In 5th grade and joining Cub Scouts?

[Kaji]

We've already decided what to do in this situation for now, but I thought I'd throw it up here so others could throw in their input.

 

We had two boys show up to tonight's meeting with Cub Scout applications in hand, and upon inquiry it turned out that they were both in 5th grade. Turns out that one of their friends is in the 2nd year Webelos den, and they decided they wanted to join.

 

The concern in this situation is that we're bridging either at the end of March or the beginning of April, and so these boys won't have any hope of catching up with their peers, or even just completing their Webelos badge (without significant effort outside of den meetings) before the time comes, so the thought came up that perhaps we should pass them on to the Boy Scout troop instead, where they can advance normally (logic being that if they join Cub Scouts and can't get anywhere, they might get bored/demoralized and decide to move on to other things). One of the boys is turning 11 this week, the other doesn't do so until April, so under the rules they technically have to enroll in Cub Scouts.

 

In the end we decided it was best to keep the group of friends together, and so we placed them in the Webelos II den. Any other leaders have suggestions for situations like this that sort of fall between the cracks of what's covered in the manuals?

[Lisabob]

Sounds to me like you did the right thing. Give the boys and their parents the options and explain the plusses and minuses of each. We've had similar situations and I think the response has to be tailored to each case. In this case, if they're joining to be with their friend then it doesn't make sense to keep them apart for the next 3-4 months until cross over. As long as the webelos program is fun they'll have a good time even if they aren't doing much in the way of advancement (but hey, they could earn their webelos badges given that your crossover is late March/early April).

 

Lisa'bob

[SemperParatus]

Ditto to Lisabob...she is a very shrewd scouter.

[CubScoutJo]

I agree with Lisa. Advancement is only one piece of the puzzle and if they joined to be with their friends, then they should do well.

 

You could concentrate on the "Boy Scout Joining Requirements" aspect of the AOL with all the boys and that way the ones that can earn the AOL will have that and the two that just joined will be able to quickly get the Scout rank when they are in Boy Scouts.

 

Incidently, I have a 5th grade scout who joined in fourth grade but has never finished the Fitness Badge (Just won't do the parts that have to be done at home). I've mentioned it to him several times, but it just doesn't seem to be a big priority in his life. So he is the only one in the den who doesn't have his Webelos Badge and will probably not get his AOL, just for this one thing. But, yet he comes to nearly every meeting, takes part in all the activities with a good attitude and has fun with his friends. Sometimes, I think we get too hung up on this advancement stuff to see that it is STILL a good program even if every boy doesn't reach the highest heights!

 

Jo

 

[ScoutNut]

We have a few 5th graders who joined this year too. As long as they are having fun & learning, that is what counts. Some camping, some activities with the Troop, some Webelos Activity Pins, & they will be all set to cross to Boy Scouts with their buddies in April.

 

 

[EagleInKY]

Ditto all the others. We have a couple of boys in our Web II group that is just participating without any expectation to advance. They're looking forward to joining Boy Scouts in the spring with their friends.

[kenk]

It sounds like you're handling this well. The only thing I might add is that technically, since the two boys will not have earned the AOL, they can't join a Boy Scout Troop until they turn age 11 or graduate to 6th brade. The one boy technically can't join a Boy Scout Troop until he has turned 11 in late April. Luckily since your B&G is in early April, the difference is really small and essentially invisible.

 

If there is a troop activity between the B&G and the boy's 11th birthday, I would suggest the troop technically include the boy as a Webelos, treat him EXACTLY as if he had joined the troop, BUT ask a parent (or guardian) to participate in any overnight camping (per the Cub Scout rules). I'd suggest the boy sleep in a tent with another boy - not the parent, and that the parent sleep in a separate tent, so the boy gets the full Boy Scout experience.

 

Once he turns 11, then he's 100% boy scout.

[jr56]

I have seen 5th graders join Cub Scouting. We had a strong Weblos Den with a good Den Leader, and the boys earned their Arrow of Light and had a good time.