Cub Scouting is fun for the whole family!
Cason McSparrin is a 10-year-old fourth grader at Bailey Elementary. He joined Cub Scouts in November of 2022 to meet new friends & learn new skills.
His winning car design for the 2023 Pinewood Derby was inspired by his love of technology, specifically Apple products. He enjoyed designing his car, the MACsparrin Racer, with help from his mom & dad.
Cason is very proud to represent Pack 840 as the Grand Champion of the 2023 Owasso City-wide Pinewood Derby!
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, Pack 840 had a very busy but fun day! We were in the Owasso Christmas Parade! This year’s theme was “Sweet Candy Christmas” and there were so many neat floats and decorations. As our scouts started to show up in their Christmas décor, around 8 a.m. behind the Hobby Lobby shopping center, there was so much excitement. To watch this group of kids from all scout ranks talking, laughing and hanging out with each other before the parade started was wonderful.
As the parade started, candy bags were handed out and we lined up with 2 scouts holding our “PACK 840 CUB SCOUT” banner. As we walked, the Scouts handed out candy to the spectators while the adults handed out flyers for the food drive being held later in the day. When we reached the end of the parade, the scouts were able to watch as the rest of the floats and entries as they went by. What an amazing experience for our scout!
Afterward, it was time to get set up for the food drive which was from 12pm-4pm. This is our annual community outreach/service project that supports our charter organization for Pack 840 – Faith Lutheran Church. Their Community Food Bank Community Service (faithlutheranowasso.org) impacts the community directly by providing food bags to those that need a helping hand by having food for themselves and their family.
A lot of work goes into organizing this event and Mrs. Vanderpool did a terrific job. In front of the church, the scouts and adults held up signs and waved at the traffic going by to get their attention. When a vehicle pulled in the parking lot, the scouts collected the donation with a smile and a thank you! While enjoying hot cocoa and a snack, the scouts had the opportunity to spread some Christmas joy by filling out cards that were delivered to a local senior adult community care center in Owasso.
This year we camped at Cub World on the John Zinc Ranch. Our council hosts a fall campout they call the spoo-ko-ree. It’s a great place to get the whole family out and experience cub scout camping at a really nice facility. This year there were over 800 campers. We headed out early Saturday morning and arrived at the ranch gate at 7:30 am. We drove for what seemed like miles through the ranch before arriving at our campsite. Once we had set up camp and arranged our gear it was time for assembly and opening flags. After wards the scouts get to experience archery, bb gun shooting, survival of the apocalypse, flag retirement etiquette, pumpkin painting, and scavenger hunting.
We shared a food resembling substance in the mess hall, before setting up for the evening campfire. Scouts had some time to explore the pirate ship and the boulders after diner, where they found a brown tarantula.
The evening campfire was a good time. We heard jokes and skits from the different packs and camp staff. They even let me sing a goofy song.
Sunday morning bright and early we had pancakes and sausages, coffee and hot chocolate with our Pack before heading up to the fire bowl for Sunday vespers. After that it was break camp and head home. The weather was absolutely perfect and everyone had a real good time.
It’s Cub Scout Popcorn time! I’m Kathy, the Pack 840 Pocorn Kernal, and to help get ready for this year’s sales I interviewed Nick, our top selling scout from 2021.
Me: Nick, what Cub Scout rank are you and how many years have you been selling popcorn to help raise funds for all your scouting activities?
Nick: 2nd year Webelos and this is my 4th year selling popcorn.
Me: What do you like most about selling popcorn?
Nick: Working with my friends to raise money for our pack and the prizes (of course!).
Me: Our pack sales goal for 2022 is $15,000. What is your personal sales goal for this year?
Nick: $2,000
Me: And finally, what is your favorite Cub Scout activity?
Nick: Helping everyone and my second favorite is games at den meetings.
This year’s sale runs through the end of October. Contact your favorite scout to order or text me at 9186944288. You can also order online or find us around Owasso on weekends!
Thank you for supporting Scouting!
Kathy
Pack 840 Popcorn Kernal
We had an amazing time at Aquatics camp at Zink Ranch’s Z-Base. We had tremendous fun but also learned so much along the way. Which I believe is the hallmark of Scouts! We learned how to observe water safety on so many levels. Whether it’s swimming, canoeing or even how to conduct ourselves on a motor boat; it was all covered.
We started with swim tests on the first day. It was a great way for Oliver to gain perspective on his strengths and weaknesses in the water while receiving advice from a veteran life guard.
The second day we took to the lake for some canoeing! We walked through how to control the vessel in and out of the water, what to expect and how to properly fit our life vests. Oliver and I carried the canoe roughly 100 yards to the lake. He was a bit worn after that but amped to get on the water. Once familiar, we ran a few races and had some free time to explore.
From there we had a tour of the lake on a pontoon. Oliver and the other boys took the down time to talk and take in the sights. There is actually a lot of history beneath the water as Skiatook Lake is man-made. Who knew there was a NASCAR test track at the bottom??
Fishing was next on the list. Though there weren’t any catches to speak of, the boys had a great time to goof off a bit and enjoy each other on the dock.
After lunch, Oliver learned about life saving water skills in the pool. We saw first hand how to recognize when someone might be in trouble, how to confirm this, what he can do to help and when it’s time to get help if he cannot.
Through all this there was plenty of free swim time including a climbing wall at the deep end! I think Oliver really surprised himself with how far he made it up the wall. I was proud how well he took the 100 degree heat we faced without much complaining. Definitely stayed hydrated the whole time! Our shelter was rough compared to what he was used to but again, he did not complain. It was an amazing trip and Oliver is looking forward to more of them in the year to come!
In early April of 2022, Owasso Pack 840 ventured to Greenleaf State Park for our Spring Campout! For Ian and I, this was our first real tent-camping experience outside of our own backyard. We are typically more of the RV-camping persuasion, however we had a great time in our tent and spending time with the pack.
After arriving and setting up our tent in the typical Oklahoma spring wind, we settled in and had some lunch and the kids spent some time playing games and familiarizing themselves with the campground. This included some free time to just be kids outdoors, and some more organized activities put together by our leaders.
In the afternoon, the Webelos adventured into the woods for a short hike to identify some plants & trees they’d learned about during prior den meetings. Each of the kids took a turn at leading the hike, and we circled back to camp in preparation for an exciting evening.
Back at camp, the Scouts took some time to recover from the hike, and we started to gather at the campfire for dinner, skits, and even got to participate in ceremony of retiring an American Flag. After some more games and stories, we all settled back into our tents for an eventful evening amongst the Oklahoma storms!
While we had a stormy evening, everyone made it through safely (and mostly dry). The next morning we had breakfast together and loaded up our tents after a fun-filled and successful Spring Campout!
I am Jared, the Webelo (4th Grade) Den Leader. Our scouts had many adventures this year in scouting. One of the most popular was at OSU Medical Center visiting a real laboratory. Our Scouts met with Dr. Champlain for a close up look at how medical professionals are trained. We saw some high-tech robots that the students work on, and learned about how infectious diseases are studied in a controlled environment.
“I liked the lab visit and the medical robots at OSU Medical Center.”
Levi
We also had a chance to see a number projects currently in construction, and received a glimpse into the distant past. The premise of the visit was to satisfy requirement 2 of the Science Adventure. We are winding down our year now, and looking forward to a spring campout.
“The biohazard room at the OSU lab was my favorite.”
Ian
“The lab was fun, we even got to see some dinosaur bones”
Chase
“Racing… I like the Pinewood derby and building my car”
Conner
“I like dodgeball and Ga-Ga ball at the weekly meetings, and the air rockets”
Nick
“I liked collecting edible plants on the campout”
Oliver
“Swimming at Spavinaw Creek was the best”
Grant
“I liked selling popcorn and cooking out at Spavinaw Creek”
Marshall
This is Ian’s dad, Jay. Ian had struggled to find something he was passionate about until we decided to give Scouts a shot. Our family has always been active, and often that means being outdoors. We camp, and really enjoy being out in nature, so his mom and I thought it would be a great option for him. As a way to get Ian’s perspective on Scouts, I’m did a quick interview so you can get insight into his thoughts.
A: I jumped the fence and joined in on a campfire at our neighbors house, and realized some of my friends were in scouts. We had s’mores, and played games, and it was a lot of fun.
A: I was kind of excited about seeing what Scouts would teach me. I thought that we would play games, and I would get to make new friends. I also already knew some of the kids, so I wasn’t nervous.
A: I really like playing games like GagaBall and Four Square, and building air rockets was a lot of fun!
A: I liked the medical adventure, because you never know when you might need to know how to help in an emergency.
A: I want to shoot a bow and arrow, and going camping with the Pack.
As a parent, it has been great to watch my son grow in his confidence and independence through the variety of Scout adventures. It seems he’s not run into the blockers he had with things like baseball, soccer, and taekwondo, and I have to say the environment of support demonstrated by the Pack really makes my wife and I feel comfortable. Ian goes to meetings ready to learn and have fun with his Scout family.
We hope to see you at a Den meeting one day!
– Jay
Owasso Cub Scouts Pack 840