Advancement and Dens in the Pack
Advancement in Cub Scouts is done grade by grade (K through 5) and scouts are assigned to the age appropriate den based on their grade.
At each level of cub scouting, scouts will work on a variety of age appropriate skills and activities. For each special skill or activity your child completes with you, you can sign off one of the requirements they need to earn their next award. As a result, the awards they earn increase their knowledge, skills, self-esteem and confidence. The Cub Scout Advancement program is an excellent way for you to spend quality time with your child. You can be a part of it by participating in the Cub Scout program with them.
The responsibility of a scout’s advancement in Cub Scouting lies with the family and not with the pack. While many of the advancement requirements are done at den meetings, several requirements will need to be done at home with the family. In addition, there are multiple electives that can be completed at home at your own pace throughout the year. These electives are optional, but allow your child to earn additional awards outside of the requirements. Be sure to update your den leader if your child chooses to work on these electives, as he/she will provide guidance.
Bobcat
All Scouts (except Lions), begin their journey in Cub Scouting with the Bobcat. To earn the Bobcat, the scouts will become familiar with the scout law, scout oath, and other scout basics. The Bobcat rank does not have its own den.
The Lion Den (Kindergarten)
Lion Scouts are a new program in the Boy Scouts of America. This program is designed to give Scouts a ‘taste’ of what it is like to be a full fledge Cub Scout. Lions have their own advancement program. Like the Tiger program below, parents are required to register with their child and be present at all meetings.
The Tiger Den (Grade 1)
As with the Lion Den, parents are very involved at the Tiger level too. The scout and their parent or guardian join the den and attend all meetings and activities together. The den is made up of parent–child teams. Each den has a Tiger den leader (usually one of the parents) who helps coordinate the meetings.
The den has one or two meetings a month. The Tiger Badge has 6 Core Requirements. Some of the requirements for the Tiger Badge include: Backyard Jungle where a scout and their family learn about the amazing environment in their own backyard; Tiger Games where a scout and their family and den play and practice games or sports and learn about healthy choices; and Tigers in the Wild where scouts and their families get to have an experience in the outdoors. There are also 14 Tiger Electives that the Scout and his family can work on.
The Wolf Cub Scout (Grade 2) and Bear Cub Scout (Grade 3) Dens
Parents are vital to the Cub Scout dens, both in the role of home support and to help the den leader. While not required, we still encourage parents to attend den meetings at this level with their scout.
The den consists of scouts, a den leader and assistant den leader (usually parents of some of the scouts), and often a den chief (an older Boy Scout or Venturer who helps the den leader).
These dens meet twice a month at a regularly scheduled time and place, and they also attend the pack meeting with their families. At this level, scouts will build upon the skills they learn at the prior rank. Some skills include overnight camps, pocket knife safety, and fire building to name a few.
The Webelos Scout Den (Grades 4 and 5)
The Webelos den is much like the Cub Scout dens, but there is more emphasis on the scouts learning to take leadership roles and preparing to become Boy Scouts. The scouts will work on their Webelos badge in the first year.
In the second year of Webelos, a scout works to earn the Arrow of Light. The Arrow of Light is the highest award a youth may earn in Cub Scouting.
We aim to graduate every Cub Scout into Boy Scouting. Generally, your child will be prepared to join a Boy Scout troop in March of their fifth-grade year.
Scout Handbook
Each Scout is required to have a handbook for their appropriate den. Scout Handbooks will be provided to each scout upon registration and are included in your annual dues to the pack. Requirements may also be tracked on your Scoutbook.com account that you will receive upon registration.
ScoutBook.com
Scoutbook is the tool our Pack uses to track Advancements & Awards. It is a web application to which you can login from any internet browser via any device that supports the internet such as your laptop, computer, Android device(s), iPhone or iPad. The email you provide on your scout’s application will be your login ID.
Once we setup your new scout in the system, you will receive an email with a generic password. Use this to login for the first time, then go to your account and change your password. If you do not receive an email with the generic password, then just click forgot password on the login screen to be sent another email. Be sure to check your SPAM or Junk email folders and set Scoutbook.com as a trusted site in your security settings if you still are not receiving the emails.
Once in Scoutbook, you will be able to view and edit your scout’s profile as well as view their advancement records which are maintained by their den leader. This is a great way for you to stay up-to-date on exactly where your scout stands with regards to their advancement.