Advancement Ceremony
San Francisco Bay Area

Props: Cubmaster dressed in a work smock wearing a carpenter's tool belt. Awards and mother's pins are taped to pieces of wood scraps that are hidden in his tool belt. Be sure to emphasize the "puns" though out the ceremony.
Cubmaster: Tonight, we have some boys who "saw" the opportunity to "nail down" some advancements. At times these boys had to keep "hammering" on some of the tougher requirements, but, they kept on "drilling", "curving" and "sanding" and finally "cut" through. We "wood" like to honor them tonight.
Will Cub Scout please come forward with his parents? has "chiseled" through the requirements for the Wolf badge. (Cubmaster takes the Wolf award from his tool belt and holds it up.) We "wood" like to have his parents present him this award. (Cubmaster hands the award to the parents who present the boy the award.) "wood" you please pin the mother's pin on your mother.

Other "puns" which could be used when making presentations include: "filed", "planed", "sharpened", "glued", "cut", "painted" or any other tool related name or adjective.

The Racetrack Advancement
Santa Clara Council

Personnel: Cubmaster, Den Chief
Equipment: Racetrack Ceremony Board (instructions below), flashlight, badges pinned on small shapes (racing cars for Bobcats; green flags for Wolf badges or Arrow Points; red flags for Bear badges or Arrow Points; white flags for Webelos Activity badges, checkered flags for Arrow of Light Awards.)
Setting: Room is darkened. Den Chief stands with flashlight behind ceremony board. At the appropriate time, he illuminates the proper cutout with flashlight. Cubmaster reads script.

In an auto race, drivers must advance in position. Tonight we have a special way to honor our racing drivers who have advanced in Cub Scout rank. The first step in any race is to establish a qualifying time. Tonight we have some new Bobcats who have qualified as drivers on our Cub Scout advancement track. (Den Chief illuminates racing car cutout.) Will the following boys and their parents come forward? (Read names. Asks the boys to repeat the Promise and Motto, and tell them to remember them well)

The green flag symbolizes those drivers who have qualified for a Wolf position on our advancement track. Will the following boys come forward? (Call boys and parents. Den Chief illuminates green flag). Because your parents were helping you and cheering for you, we would like them to present the badges to you.

The red flag indicates that a driver is more experienced and skillful in handling his car and is moving up among the track leaders. Will the following boys and their parents please come forward? (Call them. Have the red flag illuminated) Just as pit mechanics help drivers to refuel and change parts, so your parents have helped you. They thus share in your honor. (Parents present badges)

The white flag tells us that the driver has but one lap to go to reach the checkered flag, the Arrow of Light. He has learned to manage the turns, jams, and upsets. Will the following Webelos Scouts come forward to receive their activity badges? (Call boys and parents forward. Have white flag illuminated) Many a driver wins because of the support given by his pit crew. Your parents have helped you in earning these badges and your Webelos leader has been an important part, too. (Webelos leader presents Activity Badges.)

The checkered flag announces the end of the race. It shows that the driver has reached the goal and has won the right to go on to bigger races - the Indianapolis 500 -, which is Scouting. Will the following boys come forward to receive the highest track award, the Arrow of Light? This is the only badge in Cub scouting which may be worn on the Boy Scout uniform. Your parents share in your achievement, since they have helped you do your best and have traveled the track of Cub Scouting with you.

Congratulations to All!!

Race track Ceremony Board: Cardboard or plywood rectangle. Flags and car shapes are cut out and backed with cellophane of the proper color. Flashlight illuminates cutouts at proper time.

Recognition Ceremony
San Francisco Bay Area Council

Attach awards to card stock cut in the shape of wood working tools (i.e., saw, hammer, tape measure, etc.) Captions on the awards could match the tool:

"Way to measure up!"
"You really hammer down problems!"
"You saw us through!"

Building Cub Scouts
York-Adams Council

This ceremony focuses on the boys’ advancements as a true "building" of the Cub Scouts.
Note that this and other ceremonies should be reviewed and modified to suit the specific awards being giving at the meeting. This ceremony is written so that any particular award can be used or omitted without impacting the whole of the ceremony.
CUBMASTER: And now we get down to the essence of tonight’s theme, Cubstruction. To me, Cubstruction is the building of our Cub Scouts! And haven’t they grown! As we think back a year, a month, or even a week ago, we see that these guys have really grown. (And you parents who just got back from buying new clothes again this year, know what I mean!) And while they are growing physically, they're also growing in mind and in spirit. Tonight we look closely at how these guys have grown.

(BOBCAT)

Any time you learn something new, you've grown! You don't have to add an inch to your stature, just learn something new and you've grown by it. Well tonight we recognize some of our Cub Scouts for doing just that. List names of Bobcat recipients and call them with their parents to the front of the room. The Bobcat award does not require you to build a birdhouse or to climb a rope, but it does require you to build yourself. These guys have been working hard to understand the basic requirements for being a Cub Scout. They have learned the Promise and the Law of the Pack. They have also learned and practiced the handshake, motto, Cub scout sign and the salute. They now know what the word WEBELOS means in Cub Scouting. And they have worked with their parents to be prepared should someone try to approach them improperly. They have really grow—and that's what Cubstruction is all about! Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them with the Cub Scout handshake. Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.
(WOLF)
Next we have our Wolf Cub Awards. These guys are really building themselves. They started as new Cubs (and Tigers) and now they have done some really hard work to earn their Wolf awards. List names and invite them with their parents to come forward. When I look through the Wolf Book, I find many different Cubstruction activities. Even the first activity is all about building the Cub Scout. They do physical "Feats of Skill" like the crab walk and ball throwing. (Parents, when was the last time you tried to do the crab walk?) And then there are the "learning about making things" activities, like learning about how to use and care for tools. And finally, there are activities that help build these guys into better citizens. They have paid close attention to the neighborhood and their homes, seeing what they can do to make them a little better. Tonight we award these Cub Scouts their Wolf badge for truly showing us what Cubstruction is all about. Hand out badges to parents to give to the boys. Congratulate them and offer a suitable applause. Have them sit down. (BEAR)

When I started this ceremony, I pointed out that Cubstruction is more than just physical growth. It is also spiritual and mental growth. Tonight we recognize Cub Scouts who have earned their Bear badge. List off Bear candidate names and invite them and their parents to the front of the room. The first requirement in the Big Bear Book is for them to grow in their faith by earning their Religious Award or by regularly attending and participating in their Church activities. These Cub Scouts are building themselves spiritually. They also pay special attention to our Country, completing requirements that focus on being good, solid citizens. And they have completed requirements that pay special attention to being a part of a family—these guys are learning (and that's building) more and more that they are not the center of the universe, but a contributing part of it. They have also completed requirements that they do for themselves—physical exercise and mental skills, for example. These Bear Scouts are solid examples of being Under Cubstruction. Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them. Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.

(WEBELOS)

A word about uniforms, now. A few years ago, the BSA changed the uniform to allow Webelos Scout to begin wearing the Boy Scout uniform pants and shirts. In part, this was to focus their attention on moving into Boy Scouts. But I can't help but think that part of the reason was that so many parents were yelling and screaming about having to buy a second (or third) blue Cub Scout uniform as these bean sprouts really started "shooting up" in size. These guys are really growing! But, again, the growth isn't all physical. Tonight we recognize some of our older Cub Scouts for having earned their Webelos badge. List names and invite them with their parents to come forward. These Webelos Scouts have done some physical building by completing their Physical Fitness Activity Badge. But they also have earned at least two other Activity Badges in areas outside of the physical development area. Maybe they've earned a Technology Group badge or a Mental Skills badge, but they have grown more than just physically. They also have started on their path to becoming Boy Scouts. They have studied the Boy Scout Oath and Law and have learned the basic elements for being Boy Scouts. (Much like our Bobcats learn the basic elements of being a Cub Scout.) Cubstruction is alive and well with these guys. Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them. Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats. Finally we come to the top of our Cub Scouting "growth curve." Some Webelos build themselves up to the point of earning the highest award offered in Cub Scouting—the Arrow of Light. List names and invite them with their parents to come forward. When these guys started out in Cub Scouts, they were building a foundation. For most, it starts in Tigers, others join as Wolf Scouts, and the rest join in Bears and Webelos. But they start with building a solid foundation. And then they add the superstructure or framing. This is where they earn their badges of rank. Finally, they put on the finishing touches—the hardest part of the job. It's the difference between "rough carpentry" and "finish carpentry." And these guys have done a great job in putting on the final touches. Hand boys the parent's Arrow of Light pins to present to their parents. Then give parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them. Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats. And so there you have it! The building of a Cub Scout!

Akela's Arrow
Piedmont Council

A tradition in a pack started many years ago. It is to present our graduating Arrow of Light recipients a real arrow with color (use plastic tape) bands for each of their ranks obtained while in Cub Scouts. This is to remember their Cub Scout years. The following ceremony shows the arrow's features.
Cubmaster - As we hold this arrow, we see it is a totem. This totem has many things to tell about our tribe.
When you look at an arrow, you see a long, sturdy and straight shaft. This shaft supports many tails. The color bands called the crest are orange, blue, brown, green, red and yellow. The crest stands for the ranks of Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelos and Arrow of Light. This shaft is our pack, which will stay true in flight by it fletching. These are the 3 feathers, which represent the leaders, parents and the Cub Scouts.
The notch at the end of the shaft stands for the support of the sponsor. The point of the shaft is symbolic of many things in Scouting. Cub Scouts are given arrow points for earning electives and the Arrow of Light award is the highest award in Cub Scouting.
So Cub Scouts, always remember, when you receive an arrow point or the Arrow of Light NEVER bend to wrong, because a crooked arrow always strays off target, but a straight arrow always stays true in flight.
(Present personalized arrows.)
Good Luck in Boy Scouting!