Cub Scouts do fun things with other kids! They get to wear a cool uniform, go places, and see things. They play all kinds of sports and build things, like race cars and bird houses. Want to learn a secret code? Want to learn about wild animals? Go Cub Scouting!
In Cub Scouting, boys and girls ages kindergarten through fifth grade will have lots of fun, adventure, and activities with their den and pack. But there's more to it than that. Being a Cub Scout means they are a member of a worldwide youth movement that stands for certain values and beliefs. Cub Scouting is more than something to do. It's all about who they are and the person they will become.
Special Award Opportunities for Cub Scouts
Besides the advancement awards, Cub Scouts may earn other individual awards.
Awards for Dens and Packs
Just as Cub Scouts can earn individual awards for themselves, they can also work together to earn awards for their whole den or their pack. Getting together to work on these awards is a great way to practice teamwork and to show every Cub Scout how important they are as a member of their den or pack.
Cub Scouting Adventures
Cub Scouts have the opportunity to earn both required and elective recognition devices as they work toward their ranks and can also earn recognition for additional elective adventures they choose to complete beyond those required for their rank. Cub Scouts earn adventure loops to be worn on their belt, and Webelos Scouts earn pins to wear on their Webelos colors or Webelos cap.
Adventure loops and pins are a great way to help fulfill the aims of Scouting—build character, develop citizenship, and encourage mental and physical fitness. Through a variety of subjects, you can stretch your mind and abilities by exploring the wonders of science, learning about the world, and expanding skills in new areas.
This is a chance to try something new, do your best, and earn recognition all at the same time. For more information about the adventure loops and pins, visit CubScouts.org.
Cub Scouts Belong to Packs and Dens
As a Cub Scout, you will be part of your own pack. The pack is divided into smaller groups called dens. Each den has about six to eight Cub Scouts. All of the Cub Scouts in the den are in the same grade and may even go to the same school.
The Cub Scout pack belongs to a church, a school, or some other group of people in your community or neighborhood. This group makes sure your pack has good adult leaders, a place to meet, and exciting things to do. The group gets help from the Boy Scouts of America, which is part of Scouting around the world.
Cub Scouts Do Things and Go Places
Have you been to the local police station and talked to the policemen on duty? Or visited the fire station and sat in the driver's seat of the pumper truck? Or visited the local tv station and sat in the news anchor's chair? These are some of the places you might go with your den or pack.
You might also build a pinewood derby car and race it on the track, build a sailboat or trimaran and race it in the raingutter regatta, or build a spaceship and race it to the stars in the pack space derby.
Cub Scouts Earn Awards
Each time a Cub Scout completes an advancement, they are rewarded. Sometimes the reward is a loop for their belt, pin, or a patch. Sometimes it is a smile on your parents' faces to see you grow and learn.
Cub Scout Uniforms
When you see someone in a uniform, you know that person belongs to a specific group. A police officer wears a uniform, and so does a doctor or a firefighter. As a Cub Scout, you will wear a uniform too. If you are in first, second, or third grade, you will wear a blue shirt, blue pants, and a neckerchief in the correct color for your rank—orange for Tigers, yellow for Wolves, and blue for Bears. Webelos Scouts have some different options. Some Webelos Scouts will wear the blue shirt, and some will wear the tan shirt, the same one Scouts ina troop wear. All Webelos Scouts will wear the Webelos neckerchief, which is yellow, blue, and red plaid. The blue and yellow is to remind them they are still in a pack, and the red is to remind them they will be moving to Boy Scouts soon.
There are other parts of the uniform: pants, belt, socks, and a hat. If you wear the blue shirt, you wear the blue pants and the hat for your den. If you wear the tan shirt, you wear olive pants but still wear the hat for your den (Webelos hat).
The Boy Scouts of America has always been a uniformed body. Its uniforms help to create a sense of belonging. They symbolize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Wearing a uniform gives youth and adult members a sense of identification and commitment. The Guide to Awards and Insignia presents detailed information to enable BSA members to wear the correct and complete uniform on all suitable occasions. The BSA uniform website is also a great resource.
Guide to Awards and Insignia
The Advancement Trail
On the advancement trail, a Cub Scout progresses from rank to rank, learning new skills as they go. Each of the ranks and awards in Cub Scouting has its own requirements. As you advance through the ranks, the requirements get more challenging, to match the new skills and abilities you learn as you get older. For more information on the mechanics of Cub Scout advancement, visit CubScouts.org.
Required Adventures
Lion
The Lion program is for Cub Scouts who are in kindergarten and begins each year in August. The Lion program weaves traditional Scouting concepts of character development, leadership skills, personal fitness and citizenship into activities that are age-appropriate and fun for the boys and their parents. The Lion rank strip is earned when the Lion has completed the five required adventures and is placed on the t-shirt over their heart. As the Lion Scout completes each adventure, they will receive the adventure loop for that adventure, which they can wear on their belt. After completing the Gizmos and Gadgets Adventure, the Lion Scout can wear a yellow neckerchief and slide.
Bobcat
Cub Scouts in 1st - 5th grade must earn their Bobcat badge before they can advance to the rank of Tiger, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos Scout. Requirements include:
- Learn and say the Cub Scout motto, the Scout Oath, and the Scout Law and tell what they mean;
- Show the Cub Scout sign, salute, and handshake and tell what they mean; and
- With your parent or guardian complete the exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide.
- Get ideas to help Cub Scouts earn the Bobcat badge on the council Pinterest page.
Tiger
The Tiger program is for Cub Scouts who are in first grade or are age seven. To earn the Tiger badge, a Tiger Scout must complete six required adventures with their den or family and one elective adventure of their den or family’s choosing. As the Cub Scout completes each adventure, the Cub Scout will receive the adventure loop for that adventure, which they can wear on their belt. When the Cub Scout has completed the seven required adventures, they can receive the Tiger badge. The Tiger badge is given to the Cub Scout’s adult partner at a pack meeting. Then, during a grand ceremony, the adult gives the badge to the Cub Scout.
After earning the Tiger badge, a Tiger Scout can work on the remaining 12 Tiger electives until the Cub Scout finishes first grade (or turn 8 years old). A Scout can choose elective adventures to learn new hobbies and skills that will be useful during their years in a troop. When the Cub Scout completes an elective adventure, they receive an additional adventure loop to wear on their belt.
Wolf
The Wolf program is for Cub Scouts who have finished first grade (or who are 8 years old). To earn the Wolf badge, a Wolf Scout must complete six required adventures and one elective adventure. The parent or guardian and den leader approve each requirement by signing their book, and the Cub Scout receives an adventure loop for each adventure. When the Cub Scout has met all requirements, the Wolf badge is presented to their parent or guardian at the next pack meeting. During an impressive ceremony, the parent or guardian then presents the badge to the Cub Scout.
After a Cub Scout has earned the Wolf badge, a Wolf Scout can work on the remaining 12 Wolf electives until the Cub Scout finishes second grade (or turns 9 years old). A Cub Scout can choose elective adventures to learn new hobbies and skills that will be useful during their years in a troop. When the Cub Scout completes an elective adventure, they receive an additional adventure loop to wear on their belt.
Bear
The Bear program is for Cub Scouts who have finished second grade (or who are 9 years old). To earn the Bear badge, a Bear Scout must complete six required adventures and one elective adventure. The parent or guardian and den leader approve each requirement by signing their book, and the Cub Scout receives an adventure loop for each adventure. When the Cub Scout has met all requirements, the Bear badge is presented to their parent or guardian at the next pack meeting. During an impressive ceremony, the parent or guardian then presents the badge to the Cub Scout.
After a Cub Scout has earned the Bear badge, a Bear Scout can work on the remaining 12 Bear electives until they finish third grade (or turn 10 years old). a Bear Scout can choose elective adventures to learn new hobbies and skills that will be useful during their time in a troop. When the Cub Scout completes an elective adventure, the Cub Scout receives an additional adventure loop to wear on their belt.
Webelos Scouts
Webelos dens are for Webelos Scouts who have completed third grade (or reached age 10). Webelos Scouts get to work on the five required Webelos adventures and choose two of the 18 elective adventures that are shared by the Webelos and Arrow of Light ranks. When a Webelos Scout has done the requirements for an adventure, the Webelos den leader, rather than a parent, approves most of the adventures. For each adventure a Webelos Scout completes, the Webelos Scout receives a pin to wear on the Webelos colors or on their hat. After completing seven adventures, including five required adventures and two elective adventures, a Webelos Scout can receive the Webelos badge.
After a Webelos Scout has earned the Webelos badge, a Webelos Scout can work on the remaining 18 shared Webelos and Arrow of Light electives until the Cub Scout finishes fourth grade (or turns 11 years old). A Cub Scout can choose elective adventures to learn new hobbies and skills that will be useful during Scouting. When the Webelos Scout completes an elective adventure, they receive an additional adventure loop to wear on their belt.
Arrow of Light
The highest rank in Cub Scouting is the Arrow of Light. Earning this rank prepares a Webelos Scout to advance in Scouting in a troop. Cub Scouts must complete four required adventures and three elective adventures to earn the Arrow of Light rank. For each adventure a Scout completes, they receive a pin to wear on the Webelos colors or on their hat.
The Arrow of Light badge is the only Cub Scout badge that can be worn on the Scouts BSA uniform when a Webelos Scout graduates into a troop. Adult leaders who earned the Arrow of Light rank when they were young may also show their achievement by wearing a special square knot on their adult uniform.
For additional information, contact your district advancement chair.