We had a very fun and successful weekend for our fall campout! We went to Rancho Los Mochos Scout camp in Livermore, and had fun activities including a campfire, playing dungeons and dragons, and just generally having fun outdoors.

On Saturday September 30th, the district also held a special Target & Range Day, with Scouts participating in archery, bb guns, and slingshots. Special thanks to Mari Obledo who organized the range day, and Pack 296 parent Tim who ran the archery range. 

Our dens are beginning to meet! Please check your email for confirmation of where each den will meet. Den leaders work with their dens to determine a date and location for monthly den meetings. Want to know more about the adventures your Scout will work on this year? Look in your handbook or check out the Scouting Adventures part of our site for details on all adventures. 

On April 15th, Pack 296 went to the Oakland Coliseum to see the Oakland A’s play the New York Mets! Scouts were able to line up and walk the field in a parade of fellow Scouts, as well as receive an exclusive patch for the 2023 Oakland A’s Scout Day.

Go A's!

At our April pack meeting we took advantage of the good weather with an outdoor Scout skills relay race! After reviewing campcraft skills including knots like the square knot, two half hitches, and bowline, Scouts had to race through a series of obstacles showing their stuff! 

Special thanks to Clay Stafford who organized and led the meeting!

We had another great Pinewood Derby on January 28th at KaiserAir! Congratulations to all of the Scouts that participated, along with the adults, siblings, and friends who also made cars. We will be announcing and delivering awards and trophies at the March Blue & Gold Dinner pack meeting. 

Happy New Year! At our January pack meeting, Cubmaster Jon quizzed the Scouts on whether they could identify the poison oak out of a group of plant samples ("leaves of 3, let it be!"), with Scouts showing a kind attitude even when their friends got an answer wrong. Next, Scouts got their hands on some leaves to practice their nature drawing skills and make leaf rubbings. Finally, Scouts learned the importance to plan ahead and prepare for any outdoor adventure by first checking the weather, and then got to build their own weathervanes using straws and leaves. 

At our December meeting we challenged our Scouts to work together on the "marshmallow challenge." Dens competed to build the tallest structure out of spaghetti, string, and tape that could hold a marshmallow. Scouts had to be obedient and follow the rules of the challenge, and also avoid eating their marshmallow early! Our winning den built a 21-inch tower in 10 minutes! 

On December 4th we had our annual Ice Skate and Toy Drive event at Claremont Hotel's Five Palms Ice holiday rink. Thanks to everyone who joined us and especially to those families that donated a gift!

Our November Pack Meeting was a fun one!  On November 9th we had our annual Carnival hosted by the Bear Den. Scouts had a chance to participate in fun games and win tickets that were exchanged for upcycled prizes donated by our Pack families. We saw lots of cheerful faces playing games, getting prizes, and eating pizza and cupcakes. Thanks to Tony our Bear Den leader for organizing and for the Bear Den Scouts and families for helping.  

Our annual Scouting for Food drive was a success! On November 5th we distributed door hangers to area households in Oakland letting them know about the drive, and on November 12th we gathered donations of non-perishable foods, which have been distributed to local food banks and pantries. Our pack gathered more than 400 items, and the Peralta District gathered in total 3,723 pounds! Thanks to all the families and Scouts who came to help.