Webelos Super Achiever

I am a new leader in the cub scouting program and have just taken over our now Webelos den. My son joined in February this year and we worked hard to catch up and he achieved his Bobcat Badge, Bear Badge, Whittling Chip, 4 Belt Loops, World Conservation Bagde, God and Me, and 2 Arrow Points in about 3 months. We both had to go hard and we loved it so the current leader thought I would be good to lead the boys as they go into Webelos since it is a little faster paced.

Our den consists of about 10-12 boys, but only 8 come consistantly. I am going to try and get them all (at the 8 who come) to Super Achiever. I have looked things over and I realize it is going to be hard work for everyone but I know it can be done. By the time we start back in Late August my son will have 6 Activity Badges completed already and some of the other kids will have at least 3 or 4. With them crossing over in February 2010, I think they need to have a minimum of 12 by the end of this scouting year, does anyone have any suggestions? I know that the Webelos Badge can be achieved by January 09 and the Arrow of Light by January 2010, but I am pushing them too far.

We talked it over with the core 8 boys and they really want to try for it but I don't want to let them down or dissapoint them. Last year only 1 boy did this and an entire den getting Super Achiever is pretty much unheard of. Can this really be done?

I think it depends on parent involvement. My son earned all but swimming while a Webelo (and didn't get that because he couldn't swim, not because there was not time). His den was only 5 or 6 boys, and none of the others earned that many, in my opinion because their parents were not interested in seeing that they did. We started many of the badges at den meetings and the necessary work to finish things was not done at home.

Our meeting schedule was only once a month (what our pack expects/encourages) so a more aggressive meeting schedule might allow you to keep all the boys on track. Remember to keep scouting fun for the boys, though. They may thrive on being pushed, but watch for signs that it's too much. Remember that the journey is the point, not the hardware.

Good luck!

What is Super Achiever? A council level award?

In our Council, we have a special patch for earning all 20 Webelos Activity Pins... it's called the Twentier.

Take a breath. You've got 18 months.

Priority 1: Make sure each member can earn his Webelos rank.

Priority 2: Make sure you've a plan to get each member their Arrow of Light.

THEN fill in the gaps with all 20 pins.

Your mission is to have them ready to graduate to Boy Scouting.

KISMIF!

A few things to remember about Webelos - It is WAY different from Bear. Parents can no longer simply sign off on whatever their Webelos does. The primary place to complete requirements is no longer the home, it is in the den.

For all requirements completed at home (or on their own including over the Summer) the Webelos should document it as completely as possible. This should then be brought in to be approved by the Den Leader. A note - even though you are the Den Leader, you should have your son put together a workbook for the Badges he has completed on his own. If the other Webelos think he is being treated differently there could be discord.

Also, Webelos need to spend time with Boy Scout Troops, doing activities, camping, and learning about different Troops. This should be ongoing for their entire time as a Webelos, not all crammed into their last month or two.

Earning "Super Achiever" is not something that YOU can do FOR the boys. It is something they must want to accomplish for themselves, individually. As long as the boys want to TRY for all Activity Badges, that is fine. Making that the entire focus of their Webelos experience however, is the wrong way to go about it.

Utilize outside sources (forest preserve, museums, colleges, and even parents) to complete many of your Badge requirements. Remember to make it FUN, with requirements being completed as a bonus.

AnaMaria, I agree with you whole heartedly, a boys success in Cub Scouts has a lot to do with parent involvement. We have den meetings each week, and pack meetings usually once a month, so the boys will have 3 to 4 days each month in den to work on badges. I am going to try not to give too much homework, but I going to let everyone know again that the boys need to be at each meeting or they will miss something and need to make it up. I also plan to have some days set aside for make-ups every couple of months for those who need it, if not they can just work on something fun with the Den Chief.

Last year we worked on the World Conservation Badge as a den and we ran into some problems. There where a few kids who wanted to know why they didn't get the award and we had to tell them because they missed some days and they didn't make up the things we did in den. Hopefully it rocked some parents into being more consistant.

In response to John-in-KC:

Super Acheiver is an award given to boys who complete all 20 Webelos Activity Badges. It is an award for any and all boys who earn it (it should make mention of it in the Webelos Handbook). I don't know anything about a Twentifier patch but the BSA program supports the Super Acheiver patch and if am not mistaken it is transferable to a boy scout badge.

I already have lesson plans in place for them to earn their Webelos Badge by the end of December and really the only things that will hold them back from AOL at the end of the year will be putting in their time.

In response to ScoutNut:

Will be spending time with the boy scouts throughout both years. We already have several campouts with them planned for the fall and at least 1 in the spring.

Each boy agreed that they wanted to try to earn the Super Acheiver, I will help push them to earn it, but I won't pull them along. I simply told them I would work as hard as they did, and that if everyone tried it could be done. However, if throughout the year we need to slow down or stop working so hard we will. My goal is for them to do their best not just get an award. I did talk to both the parents and the boys and let them know they would be needing to work on things during the summer and that we would need to come to den meetings regularly and to extra events (like boy scout camping). Having talked with my Assistants we agreed that as long as the boys wanted to work we would, and that if one boy was not keeping up we would work with him harder but the den or patrol chooses to push on or not.

This whole experience is designed to help them work hard toward an acheivement they will be proud of and to build them as a team (which is one of the main goals of Webelos). The choose as a whole to do this and they will choose to stop, slow do, or go forward throughout the year. If a boys parents simply don't bring him, that is the parents fault and they will have to explain to their child why he didn't earn this badge (everyone was given all the information before they agreed).

We have 2 badges (Naturalist and Forester that will be earning on a Saturday at our local Arboretum. It will take about half a Saturday of fun outdoor, hands on, activities and $20 each kid, but they will walk away with 2 badges. The Webelos 2 leader warned me that camping was a big problem for him, some parents simply would not send or take their boys camping and he could not give them rank because they didn't meet the requirements. I also have a boy who is autistic, but we plan to work with him and his parents extra so that we all can help him achieve his goals.

Councils have had "Twentier" or "Super Achiever" patches for years. National Supply has started creating and selling them due to demand from Scouts in councils without these awards. There are patches and certificates.

I can't find them on ScoutStuff, but have seen them both in the National Scout Shops in my council. They are indeed National Supply items, because they have the logos, etc. that indicate they are BSA items (versus the locally produced patch we used to have).

Keep It Simple, Make It Fun.

Make sure the least able boy in the group is your pacesetter.

Work to the standard, not to the time. This is not a race, this is supposed to be fun for the boys.

Your job is their fun.

I am planning on taking the boys to our local Arboretum, they have a Boy Scout and Webelos program that they can help get some of the badges done. One of the parents has a girlfriend who works there so we should be able to set things up so that we can do both the Naturalist and the Forrester Badge in one day with lunch in between to the class. Each class is about 2 and half hours long and cost $10, is this too much to ask of parents?

I was planning on doing it on a Saturday, and I would still leave the evening free. We don't collect any den dues, so I don't think it will be a problem but I am planning on talking to the Cubmaster about the Pack picking up the tab for anyone who can't afford it.

Both of the classes are hands on and allow of outdoor time, I think the kids should be able to handle it. Anybody got any thoughts?

Also, no one in our Pack knows anyone who could do something for Geologist, what can I do? Someone told me they used candy bars as a teaching aid and just did it themselves, will that work? I know I don't have to use an expert on every badge but I would rather give them quality if at all possible. I want them to get every badge but I am not going to sacrifice their learning just to 'get it done'.

I am not sure what is available in your area, but here in Kentucky/Indiana, there are several public and private caves that do what is needed for the Geologist.

Potential activity badge counselors for Geologist include local science teachers, or a geology merit badge counselor. Check with your district Advancement chairman for a merit badge counselor list.

We did geologist at our local natural history museum. Actually the staff at the museum put it on as an event. Also, most of the boys had done at least 4 or 5 activities in 4th or 5th grade.

Thanks for the info concerning the Geogist Activity Badge. Our Pack is in Western North Carolina, I don't know of any caves that would help maybe Linville Caverns but I would need to check, and we don't have a Museum. However, we do have a University and a Technical College that might have some one who could help. I would not have really thought to see if we have a Geology Merit Badge Counselor, that would be great if we do.

Thank,s

For Geologist - if the boys all go to the same school, talk to their science teacher, or the science teacher at the local high school. Using a MBC is a good idea also. Call your local nature centers, they might be able to do a program. Nearby State or National Parks. Your local quarry might be able to help also.

BTW - The "Super Achiever" (Twentier or others like it) patch is considered a temporary patch ONLY, to be worn centered on the right pocket, or worn on a patch vest/blanket/jacket/etc. It is NOT transferable to Boy Scouts.