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Cub Scout Pack 288
(West Haven, Connecticut)
 
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What is a Troop, a Pack, and a Den??


The Boy Scouts fall into three categories:
  • Boy Scouts (older boys),
  • Venturing Scouts (older boys and girls), and
  • Cub Scouts (elementary-aged boys)

Cub Scouts belong to a Pack. There are a few Cub Scout Packs in West Haven (Scout Unit link on the left of this page). Usually they associate with the different schools, but parents are free to choose a pack that is right for their family. Packs vary in size, meeting times, and activity level.

Each Pack is divided into Dens. The Dens are usually groups of 6-8 boys in the same age or grade level. The Dens have separate age-appropriate adventures and requirements for advancement. These regular meetings and outings are wonderful bonding experiences for the boys and their families. Many form lifelong friendships.

Once a month, all the Dens come together for a Pack meeting. This is a time for awards (we strive to constantly award the boys for their achievements), refreshments, announcements, ceremony, crafts, and games.

Throughout the year, we try to meet as both Dens and a Pack for activities, outdoor and indoor. Key word is = active! We want to keep our kids engaged and interested as they learn valuable life lessons and important social skills.

 


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Top 5 Reasons My Son is a Cub Scout



Sherry Smothermon-Short wrote a great article about the Top 5 Reasons My Son is a Cub Scout (article link below). Some of the greatest reasons for your son to join Cub Scouts are to strengthen the family bond and to teach your child valuable life skills. It is an amazing program. The West Haven Scouts strive to uphold these family-centric values and promote everything you see here:

Top 5 Reasons My Son is a Cub Scout

Safety, Activities, and Cost


All of the leaders in West Haven's Cub Scouts are parents or have been parents of Scouts. We get it. You want to make sure your child has fun and learns valuable lessons, but you are also concerned about how much it'll cost and how much time it'll take. You also want to make sure your child is SAFE.

Safety
Pack 288 and all of the Cub Scout and Boy Scout groups in West Haven firmly believe in the "Sweet Sixteen of Boy Scouts of America Safety". We train our leaders to prevent both physical and emotional harm. Every year when a Scout receives their new adventure book, there is a special pull-out book included that is included for the parent and child to review together. This is all about safety: in meetings, on adventures, and at home.

We like to celebrate our fun times in both conversation and picture sharing via private member groups. Both our Facebook group and member-only areas of this website are reserved for members of West Haven, CT Pack 288. Pictures posted to the public site are done so through consent from parents. (Consent is given in our health and information form.)

Schedule
Our pack schedule can be found on the activities tab on the left side of this site. Specific den activities, as well as details about pack activities and event registrations are on our event calendar of the members' area. Generally speaking, we have a pack meeting once a month, den meetings every week, and try to have a pack trip or activity once a month.

Cost
Registration is $100 for the year ($50 discount for siblings) and covers the pack charter, Scout registration, insurance, Scout books, and Scout merit awards. We have our main Scout popcorn fundraiser in the Fall to cover the costs of our blue and gold dinner celebration, pinewood derby, camping, Scout "class B" uniform shirts, prizes, crafts, and offsetting adventure costs. Some additional adventures may cost money on a case-by-case basis; we try to offset as much of these cost through fundraising.

The only additional cost is the uniform shirt, neckerchief, and starting patches (pack numbers, CT Yankee council patch, etc.), which is about $30. We recommend buying a larger than needed shirt that can be used throughout your Scout's time as a Cub.

We have a committee, which includes a treasurer. We will give you regular pack updates and on an annual basis send out our budget. The budget is also viewable by request at any time.

As always, you can contact our leaders via the link on the left or directly through email here.

10 Things Parents Should Know About Cub Scouts


Here is a great article that appeared on Geek Dad highlighting the new changes for Cub Scouting in 2015. Cub Scouts in West Haven are fully supporting these changes: strengthening the outdoor adventures, tying in STEM-based academics, and building upon an actively engaged community.

Here's the article: 10 Things Parents Should Know about Cub Scouts in 2015.