Hit the Bull's-Eye
Understanding the Arrow of Light award, the pinnacle of Cub Scouts.
The Arrow of Light, the top award a Cub Scout can earn, demonstrates a young boy’s readiness for the next level: Boy Scouts. Boys who earn it have completed all of the requirements for the Scout badge and are ready to cross over into Boy Scouts. If the boys in your Webelos den are active and regularly attend camp-outs and events, they won’t have any trouble completing the award.
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At what age can a boy start earning the Arrow of Light?
Six months need to have passed since the boy completed the fourth grade or turned 10 years old.
How many activity badges are required?
Boys need five, plus the three already earned with the Webelos badge. The five must be: Readyman, Outdoorsman, one from the Mental Skills group, one from the Technology group, and one more from any group. But your boys don’t have to stop there. Webelos Scouts can complete additional activity badges to earn the compass points emblem.
Can boys complete some requirements together?
Yes. The den should take a group trip to sit in on at least one Boy Scout troop meeting and at least one Boy Scout-oriented activity. Not only will this help give the boys an idea of which troop they’d like to join, but it also will be a ton of fun for the younger Scouts to get a peek at what the older boys do.
How does earning the award help prepare boys for Boy Scouts?
It will significantly ease their transition and introduce them to troops they might want to join. In addition to mastering outdoor skills, boys memorize the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, sign, salute, and handshake. They also learn about the Boy Scout uniform and how it differs from their Webelos Scout uniform.
For the overnight camp-out or day-hike requirement, can a boy use the same event from the Outdoorsman activity badge requirement?
No. You’ll need to organize separate outings for the Arrow of Light award and Outdoorsman activity badge. We have a feeling you won’t run into any objections from your boys when you tell them another trip is in the works.
What’s the Honesty Character Connection?
It’s the final requirement for the Arrow of Light. To complete it, boys discuss principles of trustworthiness with their parents so that they know, commit, and practice these tenets in their daily lives.
Can boys show off their achievement once they graduate to Boy Scouts?
Yes. They should wear the blue-and-gold badge shown above. Place it below the left pocket.
What about leaders who earned the award as a youth?
They’re in luck. Adult leaders who were Arrow of Light recipients as boys should wear the green, red, and yellow square knot shown above.
For the full Arrow of Light requirements, check out the Webelos Scout Handbook (BSA No. 33452)