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Do you use the Cub Scout Immediate Recognition Kit??


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My son is now a Bear this year, I am the one to plan all our activities and what achievements/electives we are working on. The Den Leader keeps track of who was there and who is awarded what. However I just came across this Cub Scout Immediate Recognition Kit online and that is was something they should have been earning last year and into this year. So my question is, do you use this in your den is it something I should award my boys that I had last year and moved up with us this year? What would you do?

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I am a Bear leader and have used this every year since they scouts were Tigers. Next year it will be going away (not that its used for Webelos as it is) but if I were in your position, I'd go ahead and award it to those who earned the beads last year and start the rest out with it this year as Bears. I know a lot of packs don't do it but our boys love earning their beads :)

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Both pack I have been involved with gives out the beads at the following pack meeting. I have always understood that the den loeader should be giving out the beads during the den meeting as earned. I don't think most units do it that way. I think the beads would represent something if you give them right away. Often we have had 3 den meetings in between the pack meetings the scouts do not associate the activity to the specific color of the bead when there is a month lag. Sounds like you are doing it correctly.

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Agree that it sounds like you are doing it correctly. We don't do it that way. We've had trouble with those kits being poorly manufactured and the beads just don't stay on. Other scouts also leave the kits hope or other. The frustration led to us eventually just not using them. Sad to say, but it has left the lower ranks with little recognition during the year.

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I don;t use them and none of the dens in the pack use them.

 

They are a nuisance and get lost or fall apart, in my experience. Also ---expensive.

 

 

Frankly, I leave keeping track of recognition up to parents, since I'm lousy at that. Of course, so are a lot of parents.

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The beads are a pain but I found if you feed the "thong" back through the bead a second time it really helps to secure them if the knot at the end comes loose. Even worst than threading the beads is getting the the plastic holder off the pocket button when washing. I hate that thing. What we do for the boys. :)

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The beads are a pain but I found if you feed the "thong" back through the bead a second time it really helps to secure them if the knot at the end comes loose. Even worst than threading the beads is getting the the plastic holder off the pocket button when washing. I hate that thing. What we do for the boys. :)

 

 

We do this as well (pretty sure I read that tip here!)

 

We have a good bit of scouts that wear them to each meet and I can only think of twice that a few beads escaped. Each year I have plenty of leftovers that I pass to the next den leader for spares. I also hand them out at den meets as I try to uphold the 'immediate' part to the best of my ability :)

 

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The beads are a pain but I found if you feed the "thong" back through the bead a second time it really helps to secure them if the knot at the end comes loose. Even worst than threading the beads is getting the the plastic holder off the pocket button when washing. I hate that thing. What we do for the boys. :)

 

It's plastic and will go through the wash without removing it. What we don't do for the boys. :)

 

Stosh

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Our pack uses them. The lacing that comes with them is too short in my opinion. I donated a roll of black gimp lacing (ac Moore & michaels & Joann's has it). You can get it with a coupon for a couple bucks. And one roll lasts a long time. The kids like having the bling

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W

It's plastic and will go through the wash without removing it. What we don't do for the boys. :) Stosh
Never tried that and won't have to my youngest is now a Webelos.. :). I considered it once but figured ink would come off the plastic, beads come loose and tear up the cloth. Maybe a good expirement for a cub STEM activity in kinetic energy. "Is more energy expended in a washing machine than a 7 Bears running around like banshees?"
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No, waste of energy and money, in my opinion.

 

We have one DL I think that uses it. My son's den leaders tried, but it was never very effective. As Assistant DL, I tried to make it happen on numerous occasions.

Found that the boys and parents weren't all that energetic about going through the books in the first place until crunch time.....

they would never respond to my many attempts asking for progress updates (by email, at meetings, etc...)

often they would forget their books or they would just say, yeah we need to get on that, but they never do....

 

and further more, with the advent of the "Class B" concept, the boys often don't have their uniforms on anyway....

and even if they do most don't care about the bling

 

yeah sure, it's cool, but it's dropped or lost before the meeting is even over

& in my 4 years as scout parent and leader, I have not once seen the boys compare progress, look at each other's awards, or in any way show either pride or motivation in earning an award for the sake of the patch. NEVER.

 

My son has almost always worn his Field uniform to meetings, with rare exception. His first couple years he was very energetic in earning belt loops and awards, but I think it was for the fun, spending time with Dad, and for the sake of doing it. I really haven't seen any result form the bling.

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Unfortunately, blw2s post above summarizes many of the weaknesses in the Cub Scout program. What keeps things going is a fun den and pack program, by and large, I'm afraid.

 

We are having a pack Halloween Party tonight, and it's the occasion for our second recruiting effort this fall. I'm just back from doing stickering at an elementary school at lunch.

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We do the immediate recognition program, but we don't use the official materials. The Tigers make their own emblems from leather, using purchased arrowhead shapes. We stamp them with the Cub Scout emblem, the pack number and the scout's name, and punch 8 holes along the sides. Four holes for Tiger, four more for Wolf and Bear. Waxed cord and refill packs of beads from the scout shop and we have inexpensive attractive and frustration-free emblems for the scouts to wear for three years of scouting.

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