Last night we covered several things with the 2nd Year Webelos. We started the evening by going over the expectations of a scout working towards his Arrow of Light, the highest award available to cub scouts and the only one that stays with them through all of scouting. We started working on the Family Member Activity Badge and gave them a sampling of a board of review as well a sampling of the leadership skills we would like them to develop over the course of the season.
Expectations
The primary point we tried to drive home is that the boys now work at their own pace. Being older scouts it is now up to them to decide if and when they will earn the Arrow of Light. As in previous years, they will have home assignments. However, unlike previous years, the leaders will not keep on them to get it done. Essentially we are shifting the burden of responsibility to the scouts. We will go over the materials and let them know what they need to do in order to complete the requirements. It will now be up to them to complete them and turn them in for credit as there will be no further follow ups.
It was also explained to the scouts, that as the oldest in the pack, it is imperative that they learn how to function as a boy scout patrol. We will start rotating the boys through becoming a Denner, a youth leader of their den. Instead of the typical denner role of assistant, we will have each denner work on deciding something with the dens and then give them the opportunity to assist another den.We will give the Denner some basic instruction and scenarios to play out, after which they can serve as an assistant.
Lastly, we explained to the scouts that in order to earn their arrow of light they will go through a “simulated” board of review so that they can experience what they must do in the Boy Scouts to earn their rank.
Family Member Activity Badge
We have begun work on the Family Member Activity Badge. As you can guess by the name of this Activity Badge it focuses on being a conscientious and contributing member of the family and as such many of the requirements of Family Member need to be done in a family environment. The goal of this activity badge is to promote a better understanding within families, and to gain a better understanding of what is meant by “duty to family”.
We completed family member requirements 1 and 8 (with modification) and briefly went over what the other requirements are. THERE IS A HOME ASSIGNMENT (SEE BELOW)
Arrow of Light Requirements
In our sample review board we began touching on Arrow of Light Requirement 2. This requirement is a bit tricky because simply going over the requirement does not satisfy it. The scout needs to be able to recite from memory, explain in his own words, describe badges and uniforms as well as tie a square know. Although we are going over it, the scout has plenty of time to memorize what he needs and we will go over it frequently.
HOME ASSIGNMENTS
- Read the Family Member chapter in the Webelos Handbook (pages 227-244).
- Complete Family Member requirements 2-6, and any other from requirements 7, 9-13.
- Requirement 12 is a good one as your scout will earn the Heritages Belt Loop in the process.
- Review the Arrow of Light requirements in the Webelow Handbook (pages 62-67).
Resources (Coming Soon)
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