4 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Cub Scout Handbook in the Summer
There are several benefits to buying your Scout’s next Cub Scout handbook or manual in the summer. Keep ’em busy and complete some requirements at the same time!
Before the summer comes to an end, get a copy of the Cub Scout handbook for your child’s next rank even if your den doesn’t meet during the summer.
Most of us don’t even think about buying any Cub Scout gear for the next rank until school starts and our dens begin meeting again.
However, there are great reasons to get the Cub Scout handbook and read through it with your child.
Whether you’re a Cub Scout den leader or a Cub Scout parent, there are four benefits you’ll get by spending some time perusing the handbook for your Scout’s next Cub Scout rank.
1. You’ll become familiar with what your Cub will be doing during the next year. The summer is a great time to start reviewing the new program. You and your Scout will know what to expect as they work on their next rank.
2. When your child starts complaining about being bored, direct them to the Cub Scout book to pick out an activity to do.
3. You may be doing some of the activities as a typical part of your summer. Does your family go to the pool or lake to swim? There are swimming activities in almost every rank! Just do the requirements while you’re enjoying your family outing and record them in your Scout’s handbook.
Here’s a partial list of the requirements that your child can complete while on a family swimming outing. Check out all the requirements by clicking on the adventure name.
Lion Elective Adventure: Time to Swim 3. With your Lion adult partner as your buddy, be active in water depths matching your ability for 20 minutes.
Tiger Elective Adventure: Floats and Boats 1. Identify five different types of boats.
Wolf Elective Adventure: Paws for Water 3. Using the buddy system and staying within your ability group, go swimming with your den or family for 30 minutes.
Bear Elective Adventure: Salmon Run 1. Go swimming with your den, pack, or family for 30 minutes using the buddy system.
Webelos Elective Adventure: Aquanaut 4. Attempt to tread water.
Arrow of Light Elective Adventure: Swimming 2. Explain the meaning of “order of rescue” and demonstrate the reach and throw rescue techniques from land.
Electronic Version of Cub Scout Handbooks
You can get an electronic copy of the handbook by clicking on any of the links below.
 |  |
| Electronic Lion Handbook | Electronic Tiger Handbook |
 |  |
| Electronic Wolf Handbook | Electronic Bear Handbook |
 |  |
| Electronic Webelos Handbook | Electronic Arrow of Light Handbook |
Physical Cub Scout Handbooks
If you can’t get to your local Scout Shop, you can order a physical copy of the handbooks by clicking the links below.
I would love to hear what Cub Scout activities you have done over the summer. Leave a comment below!
Yours in Scouting,
Sherry
P.S. If you’re a leader, you’ll definitely want to get your leader guide now. They (and the boys’ handbooks) are available in an electronic version. Click on over to buy yours today!
24 responses
-
A few thoughts from a old hand as a Den Leader. My son is 30 now, years ago when he was a Cub Scout the Pack bought the books for the Cubs to give out as they bridged up to the new rank.At the time Day Camp was not a major advancement camp so that was not an issue. We encouraged the boys to work on electives during the summer. As a den Leader my kids were the guinea pigs for activities for rank advancement during the summer. My son would help the other boys that needed help, we had some special needs boys in the Den. However, his situation was different than most, there are so many ways to complete requirements for advancement, the likelihood of it being the same activity is not a given. If the activity is the same, the Cub who has experience can show leadership by helping his Den Mates. A win win for everyone involved. Just my thoughts on the situation….
-
Thanks for sharing!
-
-
Is there an updated list using the new requirements of other family activities in the rank books? If not I will try and assemble one (eventually) and share it if I can.
-
Not sure there is. If you compile one, I would love to share it!
-
-
I noticed you didn’t include Tigers for the swimming activities you listed. They have a swimming section as well. Tiger Elective Floats and Boats 7. Show how to enter the water safely, blow your breath out under the water, and do a prone glide.
-
Oh, my! I totally missed that. Thanks for letting me know! I’m adding it now.
-
-
Hi – My Pack wishes to work on the new Scout handbooks together in the fall and has asked us NOT to work on things over the summer – we have always done TONS of stuff over the summer in the past. However, many of the den leaders & their boys will be attending overnight camp for a week and work on many of these same activities. There’s also a week-long day camp which will work on many activities and for which I am volunteering. Are there parts of the new Webelos program that should NOT be worked on without your den and some that could be? My son is excited and proud to be a Webelos for the first time and wants to get started but we’re afraid to do any of it. I was thinking that I’d jot down dates he did something over the summer in his new book and if the den wants to do them again, that would be fine, too. If not, at least my son has had a good experience. Thanks!
-
Wow! It surprises me that the pack would say that. Working on Cub Scout stuff is a great way to beat the “I’m bored” syndrome in the summer! 🙂
For our day camp (which was the first week of June) and for our family summer activities, we are only doing electives. Our rationale is that the dens will need to work on the required adventures, so anything we do for those would be repeated in the fall.
I would go ahead and do the activities you want and keep track of everything. If it gets repeated, that’s ok. For example, we did Sportsman at day camp, but my son wanted to sign up for that at Webelos resident camp.
Your son getting sick the weekend of your fall camp out and not being able to go is another great reason to keep track of what you’ve done.
My son is getting ready to work on Game Design, and he is so excited!
-
1
-
-
Our pack traditionally gives each boy his new rank patch, scarf and handbook in May during our pack graduation ceremony. I believe it helps with retention. The boys and parents get to see what is coming up. Families can also plan their scout year around other activities (mostly sports) if they know what they will be expected to accomplish.
-
You need to update this page to tell parents NOT to buy the current handbook for next year. The new Cub Scout program has all new books.
-
Thanks for the comment and reminder, Sam! I updated the post with a note for now, and I’ve set myself a reminder for April 2015 to update the post with the new books.
-
1
-
-
Hi:
Thank you for the translation of the Cub Scout Handbooks. Do you have any plans to do the same for any of the Boy Scout Handbooks?
Now , junior cannot filter what his parents need to know. I have a large Spanish census, so much so that all of our announcements are sent home in English and Spanish. Currently the Troop is 45% Hispanic, so I have an overwhelming need for translated.documents..
-
Hi, Steve! I can’t take credit for translating the handbooks–the links are to translations available on Scouting.org. I tried to find a Spanish version of the Boy Scout handbook that could be downloaded, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
-
[…] Cub Scout book. If you haven’t purchased the handbook for his next rank, read my article 4 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Cub Scout Handbook in the Summer. Or you can always download the handbook. You’ll find the links in this […]
-
[…] the past, we’ve talked about the four reasons you should get purchase the Cub Scout handbook early. But unless you live close to a BSA council office, it’s probably going to be difficult for […]
Leave a Reply