Cub Scout Pack 289 - Springfield, Missouri
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 | Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. It is a year-round family program designed for boys who are in the first grade through fifth grade (or 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently, Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA's three membership divisions. (The others are Boy Scouting and Venturing.) Pack 289 has been serving boys in scouting since 2000. |
In addition to the values and goals of Cub Scouting listed below, we are also about having fun. Check out some of our Recent Pack events!
Cub Scout Core Values
- Citizenship: Contributing service and showing responsibility to local, state, and national communities.
- Compassion: Being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others.
- Cooperation: Being helpful and working together with others toward a common goal
- Courage: Being brave and doing what is right regardless of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences.
- Faith: Having inner strength and confidence based on our trust in God.
- Health and Fitness: Being personally committed to keeping our minds and bodies clean and fit.
- Honesty: Telling the truth and being worthy of trust.
- Perseverance: Sticking with something and not giving up, even if it is difficult.
- Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best in all situations.
- Resourcefulness: Using human and other resources to their fullest.
- Respect: Showing regard for the worth of something or someone.
- Responsibility: Fulfilling our duty to God, country, other people, and ourselves.
Educational Goals:
- The program teaches boys a complex of moral and ethical traits that promote self-reliance, self-discipline, self-confidence and self-respect.
- We teach young men the duties, obligations, privileges and functions of citizenship.
- We promote healthy, drug free, growth and developing physical skills.
- We practice mental skills of judgment, problem solving, concentration and imagination.
Citizenship training:
- From the very beginning, Scouts are taught to love, and do their duty to their country.
- Citizenship is taught in many ways: to understand how government works, to participate in *representative government, to handle responsibilities.
- We expect each Scout to grow up to be a valuable member of his community.
Character development:
- We expect all members to do their best, to help other people, and to be trustworthy.
- As the boy grows older, we expect him to live by the Scout Oath and Law at all times.
- No activity, no course of action is acceptable if he violates these ideals.
Recent Pack Events
October 3-4, Pack Fall Campout, Lake Springfield
We had awesome weather for an awesome fall campout at Lake Springfield. We shared the camp with Pack 210 and joined together for the scouts to do foil pack cooking and five different scouting stations (first aid, sports, knot tying, orienteering and outdoor essentials).
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September 27, Bois D'Arc Conservation Area's Great Outdoors Day
Our pack had many dens show up to enjoy this great day of outdoor activities, with at least 16 scouts participating. There were more than a handful of fish caught, catfish and bluegill that I saw, then released. There were specific scouting stations covering knot tying, leaf rubbing, animal identification and seed gardening to name a few. The tiger den took a nature hike and learned identified wildlife sounds and several Missouri tress and plants. There was also a loud demonstration of a turkey net being shot, capturing some life sized decoys. Some of the boys were able to take a short canoeing class and had races. I know the archery range was also a highlight for many of our scouts. All in all, I think everyone involved had 'Fun with a purpose'!
August 24, Pack 289 Big Swim
What's better on a hot summer day than an evening at the pool. We had a number of scouts, families, and friends gather at Lakewood Village Pool to play, swim and splash. The boys all seemed energized by summer vacation and here happy to see each other again.
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August 22, Family Fun Fair and Insect-A-Rama
Several scouts attended the Family Fun Fair to learn about healthy lifestyles and fun activities to do. We did jumping jacks, went to jail, ate ice cream (OK, so it was not ALL healthy!) and answered family related quiz questions for goodies. The day was getting late, so we had to quickly move out to make it to the Insect-A-Rama at the Springfield Nature Center. There the boys learned about dung beetles, luna moths, preying mantis and a variety of other bugs native to Missouri.
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July 4, Springfield Independence Day Parade
June 19-21, Cub Scout Residents Camp, Frank Childress Scout Reservation (FCSR)
For those of you who did not get a chance to go, boy did you miss a GREAT time. It was an excellent camp with great weather. We did not experience the severe weather that Springfield had, and lots of sunshine. It did rain in and briefly hail on in the middle of the first night, just enough to expose the boys to something other than "fair weather camping," something they need to be exposed to.
The food was good at the dining hall, and they all enjoyed when we cooked hamburgers, potatoes, carrots and spices in a foil pack over the coals of the campfire. The boys assembled all the fresh ingredients and made their own foil packs. In addition, we had apples and cinnamon foil packs and cooked chocolate chips and marshmallows inside a banana (in the peel) in foil over the coals.
We swam, made neat crafts, learned about rocks and minerals, did archery and bb's, made "attacks" with water sponge balls on the other team hiding in the fort and later got "attacked" ourselves. We sang songs as we walked to different activities, and even went on a "treasure hunt" that the boys were pretty impressed with (they found the treasure chest). We laughed a lot at the skits during two nights of campfire, and got laughs at the skits that we did, as well. The boys were awed by the sword fight between the captain and a mutinous pirate, and they laughed when the mutineer had to walk the plank into the pool the next day. The boys were very respectful and quiet as the campfire ended with a U. S. flag retirement ceremony. There was swimming and fishing for trout, too. Along the way, the boys also learned a bit of being teamwork and responsibility in helping take care of our campsite and prepare the food we ate at the foil packs. They cleaned up tables and swept in the dining hall. We also had a water balloon fight in our campsite.
They did a flag ceremony in front of the whole camp. They properly hoisted the very large U.S, Missouri and Kansas state flags, and the "pirate flag" all at one time. All the boys got a certificate and camp patch.
June 4-6, Day Camp
May 2-3, Pack 289 Advancement Ceremony
This year, we were fortunate enough to be able to have our Advancement Ceremony and overnight campout at historical Hulston Mill park. It was a beautiful area for camping. We hiked up to source of a local spring and took note of animal tracks and local wildlife and fauna.
The scouts were honored for their achievements at the present rank and then were presented with the tools and symbols to continue their progress in cub scouts; the next rank's neckerchief and book. Congratulations to our new Wolfs, Bears, Weblos and Weblos2s!
April 26, Conservation Project, "Trail Chippers"
Pack 289 helped the Springfield Conservation Nature Center with their Earth Day Work Project: Trail Chippers. We came ready to work with shovels, wheelbarrows, gloves and strong muscles. The project was to transport and spread a nice layer of recycled wood chips on the trails around the Nature Center. This project reinforced what our scouts already know about recycling, erosion control and the importance of respecting our planet.
After rechipping the trails, several of our scouts also assisting with planting trees along the riparian zone at the Nature Center to provide wildlife cover and to reduce erosion.
April 25, Pack 289 Pinewood Derby
"I wanted to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition." Don Murphy, Founder of the Pinewood Derby in 1953, Manhattan Beach, CA Cub Scout Pack 280C
This event always gets the boys motors running! We had a great turnout for this year's Pinewood Derby from our scouts, families and friends. We saw many unique designs and presented the boys with certificates of accomplishment for their cars. The track itself cooperated nicely after a little TLC given previously by the parents of our pack. The cars ran fast, straight and true.
April 11-12, Parent-N-Pal Campout at Camp Arrowhead
We had 11 boys who attended the Parent-N-Pal campout at Camp Arrowhead in spite of a little wind, snow and cold weather. Nine spent the night in camp. I didn't hear one boy complain, though. They were too busy. They did BB's, archery, a nature hike, flag ceremonies and astronomy, plus had a hot dog feed. Our boys also handled the entire ceremony for retiring of the camp's U. S. flag at the end of the day.
I also want to say the the boys were very well behaved, overall, at the camp and showed the proper dignity and respect during flag ceremonies, and while listening to the instructors at the various stations. If you had a boy there, please thank them again for me for being responsible and showing good citizenship.
Previous Pack Events
Check out previous fun events Pack 289 has put on.