Can you go into Webelos II if you haven't earned your Webelos rank?

[dedkad]

I have a boy in my Webelos I den who has missed too many meetings, has zero motivation to make up the requirements at home, and gets no help from parent. It's not just Scouting he is struggling with. He misses days and days of school and never finishes his school projects or homework. Although he is a distraction at the meetings due to his inability to stay focused, he is one of those boys who definitely benefits from Scouting and seeing positive role models around him. The problem is that I'm not sure he will finish his requirements to earn his Webelos badge by the end of this summer when he moves up to 5th grade. The rest of the den will all have earned their Webelos badges and will be working on completing their Arrow of Light requirements as Webelos II starting in the fall. There is no way this boy will earn his Arrow of Light. I'm just wondering if he can continue with us as a Webelos II if he hasn't even earned his Webelos badge.

[Baseballfan]

There's really no such thing as a Webelos II, though. They are all just Webelos, and yes any eligible boy can be one whether he is advancing or not! I promised my son I wouldn't badger him about his reqs, and he received his Webelos badge about a month before his AoL, over a year after some of his friends. Thank you for being a positive influence in this Scout's young life!

[King Ding Dong]

I agree with BBF. Although I have not seen anything official on it I have read several times here that the 2nd year is now being called Arrow of Light Webelos. Webelos II was like class A and B. Depending on his age, just make sure he will not be able to advance into a troop with his den.

 

If you see him once every two months, that is still positive.

[blw2]

This brings up a side question that I have wondered about..... not directly related to the OP's question, but still related to the discussion.

There is no such thing as WEBELOS 2. I understand that, although my pack, and I suppose many packs, have a WEBELOS 2 den. I get that.

 

But then shouldn't it be that once the boys transition to WEBELOS, they just move to the one and only WEBELOS den, that also includes the older boys that are further along..... They would of course be working on different things, but sort of like the different patrols in a troop.

Do any packs operate this way?

Seems like this would be a good preparation to the troop structure, and allow opportunities for the older boys to lead the younger boys a bit. Get a taste of it before moving to a BS troop.

 

[King Ding Dong]

This brings up a side question that I have wondered about..... not directly related to the OP's question, but still related to the discussion.

There is no such thing as WEBELOS 2. I understand that, although my pack, and I suppose many packs, have a WEBELOS 2 den. I get that.

 

But then shouldn't it be that once the boys transition to WEBELOS, they just move to the one and only WEBELOS den, that also includes the older boys that are further along..... They would of course be working on different things, but sort of like the different patrols in a troop.

Do any packs operate this way?

Seems like this would be a good preparation to the troop structure, and allow opportunities for the older boys to lead the younger boys a bit. Get a taste of it before moving to a BS troop.

The viability of your solution depends greatly on the den size. If the dens are very small it might work, but twelve 4th and 5th graders in the same room working on different projects would be very chaotic. Webelos also involves a lot of field trips and outdoor activities so if one is working on athlete and the other group is working on citizenship it just won't work.

 

The other problem is unless you utilize outside programs extensively such as bringing in the local science center to to work on engineering, completing the badges can be very time consuming. It took me 5 meetings to complete Scientist with a den of only 4. I know some leaders who just rush through it and skip certain requirements, but all you are doing then is training the boys for MB mills, not actual MB program as it should be implemented.

 

We had two dens of Webelos II and only 2 got the super 20. It took careful record keeping and following the school curriculum closely to get it all done for those boys. We also did an overnight, up until 5AM lockin at an activity center that cranked out aquanaught, artist, engineer and sportsman plus 5 belt-loops. It was run very well and the no requirements were compromised. They also rotated the groups through well by dividing up the active vs inactive stations. Artist 1' then basketball, engineering 1, then badminton. Then artist II. I had one mom insist her son could not make it. He did as was well as all 150 boys there. It was tough on us parents with nothing to do but watch. The boys had a blast. Great experience for them.

[koolaidman]

dedkad: the answer to your question is yes. Further comments are below.

 

others are correct in the WEBII "rank" just designates the boys who are in their second year Webelos. Now is a good time to get with the parent and layout what they can expect as far as rank achievement.

If the boy is interested in crossing over to boy scouts, let the parents know that the arrow of light is required if the boy is still in fifth grade and under 11.

 

If they don't care about rank, then I humbly suggest your efforts would be better spent planning for the other boys.

If, out of the blue they become concerned about rank, you may wish to get together with a WEBI leader in your pack to see if he can attend some of their "remedial" meetings. Maybe a day hike for him and "for the fun of it" for the rest of the den.

If he is more concerned than his parents, maybe an ADL can spend time with him on the remedial requirements while the rest of the den is working on super 20 gravy.

 

While were on the topic of super 20 I also suggest using den time (when not visiting troops) to really hammer home the AOL requirements, Outdoorsman and Readyman. Have contests with cool prizes for the boys to inspire them to retain the knowledge and skills in these areas. It will go a long way towards Tenderfoot and Second Class.

 

 

 

[King Ding Dong]

I agree with BBF. Although I have not seen anything official on it I have read several times here that the 2nd year is now being called Arrow of Light Webelos. Webelos II was like class A and B. Depending on his age, just make sure he will not be able to advance into a troop with his den.

 

If you see him once every two months, that is still positive.

Opps, I meant to type, just make sure he UNDERSTANDS he will not be able to advance into a troop with his den.

 

That sounded real bad. Sorry.

[King Ding Dong]

dedkad: the answer to your question is yes. Further comments are below.

 

others are correct in the WEBII "rank" just designates the boys who are in their second year Webelos. Now is a good time to get with the parent and layout what they can expect as far as rank achievement.

If the boy is interested in crossing over to boy scouts, let the parents know that the arrow of light is required if the boy is still in fifth grade and under 11.

 

If they don't care about rank, then I humbly suggest your efforts would be better spent planning for the other boys.

If, out of the blue they become concerned about rank, you may wish to get together with a WEBI leader in your pack to see if he can attend some of their "remedial" meetings. Maybe a day hike for him and "for the fun of it" for the rest of the den.

If he is more concerned than his parents, maybe an ADL can spend time with him on the remedial requirements while the rest of the den is working on super 20 gravy.

 

While were on the topic of super 20 I also suggest using den time (when not visiting troops) to really hammer home the AOL requirements, Outdoorsman and Readyman. Have contests with cool prizes for the boys to inspire them to retain the knowledge and skills in these areas. It will go a long way towards Tenderfoot and Second Class.

 

 

What really works for the Scout Law and Oath for me is to leave the DS at home when driving to the store and have my two boys compete in reciting them. My youngest a Wolf, just about has them down now. He is a smart bugger and is the only Wolf that doesn't struggle with the Promise and Law of the Pack. I can't give out prizes to the den because he would get them every time.

[perdidochas]

I have a boy in my Webelos I den who has missed too many meetings' date=' has zero motivation to make up the requirements at home, and gets no help from parent. It's not just Scouting he is struggling with. He misses days and days of school and never finishes his school projects or homework. Although he is a distraction at the meetings due to his inability to stay focused, he is one of those boys who definitely benefits from Scouting and seeing positive role models around him. The problem is that I'm not sure he will finish his requirements to earn his Webelos badge by the end of this summer when he moves up to 5th grade. The rest of the den will all have earned their Webelos badges and will be working on completing their Arrow of Light requirements as Webelos II starting in the fall. There is no way this boy will earn his Arrow of Light. I'm just wondering if he can continue with us as a Webelos II if he hasn't even earned his Webelos badge.[/quote']

 

 

In a Webelos den, I had a boy start from scratch, and get his Bobcat, Webelos, and AOL from the end of September to the end of February. There is technically no Webelos II. A

[Basementdweller]

There's really no such thing as a Webelos II, though. They are all just Webelos, and yes any eligible boy can be one whether he is advancing or not! I promised my son I wouldn't badger him about his reqs, and he received his Webelos badge about a month before his AoL, over a year after some of his friends. Thank you for being a positive influence in this Scout's young life!

Your gonna need to explain to me why he can't ' join the troop. He might be delayed by a couple of months but att the end of fifth grade he can join regardless of arrow of light or stll being 10 years of age. AOL just per.its a bit to join at 10 years old not having completed the Fifth grade

[King Ding Dong]

There's really no such thing as a Webelos II, though. They are all just Webelos, and yes any eligible boy can be one whether he is advancing or not! I promised my son I wouldn't badger him about his reqs, and he received his Webelos badge about a month before his AoL, over a year after some of his friends. Thank you for being a positive influence in this Scout's young life!

BD, I assume you are commenting on my post. I corrected a typo, but assuming the Webelos cross over in February he can't go with them and will need to wait to May. Never meant to say he can't join the troop at all. He will be behind the others in requirements, but his patrol can catch him up quickly.

[King Ding Dong]

I have a boy in my Webelos I den who has missed too many meetings' date=' has zero motivation to make up the requirements at home, and gets no help from parent. It's not just Scouting he is struggling with. He misses days and days of school and never finishes his school projects or homework. Although he is a distraction at the meetings due to his inability to stay focused, he is one of those boys who definitely benefits from Scouting and seeing positive role models around him. The problem is that I'm not sure he will finish his requirements to earn his Webelos badge by the end of this summer when he moves up to 5th grade. The rest of the den will all have earned their Webelos badges and will be working on completing their Arrow of Light requirements as Webelos II starting in the fall. There is no way this boy will earn his Arrow of Light. I'm just wondering if he can continue with us as a Webelos II if he hasn't even earned his Webelos badge.[/quote']

 

 

In a Webelos den, I had a boy start from scratch, and get his Bobcat, Webelos, and AOL from the end of September to the end of February. There is technically no Webelos II. A

Wow, He will be a twelve year old Eagle with that ambition. Probably get a 100+ MBs