June kickoff?

[TDavis]

As a young pack, we really haven't established a summer program and I was looking to do so this year. During the last two years we have started the scouting year along the timeline of the start of the school year. I was a bit surprised to read in the Cub Scout Program Helps that the scouting year starts in June, not Sept. So it seems that my Wolves will become Bears in June and can start working on their Bear achievements? Question, if I have some Wolves who did not achieve their Wolve badge should I encourage them to use the summer to finish Wolve and start working on the Bear badge in the fall? Even if that means that some individuals in my Den will be working on Wolve achievements during the summer and some will be doing Bear?

 

thanks for any help,

TD

[fboisseau]

Yes, you can allow those boys that have not completed the requirements for Wolf to work on them durring the summer on their own. If they complete them before the school year go ahead and award them the Wolf badge. You just have to keep in mind that you now have a Bear Den and should be doing Den activities designed for that age group.

[molscouter]

Using grade based criteria, the Wolf badge is for boys who have completed the first grade and the Bear badge is for boys who have completed the second grade. That means the day they finish school, they have completed the grade and can start work on their next rank.

 

As fboisseau said, I would encourage those who have not completed Wolf to try and finish if they want to. The others should be encouraged to start the Bear requirements. There are a lot of outdoor family activities that really lend themselves to summer. Also, remember, Wolf is not a requirement for Bear nor is Bear a requirement for Webelos, only Bobcat is.

 

The whole subject becomes even more important when boys have completed third grade and become Webelos. If you don't consider them Webelos in June, they can't go to Webelos camp, which typically run 3-4 days and give the boys at chance to at least partially start earning activity badges. Especially in the north, badges such as Aquanaut are a lot easier to earn at camp than during the school year.(This message has been edited by molscouter)

[TDavis]

Great! Thanks for the guidance.

TD

[Bob White]

I would let them do both. No harm no foul.

[EagleInKY]

Hey Bob, some folks are going to have to take back what they say about you. You're allowing for a little grey area.

 

I agree, by the way. Although, I think it's best to graduate them to the next level at the end of the school year, for the reasons mentioned. Primarily, it allows them to work on advancement for their next rank at day camp and other summer activities.