Welcome to Pack 35's website. This site is intended to inform the parents of boys in Pack 35 about upcoming events as well as provide resources to the parents and leaders of the Pack so we can deliver a quality program for our boys. Cub Scout Ranks are: Tiger Cubs (1st graders) Wolves (2nd Grade) Bears (3rd Grade) and Webelos Scouts (4th and 5th Grade)
The founder of Scouting, Sir Robert Baden-Powell of England, based his ideas for Cub Scouts on a Rudyard Kipling book called Mowgli's Brothers. The story is part of Kipling's Jungle Books series and is set in India. In the story, a young boy is separated from his family when his village is attacked by a tiger named Shere Khan. A family of wolves finds him and raises him. When the boy grows older, the family asks Akela, the great leader of the wolf pack, if he may join the pack. The pack council allows him to join so that they can protect him from Shere Khan and other dangers in the jungle.
First Graders start with us as Tiger Cubs. As a Tiger Cub he will be a member of a den. Most dens have five to nine boy-adult partner teams, meet twice a month in a den meeting, and have one outing a month, called a Go See It. The den also takes part in the monthly pack meetings. During den meetings, Go See It outings, and pack meetings, boys learn new things and have fun.
Each den meeting and den activity is led by a den leader and an adult partner of one of the Tiger Cubs. An adult partner can be a parent, relative, or friend who is at least 18 years old and who cares about the boy. Each adult partner takes a turn working with the den leader to plan and lead a den meeting and/or activity.
A Cub Scout who has completed first grade (or is age 8) works on 12 achievements to earn the Wolf badge. Before a Cub Scout can become a Wolf Cub Scout, each boy must earn his Bobcat badge. He then begins the Wolf Trail, where he must complete a series of 12 Achievements to earn the Wolf badge.If the Cub Scout has not previously earned the Bobcat Badge, it must be earned first.
These achievements are divided into 62 tasks of which 52 selected tasks must be completed. The achievements are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy's book.
A Cub Scout who has completed second grade (or is age 9) can become a Bear Scout. To earn the Bear Badge, a Cub Scout must complete 12 achievements out of a possible 24 that are offered in the book. The achievements are grouped in 4 major areas, GOD, COUNTRY, FAMILY, and SELF.
If the Cub Scout has not previously earned the Bobcat Badge, it must be earned first.
As the scout earns the Bear rank, he must complete 12 Achievements. These achievements are divided into 116 tasks of which 80 selected tasks must be completed. The achievements, as were the Wolf activities, are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy's book.
The Webelos Scout program is a two-year transition program between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
The boy becomes a Webelos Scout upon graduation from the Bear program in the spring of third grade. He has all summer to get started on Webelos activities. Boys new to Cub Scouting can become Webelos if they are 10 years old or have completed third grade, and have earned the Bobcat badge.
The end of the Webelos Scout program is when the Webelos Scouts graduate into a troop, typically in February or March of their fifth grade year for those areas holding early graduations. Other groups may graduate at the end of fifth grade when the school year ends.
During these two years, the Webelos Scouts have two badges of rank they can earn and 20 activity badges. These two ranks are: Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light award. Usually the boys earn the Webelos badge during the first year, and the Arrow of Light during the second year. It is possible for a boy who joins scouting at the start of fifth grade to earn both his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light award before it is time to graduate into a troop, but it takes a lot of planning and effort to accomplish this. The achievements, as were the Bear and Wolf activities, are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy's book.
Instead of working on achievements and electives, each Webelos Scout works to complete a series of hobby and career Activity Badges. The emphasis shifts from home-centered activities to a series of group-centered activities conducted by the Webelos den.
Your Boy regardless of his rank, is also a member of a Cub Scout pack. Most packs are made up of several dens that gather monthly at a pack meeting. Pack meetings usually follow a suggested theme and are a time for boys to be recognized for their accomplishments during the month, to perform skits and songs they have learned in den meetings, and to have fun with the entire family.
Packs are led by a Cubmaster and pack committee. Like the den leaders, the Cubmaster and assistants are volunteer leaders and are usually family members of boys in the pack. The pack committee makes plans for pack meetings and activities and takes care of the "business" items that are necessary for a pack to operate smoothly.
Most pack committees consist of family members and members of the pack's chartered organization. The chartered organization is the community organization that is granted a charter by the Boy Scouts of America to use the Scouting program. This chartered organization might be a school, service club, religious group, or other group interested in youth. The chartered organization approves the leadership of the pack, provides a meeting place, and operates the pack within the guidelines and policies of that organization and the BSA.
