Cub Scout Themes

2008 Themes

August

Cubs - S'MORE Summer Fun

Webelos - Naturalist, Forester

Summer memories can last a lifetime and memories made with your Cub Scout den or pack can be some of the best. So let's make "S'More" Cub Scout memories this month. Since "outing" is part of Cub Scouting, let's get outside and have some fun. Be it having a picnic, water party, softball game or campout; there is no limit to the amount of fun to be had by all this month. Why not have a pack family campout following the guidelines your leaders learned in BALOO training? What could be better than an outdoor pack meeting complete with a campfire? Whether you make a real or synthetic fire, the fun is 100% genuine. This would be a good opportunity to work on the Softball or the Weather belt loop and pin.

September

Cubs - New Buddies

Webelos - Communicator, Citizen

Wonderful opportunities are waiting! The new school year brings possibilities of new friends. This month a Cub Scout can invite a new buddy to join the fun and adventure of Cub Scouting! This single act can influence the lives of many others. The boys will make new friends while keeping the old by learning to share and treat buddies with kindness. In the den meeting the boys can learn the value of friendship, cooperation, and respect through games and activities. This new team of buddies can develop secret codes and write messages to each other. They will all learn the Cub Scout handshake and motto which will signify belonging to that special group. The boys can practice the buddy system as they go on hikes, work on projects, play games, and participate in sports. This is a great month for boys to earn a Cub Scout Academics or Sports belt loop or pin as they work and play together with an interest they all share.

October

Cubs - Adventures in Books

Webelos - Showman, Citizen

What great adventures come in books? Let's discover some this month. Visit the library and learn to navigate your way through the "card catalog computer," down the aisles of many adventures, and to an adventure of your own choice. Sign up for your library card while on your visit. Create your own outdoor epic adventure on a hike, campout, or maybe at a ball field or park. Make a costume for one of the characters from your favorite story. At the pack meeting the boys can perform some of their favorite stories and share some of their adventures with the pack. Take part in Pedro's "Say Yes to Reading" program in Boy's Life. This might also be a good month to work on the Communicating or Computers belt loop and pin. Encourage the boys to have the courage to search for, discover, and share adventure this month.

November

Cubs - Seeds of Kindness

Webelos - Craftsman, Scientist

As we approach Thanksgiving, let us spread seeds of kindness in the form of multiple small service projects. Helping others gives the boys the opportunity to see the bounty produced by spreading many small seeds of kindness and encourages compassion. The boys can discover that just as the large strong oak tree came from the small acorn, big things can happen from spreading small seeds of kindness and charity. Conduct a food drive or collect coats and gloves for those in need; report your hours to Good Turn for America. Work on the Citizenship belt loop and pin.

December

Cubs - Holiday Lights

Webelos - Craftsman, Scientist

The Star of Bethlehem, the Miracle of the Lamp, the Morning Star that enlightened Buddha, the bonfires of Yule: many of our holiday traditions this month involve lights. Share your holiday traditions with your pack and den: lights on a Christmas tree, candles on a Menorah for Chanukah, or on a Kinara for Kwanzaa. Boys can be stars this month by brightening someone's holiday season with a gift of compassion. As a pack or den, visit a nursing home, preschool, or children's ward and sing holiday favorites. End your outing by sharing cookies that the boys decorated. Help those less fortunate with a service project or toy drive. How about a holiday campfire at your pack meeting? This is great month to work on the Language and Culture belt loop and pin or the Heritages belt loop and pin.

2009 Themes

January

Cubs - A-MAZE-ing Games

Webelos - Fitness, Readyman

January is a good time for indoor fun. Make and solve puzzles. Stump your friends with riddles. Build a maze, do crossword puzzles, and word searches. Have a pack games night in which your family joins in for relays, board games, and other cooperative games. Play Cub Scout Jeopardy; how much do you know about Cub Scouting? Rediscover some of the games that your parents and your grandparents could have played and work on the Heritages belt loop and pin. Discuss why playing by the rules is important. The pinewood derby is a good opportunity to learn about rules and good sportsmanship. Why not work on the Chess belt loop and pin.

February

Cubs - American ABC's

Webelos - Scholar, Engineer

Take a personalized tour of the USA by the letters: Austin, Baton Rouge and Cambridge to Xenia, York and Zion. Our country contains an endless variety of scenic and historic places. What is special about these places? This month we'll find out by visiting historic places, theme parks, museums, and zoos. Choose a city or an historical site to highlight. Invite a guest speaker who can share something special about the places your Cub Scouts have picked to discover. Use maps or collect tourist brochures to learn more about places to visit. Your local historical society or public library is a great place to get started. Celebrate your blue and gold banquet with local foods from your choices of the ABCs and decorate to highlight your choice. This would be a good month to work on the Citizenship or Geography belt loop or pin.

March

Cubs - When I Grow Up

Webelos - Athlete, Engineer

Explore career possibilities of the 21st century this month. Host a pack career fair, inviting several adults to share what they do for a living and how these career opportunities might change as you grow up and technology advances. Discover how having a positive attitude is essential in reaching career goals. Den meeting plans could include field trips to learn about different occupations of interest to the boys and playing games centered on different jobs. This would be a good month to work on any of the Cub Scout Academics and Sports belt loops and pins - let the boys vote on the one that fits best with what they want to be when they grow up. For those future astronauts this month is a perfect time for a space derby!

April

Cubs - Jurassic Park

Webelos - Sportsman, Family Member

Explore the land before time! Imagine living in a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. What have paleontologists learned about the great beasts that roamed the Earth millions of years ago? Did any dinosaurs live where you do now? Find out what they ate, where they lived, and how they moved. What could we learn of these creatures that lived so long ago? Make a model of a dinosaur or visit a museum where dinosaur fossils can be seen. Make your own "dinosaur footprints" or "fossils" in plaster. Take a "dinosaur" scavenger hike by going on a hike and looking for things that might have been found during the Jurassic era. This would be a great time to work on the Geology belt loop and pin.

May

Cubs - Leave Nothing but Footprints

Webelos - Outdoorsman, Handyman

Warm weather is a perfect time for outdoor adventure, complete with den hikes in the neighborhood, park, or on local trails. As we enjoy our outdoor world, we should strive to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. Learn about Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines and ways we can minimize our impact on the environment. Take a backyard hike and practice the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines. Have a contest to see who can take the best wildlife photograph. Earn the Cub Scout Leave No Trace Awareness Award. Do your Good Turn and leave these areas cleaner then you found them. Remember to record your service with Good Turn for America. The end of the month has all dens moving up the Cub Scout trail. You might want to consider working on the Wildlife Conservation belt loop and pin this month.

June

Cubs - A Campin' We Will Go

Webelos - Traveler, Artist

This month Cub Scouts go camping! Have a backyard campout with your family. Pitch a tent or sleep out under the stars! Conduct a pack campout at a nearby Scout camp, state park, or even the local museum. An outdoor pack meeting might include a nature observation hunt, followed by an evening around the "campfire". Attend your council's Cub Scout or Webelos Scout resident camp as a den or pack or the council's family camp with your whole family. Camping doesn't always mean overnight; day camp is always lots of fun. Get those boys outdoors and let them discover the fun of camping while working on their Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award. Whatever you do, do it outside and find out what the outing in Scouting is all about. While out on the trail, you can work on the Map and Compass or Astronomy belt loop and pin.

July

Cubs - Be a Sport

Webelos - Aquanaut, Geologist

Not only is it important to do your best when you try new sports but it is important to understand the rules of being a "good sport" no matter how the game goes. Play ball, soccer, tennis, or any sport! Learn about a sport that you've never played before. Have a sports competition with another Cub Scout pack in your area. Have athletes from a local high school or college speak at your den or pack meeting. Ask them to teach you about their sport. Learn a sport you can play with your family: golf, tennis, bowling, swimming, or skating. Have a pack sports day. Cub Scouts can create an obstacle course for the pack to enjoy while earning the belt loop and pin for Physical Fitness or any of the many Cub Scout Sports subjects.

August

Cubs - Fun in the Sun

Webelos - Naturalist, Forester

Let's go outside and have fun in the sun. Plan some outdoor activities this month that will encourage dens to meet and make preparations together for your pack event. It's a great time for a pack picnic, with each den planning a game or activity. Have a Cubanapolis derby with dens preparing their vehicle and practicing maneuvers during den meetings. Stress good sportsmanship and team building during the planning stages, as well as during the actual event. Create kites in your dens and have a kite flying derby or a family picnic to show off your creations! This might be a great month to work on the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award or a Cub Scout Sports belt loop or pin.

September

Cubs - Cub Scout Pockets

Webelos - Communicator, Citizen

What can possibly be in a Cub Scout's pocket? What is in a boy's pocket can tell a lot about who he is and what he likes. The boys can share and show off their collections and maybe even start a new one! Put some marbles in the boy's pockets and teach him how to play the game of marbles. Pick an interest of the boys and go on a field trip to explore and learn about it. Maybe a trip to a rock quarry in search of fossils, or a nature hike around the den meeting site to pick up items. This is also a great month to educate the boys on what can go on their uniform and then make some goals to accomplish their rank advancement, special awards, belt loops and pins, and involvement in camps and council events. This might be a good month to work on the Collecting or Marbles belt loop and pin.

October

Cubs - Jungle Safari

Webelos - Showman, Citizen

Help boys discover fun and adventure in the wilds of Scouting. Take them on a month-long safari. Learn why Africa is special to our founder Lord Baden-Powell. Find out how the Jungle Book story connects to Scouting. Use it and its characters to highlight den meeting games, crafts, and costumes for the pack meeting. Learn about the things you need if you are going on a safari and how would you survive. What do Scouts in Africa do? What are their uniforms like? Take a den trip to a local zoo, animal rescue facility, or wildlife refuge. Work on the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award or the Wildlife Conservation Academic belt loop and pin.

November

Cubs - Scout Salute

Webelos - Craftsman, Scientist

This month Cub Scouts salute those heroes who help keep us safe and secure each and every day. Can only adults be heroes? Heroes are often ordinary kids who did something out of the ordinary! A den can decide what makes a hero and who the heroes of tomorrow might be by looking at people they know today. Learn about heroes in your own community, as well as Scouting heroes who have earned BSA heroism awards. Have your Cub Scouts invite their hometown heroes to a den or pack meeting. Perhaps your den can become "silent heroes" by performing service for others without seeking any recognition. Visit a fire station, veteran's hospital (Veterans Day is this month), police station, or teacher's classroom and learn about their heroic deeds and reciprocate with a "Scout salute" for their contributions. You might work on the Citizenship belt loop and pin.

December

Cubs - Works of Art

Webelos - Craftsman, Scientist

December is a time of celebration and giving. This is a perfect month for involving friends in doing good deeds and creating holiday magic through art. Cub Scouts use their artistic abilities to create holiday decorations, gifts, or cards. This artwork might be put on display in nursing homes, in churches, schools, or homes, and at the pack meeting or at a meeting of the chartered organization. Boys can make cards and ornaments and share them with residents of a local nursing or retirement home, children's hospital, or community center and do a "Good Turn for America." Boys can discover different forms of art, write poems, attend a musical or performing art show, or visit a local art museum. Works of art can become gifts for family members. The Academic belt loop or pin in Art or Music could be worked on in conjunction with these projects.