Webelos Scouts

Webelos are boys in the 4th and the 5th grades.

Boys in the 4th and the 5th grade are the "old timers" of Cub Scouts. Some of them may be into their 5th and final year as a Cub. When boys go into the 7th grade and beyond, they are old enough to join a Boy Scout Troop. It's a goal of Webelos to make them ready for this step.

The Webelos program is nearly two years long because the Webelos program is very difficult. There are 22 possible badges the boys can earn and some of them are very involved. The ultimate goal of Webelos is to prepare the boys for Boy Scouts. Along the trail they can earn 20 Activity Badges, the Webelos Badge, and ultimately Cub Scouts' highest honor, the Arrow of Light.

With this big of a program, there are incentives along the way to show that the boys are working in the right direction. After they have earned the Webelos Badge scouts can earn the Compass when they complete 4 additional Activity Badges. After that, for every 4 activity badges he earns a Compas Point, and there are East, West, and South. A Webelos Scout who has completed the Compass Badge and Points will have earned 19 of the 20 available Activity Badges!

Ultimately the highest achievement in Cub Scouts is the Arrow of Light. The Arrow of light has a list of new requirements beyond the Webelos Badge and cannot be earned until the boy has been active for at least 6 months after completing the fourth grade. Some of the extra requirements and part of that transition to Boy Scouts are: The Scout Oath (not Cub Scout!), the Scout Law, Scout Promise, Motto, Slogan, Sign, Salute, and Handclasp.

Whew! No wonder it takes up to two years to complete the Webelos program!