About Cub Scouts:
What is Cub Scouting?
Cub Scouting provides a year-round family program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The program offers fun and challenging activities that promote character development and physical fitness. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Why Join Cub Scouting?
- Cub Scouting can assist you in developing children who grow into people with a good feeling about themselves and a genuine concern for others
- Cub Scout-age children benefit developmentally from belonging to a small group of peers. Through this sense of belonging, children build self-esteem and learn to get along with others. Cub Scouting also focuses on character development through the scout oath and scout law.
The Cub Scouting program takes place at two levels. Your child will be a part of a den, a small group of Cub Scouts in the same grade level who meet to work on adventures and earn badges. Dens are arranged by grade level. Lions through Webelos will be mixed gender groups and Arrow of Light (AOL) dens will be same gender.
The pack contains all the dens. As a pack, children participate in several fun activities during the year such as a pinewood derby, Blue and Gold Celebration, summer camp, hikes, camping, and service projects.
Your family joins in on the program with your child, and you help them along the way. As your child grows, your role will change with them, from hands-on involvement to guiding and coaching.
About our Pack:
Pack 623 is based out of Portola Hills and typically serves children from the local elementary school, Portola Hills Elementary, but we do accept children from other areas. Our Pack is comprised of Lions (Kindergarten), Tigers (1st grade), Wolves (2nd grade), Bears (3rd grade), Webelos (4th grade) and Arrow of Light (AOL - 5th grades). We currently have around 34 kids spanning Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Sponsored by American Legion Post 862 of the Saddleback Valley, Pack 623 was founded in 1996 to better serve the needs of boys and girls living in Portola Hills. We are have been a "Gold" Quality Unit since we were first eligible for the honor and take great pride in maintaining this status. In addition, we are a 100% Boy's Life Unit. We have several BSA Troops with whom we work closely in order to expose our scouts to the adventure that Scouting has to offer as they grow and mature.
A typical schedule for our Pack is:
- Monthly Pack meetings (the Pack is all kids, ages Kindergarten through 5th grade).
- Usually on the 4th Monday of the month or occasionally on the weekend for events (Pinewood Derby, Blue & Gold Party, Space Derby).
- Additional Den meetings (grade-level group)
- Usually meets an additional one or two times during the month to work on "adventures". Den meeting dates and times are set by the Den Leader. Younger kids only need to meet about once a month, but Webelos may need two meetings a month to complete the adventures.
- Hiking Club and Service Projects
- Optional Pack hikes about once a month, alternating between Saturday and Sunday mornings.
- Service projects a few times a year.
Interested in joining scouts? Scan the code below or click the link to submit an interest form:
Parent Participation:
Cub Scouting means family involvement!
Scouting aims to foster positive interaction between parents and their sons and daughters. There is no substitute for active parent participation, and your child's success in scouting requires it. Yes, this takes time, but your efforts will be rewarded by the growth you see in your boy or girl, and by the shared adventures you have as a family. As a member of Pack 623 you will be supported by our community of families and the Pack and Den leaders.
In Cub Scouts, it is the job of parents, supported by the Den Leaders, to bring the Scout through the various requirements in the handbook so that he or she can move to the next level. Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cubs, particularly, will need adult assistance at home to achieve their goals. Den meetings alone will not cover all of the tasks required for advancement.
What about Meetings?
Den meetings are held once a month with an additional activity sometimes planned. Den parents set the time and place for Den meetings. We consider these meetings to be parent/scout events and parent attendance and involvement is the norm. Scouting advancement, learning, and fellowship is the focus of these meetings.
Our Pack has monthly Pack Meetings on the fourth Monday of each month starting at 6:30pm. There are some exceptions based upon the school calendar. The Pack Meetings are an opportunity for the various dens to come together and have fun as the Cub Masters lead them through fun activities. We also try to have monthly Pack events and families are welcomed at all events. Typical events include: Camp-outs (Fall and Spring), Space and Pinewood Derbies, Blue & Gold Celebration and Summer Day Camp, as well as various community service events throughout the year including Coastal Cleanup and Day of Service.
Pack Committee (planning) meetings are held monthly, usually on the third Thursday, typically over Zoom. Parents are always welcome to attend.
What is required of the Parents?
In addition to helping your scout complete their advancement requirements, our pack asks each family to commit to one of our volunteer roles each year, or join the leadership corps as a pack committee member or scout leader.
We are 100% volunteer run, we depend on families to make our activities a success. Our activities are a lot of fun but take volunteers to make them successful. More to the point, it takes you to make them successful. It is normal to be reluctant to commit to something new, but our Pack leadership and your fellow parents will help you with ideas, training, and support. You can be a Den leader! You can lead an event! All it takes is the willingness to take the daring leap forward. Your kids will love your involvement, and carry their memories of scouting with you for a lifetime. We will be asking for everyone to help out at least a little or to take on a small task so that the work is shared.
We believe that every Cub Scout deserves a trained leader. Scouting is an excellent learning organization for the parents as well as the Scouts, and you don't need a background in scouting to get started. The Orange Country Council provides Den and Pack Leader training courses open to all parents in the Spring and Fall. We need trained people to go on our camping trips and conduct our activities. We also encourage all parents to take the free online Youth Protection course, which is mandated for all our official pack leaders.