an engineer that helped with that pin. I had another parent that was good with sewing and had a couple machines so the boys made stuff bags as one of their crafts without wood... the boys didn't think it was very manly but then when they struggled and finally got it down they were impressed with themselves and had something they could use. My step mom was an art teacher so she came 1 summer day and we did artist out in the yard.

 

other wise I told parents they were welcome to attend anything, but that webelos was the start of learning independence they would need for boy scouts and to sit back and let the boys try and fail a few times until they finally got things down because it would mean more to them to do that then to have someone else do it for them.

 

also - I made sure all the scouts and parents knew when we were working on pins that were required for Webelos badge or AOL... and I only did make up days for those pins since they were required. The rest they made up work at home and brought in proof of work. All my webelos made AOL and 2 earned the super 20 fun patch.

[MarkF]

Timely topic. My son will also be advancing from a bear to a webelo, and while I may not be the official webelos leader on paper I may end up being the de facto webelos leader. I would like it to be a more lively program than what the webelos had to put up with this year. Along this same line, what do you do if your CM doesn't want you to have the webelos out and about but rather be a baby-sitter for webelos, bears, and possibly the tigers and wolves as well? This is the situation I am facing right now. I was supposed to be the bear den leader. That ended up including the webelos as well. And now it also includes the wolves and tigers as their leader said they were "done with the book" so apparently they think it is up to me to provide them a weekly activity as well. The CM did not disagree with them apparently. So now I am stuck trying to provide activities for the remainder of this month that will encompass all the age groups. In the fall when our regular meetings start back I would like nothing more than to break away from the rest of the pack for most of the Webelos activities but I don't think the CM will allow that to happen as his son will be a second year webelo.

[The Blancmange]

 

Along this same line, what do you do if your CM doesn't want you to have the webelos out and about but rather be a baby-sitter for webelos, bears, and possibly the tigers and wolves as well?

Based on the question, I'm assuming your Pack operates by having all of the den meetings at the same time, at the same place. This is one way to do it, and IMO, not the preferred way. The solution is simple: hold your den meetings at a different time and place. Send a note home that next week's den meeting is moved from the regular time to Saturday, and it will be held at the local nature center, where they will be going on a hike. The CM isn't responsible for planning your den meetings.

[Basementdweller]

Sorry 5 year missed your ealier post. We are not LDS. Our webelos go to Day camp and Resident Camp, so by September they have earned the majority of the pins for the AOL. We camp with the troop twice during the year and attend a webelos woods event in October. So by that time I need to complete Artist, Craftsmen, naturalist and Geologist. We are done........

 

After the bear year the boys are pretty burned out after repeating the same stuff for the second time.

 

We have a fantastic relationship with the troop, and the SM invites a couple of webelos on every camp out. The boys think it is huge honor.

[KISMIF_Works]

I'm going to chime in now, having come fresh off of the Webelos trail with my older son. Many great ideas have been posted here already, and I'll be echoing some of them. These are merely my opinions based on my 20 months with my Webelos den of about 8 boys.

 

- Go camping as a Webelos den! The best fun the boys (and parents) had during these past couple years was camping as a den. Discourage siblings from attending for two reasons: 1) helps prepare the Webelos for Boy Scouts, and 2) allows you to keep the activities age-appropriate to the Webelos.

 

- Try to get a Den Chief from a nearby Troop. I tried unsuccessfully but saw how much fun the den a year ahead of my den had with their Den Chief.

 

- Mix in the "active" badges with the "classroom" badges to keep the meetings fun. For example, the Athlete and Sportsman badge requirements are pretty easy to sprinkle in to meetings where you are working on Fitness and Citizen.

 

- Try to arrange for outings or visits from other adults to help achieve some of the badges. We toured a nearby Art Museum when working on Artist, visited City Hall for Citizen, and had a local EMT come to our meeting to help with Readyman.

 

- Keep in contact with nearby Troops and try to arrange a few different opportunities to meet with them, both in meetings and outings.