Tell me about Boy Scouts if child was never a cub scout

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find 3 or 4 troops in your area and check each one out. Cub Scouts are required to check at least 3 troops out too, so it is important to get a good match. It is not like all the cub scouts from one pack head to the same pack. So really finding the right troop is important.

No they aren't. They are required to check out 3 troops if there are 3 troops available, the times all fit the child's schedule and they aren't too far.

PP Here,
So what you are saying is I got the number of troops wrong and that perspective boy scouts should just check out 1 troop without regard for if they are a right fit? Or are you nit-picking about the details but the advice is essentially good advice, meaning check out several troops? I do want to note that another poster also said check out more than one troop.

I'm saying that you are providing misinformation based on current location. I've previously been in locales where the nearest troop was 30 minutes away; no, we weren't required to check out any other troops.

I'm local, with multiple packs and troops near us, and I haven't heard of a requirement to check out multiple troops. Our cub scout pack feeds into a boy scout troop sponsored by the same church. Most of the boys involved have attended the same schools, and want to be in the same pack/troop. OP should find out which troop her kid's friends are involved in, and consider joining it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find 3 or 4 troops in your area and check each one out. Cub Scouts are required to check at least 3 troops out too, so it is important to get a good match. It is not like all the cub scouts from one pack head to the same pack. So really finding the right troop is important.

No they aren't. They are required to check out 3 troops if there are 3 troops available, the times all fit the child's schedule and they aren't too far.

Never heard of this requirement. My son just went to the same boy scout troop that all the kids from the Cubs went to. For a new scout I would definitely compare..or if you want a change.

[Anonymous]

Checkout a few troops before you decide to see which one fits your need. What to look for: time/ date of meeting every week, how active is the troop, how dedicated is the scoutmaster, location, costs, how much parents volunteer needed, etc

My boys are in the troop that base in religious center, one a week meeting on Sunday evening (1 - 1 1/2 hr length). Location is 7 min away. They do activities to complete the ranking and merit badge requirements at meeting. Camping or outdoor activities once a month. At least one parent has to be active member or volunteers throughout the year or pay $500/ yr.

That being said, the troop is not very thrifty as some of the outdoor activities cost between $50-100. They do not do a lot of fundraising, only selling mulch. So parents pay for lots of activities. They are not active in summer, except for a week of summer camp.

There are better troops with thrifty mind, lots of community services, interfaith activities, great scoutmaster, but we stick with ours due to locations and time.

So, take your time to choose which troops work best for your family. And be ready to keep motivating your kids till eagle rank. Keep track of your kids advancement.

[Anonymous]

To answer your question, the troop my sons are in has several boy scouts who were never cub scouts and they have done well. Honestly, to some extent, I think cub scouts is a waste of time in the lower grades. It's a little more fun in 4th and 5th grade but still not as interesting as boy scouts. Unlike cub scouts, you have more freedom to choose the troop you join. We visited multiple troops to see what our options were. They each had their own individualities but in the end, my kids were only interested in the troop their friends had already joined. If your son already has friends in a troop, that's the one you should consider first.

[Anonymous]

Also, unlike Cub Scouts, you are not required to be at the meetings or activities, unless you are a volunteer of course, and in some cases, you won't be allowed at all due to ratio requirements for things like camping.

I would find out if any of your DS's friends are in Scouts, and pick that one. It's a bit easier if he knows someone there. But yes, time and distance factor in too.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PPs. Op here.