Arrow of Light
In the Arrow of Light group, 5th graders who are in their second year of Webelos (We‘ll Be Loyal Scouts) are advancing to earn their Arrow of Light award, which is the highest award in Cub Scouting. Being the oldest Scouts in the pack, AOL’s carry the most responsibility of being good role models to younger Cub Scouts. This will take some hard work this year – and be well worth it!
AOLs complete each of the four Arrow of Light required adventures.
AOLs also earn the Cyber Chip award for your age and complete at least one elective adventure of their den’s or family’s choosing from this list: Aquanaut, Art Explosion, Aware and Care, Build It, Castaway, Earth Rocks!, Engineer, Game Design, Into the Wild, Into the Woods, Sports In addition, we will keep brushing up on the Boy Scout Oath, Law, Motto, Handshake and the meaning of the Scout badge. Finally, we will always ‘Be Prepared’ to tie the square knot – required for the Arrow of Light!
The major goal of AOL Webelos is to give the Scouts a taste of what it is like to be a Boy Scout
and get them familiar with how Boy Scouting and Troop 502 are structured. This involves a gradual change from being an ‘adult-run’ den to being a ‘youth-run’ den where parents and den leaders take a more supportive, and less directive role. This gives Scouts more and more control, decision-making power, and responsibility as they progress in skills, abilities, and maturity. As AOLs learn that it is their responsibility to earn their adventures and make and follow their own rules and guidelines for meetings and outings, the emphasis shifts from home-centered activities to group-centered activities similar to those they will encounter in Boy Scouting.
A past AOL den’s rules were:
- raise your hand when you want to talk
- always be polite and respectful
- work hard to follow directions
- keep our hands to ourselves – no touching others!
It is helpful for parents to remind Scouts how important their rules are to help them get enough done this year to achieve the Arrow of Light! It is in AOL Webelos that the world of outdoor Scouting begins to open up. With their parents, Scouts are able to camp and go on other outdoor activities with their den or local Boy Scout troop. They also may participate in Troop 502 Boy Scout meetings and some other Troop 502 Scouting events. AOL Webelos is the transitional program between Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. The Scouts are still under the direction of the Cubmaster, but hold their own activities and do many
things too advanced for younger boys. At the end of the program, the Scouts know what Boy Scouting is all about and have a head start when crossing over as a Boy Scout into Troop 502.