Scouting 101

Are you new to Scouting? Or have you been around a bit but are still not quite sure about all the ins and outs? Buckle up, we've got Scouting 101 here for you! This will go into more detail about the Cub Scout program and this information is accurate across all of Boy Scouts of America--this knowledge will be helpful for your support of your youth (and we hope other youth in the program!) throughout their Scouting journey no matter where that takes place! Ready?

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Since 1910, Scouting has helped mold future leaders by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.

Scouting helps meet six essential needs of young people (click each heading to expand and read more):

Mentoring

Scouting provides youth with good role models who can have a powerful impact on their lives. We have a process that screens, selects, and trains the leaders who can provide the attention all young people need to succeed in life.

Lifelong Learning

Scouting provides structured settings where kids can learn new skills and develop habits of continual learning that will help them succeed. Scouting offers a proven program of discovering, sharing, and applying knowledge and skills that last a lifetime.

Faith Traditions

One of the key tenets of Scouting is "duty to God." While Scouting does not define religious belief for its members, it does encourage each young person to begin a spiritual journey through the practice of his or her faith tradition.

Serving Others

Scouting is deeply rooted in the concept of doing for others. "Do a Good Turn Daily" is a core Scouting precept. Scouting encourages young people to recognize the needs of others and take action accordingly.

Healthy Living

Young people need to be well. To get the most from life, one must be both mentally and physically fit. A commitment to physical wellness has been reflected in Scouting's outdoor programs such as hiking, camping, swimming, climbing, and conservation. First aid, lifesaving, and safety programs are synonymous with Scouting. Our programs today include strong drug abuse awareness and prevention programs emphasizing the value of healthy living habits.

Building Character

Few will argue with the importance of teaching values and responsibility to our children - not only right from wrong, but specific, affirmative values such as fairness, courage, honor, and respect for others. Beginning with the Scout Oath and Scout Law, the Boy Scouts of America program is infused with character-building activities that allow youth to apply abstract principles to daily living situations.

What is the first thing a cub scout learns? The Scout Oath, Scout Law, and Cub Scout Motto, of course!

Scout Oath

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.

Cub Scout Motto

Do Your Best

"There is a battle of significant consequence taking place in the lives of boys in America today. In simple terms, it is the battle between doing what is right or wrong. A recent study conducted by Louis Harris & Associates indicates that the proportion of boys choosing to do what is wrong is alarmingly high. Even basic values such as not cheating on schoolwork and not stealing seem to be unstable.

Clearly, the results of this study indicate that our nation's youth are struggling with ethical and moral decisions, and that these difficulties can only increase with age. Therefore, the need for reinforcing and rewarding strong moral standards and providing positive role models at a young age is more important than ever before.

Cub Scouting creates a climate of cooperative and collaborative relationships between adults and children--a laboratory for adults and children to get to know one another. It provides opportunities for children to acquire the capacity for accomplishment. The program affirms to the child that the world really is an interesting place.

Cub Scouting is fun! But it is fun with a purpose. Woven though all the fun is an inspired program that really works. Tried and proven methods are used that transfer traditional values, build character, and develop leadership skills -- all in the context of fun and family togetherness."

(BSA: Operation Tiger Mania 1996)

Some common questions about scouting:

What is the mission of Boy Scouts?

The mission of Boy Scouts 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.

What do scouts do?

Some of the best things about Cub Scouting are the activities or adventures the youth (and sometimes you) get to do: campouts, hiking, pinewood derby (racing model cars), or doing service projects that help our community and the people who live here. Cub Scouting means "doing." All our activities are designed to have the boys doing something and by "doing" they learn some very valuable life lessons.

Do parents have a role?

Absolutely! As a program for the entire family, Cub Scouting can teach your son a system of values and beliefs while building and strengthening relationships among family members. Scouting gives you a pretty neat platform to equip your son. We provide other mentors to help your youth grow but you are also an important part of their development in scouting.

We don't expect a parent to leap right in. But, be warned, Cub Scouting might touch you as it touches your son and you might eventually get 'the fever' that many of our leaders got from Scouting. But you are encouraged to go at your own pace.

How old (or young) can a youth be to join?

Cub Scout Pack 163 is for boys in Kindergarten through fifth grades, or 5 to 10 years of age. Youth who are older than 10, or who have completed the fifth grade, can no longer join Cub Scouts, but they are eligible to join a Scouts BSA Troop. Youth can join (or re-join) the pack at any point in their elementary school career.

How do our Scouts achieve their goals?

Activities are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness. Many of the activities happen in the den (with the children in their grade) or with the entire pack (with all the grade levels). Our Scouts always have Go-and-See's and plenty of outdoor and virtual activities to help them achieve goals.

What supplies and equipment are needed?

At minimum, each youth in Cub Scouting will need a uniform and a handbook. Each year, the handbook changes, as does the cap and neckerchief, but other uniform parts remain the same for at least the first three years. When a youth enters a Lion Den, they have the choice of the Lion Den T-shirt or the blue uniform shirt they'll wear in the coming years. When a youth enters an Arrow of Light den, they will need to obtain the khaki-and-olive uniform.