Welcome to Cub Scouts Pack 8, Peterborough NH!

"Loyalty is a feature in a boy's character that inspires boundless hope."  

Basic Handbook

The Cub Scouts are part of the Boy Scouts of America, and have a long tradition of providing lots of fun activities for young boys.

Boys work their way through Cub Scouts doing activities that are fun and challenging. The activities are carefully chosen to be age-appropriate and emphasize learning by doing. They cover many aspects of life, and are designed to:

• Influence a boy's character development and spiritual growth.
• Develop habits and attitudes of good citizenship.
• Encourage good sportsmanship and pride in growing strong in mind and body.
• Improve understanding within the family.
• Strengthen a boy's ability to get along with others.
• Foster a sense of personal achievement by developing new interests and skills.
• Show a boy how to be helpful and do his best.
• Provide fun and exciting new things to do.

In addition to the activities that contribute to advancement in rank, the boys can earn belt loops, pins and letters in the optional Sports and Academic Program. The purpose of these awards is to encourage Scouts to try new activities and learn new skills, or to improve those skills they already have. As in most activities in Cub Scouting, this is not meant to be a highly competitive program, instead the boys are encouraged to "do their best".

In Pack 8 we believe that Cub Scouting is fun, but it's fun with a purpose. Here is some information to help you understand how Pack 8 practices Cub Scouting. We follow the rules and policies set by the national organization, so Links to national sites can explain much of this. There is also information below that is specific to our pack.

Organization

Cub Scout Pack 8 is made up of first grade through fifth grade boys from the towns of Peterborough, Sharon, Temple, Greenfield, Hancock and Dublin. Boys meet in small groups (dens) of 5 to 10 boys. Each den has an adult leader, and consists of boys in the same grade. First graders are Tiger Cubs, second graders are Wolf Cubs, third graders are Bear Cubs, and fourth and fifth graders are Webelos.

Pack 8, together with the Boy Scouts troop make up the Mount Monadnock District of the Daniel Webster Council.

Each Cub Scout pack is sponsored by an organization. Our charter organization is the Monadnock Rotary Club. The charter organization provides a representative who is the liaison between the pack and the organization.

The pack is run by the Pack Committee, which is headed by the Committee Chairman. In Pack 8, all adult leaders are committee members. The Committee meets once each month to plan pack meetings and other pack activities.

The Cubmaster is in charge of the pack meetings and reports to the Committee. In some packs the Cubmaster is only the MC for the meetings. In Pack 8 the Cubmaster plays a major organizational role. In either case, the boys see the Cubmaster as the authority figure or Akela (ah-KAY-La)

The Den Leaders are the most involved and who have the most fun. It is a requirement that all adult leaders attend Youth Protection and Cub Scout Leader Basic Training, a one-day training course organized by the council. Den Leaders plan and organize Den meetings, keep track of the boys' advancements, attend Committee meetings and should attend the Roundtable Meetings. Den Leaders should try to engage the parents in the den meetings to the greatest extent possible. Cub Scouting is a family activity, and den meetings are a great place for family involvement. The Den Leader can go to the Cubmaster or the Committee for advice and assistance.

Parents play an important role in the pack. The leaders will do their best to provide a quality program, but all the leaders in Pack 8 are volunteers and have many other obligations. We depend on parents to help provide the good program we have. We ask every parent to help the pack in some capacity. You should take your share in organizing den meetings, working with the den leader of your son's den. In addition, you should help with at least one pack activity a year (e.g. Pinewood Derby or a campout). A parent should attend the pack meetings together with the Cub Scout. Every handbook for boys has a parent guide at the beginning. There are no secrets in Cub Scouts; parents are welcome in any organizational meetings of the pack, district or council.

Meetings

Most meetings this year will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 7:30pm at the South Meadow School on Rte. 202 in Peterborough.

Pack Meetings: Typically, pack meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Pack Meetings are when announcements are made regarding programs and trips, awards and recognitions are given to boys, and games and fun occur. It is strongly recommended that parents attend this meriting and in fact, the whole family is involved. If you miss a Den Meeting, please be sure to call your son's den leader as soon as possible to find out what important information may have been reviewed.

Den Meetings: Tiger Dens decide as a group if they would like to meet once or twice a month as a den. Then tigers typically attend a weekly "Go see it", and always attend pack meetings along with the rest of the cubs.

Wolf, Bear and Weblos dens meet weekly (except the week of the Pack Meeting when everyone meets together). Each den is assigned a den leader, but parents are encouraged to participate and share in the fun.

Den Meetings: Pack and den meetings have a specific start and end time. We ask that if you cannot attend a meeting with your son, please obey the start and end times for dropping off and picking up your scout- our leaders cannot leave until the last scout leaves. Boys must be escorted to their meeting room and may not be left by a parent until the leader and at least one other adult is present. No boys will be permitted to wait outside of a meeting place without adult supervision, so please be sure your son knows he needs to stay with his den until a parent arrives.

Paperwork, Fees, Uniforms

Registration: The annual registration fee is $25 for a new scout and currently registered scouts continuing with the pack. This fee covers registration costs due to council, insurance, and the cost of the Pinewood car kit. The fee now also covers the costs of all handbooks.  It is also recommended that each scout obtains a subscription to Boys Life. Pack 8 pays the registration fees for its adult leaders.

Financial Assistance: No boy will be left out of the scouting experience due to financial reasons. Please discuss any financial limitations with the Cubmaster. All information will remain strictly confidential.

Uniforms: Cub scouts buy their own uniform, including council patch, pack and den numerals. {The pack provides awards} Tigers, Wolf and Bear cubs use the blue Cub Scout uniform, while Webelos can choose to wear either the blue Cub Scout uniform or the khaki Boy Scout uniform shirt (with blue shoulder loops). The store can help you buy the right items, including the right color for the neckerchief. Pack 8 accepts any dark blue pants with the blue Cub Scout uniform.

Uniforms can be bought at:

* Manchester Scout Shop, 300 Blondin Road, Manchester, NH  603-622-5060

* N.H. Scout Supply Store (Pinney's Plumbing), 217 Old Homestead Way, Swanzey NH  603- 357-9424

* Camper's Inn, 35 Technology Park Drive, Merrimack, NH  603-883-1082

* by phone to the BSA's Supply Division  1-800-323-0732

* online at www.scoutstuff.org

The Council has a small exchange for used uniforms. We ask that you consider giving outgrown uniforms to this exchange. The scout stores may also have used uniforms.

Handbooks: These are also available from the above listed stores. We recommend that parents read the books for their child's age group cover-to-cover and follow the boys progress carefully. Every handbook has a parent guide at the beginning.

Recruiting: If your boy has a friend who is interested in Cub Scouts, bring him to any pack or den meeting. Don't wait for the next year's membership night. Any Cub who gets a friend to join earns a recruiter patch that is worn below the right pocket.