ADVANCEMENT CEREMONIES

THE MAGIC OF CUB SCOUTING
Sam Houston Area Council

Assistant Cubmaster (approaches Cubmaster, waving two tickets) Hey, look what I just got!

Cubmaster: Wow, you sure are excited. Did you just win Texans (or any sports team you wish to enter, e.g. as Philadelphia Eagles or Valparaiso Crusaders basketball )season tickets?

CA:   No. It’s even better than that, I was just given these two tickets to a magic show – and it’s tonight! Take a look. (Hands tickets to CM)

CM:   These sure are for tonight. In fact the location of the show is right here and the time is right now!

CA:   I’m really confused. I don’t see a magic show here, just you and all these kids with their parents. I suppose that you’re the magician and that you are going to pull a rabbit out of your hat.

CM:   Let me clear it up for you. There is no magician here and the magic is not any ‘up-my-sleeve’ tricks. The magic in this room is the magic of Cub Scouting. You see, these people are Cub Scout families, and they are here to have fun and recognize the Cub Scouts in our pack for their accomplishments since our last meeting.

CA:   I’m listening. What’s so magical about Cub Scouting?

CM:   Well, first of all, Cub Scouting helps the Cub Scouts in three areas: character development, citizenship and physical and mental fitness. And the really magical part about all of this is that the Cub Scouts have fun while this is happening.

CA:   Gee, I don’t see how having my character developed can be much fun, what do you mean?

CM:   Why don’t I call up the boys who have earned special recognition tonight and tell you about what they have done. Would the following boys and their parent please come forward? (Call names)

CM:   ____, ____, and _____you have completed the requirements to complete the Bobcat, please come forward with your parents to receive your awards.  Go through usual pack protocols for advancements.  Be sure to ask: Did you do your best?  Did you have fun?

         Repeat for other awards - Tiger , Wolf, Bear, and/or Webelos badge as appropriate.  Be sure ach boy receives individual recognition.

CA:   I see what you mean. These guys really seem happy right now.

CM:   You bet they are. We are all proud of their accomplishments, too.

CA:   I’ll just reach inside this hat and pull out the badges that you have earned. I will give it to your parent and ask them to proudly present it to you. (Read names, pull awards from top hat, present awards)

CM:   The magic of Cub Scouting is all around us tonight. Congratulations to all of you on your accomplishments!

MAGIC ADVANCEMENT/RECOGNITION
Sam Houston Area Council

There’s no magic in what we are about to do next. It’s time for recognizing the Cub Scouts whose hard work and skills have earned them the right to advance along the Scouting Trail. No hidden cards, no disappearing balls or coins, no magically appearing scarves are involved in advancement. It’s strictly a matter of knowing what you have to do and doing it – with the help of adult leaders, den chiefs, and families, it’s true. But the bottom line is that a boy has to do the work by himself.

Well, perhaps there is a bit of magic in that after all – because by fulfilling the Bobcat, Tiger, Wolf and Bear tracks and marching along the Arrow trail, a boy transforms himself before our very eyes.

And during his years in the Webelos program, a Cub Scout enters a period of accelerated growth and development – often earning an activity pin a month (or more) as his hunger for knowledge blossoms.

So maybe Magic is what we’re recognizing tonight – the best kind of magic. Recognizing young men who have discovered the magic of transforming themselves one step at a time toward their ideals of knowledge, strength, and good citizenship.

Magic Cauldron Advancement
Simon Kenton Council

Props: Sorcerer’s cauldron or facsimile. Badges with names attached are placed in the cauldron before the meeting opens.  Either keep the cauldron out of sight or place a lid on it until it is time to be used.

Scene: At awards time, announce that you will brew up something in the cauldron, but you will need the help of the new Bobcats in the Pack. Depending on the number to receive that award (five or seven is perfect) you call one at a time forward. They tell you the ingredients that go in to make a Bobcat, (motto. Salute, handshake, sign, promise law, meaning, of Webelos) and demonstrate each one by doing or saying. Pretend to “put” each thing into the cauldron then stir and draw out the Bobcat Badges.  Call each Cub’s parents forward to pin the badge on their son.  Lead a magical cheer.

For Tiger Badge, add each ingredient to kettle telling what it is based on the five Tiger achievements, i.e. a scrapbook for Making My Family Special, a flag or map of the community for Where I Live, a food pyramid for Keeping Myself Healthy and Safe, a picture of an ear or TV set or Boom Box or a newspaper or How I Tell It,  leaf or hiking stick for outdoors.  If you cannot find an object print achievement on cardboard and put it in the cauldron.  Then stir and draw out the Tiger Badges.  Call the Cubs and their parents forward and present badges to the parents to present to their sons.  Lead a magical cheer.

For Wolf Badge, add each ingredient to kettle telling what it is based on the twelve Wolf achievements, i.e.. band-aid for keeping healthy, string for tying things, stamp for collection, small screwdriver for tools, etc.  If difficult to use object print achievement on cardboard and put in.  Then stir and draw out the Wolf Badges.  Call the Cubs and their parents forward and present badges to the parents to present to their son.  Lead a magical cheer.

Do the Bear Badge in the same manner.  Since there are now 24 Bear achievements, you will have to find out which twelve each Bear choose.  If more than one Bear is receiving the badge, use all they choose, but don’t repeat any, i.e.; piece of rope for knots. Baseball for sports, small flag for American heritage, coins for saving and spending well, testament for religious activities, etc.

This ceremony can also be adopted for use with the Webelos Activity Pins, using the same method with the requirements.

This ceremony. Should be done in semi-darkness maybe with candles so the cauldron will not be too obviously unreal.  But use enough light so that each item going in can be clearly defined.  Can be done “theatrically” ala Harry Potter or a sorcerer putting in “eye of toad. Wing of bat. Etc”

Bubble Advancement Ceremony
Capital Area Council

Equipment: Bubble solution, and bubble wand, awards to be given.

Personnel: Den Leader or Cubmaster, boy receiving award (and parents, if appropriate)

Set up: Den Leader spends a few seconds blowing bubbles with the Cubs and then calls them around him/her.

Den Leader:  Did you know that soap bubbles can only join at one of two angles (places or ways)?  There are no other possibilities.  So the number two would be important if you were a bubble. 

Den Asst:  The number two is important to Cub Scouts also.  Whenever you give the Cub Scout Promise you hold your right arm high with two fingers held out straight in the Cub Scout sign.  The two fingers stand for the two points of the Promise; to help other people and to obey.  They also stand for the two alert ears of a wolf.  A wolf that is always listening to Akela.

DL       (Name) has been listening closely and working with his parents and in our den.  He is now ready to receive his first/next bead in his Progress Towards Ranks.  (Award bead and help boy get it attached.  Your Den Chief could do this.)

DA       We’ll now form a living circle and give the grand howl in (name’s) honor.

The Magic Colors
Capital Area Council

Props:

• A clear container with a little dry ice in it,
• A top hat. 
• A glass of blue water and
• A glass of yellow water.

Cubmaster: Tonight I would like to show you the colors of the Cub Scouts. 

CA       First there is blue, which stands for loyalty, truth, and Honesty. 

CM       Then there is gold which stands for cheerfulness, Happiness, and Fun. 

CA       If we combine these two colors (pour the colors at the same time into the clear container and see what happens) we get green which stands for the earth and for the Boy Scout Program.

CM       Tonight we have some boys who will receive awards. There is really nothing magical about their advancement.  It requires a Cub to team up with his parents to achieve. (CM pulls awards from magician’s top hat.)

Magic Awards
Capital Area Council

Equipment: Magical Top Hat for Master of Ceremonies, Wolf Award Cards secretly hidden in hat, Magic Wand, Bear Award Cards rolled inside, several covered hankies with Webelos cards attached to each one

Note:

This ceremony may take some practice on the part of the master of ceremonies. He may want to develop some kind of style to act like a magician.  (Prepare the top hat by laying the awards inside the hat so they can easily be removed.) Roll the awards in the magic wand (paper towel roll) so they can be removed by a shake of the wand. Tie the colored hankies to each end of the diagonal. Fold them and place them inside a pocket so they will come out one by one.

Master Of Ceremonies: Ladies & Gentlemen, Tonight the magic has already been performed, but I’ll see if I can do one more magic act.  The Cub Scouts of Pack ___ have been working magic on the awards they have earned this past month.  They have produced their various awards as if by magic, but in reality have been working very hard to get these awards.  If our magic spirit is here tonight, we will produce those awards to present to our Cubs. 

Wave hand over hat, then put wand on table.  Wait a few seconds and look surprised.  Reach in hat and pull out an award card.  Read the name and ask the Cub and his parents to come up. 

After all of the Wolf awards been given out, go to the table and pick up wand.  Study it and with a surprise, shake out the Bear awards.  Pick them up and call out the names of the Cubs and have them bring their parents forward. 

After the bear awards have all been presented, put your hand in your pocket and bring out a hankie.  Wipe your brow, but to your surprise there is something attached to it.  Read the award and give it out.  Repeat, until all of the Webelos awards have been given out.

Advancement Ideas
Capital Area Council

Set Up:

• To present the awards to the boys the Cubmaster should dress as a magician, with a black cape and a black top hat.
• Ahead of time, a table should be prepared with a 5 or 6 inch hole cut in the top of it. The table should have a tablecloth or something draped over it so someone can sit underneath it without being seen.
• The top hat should also have a hole in the top of it. 

The Cubmaster calls up the first boy to receive an award and lays his hat (top side down) on the table over the hole. He asks the boy what achievement he has been working on and then proceeds to pull the award out of the hat. The person under the table hands him a stuffed rabbit, then an old boot, and any number of items except the boy’s award, until the Cubmaster remembers to say the magic words “Do Your Best.” Then the Cubmaster pulls out the award and presents it to the boy. This can be done with each boy receiving an award, just change the magic words each time, such as “We’ll Be Loyal Scouts,” “The Cub Scout Follows Akela,” etc. Practice this a few times and it will go smoother at the pack meeting.

Merlin
Capital Area Council

Personnel: Merlin and Cubmaster

Equipment: Merlin (wizard) costume, table (small) mixing bowl, cereal bowl, dry ice, stirring rod (Merlin staff), quart of water, towel, caps, baby powder, Cub Scout magic stuff.

Cubmaster: Down through the ages many smiles have been written about the great scholars and during the middle ages the scholars were the magicians. Probably the most famous of these magicians was named Merlin. If we can be absolutely silent and all close our eyes, maybe we will be able to conjure up the Old Master himself.

Turn lights out. Fire caps.
Throw a handful of baby powder into the air for “smoke” effect. Lights on and Merlin is there amongst the “smoke” – coughing.

Merlin: (Crackle cough) This smoke and fire business is definitely not the way to travel!  Magic? You want magic? You called the right guy. No one in history has ever been able to match the power of my spells. Let me show you some of my magic.

Goes through several Cub Scout magic tracks See Cub Scout Magic Book or Tiger and other Cub Scout Handbooks or simply does several silly magic tricks