In 1952, Don Murphy, Cub Master for Pack 280C in Manhattan Beach, CA wanted to create an activity he and his young Cub Scout son could do together. At 10 years old his son was too young for the Soap Box Derby cars that the older kids built, so Don decided they should make a model car together. Thus began the Pinewood Derby, an annual Cub Scout event where boys and their dads desperately try to find a friend with a band saw so they can take a block of wood and turn it into a fun racer. This years race featured all kinds of interesting designs and we had some really close races.
Congratulations go out to Luke for having the fastest car in Pack 224. He will go on to represent us and we know he’ll do great!
The Cub Scouts visited Publix in November and had a great time. They learned quite a bit how supermarkets function and how different departments do their jobs. Oh yes, they also had some fun, as you can see by the pictures below….
We had our first Court of Honor for the new year on October 4. What an event! The boys received their belt loops from the CLAW event as well as patches for those that advanced in the ranks late last year. As usual, Mr Bruce was there with his video camera…..
Last week the cub pack went bowling and had a great time. We had a wonderful turnout at Strike Zone. Mr. Lee, the manager held a mini clinic for the boys and taught them how to aim for the arrows. He also showed them how to mark their spots and approach the foul line. After the boys ran through the line a couple times, Mr. Lee raised the gutter guards and the Cubs split into their dens to roll two games. All the boys that attended earned the bowling belt loop.
On September 20, we visited the local fire station for a tour and boy did we have fun! We had close to 30 kids in attendance between the Cubs and their siblings.We got a tour of the fire house itself, including the living and dining areas and a safety talk. Just as we were finished with that Capt Tony (a former Boy Scout himself) and two other fireman returned to the station and we got tours of the fire truck and medical rescue truck. The kids even got to shoot a hose! Definitely an experience that will not be forgotten. Special thanks to Mr, Bruce for the video.
On September 17 Cub Scout Pack 224 participated in this years CLAW (Cub scout Loop Advancement Workday) Many packs in the District had booths where the boys could learn new skills and earn belt loops. Several of our cubs attended and earned lots of belt looks. We taught the Skateboarding belt loop at our booth and it was constantly packed! Special thanks to Dylan, Isaac and Philip for displaying lots of Good Will and helping other scouts learn to skateboard all throughout the day!
Our first meeting for this year was quite successful. We had 15 new Cub Scouts and 8 returning from last year. We now have a nice distribution of boys for each den level. The meeting included a game of giant Jenga, an explanation of the flag ceremony and some of the requirements for each Den. In addition, Mr. Bruce, an experienced Cub leader whose children have grown has volunteered to help with the pack.
Cub scouts is about learning and having fun, and often the two go hand in hand. Our last two meetings were prefect examples of this. The boys completed several more steps towards obtaining their ranks and earned more belt loops, all while having lots of fun. They learned about geography, astronomy, photography and ultimate frisbee. They learned to twist balloon swords and brushed up on the cub scouts basics (the promise, the oath, etc) while popping balloons by sitting on them. What could be better than that?
On January 25, the Cub Scouts of Pack 224 had their Pinewood Derby. There was plenty of excitement in the air as the boys and their families watched the races. Each boy had a special car that he had designed and each was very unique. Congratulations to Kenny for a stunning come-from-behind victory. Everyone had a great time at the main race and all the freestyle races after that! The dads even had a some fun putting the track together.
One of the most fun meetings we had this year had the Cub Scouts making and racing paper airplanes. After their scheduled activites to earn their ranks, Mr. Joe brought in directions and paper for a few different designs, some for speed and some for long flight times. The boys made one of each and had a contest. Congratulations to Jake and Jordan – the winners of the two contests!
