anyone son in boyscouts?

[disneymouse]

my son is 6 and i'm thinking about some after school activities for him. i'm thinking about the boy scouts..i think he would have alot of good experiences (DH used to be a scout also)
what age can they join and does anyone have kids in the scouts? do they like it?

 

[tar heel]

first grade -- Tiger Cubs -- is where the program starts.
All three of my sons loved Cub Scouts and were lukewarm on Boy Scouts. Third child just dropped out of Boy Scouts this weekend. Getting hooked up with a good pack or troop makes all the difference in the world, so select carefully! If you're in a church, start by seeing if there is a pack there.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

My son loves it--usually the do a recruitment thing in the fall, when school starts.

Be forewarned, however, that cub scouts requires a LOT of parental involvement--this is a sticking point for a number of families. Not so bad in our house--DH was an Eagle Scout, he's thrilled to do it with DS8. I do Girl Scouts, and it's MUCH less involved. DS does have a ton of fun, though, and he's enjoyed pretty much every aspect of it to date. He's also not so sure on Boy Scouts, but it's a couple years away, and I've at least convinced him to try it for a few months before he says yes or no.

 

[golfgal]

Tiger scouts start in Kindergarten here. DS10 is a second year Weeblo and will do his crossover in Feb (it sounds like I know what I am talking about doesn't it ). When DS wanted to do scouts I told him he had to work that out with Dad because I didn't want to have one more thing to do in the evenings. Well, dad said ok but the meetings were the same night as his church choir practice Soooo... I got stuck doing the scout thing.

I think the general idea behind scouts is a good one but our particular Den (is that the large group???) is horrible. The leader is so unorganized and has no control at the meetings. It is a big waste of time! Our individual pack is ok, our pack leader is good and the kids, except one, are really nice kids.

 

[disneymouse]

thanks for the input. i'll have time to check out the different packs since he's in kindergarten. i know a good pack makes all the difference since i was in girl scouts and we hardly did anything! but DH had great times in his scout days. i want my son the have good experiences too.

 

[minkydog]

Tiger scouts start in Kindergarten here. DS10 is a second year Weeblo and will do his crossover in Feb (it sounds like I know what I am talking about doesn't it ). When DS wanted to do scouts I told him he had to work that out with Dad because I didn't want to have one more thing to do in the evenings. Well, dad said ok but the meetings were the same night as his church choir practice Soooo... I got stuck doing the scout thing.

I think the general idea behind scouts is a good one but our particular Den (is that the large group???) is horrible. The leader is so unorganized and has no control at the meetings. It is a big waste of time! Our individual pack is ok, our pack leader is good and the kids, except one, are really nice kids.

We had the same problem. One year of Tiger cubs is all we could take. It permanently soured me & DS on Boy Scouts. My nephew(18), however, had a great den and is about to be awarded his Eagle Scout. He loved everything about Boy Scouts. So I would say, finding the right pack makes all the difference. Good luck!

 

[ckay87]

Oldest DS (13) is a Boy Scout and has been scouting since he's 6. We have a fabulous Boy Scout troop - they go camping once every month, year round. He's having real personal issues with the %$#^!! scoutmaster (well, ok, so am I) but that's another thread. The bonus if your kid can make it as far as Boy Scouts is that it is RUN by the boys. They "lead" themselves with guidance from the adults.

Youngest DS (9) has a great den. The den leader makes all the difference. Oh, by the way...that's ME. Because here's the thing about cubscouts - your leaders make all the difference. Oldest had a nice-enough-but-boring leader. I don't know how he stuck with it. So this time around I subscribed to the theory that if you want something done a certain way, be ready to do it yourself. Now that my scouts are getting older (they are Bears) I am trying to recruit some more help from the dads. Not having a lot of luck. I think they're spoiled.

It is a great, great activity. Done right, it is hands-on educational AND fun. Definitely a program refined over the years by people who KNOW BOYS and know how they learn.

Cub Scouts relies on parental involvement. Tiger Cubs are required to have an adult accompany them to everything (everything) and even after that, you are going to have to help your son complete achievements for advancement. I try to do as much as possible with the boys in the den meetings, but there are sections that need to be completed with the family. Don't worry, though, it's stuff like "watch a tv show together and talk about it." And then there's the monstrosity of a project that we call the "Pinewood Derby." And no matter how crafty your kid is, that dang thing is just a piece of wood out of the box. Dad/Mom better be good with the toolbox. There are religion pieces to each rank as well, but that is also done with the family and really just involves having conversations about your religion (or not).

Don't hesitate to try scouting. We love it

 

[pkasbohm]

my kids are in scouts. one of them is a Wolf and the other is a weblosII. They seem to like it alot, but it does take alot of time. It does matter if you get a good leader that is willing to spend the time with them and our den is awsome...not to big but not to small...thursday we do our pinewood derby so that will be fun for them!

 

[Towncrier]

My son just completed the requirements for Eagle Scout and we have scheduled his court of honor for March 5th. I agree with everything that has been said regarding the amount of parental involvement (a whole lot during Cub Scouts) and how the right troop makes all the difference. My son went through the entire program with 5 or 6 of his good friends. They all stuck with the program and have enjoyed all of the activites, especially campouts. Good leaders, good friends, and parental involvement make the program work.