jumpyg

The problem is we are doing the older program. Is doing the new program his best option?

I'm the DL for our Webelos II den. The boys all achieved their Webelos rank in 4th grade and all of them have enough badges for AOL, and we are just working on earning additional badges and the additional AOL requirements. We are working on the old program track still, and we plan to award the AOL and bridge the boys over to a troop in mid-March. So now I am told by the CM that there is a new fifth grader who would like to join. I don't want to discourage the parents, but I would like to give them a realistic idea of what would be required. Is it possible to earn the AOL starting now? Does

Hi all, Recently my den moved from Bear to Webelos, and all of the boys upgraded to the khaki shirt. With the blue shirt, the yellow denner cords work great - they have a "tab" that kind of looks like an epaulet, and there is an integrate pin to attach the whole thing to the boys' shoulder. Now, with the Webelos uniform, the cords can go under the epaulet, but then you have the tab with no place to really go. Any idea on how this is supposed to work? Thanks!

Get a big Coleman for your family, that will be fine. For your husband and son to use more frequently, I suggest a good 3- or 4-man tent from REI. If you get a membership, there are 25% off coupons several times per year. Get the footprint for the specific tent, too. Yes, these tents are more expensive but they will absolutely hold up better and keep you dryer when it inevitably rains.

It is always fun to hear the beads rolling across the floor at a pack meeting! The boys love to fiddle with them, and the plastic strings do not secure them very well, with predictable results. As a leader, keeping track of whether or not the boys had the correct number of beads was tedious. Belt loops, pins, and patches are what my boys seem to covet.

Try to pick achievements that you haven't done previous years. There is a lot of overlap between ranks on certain subjects. I love the flexibility that Bear year offers in that respect. Definitely do the Whittling Chip. The boys will love that. Be advised that the official Cub Scout knife with rubber grip is very difficult for the boys to close themselves. I would not buy those again. In our pack, almost every boy gets the tan shirt for Webelos, so earning a lot of arrow points that won't transfer over seemed like a waste. Instead, after earning rank, we focused on earning the (now d

BSA is never going to be popular among the people you're trying to please. As soon as BSA admits gay leaders, and drops all references to god, then people are going to start questioning all of the native american symbolism. That will be next on the chopping block. Shooting BB guns, rifles, shotguns?? What does that teach kids about violence? And so on. There is very little to the BSA program, other than maybe recycling, that would please a liberal mindset.

Our pack participates in the town's Memorial Day parade. Takes about two hours. Attendance is fairly light with many people out of town for the weekend.

Thanks! This is a big help! I will add that Aware and Care is close to the Disabilities Awareness belt loop and pin.

I looked at it last night, and there really isn't that much overlap between the current Citizen badge and the new Building a Better World, so I'm not as worried about that. I am also planning on covering Readyman next year and have that count for one of the new AOL electives. What gets me is that our boys will have half old style pins, and half new ones. I just don't understand what the harm would have been in allowing a transition year for current Bears.

Our council recently had a Spring Fun Day in a neighboring district. They were selling old patches for 3/$1. My son picked up a few and I bought him a few. Doesn't take long before you have quite a few patches!

I don't think our pack was using them much, so I bought cords for a Denner and Asst. Denner for my den. A few months later, I started noticing other dens picking up the practice.

We charge $28, and that gets them a Boys Life sub, neckerchief/slide and handbook. Subsequent years, they get a new neckerchief/slide. Then we sell popcorn and wreaths. Boys need to sell about $250 worth, or their parents can pay a buyout of $125 or so. Pack pays for belt loops/pins, and pretty much all of the patches that can be earned. There are some district patches that are paid for at the den level.

I am in the same boat with my son's Bear den. It's a little weird that our Webelos will have pins from the old program and the new on their Webelos colors. Very odd that we aren't grandfathered in. It looks like every rank requires earning the Cyber Chip, correct? Not sure I agree with this. My den earned it this past year, and it is certainly useful. I understand the curriculum changes for grades 4-5, so it would be fine to earn it again to learn new things. However, having to earn it in both grades 4 and 5, with the same requirements, is overkill. Luckily this won't apply for my de

While I'm not a fan of the progress beads, I wish they were coming up with a better way of tracking achievements than belt loops. The current academics and sports belt loops and pins are very popular in our pack. I suspect that's true in packs who pay for these. In packs where the parents buy them, probably not as popular. Everybody I have talked to is disappointed that this program is going away. The new belt loop system will result in all the boys having the same loops. No more showing off that rare belt loop that most kids don't earn.

That's a good idea, but these all have the year on them, so the stores will not take those back.

Thanks for the perspective. Any idea what to do with the mountain of old patches the pack has?

Thanks for the history, Eagle! That is interesting. I agree with your point here. My problem with putting the colors over the patrol medallion is that the boys picked a fairly unique mascot (Griffin) and I bet they don't want to cover it up! But yeah, then they will hang down a LITTLE lower. Should be less than an inch difference, though.

Hi all, just wondering if any packs/troops have any kind of event for trading patches. The pack tends to accumulate extra patches from events from overbuying or people not showing up, etc. I was wondering what to do with them, and thought maybe we could somehow distribute them to the boys and encourage them to start trading patches. Our council had a patch "Trade-O-Ree" that was well attended by wheelers/dealers from all over the country. My son really liked trading/buying patches and displays them in a binder. This ties in with the Collecting belt loop/pin as well. Anybody have

The insignia guide states: "Webelos colors, red, yellow, and green tabs, No. 452; pack option for wear by Webelos Scouts, right sleeve, under and touching U.S. flag. If den number is worn, under and touching den number. With either option, colors cover Journey to Excellence insignia. If colors are worn, activity badges are worn on the tabs." So this is clear that if a "Den 10" strip is worn, the colors go underneath. The patrol patch is used in place of "Den 10" strip, correct? So it would stand to reason that the colors would go underneath that patrol patch. One more picture or a