Webelos is a 20 month program for 4th and 5th grade boys to prepare to join a Boy Scout troop while learning outdoors skills and participating in 20 different Activity Badges. A well-run group of Webelos is a gradual change from being an 'adult-run' den to being a 'boy-run' patrol ready to fit right into an adventurous scouting troop. This migration requires the parents and den leaders to give the scouts more and more control, decision-making power, and responsibility as they progress in skills, abilities, and maturity. Each Den 4 Webelos will be responsible for planning and teaching the Den one (1) Activity Badge.  The Den Leaders will give guidance, suggestions, and support, but the boys are encouraged to do as much as they can on their own.  Activities and Achievement Requirements listed on the schedule are meant only as guidelines and are flexible and subject to change at the Denner’s discretion.

Be sure to note that the Outdoorsman Activity Badge (Arrow of Light required) is not scheduled as a regular Thursday night Den Meeting.  This Activity Badge must be earned on a camping trip.  There will be several opportunities for Den 4 to go camping, either with the Pack or as a Den.

Webelos who chose to go for their Twentier Badge must also complete the Handyman Activity Badge and the  Family Member Activity Badge at home with their family.  Also, all Webelos who attended (or will attend in 2009) Webelos Resident Camp at Camp Don earned the Aquanaut Activity Badge.  If you did not attend (or will not attend in 2009) this camp, you must do the requirements on your own for the Twentier Badge.

Webelos Program:
The Webelos program has two major milestones - the Webelos Rank Badge to be earned before February 19, 2009 and the Arrow of Light to be earned before December 2009.  Webelos can also earn the Twentier Badge (aka: Super Achiever) by completing the requirements for all 20 Activity Badges before Bridging to a Boy Scout Troop.  Attendence at all Den Meetings and completion of assigned homework is essential in earning these awards.  If you must miss a meeting, you are responsible for making up the activity on your own and bringing the Den Leader your completed workbook for proper credit. 

The final part of Webelos is bridging over into a Boy Scout troop that is to be selected by the scout and his family.  Each Troop has different priorities (camping out a lot, more community service, etc.) and different philosophies (boys run all the meeting, no women allowed on the committee, etc.)  Each Webelos should visit a number of different Troops, talk to various ScoutMasters and Boy Scouts, and attend different Troop Meetings in order to find a Troop that fits “just right”.  The Den Leaders will provide Troop meeting and ScoutMaster information later in the year.
 
Important differences from Cub Scouts to Webelos:

1. Advancement Sign Off - Each scout is responsible for his own advancement.  Each Webelos scout should bring his Webelos handbook to the den leader or assistant den leader for sign off when a requirement is completed. This is a change from having a parent sign off every activity. This change prepares the scout to have a ScoutMaster sign off each advancement requirement in Boy Scouts. There is more responsibility put on the scout to remember and bring his handbook to meetings and get it signed.
2. Webelos Activity Badges - Webelos move closer to the Boy Scout merit badge system with a recognizable pin for each activity badge earned. Individual scouts may earn different badges at different times and there are only a couple badges that are mandatory to earn ranks. This change gives the scout more control over his advancement and lets him choose areas he enjoys more.
3. Camping - Webelos dens should Camp! Cub Scouts can camp as a pack, but Webelos should go out as a den as much as possible to give the scouts opportunities to learn and use their Outdoorsman, Naturalist, Forester, and Readyman skills. Each Webelos scout needs to have an adult responsible for him on each camping trip. Campouts in the backyard with dinner and s'mores made on a gas grill can be a great way to ease your scouts into the world of camping.