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Scouting and the Family
A Grownup's Guide
To The Wolf Cub Program

Welcome!

 Cubing offers an exciting variety of creative activities to spark any Cub's imagination. It also promotes wholesome personal development.

Scouts Canada believes that children learn by doing. Cub activities encourage children to discover and understand their world through play and adventure. Briefly, let's talk about how you and Scouting can work together to help your child do his (or her) best.

Scouts Canada And Your Child

Scouts Canada is the largest youth educational organization in Canada. With a quarter of a million members across the country, we also form part of the world-wide Scouting Movement which includes over 25 million members in 151 countries.

Scouting runs youth programs specifically designed for each age grouping: Beavers (5-7 years old), Wolf Cubs (8-10 years old), Scouts (11-14 years old), Venturers (15-17 years old), and Rovers (18-26 years old).

To understand how Cubs can meet your child's needs, let's look at what makes Scouting special.


Scouts Canada's Principles

Scouting is based on three broad principles which represent its fundamental beliefs.

Duty to God:

 This is defined as: "Adherence to spiritual principles, loyalty to the religion that expresses them and acceptance of the duties resulting therefrom."

Duty to Others:

 Defined as being: "Loyalty to one's country in harmony with the promotion of local, national and international peace, understanding and cooperation", and "Participation in the development of society, with recognition and respect for the dignity of one's fellow-being and for the integrity of the natural world."

Duty to Self:

 This is defined as: "Responsibility for the development of oneself." This is in harmony with the educational purpose of the Scout Movement whose aim is to assist young people in the full development of their potentials.

Scouting's core philosophy and values are expressed by the principles. These form a "code of ethics" for how Scouting expects all members to conduct themselves while participating in activities.

The Wolf Cub's promise, law and motto are age-appropriate versions of Scouting's principles.

Wolf Cub Promise, Law And Motto

Promise:

 I promise to do my best
To love and serve God, to do my duty to the Queen;
To keep the law of the Wolf Cub pack,
And to do a good turn for somebody every day.

Law:

 (i) The Cub respects the Old Wolf *,
(ii) The Cub respects himself.
* (an "Old Wolf" refers to a leader or any respected adult)

Motto:

 Do Your Best


Scouts Canada's Mission

Scouting's principles are put into action and focus through our mission statement.

Scouting's
mission is:
To contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.

Scouting's Mission is achieved by:
  • involving youth throughout their formative years in a non formal educational process.

  • using a specific method that makes each individual the principal agent in his or her development as a self-reliant, supportive, responsible and committed person

  • assisting youth to establish a value system based upon spiritual, social and personal principles as expressed in the Promise and Law.



Scout Program Goals

In order to fulfill Scouting's principles and mission, the Cub program is geared specifically to meet the developmental needs of most 8-10 year olds. The program emphasizes activities which encourage Cubs to:


  • express and respond to God's love in their daily lives
  • do their best
  • keep fit
  • satisfy their curiosity, and need for adventure and new experiences
  • be creative and develop a sense of accomplishment
  • make choices
  • develop a sense of fair play, trust and caring
  • work together in small groups, and experience being a leader
  • participate in outdoor activities
  • learn about the natural world and their part in it.


In Wolf Cubs, "Do Your Best" nicely sums up the approach to activities described in this book. Cubs need adult support and approval as they play, learn and discover. Children need this for building self-esteem and self-confidence. It is critical for them to feel a sense of accomplishment for what they did, rather than being taught that only winning counts. Scouting believes that Cubs who "do their best" in any activity deserve equal recognition and praise.



How Packs Are Organized

The Wolf Cub theme is based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. It provides a sense of outdoor adventure and fantasy that appeals to a Cub's imaginative mind. The "pack" refers to all members in your child's Cub program. Within the pack, Cubs are broken into small groups called "sixes". A Cub who is asked to lead a "six" is called a "sixer". The Sixer has an assistant called a "second". Cubs usually rotate through these early leadership jobs based on age and experience.

The primary adult leader of the pack is referred to as "Akela" -- the name of the old wolf and leader of the pack in The Jungle Book. Other leaders take a "jungle name" such as Baloo (the bear), or Bagheera (the panther). Your pack may also have a "Kim" -- a Scout who works with the Cubs. Kim is another Kipling character. Older Cubs are sometimes invited to work with a Beaver colony. Each Cub helper working in a colony is called "Keeo", after a character in the Beaver book Friends of the Forest.

The leaders in your Cub's pack are supported by a group committee. The committee is responsible for ensuring the programs offered meet Scouts Canada's guidelines and that the pack has enough resources to operate effectively. The group committee represents a sponsor which is the overall partner with Scouts Canada. Sponsors are typically community centres, clubs, religious institutions or parent groups. The sponsor works closely with Scouts Canada to ensure Scouting programs and resources are meeting the needs of all its youth and adult members.

After learning a bit about Cubs, your child will be ready to become "invested", or formally welcomed, into the pack. You will be invited to attend the "investiture ceremony" to help welcome your child into the Cub pack.



Your Role in Cubing

Scouting is a family-based organization. Activities we offer, plus the values and skills we provide, are aimed at supporting your efforts to teach your child what is needed to become a well-rounded person. Your personal involvement is important to help reinforce the lessons your Cub learns. Here are some suggestions to help you become involved:
  • Sit down with your child and look through the Cub book together. What activities do you find interesting or appealing? How could you work on these activities as a family?

  • Find out what activities leaders plan to run in your child's pack. Most leaders set aside time at the first meeting to ask Cubs what they would like to do. They draw up program plans from the children's input.

  • Get to know leaders by their real names. Too often parents only know leaders by their "jungle" names. Leaders are truly interested in your child's welfare. Tell them what your child likes to do. This will help them plan fun activities.

  • If your Cub is interested in working on an activity outside of the meeting, or you want to make it a family project, talk over your plans with the leaders. They can provide useful tips and tell you how well it fits into the weekly programs.

  • Your talents, hobbies and interests are great program assets worth sharing with children. Find out how you can become a resource for the pack's programs. This will let you spend valuable time with your child and share experience. Cubs really enjoy showing off for an adult family member who attends a meeting. This sense of pride helps strengthen adult-child relations. When your child joins Cubs, you become partof the pack's support team.

  • Become a leader. Scouts Canada offers up-to-date training and resource materials. Leadership is fun and exciting. You will be with your Cub during a special time and see him (or her) develop and grow before your eyes. As well, the friendship and camaraderie you'll share with other parents can lead to long-lasting relationships and memories.



Helping Cubs Stay Safe And Healthy

A child's health and safety are the most important issues facing any parent. The world is quickly changing and the stress on today's Cub is growing daily. The Wolf Cub program has specific activities which help a child explore important social issues, such as alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and personal safety. Take the opportunity to discuss these issues openly. It is a perfect chance to share your insights, values and experience with your child.


The Cub Book will introduce your child participation within six activity areas. While your Cub will only see the fun and excitement the activities present, each area focuses on a clear purpose and goal.
The purpose and goals for each activity area set out how the activities are relevant to today's child while meeting developmental needs.


The Six Activity Areas

The Natural World

Purpose:

 To create a feeling of care and concern for the natural world and an interest in nature study.

Goals:
  • To provide practical environmental activities that explore the wonders of nature.
  • To develop an understanding that all life requires food, water, shelter and space.
  • To explore and develop an understanding of the positive and negative impacts people have on the environment.
  • To give direct ideas on how to help the environment in everyday situations.

The Outdoors

Purpose:

 To provide opportunities for Cubs to develop self-confidence and early leadership skills through the introduction of basic camping and other outdoor pursuits.

Goals:
  • To instruct Cubs on how to enjoy the outdoors safely.
  • To introduce Cubs to various outdoor pursuits through age-appropriate activities based on simple skill learning and fun.

Creative Expression

Purpose:

 To encourage Cubs to creatively explore and express themselves through activities which utilize imagination and innovation.

Goals:
  • To develop a creative outlet for child interests through the use of music, arts, and crafts in the Cub program.
  • To enhance Cub awareness of how modern technology can be used for creative expression.
  • To stimulate and foster Cub literacy through activities which promote, or require, reading skills.
  • To provide opportunities for Cubs to pursue a project from start to finish, thereby producing a sense of accomplishment.

Health and Fitness

Purpose:



 To encourage Cubs to lead active and healthy lives and to have a positive image of themselves.

Goals:
  • To encourage Cubs to have healthy lifestyle attitudes through developing active living habits.
  • To promote the positive benefits of being involved in physical activities.
  • To educate Cubs about health risks associated with tobacco products.
  • To educate Cubs about health risks associated with drug and alcohol abuse.
  • To encourage the practice of good hygiene habits for maintaining personal health and promoting self-reliance.

Home and Community

Purpose:



 To create in a Cub a positive feeling of family and community responsibility, as well as personal self-reliance through opportunities to develop home care skills and knowledge about various community services.

Goals:
  • To provide support to the Cub's family by teaching skills related to home care,
  • To explore and appreciate the challenges facing disabled people in the community.
  • To explore what services are needed to support a community, and how a person would access these services if required

Canada and the World

Purpose:



 To provide opportunities for Cubs to better understand how to actively participate in Canadian society and the world we live in.

Goals:
  • To learn about and appreciate Canadian society through active participation in community service projects.
  • To discover and learn about their own faith and the various world religions.
  • To participate in programs which highlight people and their cultures that make up Canada and the world.
  • To demonstrate the inter-relationships Canadians have with people in other countries.


Return to Parent's Guide to Scouting page.



This Web Page is maintained by: Scouts Canada - Thunder Bay Area.

Please feel free to with any questions or comments.


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