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. A good program also provides the scouts with many opportunities to grow in the Webelos Virtues.

A boy becomes a Webelos Scout upon graduation from the Bear program in the spring of third grade. He has all summer to get started on Webelos activities. Boys new to Cub Scouting can become Webelos if they are 10 years old or have completed third grade, and have earned the Bobcat badge.

The end of the Webelos Scout program is when the Webelos Scouts graduate into a troop, typically in February or March of their fifth grade year for those areas holding early graduations. Other groups may graduate at the end of fifth grade when the school year ends.

Webelos Program:
The Webelos program has two major milestones - theWebelos Rank Badge to be earned around February of 4th grade and the Arrow of Light to be earned around February of 5th grade. 

The final part of Webelos is bridging over into a Boy Scout troop selected individually by the scout.      

                                                      

Once the goals of Webelos are understood, the methods of the program make a lot of sense! There are a few major changes between Cub Scouts and Webelos scouts that are very important to the success of your program. Some adult leaders and parents find it difficult to adjust to these changes so a Parent Meeting to discuss expectations and changes from Cub Scouts is critical to your success. Use parents to plan and lead individual activity badges. The Webelos den leader will have more paperwork and tracking than the wolf or bear den leader.

Important differences from Cub Scouts to Webelos:

1. Advancement Sign Off - each Webelos scout is supposed to take his 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. The handbook should be brought to every meeting.
2. Webelos Acitvity Badges - Bear and Wolf scouts earned red or yellow progress towards rank beads to string on a totem. Once enough were earned, they received the rank badge. Webelos moves 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. Taking your den to a district or council organized summer Webelos camp is reccomended to be included as a part of your program. Most councils have a one or two day overnight camp every summer for Webelos.
4. Patrols - a patrol is just another name for the den but it does have some significance. Boy Scouts are organized into Patrols, each with their own name, flag, yell, leader, and emblem. As Webelos, a den can begin to operate as a patrol and select an emblem for their uniform, make up a yell, name, and flag. This can really get the scouts to become a team. Taking their flag along on a campout or hike and announcing themselves with their yell is pretty fun. A great time to start working as a patrol is when everyone in the den earns their Webelos rank, set a goal of becming a patrol - choosing a n ame, selecting an emblem, coming up with a yell and designing a flag. It is often a good time to consider electing a patrol leader (a denner) to serve for the next month with a new denner elected each month giving each scout an opportunity to practice his leadership skills.