Belt Loops before Webelos

 Here's a note sent to my Pack's families prior to last Christmas' break....info I wish I had known earlier as a Cub Parent/Leader (the intro of new belt loops this year may require a bit more research on this topic):

I know you’re all just waiting for school to get out so you and your son can knock off a couple Belt Loops during Christmas Break ( as well as those other pesky advancement achievements you’ve been meaning to tackle).

Just a heads up about the Cub Scout Sports & Academics Program and the belt loop recognitions. 

Webelos earn Activity Badges as their achievements.  They wear the pins on their sleeve on a colorful piece of swag.  We Webelo parents have discovered this year that almost every Webelo Activity badge includes the option to earn a particular related Sports & Academic Program Belt Loop as one of its requirements for the badge.  There may be 16 activities to choose from, and the Webelo has to do 9 of them.  One activity is usually a related Belt Loop.  The catch is that the Belt Loop must be earned as a Webelo.  Belt Loops earned as a Cub Scout don’t count.  So if your son has earned the Belt Loop as a Cub Scout, he must do another of the offerings to satisfy the badge requirements.

So I certainly don’t want to discourage Cubs from earning Belt Loops. If a parent approaches the Sports & Academics Program  Belt Loops in a strategic manner, a Cub Scout can earn plenty of Belt Loops, but save some for when he’s a Webelo in order to knock off a fairly easy requirement of a Belt Loop at that time.  You’ll be plenty busy as a Webelo parent getting other stuff done, that you’ll welcome an easy Belt Loop to get signed off.

So here are the Belt Loops that are associated with Webelo Activity Badge requirements:

Swimming

Art

Physical Fitness

Citizenship (Required Badge, save this one for sure)

Communicating

Computers

Mathematics

Heritage

Geology

Chess

Astronomy

Weather

Science

Music

Map & Compass

Geography

Plus, save two team sport Belt Loops for the "Sportsman" Webelo Activity Badge

Now you may not do all the Webelo badges that use these Belt Loops, so doing them as a Cub Scout is fine.   Some Webelo Activity Badges are essentially required for Webelo advancement.  I’ve noted those in parenthesis.

In sum, there are a lot of Belt Loops to earn, and you’ll notice that most of the above are from the Academic side of the program.  In my experience, the Belt Loops most Cubs earn are from the Sports side of the program anyway.  But if your son has an interest in any of the above, I wouldn’t discourage his earning the Belt Loop, in fact I’d always encourage his enthusiasm.  But if you’re thinking of introducing a Belt Loop (or 2) to your son, say, to do over Christmas break, (hint, hint!), staying away from the above might be a strategic approach to leaving them for his 2 years of Webelos.

By the way, if you do not have the notebook with the requirements for the Belt Loops and Pins, speak with your Den Leader, or just as well, visit: http://www.usscouts.org/advance/CubScout/a-sindex.asp where you’ll find all the requirements for the Belt Loops and Pins.  Den Leaders: that’s your source when the barrage of phone calls comes clamoring for Belt Loop info the day after school’s out.

2 cents worth from the Cubmaster,

Mark Andrew