We had an amazing pack camp out the weekend of April 28 - 30th at the Arroyo Flats camping area at Garin Regional Park in Hayward! Scouts played games outside, went on a hike around the park, and sang songs and ate s'mores at the campfire. 

Special thanks to parents Matt, Heather, and Cher who organized the campout, to Tony our grillmaster who prepared Saturday dinner, to Doug who helped transport the pack camping materials, and to all the adults who pitched in to help throughout the weekend!

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. 

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 Advancement part of our site for details on all adventures. 

We had two Zoom information sessions to welcome prospective Scouting families to learn about our pack. If you missed the Zoom meetings and would like to learn more, please reach out to Jon Entwistle at cubmaster@pack296cubs.org.

So many opportunities for summer-time Scout fun! See our Pack Calendar for additional details, or find a list of all council events here:

• For Scouts that just completed 1st or 2nd grades, the Wolf and Bear Adventure Camp is a family camping trip where Scouts and their adult partners experience archery, BB guns, nature, crafts and much more!

• For Scouts that just completed 3rd or 4th grades, the Webelos Adventure Camp is an overnight camp just for Scouts. Multiple adventure available during this 5-day program.

• For all Scouts, multiple day camp options are available throughout the summer. Check out the links above. 

On July 2nd and 3rd the Warriors played along with the Heat, Lakers, and Kings as part of the California Classic. Special tickets were made available through the Scouts, and those that attended got some great seats. Go Warriors!

Our May 11th Pack meeting was the last one of the school year! We presented rank advancement badges to all those Scouts that earned them, watched a slideshow showing all the fun we've had as a pack this past year (thanks, Doug!), and finished with cupcakes for everyone. 

Thanks everyone for a great year!

We had our spring pack campout on April 22-24 at Hawk Ridge at Anthony Chabot. Activities included hikes, games like capture the flag, and of course skits and songs by the fire with s'mores and hot chocolate! Thanks to all that attended and helped. 

We had a great Pinewood Derby on February 26th at 10am at the KaiserAir hanger. Thanks to all the leaders and volunteers who made it a fun and successful event! Check out our Pack Facebook page for photos. 

On December 11th at 6-7pm at Oakland Ice Center we met as a pack to go ice skating! 

As part of the event Oakland Ice generously agreed to donate $8 of every ticket sold for the event to the Mayor’s Toy Drive. Thanks to everyone who attended and had some fun before the holidays. 

Our annual Scouting for Food drive happened November 6th - 13th! On November 6th we distributed door hangers to area households in Oakland letting them know about the drive. On November 13th we gathered donations of non-perishable foods, which will then be distributed to local food banks and pantries. 

If anyone would prefer to donate virtually, you can do so here: Oakland Scouting for Food Donations