WEBELOS

During this year you will watch a young boy turn into a young man.  He becomes more responsible and can do more around the house.  You will also watch your food bill sky rocket as changes start happening and yet, the waist size shrinks!  Guess it is all that activity.  Please read this page before you continue.  There are many things that pertain to all parts of scouting and I don't include them on every rank page.

WEBELOS, which stands for WE BE LOyal Scouts, is a prep course for scouts.  Your young scout will start being accountable to someone other than you.  There are some activity badges that require approval from the scout's leaders before you begin.  At first I found some difficulty (if not resistance) in trying to communicate to WEBELOS leaders that as a homeschooling family we will do the activities at our pace since we use the book as a curriculum guide. (We moved a bit too fast, but then again we meet everyday instead of once a week.)  But as my mother taught me, honey attracts more bees than vinegar.  This may require more communication with the leaders, but we have had it as simple as post it notes in the front of his book.  I just inform my son's leaders what we will be doing for the next couple of weeks and that seems to work.  I have also set up good communication via email with all my children's scout leaders.  I want them to be on my side.

We have also found that some of the activity badges he will repeat, doing them once with us for school and then doing them again with his den.  I don't mind this at all.  I find it handy--a review or "test" if you will.  Your son's attitude and knowledge going into this rank will help dearly.

Some explanation of how this year works might be in order.  My first year through this has been a great learning experience for me, my son and our family.  On page 49 of the 2003 book you will find the requirements that are needed for your son to get his WEBELOS badge.  I suggest you go through this often.  This badge isn't as simple as passing off a number of electives and achievements.  This requires some extra effort by your son.  I provide a brief outline but for more in-depth here is a great web site.  I highly recommend going and checking this site out.  Here is the outline:

Now let's talk about some of the many things your boy can do while a WEBLOS.  Please note the required (denoted by an *) skills in each Activity Badge and those skills that are optional (denoted by an^), the scout usually has to choose a number of these to complete before completion of that activity badge.  Please check the requirements.  Here is a web site for a great record keeping sheet.

Activity Badges

Physical Skills Activity Badge Group

Aquanaut

A great summer time activity badge.  One I think that every boy needs to learn if not for fun, but for personal safety.  If your son takes swimming lessons, you might talk with the instructor and see if you can incorporate this activity badge in his lesson. 

Some web site to have fun with

Back to The Top

Athlete

This is a fun challenging activity badge.  We made a day of it at a local school yard (when public school wasn't in session).  

Back to The Top

Fitness (required for WEBELOS badge)

We have found this was an easy activity badge to earn, the scout just had to record his eating habits and hold a Family Home Evening.  We made this very simple, just got a piece of paper and made it look like a calendar and then he would write in it what he ate for the day.  This is a great Family Home Evening lesson on the Word of Wisdom.  We had our son prepare the lesson after lengthy discussion about the effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs and the good effects of eating healthy.  There are tons of web site out there to help you.  I will let you do the web search, but I think the best resource is the Doctrine and Covenants. 

Back to The Top

Sportsman

Another easy activity badge to earn, just takes some planning and time.  Remember the belt loops must be earned while a WEBELOS.  Academics & Sports

Back to The Top

Mental Skills Activity Badge Group

Artist

This is a great one to do, messy and fun.  This one may have some time involved as there needs to be planning, prep and clean up time.  We have hired a art tutor for our children and many of these requirements were fulfilled in her art class.  We also have a local art studio that will let you come throw pots and other art projects.  See what you can find in your community. 

Back to The Top

Scholar

This is quite easy to do if you homeschool.  The principal and teacher eat dinner with you and therefore dinner conversation can just about fulfill all the requirements. 

Back to The Top

Showman

Puppetry

A fun activity badge to earn. 

Music

If your child is in any sort of music lessons this is a rather easy activity badge to earn.  Of the listed requirements the scout only needs to do four. Don't forget this might go hand in hand with the Music Belt Loop and Pin.

Drama

Of the listed requirements the scout only needs to do four.

This activity badge is different.  The scout can choose which area he would like to earn his showman activity badge in and work towards it.  We did the music part, which was easy since my children take piano lessons and go to primary.

BSA Theater Merit Badge

Back to The Top

Traveler

If you are planning a family vacation, have your Webelos Scout do the planning.  He can probably get this done with one family vacation and a few more days of work. 

Back to The Top

Community Activity Badge Group

Citizen (required for Arrow of Light)

This activity badge is required for the Arrow of Light.   I have made my young Webelos go over this very seriously.  I haven't traveled the world, but I know we live in a blessed country and need to keep it that way.  I want my boys to feel the same passion I have for the great country and freedoms we have. Helaman's Academy National Symbols unit.

Back to The Top

Communicator

This isn't a very difficult activity badge to earn, but there are many requirements that require a den to complete.  I highly suggest you talk with the den leader and suggest that this be done in a den meeting. 

Back to The Top

Family Member

These are  ready made Family Home Evening lessons.  Most of these things you are doing already in your family, or should be, and therefore just need to point them out to your scout and have him document it.   Please note that there a few requirements that take time (30 days) to complete. 

Back to The Top

Readyman (required for Arrow of Light)

I can not impress how important this is for these young boys to learn these skills.  We hope they never have to use most of the skills learned, but if they do we want our young men prepared.  This is just the beginning of first aid training for the scout.  As a Boy Scout he will have many times to practice (if only pretend) these skills that he might as well learn them now and learn them well.  I also want a young boy with wits as emergencies arise in my home (and they do).  Of the optional ones you are required to do two

Living in the Northwest we have many natural disasters that can happen to us so being prepared in our family is very important.  There are a ton of web site dedicated to family preparedness.  I have found that as those are all well and great they can not help you be prepared unless you do something.  We have had fire drills, earthquake drills, lived through floods, and I personally lived through Mt. St. Helens' 1980 eruption.  Of course living with all this has made us go beyond what this elective requires for passing it off.  This is the link to our local emergency preparedness shop.  Here are a few other web sites we have found helpful.

Learn CPR or How to do CPR  Of course the best place to learn first aid is from your local Red Cross, so contact them or your local Boy Scout troop.  Be very cautious and serious about learning this correctly and from trained personnel.  Survival guidebook and checklist  or this checklist The checklist is a great starting point.  And of course the American Red Cross.  Since we live with the danger of earthquakes, this site is helpful even if it is S. California.  I like this web page because it talks so much about family preparedness.  Of course doing your own web page search will give you hundreds of web sites to choose from. 

A great Family Home Evening lesson and project.  And of course this leads into having a years supply of essentials.

Back to The Top

Technology Activity Badge Group

Craftsman

A fun dad and son activity badge.  We have had many useful items made.  We love to work with leather and tandyleather.com is a great place to pick up tools and leather.  We also love to make stepping stone for the garden.  Most of my husbands tool holders and my garden tools have come from a cub scout project.  I also have book ends, napkin holders, key rings (leather), moccasins (the cub shop has great kits!!) and many other assorted goods.  Don't forget jewelry as another medium for this activity badge.  Oh, lest I forget, this is one that has to be approved by your Webelos leader. 

Back to The Top

Engineer

Since my husband's profession deals with engineers, this was an "easy" one for our scout to complete.  The first boy chose to enter a science fair and did the "build a bridge" requirement.  (see pictures) We had a blast learning about bridges.  Here is where we took a simple cub scout requirement and turned it into a major project.  He did a report, poster board, working model and then presented it at a science fair as well as to his den.  This activity badge is almost made easier if you know different types of engineers.  In our ward we have many different engineers so with a few emails and conversations in the church hallway, my Webelos had most of this requirement completed. 

Here are a few fun web sites that we found made studying "Engineering" more fun. 

Back to The Top

Handyman

Oh, I just love this activity badge!  So many household chores get done.  I get a free car wash (I have them do the inside too).  Brunt out light bulbs finally get changed.  The pesticides finally get a going through and properly stored (not that they weren't five minutes before the boy walked into the room <wink>).  My garden tools get the "Blanding Blue Dot" and finally sharpened and cleaned.  My yard gets mowed!!! and a young boy grows up and gains responsibility and self esteem. 

If you want to have some fun or do thorough search, try these web pages: 

Back to The Top

Scientist

Oh, how I love having a husband who loves this stuff.  He makes this all seem so simple.  The book does a good job for those of us who have a hard time understanding these silly things.  My kids love learning all the "magic tricks" that come with learning these scientific principles. 

Model rockets are always a favorite with young boys, but please check with your local hobby shop to find the rules for flying them in your community.  If they don't know they should know who does.  Most model rocket kits you can buy at a hobby store are safe to fly, but please check to make sure.  Some places require certain precautions because fire will be involved. 

Back to The Top

Outdoor Activity Badge Group

Forester

In the Pacific Northwest we have no trouble doing this requirement. 

Back to The Top

Geologist

Web site we found helpful in our study of rocks, minerals and fossils.

Meritbadge.com's web site for the geology merit badge.  Awesome detail and the links they provide are very helpful.  This site is specific to this award.  WOW to both sites!
A virtual dictionary with microscopic photos. 
A museum close to use we want to visit.
The Smithsonian's web site on mineral research.  The photo galleries are pretty awesome.  The Smithsonian has some awesome pictures to look at with brief descriptions. An other web site with some gorgeous pictures of rocks.  It also has a hardness scale.
Places in Washington State to find rocks.
 A mineral identification key.
A great place to buy rocks and minerals.  We had a great experience purchasing from them.
A rock and mineral site for kids.  This link will probably take you to the opening page and you will have to click where it says to click to enter the web site. 

A little field trip we took was with our community center.  A man around the sound does field trips up to an abandoned silver mine (his) and lets the kids (and adults) dig for crystals.  The kids had a great time and brought home quite a few very pretty rocks and minerals. 

There is part of the Science Pin that deals with geology.

Back to The Top

Naturalist

Field trips make this one very enjoyable.  One day at the park we found a bird watcher.  We just asked questions and learned a ton.  Books were a great recourse for this activity.  We have four or five bird feeders in our back yard that attract birds and makes for great identification.  There are many birding associations around the country.  Find your local one and visit, call and/or get information from them.  May I suggest that you do activity #8?  It is a great lesson for boys to understand the balance of nature.  They understand that each living thing has a purpose on earth.  We studied it in conjunction with the creation story found in the scriptures.

We have a book called Mammals of Washington and Oregon by Tamara Eder (Lone Pine Publishing) and we use this to help us identify animals while we are on hikes.  Find one for your state and have an adventure.

Meritbadge.com's bird study merit badge with great links at the bottom.

There is part of the Science Pin that deals with ocean animal.

Back to The Top

Outdoorsman

This is so boy!  What a fun activity badge to earn.  Great summer time activity.  With this you may want to go over the "Outdoor Code" with your scout.  It can be found on page 425.  The "Outdoor Code" is part of the requirements for the Webelos badge so you might as well put them together.  Of the listed requirements the scout only needs to do five.  On our Webelos overnighter we set up a program where the fathers taught the kids many of the requirements and by lights out each boy had earned his outdoorsman pin.  Of course we went over a few thing in the den meeting proceeding and following the overnighter just to make sure they "got it."  Living in the Northwest with the fire dangers we have, we needed to make sure our young boys understand the dangers of fire.

Back to The Top

Disclaimer: Though WALDSFE, Helaman's Academy and/or Doreen Blanding does its best to thoroughly screen every product, company, website and individual listed on these pages, please note that WALDSFE, Helaman's Academy and/or Doreen Blanding does not endorse any product, company, website or individual listed.  If you have a problem with a page, find broken links, or companies that no longer support homeschooling please send email .

copyright © 2003-2007 Doreen Blanding, Helaman's Academy