0 members (),
86
guests, and
12
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783
Member
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783 |
DS has been invited by a friend to join a cub scout den. I don't know anything about cub scouts and I'm a little confused about the ranks. I looked on their website and found this: Q. What is the difference between Tigers, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos. A. The different rank programs are set to be age specific. By doing so, the boys will be working on things that are more likely to at their level. If you had 7-11 year old all thrown together (as in Boy Scouts) the maturity levels would make activities almost impossible to achieve as a group.
Q. What are Tiger Cubs? A. A Tiger Cub is a boy who is in the first grade (or is 7 years old) and registered, with an adult partner, as a member of a Tiger Cub group.
Q. What is the Bobcat? A. The first rank for all boys who join Cub Scouting (after Tigers).
Q. What are Wolf Cub Scouts? A. The Cub Scout rank designated for a second-grade Cub Scout (or one who is 8). Wolf rank is earned by completing 12 achievements.
Q. What are Bear Cub Scouts? A. The Cub Scout rank designated for a third-grade Cub Scout (or one who is 9).
Q. What are Webelos Scouts? A. A Cub Scout who has completed third grade (or is 10) and is a member of a Webelos den. So can DS, who is in 2nd grade, (age 5.5) even join? If so, should he join as a Tiger, Bobcat or Wolf? I don't know anything about the requirements or activities that they do at various levels. Any advice is welcome!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,145
Member
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,145 |
As I understand it--and I'm not an expert--they're pretty rigid about not letting kids under 10 or so move up from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, so I'd probably recommend that you go more with his age rather than his grade for this one. Since most of the stuff they do isn't highly academic, this seems to be working out fine for our DS7 this year (in a den with several GT kids). The fine-motor skill stuff tends to be more important for Cub Scouts, so I think it might be better if you go more with the age-appropriate peers rather than the intellectual peers. And there's LOTS of freedom of choice of what to do, so even if some of it is too easy for him, he doesn't have to do it (or he can just get lots of awards easily!).
At Pack meetings once a month or so, he will associate with all the kids in the pack, so it isn't like he'll never see older kids.
I guess I think maybe put him in Tigers? Preferably with a pack not in his school, I think, since then he's with the younger kids at Scouts and the older ones at school. It doesn't sound like an easy fit there...
Worst case scenario is that he has to repeat Webelos because he's too young to move up. If that's going to be a problem, then you might want to wait another year.
You might also talk to your council. Perhaps they can make an exception in your son's case? Our Pack Leader made it sound like that wasn't ever going to happen, but that doesn't mean it's so!
Kriston
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783
Member
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783 |
Thanks, Kriston. The boy who invited him is a friend from DS's K class last year. So the friend is in first grade, just turned 6 and is a Tiger cub scout. So I think I'm inclined to put him at the same rank as his friend. It sounds like that's probably the best bet from what you describe, anyway I wasn't even sure that DS is old enough to join.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 802
Member
|
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 802 |
Cathy, go with age, not grade .
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783
Member
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783 |
It's unanimous, then Tiger it is. DS is really excited about scouting. I hope it goes well. We have our first meeting next Weds.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,145
Member
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,145 |
I hope it goes well, too. Keep me updated, will you? We're scouting newbies this year, too, but we skipped Tiger and started with Wolf since DS turns 8 this year. So far, so good...
Kriston
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 307
Member
|
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 307 |
As a past cub master, now Boy Scout commette chair, Tiger is a good start. Parental involvemnet is the key, espesially in cub scouts. Some of the program may be to easy, but a lot of it can be great. Each pack is different try to find one you both are comfortble with. Also the more you are involved the better for your son. My curent DS16 loved cub scouts, and is still inscouting. Our DS6 may start this year. Their is a lot of flexibility in the program, it depends on the parents involved.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783
Member
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,783 |
The pack is not just kids from our school, it also includes a couple of other schools around here. The den DS was invited to join consists of first graders. DS knows these kids from Kindergarten last year.
The den mother is a 2nd grade teacher at DS's school. She was DD's teacher two years ago. I want to give it a try because DS is very enthusiastic, but I am feeling a little wary because of something this teacher said to me last week.
We had stopped by her classroom after school to chat because DD wanted to say hi, and that was when this teacher told me that when she is on yard duty at recess, DS spends his entire recess talking to her and wanting to know what the different keys on her lanyard are for. She said, "He is very interested in those keys" in a tone that implied that it was something abnormal. She also said she needs to "find him a buddy". She suggested to DS that he play with the first graders he knows but he told her that all they want to do is chase him and he doesn't want to play that game. I think that he wants to hang out with her because he knows her, likes to talk to adults and feels safe from the chasing kids when he is with a teacher.
I definitely got the feeling that she thinks DS has some sort of social problem and that she may not approve of the gradeskip. Knowing her from when DD was in her class, I requested a different 2nd grade teacher for DS because I already had the sense that although DS likes her, it would not be a good match. This teacher had confided in me about her older son and her struggles to get him id'ed as GT at his school (not our school). I don't know what the outcome of that was. Her younger son is DS's age and in Kindergarten. He is one of the Tiger cubs in her den. I feel like there's something going on beneath the surface of our cordial relationship but I'm not sure what it is...
On top of that, we had a bad experience with a Brownie troop when DD was in 2nd grade. <shiver>
I'm a person who is very wary of any kind of new situation, especially social situations, and it's hard for me to separate that feeling from real alarms bells. So thanks for letting me talk it out!
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 307
Member
|
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 307 |
Scouts can be agreat social start for some kids. It all varrys. We have in the Boy scout troop a very introverted boy with, whith what some would say was odd behavior. He has been accepted by the group, and seems to be fitting in. Hopefully its a good experance for your son.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 902
Member
|
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 902 |
She suggested to DS that he play with the first graders he knows but he told her that all they want to do is chase him and he doesn't want to play that game. I know nothing about scouts but I wanted to say that I got exactly the same comment from DS6 many times.
LMom
|
|
|
|
|