Cub Scouts New Parent Guide 2015

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1 How Much Does Scouting Cost? Registration fee: Annual fee for youth and leaders...$24 (The leader s fee includes a subscription to Scouting magazine) Boys Life magazine (optional, but strongly recommended):...$12 Pack Dues: Pack dues cover the annual operating expenses of a successful Cub Scout program. The amount varies by pack. Many packs cover all fees with successful fundraisers and have no pack dues. Cub Scouts New Parent Guide 2015 Uniform: Uniforms and costs vary by program. Uniforms can be purchased at the Council Scout Shops. Uniforms can also be ordered and shipped from the Scout Shops. Books: Youth handbooks are the Tiger Handbook, Wolf Handbook, Bear Handbook, and Webelos Handbook. Books range from $13 to $19 and can be purchased at local Scout Service Centers listed below. Augustine Scout Training and Service Center 2808 O Flannagan Grand Island, NE Phone: Fax: Frank R. Leu Service Center 503 East 4 th Suite 3 North Platte, NE Phone: ADVENTURE IS WAITING. Build yours today! For Boys in Grades 1-5 otc-bsa.org Overland Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America

2 The Overland Trails Council is one of the largest youth serving agencies in Nebraska, instilling timeless values of character, citizenship and leadership in each young man who enters the Scouting program. The Council provide educational-based skills and activities. Currently, there are over 4,000 Scouts and more than 1,500 volunteer leaders. The council also owns and operates three camps and provides an outstanding outdoor experience for youth and adults. The Mission The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. The Scout Oath or Promise On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to 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. Promise to Parents We promise to offer Scouts and their family fun and adventurous things to do. This fun and adventure will help your son develop leadership skills and values important to good citizenship and service to others. Training is an important part of learning to become an effective leader. The main purpose of training is to provide you with the tools you need to put on a quality program for the boys. Trained leaders are more effective in their roles and have a better understanding of available resources to provide an exciting and worthwhile program for their Scouts. YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members. To maintain such an environment, the BSA developed numerous procedural and leadership selection policies and provides parents and leaders with resources. Youth Protection Training is available online at www. MyScouting.org and in each district throughout the year. In order for an adult to remain a registered leader in the Boy Scouts of America, Youth Protection Training is required every two years. POSITION SPECIFIC TRAINING Position specific training is designed to present in-depth information for a new leader in a specific leadership position such as den leader, Cubmaster, etc. This course may be presented several times a year in your district, at the council level, and some are available online. To complete training courses online go to and create an account.

3 HOW CAN I GET MORE INVOLVED? Your son s pack cannot exist without your involvement on some level. You will find that the time you spend as an active Scouting parent will be quality time spent with your son. Why Join Cub Scouting? Your time is valuable. More than ever, families struggle to find time to spend together. Cub Scouting helps support your family by providing readymade opportunities for you to do things together. As a family you will enjoy joining your son in fun activities. You will create cherished memories that last a lifetime. As parents, you have a short time to influence the life of your son. Scouting coincides with that time, so make the most of it and join today! HOW WILL WE KNOW WHAT TO DO? You have resources! The handbook provides terrific overviews of how the program works. In addition, your Pack has information and the Council will always answer questions. Visit our website for more information ( or call (Grand Island) or (North Platte). Your son can learn skills and about teamwork in sports and music, however, Scouting s strength is that it provides a well-rounded program which will prepare him well for the future. Your son needs to belong to a group of boys his own age. Through this sense of belonging, he builds self-esteem and learns to get along with others. As a parent, you want to be assured the groups your boy joins will teach values consistent with good citizenship, character development, and physical fitness. In a society where your son is taught winning is everything, Cub Scouting teaches him to do his best and to be helpful to others. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PACK AND DEN? A pack consists of many individual dens. Dens are formed by rank or grade. Typically, dens have six to eight boys. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE PACK MEETING? FUN! This is where the achievements of Scouts are recognized as they progress towards rank, where they can show off a little (games, songs and skits) and information is distributed to parents and Scouts. We know that boys do not join Cub Scouting just to get their character built. Boys join because it is fun. Scouting is fun with a purpose! I NEED MORE HELP! Don t worry! Bring your questions forward to adult leaders and continue to have fun with your son - things will fall into place! Call if we can assist you in any way.

4 District: Council: Overland Trails Council Council website: YOUR CUB SCOUT PACK Facebook page: Pack number: Webelos Camp: Webelos Camps give a Scout entering 4 th and 5 th grade, in the fall, the experience, knowledge and self reliance he ll need to make the transition to long-term Boy Scout camping. Webelos Scouts will witness the outdoor adventure of Boy Scouting, while enjoying a program specifically tailored to them. This camp offers a four day, three night adventure at Camp Augustine. Cub Scout Family Weekends: An outdoor experience for the whole family! Give your family a taste of the Cub camping adventure with shooting sports, nature hikes, and family-friendly activities. Cub Scout family weekends are a fun way to build comfort in the great outdoors. Pinewood Derby: The pinewood derby is an annual parent-son project where you can design and build a race car from a block of wood. Cub Scouts learn the valuable lesson of sportsmanship by racing their cars on a gravity track against their fellow Scouts. Pack website: Pack Meeting location: Pack Meeting day and time: Cubmaster: Cubmaster My son s den meeting day & time is: My son s den meeting location is: My son s den leader is: Phone: Phone: Popcorn Sales: Cub Scouts participate in annual fundraisers. In addition to boosting confidence, earning prizes, and helping their pack, their participation in these sales helps pay for their Scouting program. A commission of their sales goes directly to the pack to help with payment for activities, badges, and summer camp fees. The commission from these sales reduces out-of-pocket spending and helps your family save money for Scouting. This year s popcorn sales will be October 1 November 8, Blue and Gold Banquets: The blue and gold banquet is a birthday party for Scouting and packs hold an annual family celebration. Many times, Scouts receive their rank advancements at this event. Scouting For Food 2015 October 17 th : Scouting for Food is an annual food collection drive that helps provide meals for families in need in our service area. Scouts go out the week prior to October 17 th and then go back the following Saturday to pick up donations. Den leader District Executive name: Phone: (Grand Island) (North Platte) Friends of Scouting: Friends of Scouting is our annual giving campaign. Scouting families, businesses, and civic-minded citizens are asked to support the Overland Trails Council in providing the Scouting program to thousands of young people in our service area. District Executives

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6 THE CUB SCOUT PROGRAM Your boy is a member of a pack which: Is made up of one or more dens Meets once a month at the pack meeting. All Tiger and Cub Scout families are expected to participate. - The pack meeting is led by the Cubmaster - The pack meeting is the climax of the month s den meetings and activities - Pack meetings follow a suggested theme that have games, skits, songs, ceremonies, and presentations of badges that boys earned that month Our Pack is run by the pack committee Made up of den leaders, pack leaders, the pack trainer, and parents The committee meets once a month or more often if needed Led by the committee chairman The committee selects leadership, finds meeting places, performs record keeping, manages pack finances, orders badges, maintains pack equipment, helps train leaders, recognizes leaders, and plans activities Cub Scout Camping There are many camping opportunities for Cub Scouts and their families. Cub Scout camps offer exciting summertime activities that include games, nature study, sports, crafts, songs and skits. For additional information on Cub camping, visit Day Camp: Day Camp is either a one day or five day camp. Cub Scouts will have an adventure building on the skills and friendships experienced each day. Day camps are available throughout the summer. Resident Camp: Bring your den, pack, or just your Scout to Camp Augustine. Parents and Scouts will spend three days and two nights camping. Each age group will have activities tailored to their program. Resident camp sessions take place in July TIGERS FIRST GRADE Tigers is a one-on-one program for boys and adults Each boy /adult partner is a member of a Tiger den which: - Has five to nine boys and adult partners - Meets two times each month in den meetings - Has one outing a month called a Go See It Each den has a Tiger den leader (usually a parent) - A Tiger den leader helps coordinate the Tiger den meetings - Each boy/adult partner takes a turn at shared leadership running the activities and working with the Tiger den leader CUB SCOUTS WEBELOS SECOND FIFTH GRADE Cub Scouts is a family-centered program for boys and adults Your son is a member of a den, which: - Has five to nine boys - Meets two times each month in den meetings - Has one outing / field trip a month - Is led by a den leader (usually a parent), who is assisted by an assistant den leader - Includes games, crafts, skits, songs, ceremonies and periodic field trips Cub Scouts learn respect for God, country, and other people, as well as other positive skills like: Physical skills through sports, crafts, and games Sportsmanship by Doing Your Best Teamwork Personal achievement Academic skills Positive decision-making Independence

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