I would like to hear ideas too. I kind of like your solution. I'm usually standing there fighting with the beads and the badge in front of everybody. One of the parents will take pity on me, and take over so we can continue.

Head to michars or ac Moore an buy roll of gimp lacing in the same colors. Cut new lacing about twice as long as the set comes with. Then as the add a bead you thread the bead through and back through it. Kinda self ties it on.

we made leather fobs and used leather strings for beads. Those plastic strings are terrible.

We used precut, point-down arrowhead shapes to make our own totem, and decorated them with leather stamps including names. Put enough holes (4 on one side for Tigers, 2 on the other for Wolf/Bear) you can use the same totem for 3 years. I like waxed hemp cord to string the beads. Even switching out the black plastic lace on the official badge for waxed hemp cord works better.

Greek leather thong works. Also I forgot what the knot is called, it's not a standard BSA one, but I tie that one and it hold.

I never thought I would see leather thong in a thread about Cub Scouts.

The Tiger ones are designed right, you can just lark's head them to the placard for easy removal/bead addition. The Wolf/Bear ones could work, just double the length of the strings that come with the kits, and maybe make the hole in the placard larger to accommodate 4 strings, rather then two.

The first time that I gave them to the boys, I added the beads by stringing the bead on and then looping it back through the same hole. At the next den meeting, I handed them the beads. They went back to the table and either played with them or dropped them on the floor or tried to put them on. At the den meetings after this, I put them in a sandwich bag with a post it that had their name on it and what the beads were for. I then called them up presented their beads and told them to give the bag to their parents to put on at home. For the most part they stayed on unless they pulled at them. I did end up handing out some extra beads at the end of the year.

I've never been able to make the Tiger Paws work right. Tiger Cubs are often late getting uniforms, and without a place to hang the paw, it does work very well, in addition to other problems noted in this thread.

This year I'm going to try using the "Tiger Cub Individual Advancement Record" which can be Googled up easily enough.

I'll have an individual record for each Tiger Cub, and once activity at Den Meetings will be handing out those individual records and having the Tiger Cub and Tiger Cub partner update the record to reflect completion of any Bobcat requirements or achievements.

Perhaps there can be a small reward of some kind for each Tiger Cub that completes a requirement.

I would then hold on to all the Tiger Cub Advancement records as a Den record, and arrange for awards as needed.


Any comments or refinements on this bright idea would be welcome.

We fell way behind on the tiger beads last year as well. If I had to do it over again, I would have made a Den Doodle, which each kid having a way to display their beads they earned on the doodle, like a strand per child. That way the kids can see their beads grow, but don't have to deal with it being on their uniform and since the leader controls the doodle, its easy enough to add beads there and make sure they don't fall off.