Finding a Cub/Boy Scouts

[Guest]

What is the best way to go about choosing a Cub/Boy scouts den? (Is that the right word?) We are in one currently through our h/s group, but next year we'll be looking for one closer to home. My dh definitely wants to be involved. There are SO many locally, I don't even know how to go about choosing! Or does a scout organization choose where you go? There are a lot that meet at local mormon churches - would that mean that they are mormon based? There is one or two that stand out as being BIG, how does that factor in? I personally think we'd like a larger group b/c I like things that are established, but are there drawbacks?

 

I thought there would be one or two groups that meet in our area and was shocked to find 20 within 10 miles!

[Beatusduo]

I think the best way to choose a Pack or Troop is to attend some of their functions. Contact the local leader and ask for more information. Each group has its own dynamics. Each group is chartered through an organization. This might be a church, school or another organization.

Some groups do more outdoors activities, others work only on rank advancement. I have found in the past that the Cubmaster (Pack) really sets the tone for the Pack.

The following website is for the National BSA. On it you can find your local chapters and contact information.

 

 

http://www.scouting.org/

 

Good Luck finding the group that fits your family.

[mom2scouts]

OK, I'll try to help you. Cub Scout Packs are groups for boys between 1st and 5th grade. Boy Scout troops are for older boys until age 18. Venturing Crews are co-ed groups that are for 14-21 year olds.

 

Mormon Packs/Troops/Crews are usually associated with the Mormon Church and are usually led by Mormons. If you are NOT Mormon, you might want to choose another group because they do seem to be different in that way. The easiest way to find a Pack or Troop is to call the local Boy Scout Council office. They should be able to give you a list of all the groups in the area. You could call the leader and ask questions about activities (How often do you camp? Pinewood Derby? Blue and Gold every year? Trained leaders? Advancement in the group? Summer activities?)and then visit those that interest you. Packs and Troops can feel different. Some are very well organized and some are not. Some are very focused on merit badges and some are outdoor oriented. Some troops are a nice mix of things. They are often associated with a school or church, but you are not required to go to that school or church to be in a Pack or Troop. My husband and I lead a Pack at a public school. Large Packs have the advantage of having more adults to volunteer to lead things, so there is less burnout among leaders. They can also be chaotic. Small Packs can give more attention to each Scout, but the pool of available volunteers is smaller and that makes it more difficult to do things. Size seems to go up and down and often seems related to leadership. When an experienced and well liked leader leaves, the Pack may get smaller. When an experienced leader takes over a struggling Pack, it often begins to grow again.

 

Hopefully you'll find the right Pack for your family.

[Guest]

Okay, that was VERY helpful, thank you. I think my 20 choices just went down to 4.

[i.love.lucy]

Is there a certain time of year to start looking into this? My son will be 1st grade this fall. I believe there is a pack at our church that might include some homeschooling families, but our church is farther away (12 miles). I'd like to find one here in our community that would help him find some good friends. I am guessing the council would know which packs are mostly homeschoolers? I'd like that if possible, but not necessary.

[Guest]

Is there a certain time of year to start looking into this? My son will be 1st grade this fall. I believe there is a pack at our church that might include some homeschooling families, but our church is farther away (12 miles). I'd like to find one here in our community that would help him find some good friends. I am guessing the council would know which packs are mostly homeschoolers? I'd like that if possible, but not necessary.

 

I'm just starting to look because if I do what these other ladies are suggesting - go visit other packs - then I'll want to do that before this year ends. I know that doesn't answer your questions, but just thought I'd throw that out there.

[chiguirre]

Is there a certain time of year to start looking into this? My son will be 1st grade this fall. I believe there is a pack at our church that might include some homeschooling families, but our church is farther away (12 miles). I'd like to find one here in our community that would help him find some good friends. I am guessing the council would know which packs are mostly homeschoolers? I'd like that if possible, but not necessary.

 

You'll see signs up for Cub Scouts at the beginning of the school year, but it's a good idea to check out the packs in advance. We were "disinvited" by the local hs pack and ended up at the Catholic school pack. I didn't realize it at the time, but this was a very lucky break and made ds's cub scout experience so much better.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Is there a certain time of year to start looking into this? My son will be 1st grade this fall. I believe there is a pack at our church that might include some homeschooling families, but our church is farther away (12 miles). I'd like to find one here in our community that would help him find some good friends. I am guessing the council would know which packs are mostly homeschoolers? I'd like that if possible, but not necessary.

 

This is a great time of year to start visiting packs. Many good packs keep up activities over the summer (1-2 a month) and there is summer day camp that new scouts can participate in. They will generally welcome you as visitors and give you a timeline for registration that is sometime around the end of the school year (May or June).

 

1st graders are registered as Tiger Cub Scouts with an adult partner. They attend den meetings, Go See Its (field trips) and pack meetings with their partner. This is good for both scout and parent as it allows the scout to not get lost in the shuffle and allows the parent to be there sharing the exploration of new adventures. Tiger dens also are supposed to operate on a concept of shared leadership, where each scout/parent team rotates through leading meetings (might alternate monthly or weekly, depending on the den). It was really cool to have my kids look at me all excited about what WE were going to do at a meeting (as the mom of an almost teen, I miss those days when I was a hero).

 

I don't know that council would be able to tell you which packs have homeschoolers. There is a block on the application for school, but I'm not sure that they would provide that info about registered scouts to other parents. What I have tended to do is focus on packs that were chartered by a church or community group, but not by a school PTA. I think it helps my kids not be the odd ones out if there are several schools represented in the pack.

[Guest]

Is there a certain time of year to start looking into this? My son will be 1st grade this fall. I believe there is a pack at our church that might include some homeschooling families, but our church is farther away (12 miles). I'd like to find one here in our community that would help him find some good friends. I am guessing the council would know which packs are mostly homeschoolers? I'd like that if possible, but not necessary.

 

Me again - I just was talking to a guy from our Boy Scouts council - he said now is a great time to look around - turns out most of our packs are year-around and that my son can officially join as soon as he graduates K, not having to wait until fall. I guess we have some big free zoo shindig in May and all scouts get in free and many people join then just for that. (I don't know if that's a nationwide or local thing, the zoo.) So, I started looking around today out of boredom, but it turned out to be a good thing!

[mom2scouts]

I would recommend you start looking at Packs NOW. Boys are eligible to join Cub Scouts as soon as they finish kindergarten. Some of the best activities are in the summer. We go to Day Camp where the boys get to swim, boat, fish, do archery, shoot BB guns, do crafts and play games. The summer activities can give them a great start to Scouts! Recruiting is often in the fall when school starts, but you can join Scouts at any time of the year.

[i.love.lucy]

So I should just pick up the phone and start calling? If the council website just has the main number does that possibly mean there is no leader for that pack? My dh wants to be involved but as its our first experience with Boy Scouts he'd like to participate a while before moving into any kind of leadership role.

 

Are the packs organized by age or grade at all? IOW, if he's a little first grader, would he be with 5th graders? He's on the small side and often older boys intimidate him. My dd's girl scout troop was formed at her elem school so it was all her same grade.

 

I'm so glad this thread came up!

[Guest]

This is the site I used: https://beascout.scouting.org/

 

I typed in my address and a bunch came up. When I looked at them, some had their own websites and I emailed the people on the website and then some just gave me the general council number. I called the general council number and they put me in touch with my district guy and then he told me more about the clubs that were in my area. I'm working on getting a hold of them to see when we can go check some of them out.

 

Oh, and according to most of my groups, my son would be with mostly 1st graders. I think it depends on how big each group is, but I'm pretty sure a fifth grader would be separated from 1st, no matter what...I think they'd be a boy scout, while the younger boys are cub scouts. 1st grade is specifically Tigers. :)

[In2why]

A boyscout troop is sponsored by the church where they are held, but that doesn't mean the majority of the people in the pack attend that church or that the den leaders or commitee members are from the church. They are held at churches because they are no longer allowed at schools. They do acknowledge God, but the advancements are for whichever religion or denomination that the boy chooses, so it is common to have many different religions/denominations in the same pack, or families without religion all together.

 

As for finding a pack with more homeschool families, you would have more luck talking to other homeschoolers because Council won't have that info.

 

I think the best way to find a pack that fits is to list what you want from the scouting experience. I have known many packs that are all about advancements but not about 'retention'. They push getting advancements but not the accomplishments that come from learning a valuable skill. Other packs stress outdoor life and camping. Some are more of a social outlet for the kids and parents and they have parties and get togethers but aren't really having the original "scout experience". The other thing to look at is time commitment. Having exciting events is great, but they also require lots of fundraising, and if that means volunteering time every Saturday, are you capable of doing that? A huge issue for me was that I wanted scouts to be about service, so I looked for a pack that stressed that. We work with a foodbank, clean up parks, put flags on Veterans gravesights, and help with other community projects. That takes our Saturdays as well, but for us I prefer using those days for Service and wouldn't have been happy with numerous carwashes and bake sales so the kids could go somewhere once a year. My other caution is to look at size. If it is to big you don't get the closeknit experience but if it is too small then they might or might not survive and you will need to volunteer and spend more money to help the pack go.