What is Cub Scouting?
Cub Scouting was first organized in 1930, when the Boy
Scouts of America (BSA) realized that not every boy in the United States
was experiencing the fun of Scouting. For years, boys too young to join
the Scouting movement-younger brothers, neighbors, and friends-had been tagging
along on campouts, service projects and other fun-filled activities with older
Scouts but not reaping the full benefits of being Boy Scouts.
To accommodate this younger generation of motivated boys, the BSA created a separate program. The Cub Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America is designed for families, leaders, and organizations to use with boys who are in the second through fifth grades (or are 8,9, and 10 years of age) for the purpose of:
The Cub Scouting "Family"
To ensure that boys are involved with their peers and learn age-appropriate lessons, the Cub Scouting "family" is organized into three age groups, each with its own separate uniform: Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts.
Tiger
Cubs are first-grade boys who, with their adult partners, learn lessons
about building family communication, preparing for emergencies and
understanding the environment. Lessons are age-specific and Tiger Cubs are
recognized each time a lesson or activity is completed. Some Tiger Cub
activities include obtaining a library card, visiting a zoo, learning to use
public and private phones to report emergencies and starting a family photo
journal.
Cub Scouting is made up of second and third graders. Boys work toward accomplishing achievements and electives outlined in Cub Scout manuals, and are rewarded with emblems for their work. Cub Scouts learn about proper nutrition, safety, community involvement and making informed choices. Activities include planning and cooking a meal, starting a recycling program, increasing strength and agility through exercise and camping with the family.
Webelos Scouting is designed for fourth-and fifth grade boys. They pursue activity badges for achievements in academic skills, the outdoors, technology, sports and community involvement. Geared to older boys, Webelos activities include using computers, learning citizens' role in the nation, studying animals and insects, swimming and properly caring for the flag.
Safe Havens
Cub
Scouts are organized into small units called Dens - neighborhood-based
groups of same-age boys. Dens are supervised by volunteer den leaders, men
and women who help the boys pursue age-appropriate activities. The den is
where many young boys first learn about the requirements of leadership and the
give-and-take associated with teamwork.
Once a month, several dens meet for a pack meeting-a
highlight for the Cub Scout's entire family. Parents see their boys
interact with their friends, meet other parents from surrounding areas and
share in their sons' successes and achievements.
Everyone Plays
The
den makes sure that everyone feels like a part of the group. Even the
shyest of boys feels at ease and opens up in the comfortable den setting.
Most important, no one "sits on the sidelines" or "plays for only
one inning." Every boy is a winner in Cub Scouting and finds a sense of
accomplishment.
Cub Scouting is truly unique in its approach to youth development. By
fostering cooperative relationships between youth and adults, Cub Scouting
becomes a learning laboratory for life.
Of course, every youth strives to realize his full potential by following the Cub
Scout motto, "Do
Your Best." No matter the skill or activity, the Cub Scout motto encourages young boys to set lofty goals and achieve them.
Whether your son is a rock collector studying to be a geologist, a great writer,
an aspiring actor, or the star third-baseman of his youth baseball team, the
lessons and attributes that Cub Scouting teaches will make him better at what he
does best and, in the end, help him realize his full potential.
It's Neighborhood Based
If you attend a
mosque, temple, or church, or participate in the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, or
Moose Lodge, chances are you already know someone who participates in Cub
Scouting.
Cub Scouting maintains long-standing relationships will thousands of different groups that espouse the same ideals as the BSA. The BSA calls these groups chartered organizations. They include most religious groups, community and fraternal organizations and public and private schools.
Instilling Values
Today's world is
complicated. Work, school, family, religion, sports and extracurricular
activities pull parents and children in several different directions.
As a 
parent,
you want your son to grow up to be a self-reliant, dependable and caring
individual.
Cub Scouting achieves these outcomes by combining fun with
educational activities and lifelong values. It also helps parents
strengthen character, develop good citizenship and enhance both mental and
physical fitness in young boys. Additionally, Cub Scouting provides boys with positive peer
groups and tools to shape their future.
In Cub Scouting, boys learn ideals like honesty, bravery, thrift and respect. These values help boys make constructive decisions throughout their lifetimes and give them the confidence they need to grow and develop.
An exciting and
adventurous program coupled with skill and values development for younger boys,
Cub Scouting became on instant hit. Today, Cub Scouting provides more than two million boys from
all backgrounds with healthy doses of constructive fun and an underlying emphasis
on traditional values and service.
Cub Scouting enrollment is open year-round, so you can join
any time. However, Spring and the start of school are the most popular
times to sign up. To ensure that boys are involved with their peers
and learn age-appropriate lessons, the Cub Scouting "family" is
organized into three age groups, each with its own separate uniform: Tiger
Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts.
[Copied from: http://www.ocbsa.org/ocbsa/scouting_program/Cub_Scouts/index.htm]
Apart from the fun and excitement of Cub Scout activities, a number of ideals are expressed in the day-to-day life of the boy and his leaders.