How To Combine Dens For Cub Scouts?

To combine, dens in the simplest way, teach one cub scouting pin or belt loop each month as a combined den.  Give all your boys the same award at the end of the month (ie they all earn a Wolf loop or all earn a Webelos pin regardless of age).  If you do one per month you can cycle through everything in two years.  There are 28 adventure badges to earn.  5 of the Webelos pins will be earned outside of den meetings, which leaves 23.  Simplify or accommodate for a Wolf scout doing Webelos requirements if needed (ie. 3 mile hike might be too long for some 8 year olds), add in leadership opportunities, extra physical challenges, and career exploration discussions for Webelos doing Wolf Adventures. 

When combining dens, you work backward on ranks so that the older boys don’t graduate cub scouting without having earned all three ranks (assuming you combined Wolf, Bear, and Webelos).  The youngest boys will have time to earn all their rank advancements even though they started with Webelos pins.  

At the end of Year 1 all the boys will have earned 11 adventures, plus the Webelos will have earned 2 duty to God awards, Scouting Adventure, and two other Webelos Electives, Webelos rank and Arrow of Light!  Younger boys joining the combined den will always earn Bobcat their first year, Bear and Wolf together at the end of their second year and Webelos/Arrow of Light during their third year.

Remember Cub Scouting is not picky about the age a boys earns a certain rank, in fact they go by school year where the ages of the boys vary over a 2 year span.  Earning a rank by a specific birthday is only important in LDS packs where age determines what particular den you are in.  If dens are combined, don't worry about what age they get their Wolf rank advancement.

The younger boys unfortunately get slightly more complex adventure badges first, but most leaders find it simpler to adjust a Webelos adventure for an eight-year-old than to take on the challenge of teaching 3 distinct sets of requirements out of three books in one den meeting.  During their third year  in a combined den, boys get a bit of repetition on adventures, but it will have been so long since the first time and there are ways to vary almost every repeated badge, that it should be fine.

Year 1 (Year 3)

September	1) Webelos Walkabout, 2) Webelos Duty to God (Webelos only earn this if they participate in Primary Program and do the discussion questions.)
October	3)Webelos First Responder (this is typically offered at day camp.  You could opt to save this for day camp and do an elective, although October being fire safety month is great for visiting emergency workers and fire stations.  This badge also lends itself well to an extended, one day badge and gives you extra time for Building a Better World which is LONG.)
November	4) Arrow of Light Building a Better World
December	Cyber Chip for 3, 4, 5 grades, Whittling Chip
January	5)Webelos Art Explosion 6)Arrow of Light Scouting Adventure (Webelos Only special meeting has to be held at the same time and place as boy scouts meet),
February	7) Webelos Build It
March	8) Arrow of Light Duty to God (Webelos Only all done at home) 9) Webelos Elective
April	10) Webelos Cast Iron Chef
May	11) Arrow of Light Camper
Webelos Day or Overnight Camp (Webelos Only)	12) Webelos Elective, 13) Webelos Elective
June	14) Webelos Elective, Arrow of Light Award Ceremony, Wolf and Bear Day Camp
July	1) Bear Elective
August	2) Bear Necessities, (Part of this is day camp)

Year 2 (Year 4)

September	3) Bear Fern Feathers Fur
October	4) Grin and Bear It, (also completes Serving Others #2 and #9 from Faith in God)
November	5) Bear Paws for Action (Optional Teach about Joseph Smith for one of the Famous Americans for Learning and Living the Gospel #2 in Faith and God)
December	6) Bear Claws,
January	7) Bear Duty to God (See Faith in God requirements below), this is good for summer because families can do them at home easily if they are out of town.)
February	1) Wolf Duty to God Footsteps (incorporate Learning and Living the Gospel #5 from Faith in God)
March	2) Wolf Howling at the Moon (incorporate Developing Talents #3 from Faith in God) Wolf Award Ceremony Bear Award Ceremony
April	3) Wolf Council Fire
May	4) Running with the Pack
June	5) Wolf Call of the Wild, day camps
July	6) Wolf Elective such as Spirit of the Water
August	7)Wolf Paws on the Path, Wolf Award Ceremony

Also you could have two dens.  One for 8 to 9 1/2 years where they earn Wolf and Bear, and a second den for 9 1/2 to 11 years where they earn Webelos and Arrow of Light, this allows time to do four additional electives in each den rather than repeat adventures the third year!

Bear Fellowship & Duty To God: Requirements for LDS Religious Knot

Learning and Living the Gospel	Serving Others	Developing Talents	Preparing For The Priesthood
#2 Give a family home evening lesson on Joseph Smith’s First Vision (see Joseph Smith—History 1:1–20). Discuss how Heavenly Father answers our sincere prayers. Bear Duty to God Meeting 1 or Bear Paws For Action	#2 Write a letter to a teacher, your parents, or your grand- parents telling them what you appreciate and respect about them. Bear Grin and Bear It meeting #3	#3 Write a poem, story, or short play that teaches a principle of the gospel or is about Heavenly Father’s creations. Wolf Howling at the Moon	#5 Read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Make a list of things you can do to help strengthen your family and make a happy home. Share the list with your parents or Primary leader. Bear Duty to God Meeting 4
#5 Give an opening and a closing prayer in family home evening or at Primary. Share your feelings about how prayer protects us and helps us to stay close to Heavenly Father and the Savior. Wolf Duty to God Footsteps	#9 Help your leaders plan and carry out an upcoming activity. Bear Grin and Bear It meeting #1 and #2
#6 Tell a story from the Book of Mormon that teaches about faith in Jesus Christ. Share your testimony of the Savior. Bear Duty to God Meeting 2,  Can be a nice Christmas Activity if you tell the first Christmas in America and add games and treats.
#8 Prepare a pedigree chart with your name and your parents’ and grandparents’ names. Prepare a family group record for your family and share a family story. Discuss how performing temple work blesses families. Bear Duty to God Meeting 3

“Webelos Scout Night” for Webelos only to earn their “Arrow of Light Scouting Adventure” pin.  LDS version.  
This is an accelerated badge night where the boys preparing to leave cub scouts earn this pin rather than the whole combined den meeting.  The boys and their parents if possible should come.  I like to plan this about a month or two before their birthday if possible.

Meet at the same time as the older scouts meet.          

Visit A Scout Meeting:  Boys will briefly visit the 11-year-old or the deacon scouts with a checklist of the following questions and then they will separate to finish the other requirements for this badge.

When do the scouts in our ward meet?

How do scouts help with leadership in the patrol meetings?

What does the opening ceremony include each week? Pledge? Oath? Law?

Learn how patrols correspond to quorums and who the president/patrol leaders are for your ward.

Do the patrols/quorums have names, flags, or cheers?  If yes, what are they?

Who is the 11 year old scout leader?  Assistant?

How many camps do the scouts do per year? What is the plan for this year?  

Any other questions?

Plan to attend the daytime part of a Scout Activity or Plan to Attend A Webelos Day Camp.

25 min Memorization Time: Scout Oath, Law, Motto, Slogan, Outdoor Code. Explain to your leaders.  The boys shoud be able to recite the oath and law and motto pretty easily, help them to say it without reading the words, don't penalize a boy if he just can't get it word perfect, just help him understand the meaning and give him prompts if needed so he can recite the whole thing and succeed.  For the outdoor code you can have a visual aide for each line, repeat with the words and pictures and then try it with the pictures only.

5 min Teach: Scout Spirit, Sign, salute, handshake, first class badge insignia (pg 186-187), and how boy scout advancement works (pg 192-196).

15 min Teach: Patrol Method, 4 steps of advancement, ranks in in Boy Scouting, how to earn merit badges (pg 197-199)

20 min Tie a square knot pg 201, two half hitches pg 202, and a taut-line hitch pg 203, Explain what each is used whipping pg 203, fusing pg 203.

Choose a “Patrol Leader”, Make a patrol flag and cheer. 

Plan to show leadership in the den the next month

Refreshments!!!

Cub Scouting at a Glance:

Required Adventures by Type for each rank:

	Wolf	Bear	Webelos/Arrow of Light
Outdoor Adventure (hiking)	Wolf Paws on the Path	Bear Ferns Feathers Fur	Webelos Walkabout
Outdoor Adventure (day camp)	Wolf Call of the Wild	Bear Necessities	Arrow of Light Camper
Participatory Citizenship	Wolf Council Fire	Bear Paws for Action	Arrow of Light Building a Better World
Leadership Development	Wolf Howling at the Moon	Grin and Bear It	Webelos Duty to God and You (Participate in Primary Program, baptism, or sharing time programs)
Personal Fitness	Wolf Running with the Pack	Webelos Stronger, Faster, Higher
Scouting Skills	Bear Claws	Webelos Cast Iron Chef	Webelos First Responder
Character Development	Wolf Duty to God Footsteps (can be done in one or two den meetings)	Bear Fellowship and Duty to God (religious knot, some will need to   be done with family)	Arrow of Light Duty to God in Action (all done at home)	Webelos Sportsman (if a boy does two team sports he can finish this easily at home)

** "Arrow of Light Scouting Adventure" can be done with the 11-year old scouts.

Cub Scout Elective Adventures (I categorized them myself just to help me sort them more easily)

CC=Culture/Community, STEM=Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

S=Sports 0=Outdoors 

1.     CC Wolf -   - Collections and Hobbies  

2.     CC Wolf -   - Cubs Who Care   

3.    CC Wolf -   - Digging In the Past*** dinosaur theme lots of fun

4.     CC Wolf -   - Hometown Heroes   

5.     S Wolf -   - Paws of Skill 

6.    S Wolf -   - Spirit of the Water maybe a fun summer adventure?

7.     STEM Wolf -   - Adventures In Coins   

8.     STEM Wolf -   - Air of the Wolf*  cool ideas

9.     STEM Wolf -   - Code of the Wolf*  very easy to teach

10.  STEM Wolf -   - Germs Alive! health education  

11.  STEM Wolf -   - Motor Away * so much fun

12.  O Wolf -   - Finding Your Way

13. O Wolf -   - Grow Something (springtime?)

1.     CC Bear -   - Bear Picnic Basket- recipes, cooking fun, shopping

2.     CC Bear -   - Beat of the Drum- crafty, Native American Culture, needs to go to a performance 

3.    CC Bear -   - Roaring Laughter-Comedy super easy to teach

4.     CC Bear -   - A World of Sound –music around the world, hands on

5.     CC Bear -   - Critter Care   

6.    S Bear -   - Marble Madness *

7.     STEM Bear -   - Baloo the Builder* fun  (Home depot?) (Pairs really well with Webelos Build It)

8.     STEM Bear -   - Forensics  *

9.     STEM Bear -   - Make It Move * 

10.  STEM Bear -   - Robotics, very cool*(order bristle bot kits ahead of time, university robotics lab?) 

11.  STEM Bear -   - Super Science, good, not quite as cool as robotics,   

12.  O Bear -   - A Bear Goes Fishing*

13. O Bear -   - Salmon Run    boating and swimming (best done with families)

1.     CC Webelos -   - Looking Back, Looking Forward (history)   

2.     CC Webelos -   - Fix It (home repairs)

3.    CC Webelos -   - Project Family* (completes three Faith in God activities) 

4.     CC Webelos -   - Aware and Care   (similar to wolf cubs who care)

5.     CC Webelos -   - Art Explosion* (completes one Faith in God activity)

6.    CC Webelos -   - Build My Own Hero  

7.     CC Webelos -   - Maestro!   

8.     S Webelos -   - Aquanaut (best done at a camp)

9.     S Webelos -   - Sportsman (good for athletic boys to do at home)

10.  STEM Webelos -   - Adventures in Science* 

11.  STEM Webelos -   - Build It* 

12.  STEM Webelos -   - Earth Rocks! 

13. STEM Webelos -   – Engineer (offered at our camp)

14.  STEM Webelos -   - Game Design 

15.  STEM Webelos -   - Moviemaking 

16. O Webelos -   – Castaway

17.  O Webelos -   - Into the Wild   (offered at our camp with homework)

18.  O Webelos -   - Into the Woods (offered at our camp with homework)