PARENT GUIDE NEW CUB SCOUT. Welcome to Cub Scouts! WWW. CPCBSA.ORG. Top 5 steps to get your Cub Scout Family started:

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1 NEW CUB SCOUT PARENT GUIDE Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council 2015 Welcome to Cub Scouts! Cub Scouting is a great family program. We are excited to have your family join our Scouting family. This parent guide will provide some information to help your family get started in Cub Scouting. Top 5 steps to get your Cub Scout Family started: Help your Cub Scout earn his Bobcat award. Get a Cub Scout uniform and a handbook. The Key to Cub Scouting is Keep it simple, make it fun! Get a pack calendar from your pack leader. Ask for a roster of pack leaders, Get involved! WWW. CPCBSA.ORG

2 The Bobcat rank is worn on the left pocket of the Cub Scout uniform. Help your Cub Scout earn the Bobcat award The first award a boy can earn when he joins Cub Scouts is the Bobcat award. You can keep track of his progress by signing off requirements in his book. You may have been given a Trail to Bobcat poster to keep track of his progress as well, but you will still need to sign off his requirements in his handbook. Den Meeting Your Cub Scout is in a den with boys in the same school grade. Most dens meet at least twice a month; some dens meet weekly. They will be working on completing requirements at den meetings and tracking those in your son s handbook. You can also work on requirements at home anytime and sign those off. Show the Den Leader your son s handbook Once your Cub Scout has completed all of the Bobcat requirements, show his book to your son s Den Leader. The Den Leader will make arrangements to have the award presented to your son at pack meeting. The award is paid for out of the pack budget. Most pack budgets are funded by Scouts dues, selling popcorn, selling candy or other fundraising efforts. Scout Oath On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Scout Law A Scout is: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Cub Scout Motto Do Your Best Pack Meeting All of the Cub Scouts and their families get together once a month for a terrific night called pack meeting. It is a great idea to invite grandparents, family and friends to the pack meeting where your son will receive his Bobcat, usually soon after joining.

3 Nor West Scout Shop & Council Office 2145 SW Naito Pkwy Portland, OR Council Office hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Nor West Scout Shop hours: School Year: Monday-Friday 9:00AM-7:00PM Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM Summer: Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:30PM Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM Get a Uniform! There is nothing that helps get a boy excited about Scouting more than having a uniform and feeling like part of the pack. Our standard recommendation is that you buy the uniform a little large so the Scouts can grow into it. Some packs have a uniform bank of experienced uniforms that can be shared. Check with your pack Cubmaster, to see if this is available. Recommended Items: Cub Scout shirt (long and short sleeve options) Council Patch Pack numbers & den number patches (ask your den leader for the correct numbers) World Crest Patch Cub Scout hat Neckerchief and slide for each den Cub Scout belt Salem Trading Post & Satellite Office 4395 Liberty Road S Salem, OR Trading Post hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10:00AM-6:00PM Closed for lunch hour: Noon-1:15PM Get a Handbook! There is a Cub Scout Handbook for each year that a boy is a Cub Scout. The handbook has the same name as the den and is the name of the award (rank) your Cub Scout will be earning that year. 1st Grade Tiger Cub Den Earning the Tiger Cub rank 2nd Grade Wolf Den Earning the Wolf rank 3rd Grade Bear Den Earning the Bear rank Please check our website before heading out, we do close for most major holidays and severe storms. 4th Grade Webelos Den Earning the Webelos rank 5th Grade Webelos 2 Den Earning the Arrow of Light As Scouts complete activities in their book, they work towards the next rank. They can complete activities at Cub Scout meetings, but they can also do activities in their book with a parent or guardian anytime. Once your Cub Scout does his best go ahead and sign off his book!

4 There s a lot to do in Cub Scouts! Day Camp Pinewood Derby Popcorn Sale Scouting for Food Family Camp Mom & Me Camp Mud Mayhem Tree Plant Community Service Opportunities Candy Sale Fishing Derby Dad & Lad Camp Webelos Woods Stampede Winter Lodge Snow Day Resident Camp Visit for more information. Get a Pack Calendar Den Meetings Parents and guardians are always welcome at den meetings. Tiger Cubs and their adult partner attend all of the den meetings together. Den meetings should be held at least twice a month. (Information for planning den meetings can be found at Pack Meetings & Activities Pack meeting is a fun for the whole family. Annual highlights each year is the pinewood derby race and the Blue and Gold Banquet held each February to celebrate Scouting s birthday. Packs often also have their own campouts, go to special events like hockey or fishing, and participate in district and council events like the Scouting for Food service project during which we collect food for the local food banks in our communities. Friends of Scouting Scouting is like other non-profits, depending on donations of time and money to fulfill our mission. Each February families are given an opportunity to donate to Scouting. Generous gifts to Friends of Scouting help keep Cub Scouting available to all boys. Cub Scout Summer Camp Packs select a summer camp session, and register as a pack on the council website at Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend camp with their Cub Scout. Camps also have special program nights for the whole family to attend. Camp participants will need to bring a BSA medical form. Charter Renewal & Boys Life Each October/November the Pack renews all registration for all of its youth and adults for the coming calendar year. Make sure you are registered with the pack for 2016 and that your Cub Scout is signed up to receive Boys Life Magazine. The fee is $24 for 12 months of registration, and an optional $12 for a year of Boys Life Magazine.

5 Youth Protection Training Scouting is dedicated to making all Scouting activities as safe for youth and the adults. All pack leaders are required to take Youth Protection Training every two years. Parents are invited to take the training as well. This important training course is available online at MyScouting.org. Get Involved Kids grow up quickly. The best way for you and your Cub Scout to get the most of Cub Scouting is for you to be involved as a parent volunteer. Packs are all operated by parents who will welcome you to share the fun with them. P.S. It s OK to be silly in Cub Scouts! Visit MyScouting.org and create an account as a new user. Keep your user ID and password handy MyScouting.org is a great resource, so you ll want to return later. Go to Den Meeting Parents are always welcome at den meetings. Go with your Cub Scout and have some fun! Be a Den Leader or an Assistant Den Leader You can volunteer to be a Den Leader or an Assistant Den Leader. Den Leaders plan and carry out the den meetings with the help from other parents and trainers. There are lots of resources to help new den leaders. Dens should meet at least twice a month, some meet every week. In den meetings, Cubs play games, do crafts and complete requirements from their Cub Scout handbook. Go to Pack Committee Meeting and volunteer to help with a Pack activity Many hands make light work. Ask to attend the pack s committee meeting where you can be part of activity planning and pick one or two fun, easy activities to help out with. Go Check Out Roundtable! Each month the local district hosts a meeting called Roundtable. Roundtable is a great place to make friends, learn details about upcoming events, get tips and suggestions on working with kids, and get tons of ideas on fun things to do with your Cub Scouts. Roundtable dates and locations can be found on the Council calendar at

6 Every pack needs to ensure that every adult leader is trained. Pack District Charter Organization The Cub Scout Pack is part of the Chartering Organization may be a church, service club or other community organization that uses Scouting as outreach into the community, your pack is part of your chartering organization. Chartered Organization Representative This person approves all of the adults who will volunteer with the pack, as a representative of the chartering organization. Pack Committee Chairman This parent volunteer holds the Pack Committee/Parents Meetings, and helps keep the calendar and Pack moving forward. Training is available online and in person for volunteers who work with Cub Scouts. Both adult volunteers and their Cub Scouts stay in Cub Scouting longer when their leaders are trained and have a plan. Pack Committee Members These parent volunteers each have a little role to play in helping the committee operate, such as organizing the calendar fundraisers, activities and more. Cubmaster Plans and carry out the monthly pack meeting for the boys in the pack and their families. Assistant Cubmaster Works with the Cubmaster to provide the monthly pack meeting. Tiger Den Leader Works with the first grade boys and their adult partners. (A parent or guardian is asked to be at all Tiger Cub activities) Wolf Den Leader Works with second grade boys. Bear Den Leader Works with third grade boys. Training and recognition Knots are awards adults can earn and wear for volunteering in Cub Scouting and having a great program. More information can be found at Webelos Den Leader Works with fourth and fifth grade boys.

7 Want More Information? Lots of information about Cub Scouting is available. The best resources can be found at Another great place to go for information is to and signing up to receive the e-news called Compass Points Bulletin, and don t forget to like us on Facebook at facebook.com/cpcbsa. You are also welcome to call the Scout Office with any questions or concerns at , we d love to help! MyScouting.org The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America hosts the MyScouting.org website. Every Cub Scout Volunteer and Parent is encouraged to have an account at MyScouting.org, which is a great source of get training and online resources. People who fill out adult applications and register with the BSA will receive a Membership ID number to link your MyScouting.org account with the Cascade Pacific Council. Den Leader Training Online On the MyScouting.org page there can be found Cub Scout Leader Training. It is a good idea to watch the Cub Scout Fast Start Training and/or the Den Leader Position Specific training, even if you are not going to be serving as a Den Leader this year it will do a great of job explaining the mission of Cub Scouts and how Cub Scouting is organized to serve children and families.. Districts The Cascade Pacific Council is organizes as fifteen geographic districts. Districts exist to support Scouting in their local community. Each district has a team of volunteers, called a District Committee, who work together to help grow scouting through recruitment, training, program planning, fundraising and mentoring. Each district has a paid staff member called a District Executive who works in the district, and with the District Committee. Cascade Pacific Council The Cascade Pacific Council is a non-profit organization, and a franchise of the Boy Scouts of America. The Council covers 18 counties in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington. The council serves over 21,000 youth through the generous services of 11,000 adult volunteers.