Perseverance head west young man

WEBELOS DENS

"I learned about the strength you can get from a close family life. I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work." Lee Iacocca 

The core value of Perseverance can be worked into many of the Webelos programs and, as a leader; it is perhaps the one factor in success that sometimes is overlooked. Materials: to teach perseverance in a way that will allow scouts to apply this value both in scouting and in other areas of their lives. How many children simply quit trying in school or sports, because they are “not good at it’ or find it “too hard”? Consider using the “know” “commit” “practice” process when beginning a new badge or introducing an activity with your Webelos.

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  Know- Review the requirements for the Badge and decide which ones might be more difficult for you to do. Make a plan to complete one of the harder requirements.
  
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  Commit- When doing the harder requirement, did you ever feel frustrated or angry? What did perseverance have to do with that? Name another type of task for which you will need to persevere.
  
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  Practice- Practice perseverance by following your plan to do that requirement for the activity badge.
  

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  Plan a hike where boys encounter obstacles similar to those an early explorer might have encountered. Talk about how pioneers and early explorers persevered to reach their destinations.
  
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  Study plants that survive difficult environments. Encourage boys to keep trying when an activity is difficult.
  
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  Set up an outdoor scavenger hunt where scouts will have to persevere to find items on the list. Pair up the scouts. You may want to have additional adult help so that each pair has an adult monitor, especially if the area is set up so that the leaders may not be able to see the scouts at all times.
  
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  Visit a local gym and talk with a personal trainer.
  
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  Visit a local outdoor track facility and talk with a long distance runner.
  

Ask

1. 
   Staying with the task and not giving up.
   
2. 
   Showing commitment, pride and a positive attitude in completing tasks.
   
3. 
   Trying again and again and again.
   
4. 
   Being patient and willing to work hard
   

1. 
   When you are near the end of race and struggling to finish, find a burst of energy to cross the finish line.
   
2. 
   Try a new sport or skill that is difficult and don’t quit.
   
3. 
   Study and work hard to improve your grades.
   
4. 
   Save up your money and do extra chores to buy something special.
   
5. 
   Help a younger child learn to ride a bicycle or play a new game.
   
6. 
   Spend hours practicing to play an instrument.
   
7. 
   Always finish what you start. Do not give up when things get tough.
   
8. 
   Try something again, even if you failed the first time. Remember you had to learn to walk before you could run!
   

Give each student a paper star. Have scouts write a dream or goal that they hope to achieve on their star and then decorate it. Post it in the meeting room and ask the scouts about progress at subsequent den meetings. Tell the students that it takes perseverance to fulfill their dreams.

Discuss this quote from Thomas Edison: "I never failed once when I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process."

Consider how different life might be today if Mr. Edison had chosen to quit after his first few attempts to invent the light bulb. Have the scouts work in pairs or small groups to write their own quote for perseverance, and then share their quotes with the den. Post the quotes in the den meeting room as a reminder to the scouts to persevere!