Each den meeting focuses on a different topic such as hiking, nature, science, citizenship, first aid, and sports. We dissect owl pellets and learn about the different owls native to California. We sample new-to-us foods like shrimp chips, dragon fruit, and lasagna-flavored crickets and talk about the importance of being open to new flavors and experiences. We cook dinner for a local homeless shelter and hear from one of the employees there about the challenges of homelessness. The curriculum builds on itself year over year, providing new challenges like knife skills, fire starting and safety, and outdoor cooking as children mature.

Pack meetings are more focused on fostering community among scouts and their families. Activities include Pinewood Derby (each scout designs and builds their own car to race), a campfire (with songs and skits performed by scouts), and a mini-Olympics (with traditional events like tricycle racing). For a more complete list of pack activities, see activities.springerpack36.org.

Cub Scouts is not a drop-off activity. Parents accompany their scouts to a monthly den meeting (~1 hour), a monthly pack meeting (~1.5 hours), and an optional monthly hike (~2 hours). The program is intended to be inclusive of the whole family, so you’ll often find siblings (both older and younger) as well as extended family at meetings and events.

Cub Scouts is volunteer-run, so parents play an active role and we expect everyone to take on a volunteer role and contribute at least three hours per year to the pack. Parents take turns running den meetings, help organize pack activities, or help out behind the scenes managing logistics. See roles.springerpack36.org for a description of the pack leadership roles and activities.springerpack36.org for a list of the events we put on (and need help with!) each year.