About Us
Where We Meet
We meet at Covenant United Methodist Church on Duval Road in northwest Austin. Most of our Cub Scouts are from Davis Elementary School and nearby private or charter schools.
Covenant United Methodist Church
4410 Duval Road
Austin, TX 78727
When We Meet
Pack 421 meets regularly during the school year (late August to late May).
Each Cub Scout typically attends two meetings per month:
Den meetings are usually the first Sunday of each month in the mid or late afternoon. At a den meeting, Cub Scouts of the same academic grade level meet to engage in age-appropriate activities and skills learning, led by a parent volunteer Den Leader. In younger dens (K and 1st grade), parents typically take turns leading the monthly den meetings.
Pack meetings are usually the second Sunday of each month, 4:00-5:15 PM, and are attended by all Cub Scouts of all grade levels (K-5th). At pack meetings we discuss upcoming campouts and special events; recognize achievements; and participate in a fun activity or game suitable for all grade levels. Pack meetings are led by a parent volunteer Cubmaster.
The dates of meetings can shift around or may be cancelled in months when there is major event such as a campout or a school holiday.
Parents are generally requested to be present at meetings to help the leaders with supervision and instruction, especially when their Cub Scout is younger and needs more personalized attention.
Camping & Overnight Trips
Pack 421 organizes three overnight trips per school year:
a fall campout (typically in late October)
a spring campout (typically in late March)
a museum sleepover (indoor camping) at a zoo, science center, or cultural center (typically in early November or early December, but can be in September or October as well)
Cub Scout camping is intended to be an easy introduction to camping.
Most of the campouts are at Texas state parks within a 1- to 1.5-hour drive from Austin. Total time away from home is about 24 hours: midday Saturday to midday Sunday. Families that want to camp an extra night on Friday are often welcome to do so.
Cub Scouts sleep in a tent with their own family. Younger and older siblings who are not Cub Scouts are welcome to attend. Don’t worry if your family has never gone camping; the Pack will help you to prepare and can find a tent that you can borrow. All meals are provided and served buffet style.
The museum sleepover is a bit different. To start, it is often a bit further away from Austin (e.g., NASA Space Center in Houston, USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, the Dallas-Ft. Worth Zoo), and the camping is typically indoors (sleeping bags in a big room). The venue provides all the food and organizes all the activities.
Families normally drive themselves to overnights, or they can carpool.
Note: Every adult who participates in an overnight trip is required to complete the BSA’s Youth Protection Training, which takes about 70 minutes online. This training certification is valid for 2 years. Additional requirements apply for adults who want to attend an overnight but are not the parent or legal guardian of a Cub Scout (e.g., grandparent); please inquire with Pack leaders.
Annual Special Events
Besides overnight trips, there are two other major events on the Pack calendar every year.
Pinewood Derby: Each year in late January or early February, our pack runs a Pinewood Derby for scouts to race small wooden cars that they’ve built from a kit with the help of parents. Some scouts aim to build the fastest car, while others focus on creative designs. We offer awards for both!
Blue & Gold Banquet: Also in February, our Pack hosts an awards banquet to celebrate the anniversary of Scouting and to recognize the oldest Cub Scouts who will be graduating from 5th grade to Middle School; they will continue their Scouting journey in a Scouts BSA troop where they will hopefully earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. We feed into several excellent Scouts BSA troops for boys and girls, ages 11 to 17.
Summertime Activities
There are no Pack or den meetings during the summer months (June-August) because many families travel or have other summer plans. But there are several opportunities for Cub Scouts who are in town to get together and have fun.
Pack Outings: Once a month during the summer, our Pack organizes an outing (effectively a play date) at a local venue such as a roller skating rink, ice skating rink, bowling alley, climbing gym, commercial cave; or we might tour the Texas Capitol, go to the top of the UT Tower, or visit a local museum. It is something different every time!
Summer Camps: The local Scouting council offers several day camps and resident camps during the summer. At these camps, Cub Scouts can swim, fish, shoot archery and BB guns, do scoutcraft, and many other fun activities. These opportunities are normally advertised in the early spring.
Advancement
Experience and achievements in Scouting are tracked using “ranks”. Progression through the ranks is called “advancement”.
In Cub Scouting, the requirements for each rank are organized into “adventures”, with each adventure covering a specific topic or set of skills, such as hiking, first aid, nature, or citizenship.
For each rank there are some adventures that are mandatory to earn the rank, and other adventures that are elective to allow Cub Scouts to indulge and discover new interests. It is usually possible to complete most of the mandatory adventures by attending all den meetings and Pack overnights. But in some cases it may be necessary to work on adventures at home with help from parents.
Advancement can also be earned by attending summer camps and other special events offered by our local Scouting district and council.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about advancement.
Uniforms
Cub Scouts wear a uniform to promote comradery and show achievements.
The formal “Class A” uniform is used for Pack meetings and special events There is also a “Class B” uniform (which is basically a Pack t-shirt) that is worn whenever the Class A uniform is not required.