Cub Scout Advancement

On 8/26 Dave wrote

" As I understand the "ideal" the kids work on advancement in Den meetings
(and at home) with the goal of advancing up to, say, Wolf at the Blue and
Gold. "

Actually the Wolf and Bear book in the Parent guide state "Almost all
electives and achievements are done by you and your Cub Scout at home, not
in den meeting." (p13 in the Wolf Book p.255 in the Bear book)
This being said in reality I tried to incorporate as much of the
achievements and electives as I could into my den meetings but did not based
my program exclusively on them. The parents need to know that their
involvement in their son's accomplishments is very important and as such I
made it clear that my Cubs would not be able to achieve Rank advancements
based solely on the den program. Of course that didn't stop me from working
extra "on the side" with one of my Cubs whose home situation leaves much to
be desired and is one of those problem kids "that can really benefit from
Scouting".


The general idea of advancement by Blue and Gold is so that parents and
Scouts can have a goal to work for. Some will make it before, some then and
some afterwards. Everyone's motivation and pace is different. The boys in my
den tend to be a little competitive and most of them have had rank
advancement by the December Pack meeting with the rest following in January.
This left us plenty of time for the fun stuff (arrow points, belt loops,
interesting field trips, nature walks, etc.)

Dave also said
"Contrast this with our Committee Chair/CoR bragging
how his son who crossed over from Tigers to Cubs in May, got his Bobcat,
then the following September (same year) at the first Pack meeting got
his Wolf and an arrow point. "

If this was because the son was highly motivated and a super achiever then
great! If it was the parent pushing him along then it seems as if the parent
is more interested in the product rather than the process. From what I
gathered over the past couple of years on this list that can be a problem in
Boy Scouts as well! :)

" It seems that we negate one of the main reasons for weekly Den meetings.
If that
is the case why even take my son to the meetings?"

Most of the requirements and electives are general enough to be satisfied in
many different ways. For example in the Wolf book elective #5a- make and fly
a kite. You can use the example in the book, come up with a completely
different design or have the boys create their own designs and see which one
flies the best and why. If a Scout has already done this elective it won't
count again but they can have fun making a different kite with threir
friends. Also many of the ideas and concepts can bear repetition. i.e.
respect and care for the flag, safety at home, care of the environment etc.
Take a few minutes to read the Parent Guide again ( I did before I wrote
this) about den meetings and the purposes of Cub Scouting and I hope you'll
find reasons to attend den meetings.

"My question is should I push for the long term advancement program (I
am the Pack Training Chair) or just let it go. There is a point to let
the kids get the award when they earn it, but the slow trickle of Wolf and
Bears every Pack meeting does not allow for any real emphasis or ceremony."

The Cubmaster and Advancement Chairman should be working together to have
meaningful advancement ceremonies at each Pack meeting. The most important
thing to the boy though is that he's up there with his family in front of
his peers receiving recognition for his hard work.

Sorry this is so long but you've touched on some subjects near and dear to
my heart.

YiS

Pam Hughes
WDL/CA Pack 3493
Overland Park, KS
Santa Fe Trail District
Heart of America Council

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