Our Pack

What are the ideals of Cub Scouting?

The Cub Scout ideals are expressed in the Cub Scout Promise, the Cub Scout Law of the Pack, and the Cub Scout Motto:

The Cub Scout Motto:

Do your best.

The Scout Oath, or Promise:

On my honor, I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake and morally straight.

How is Cub Scouting organized?

Cub Scouting uses terms and phrases taken from stories in The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling. Cub Scout leaders, parents and responsible adults with authority, are all called “Akela.” The Scouts are called Cubs, and they and their leaders are organized into small units called Dens. Dens are part of a larger Pack. A Pack is chartered by an organization - Pack 584 has been chartered by First Lutheran Church of Bothell since 1971. The Packs on the King County side of Bothell belong to the Northern Trails District, and Northern Trails District is one of 8 districts in the Chief Seattle Council. Chief Seattle Council serves Clallam, Jefferson, King, Kitsap and North Mason counties and is headquartered in Seattle.

Some additional information on Cub Scouting can be found at the BSA National Website and at our District Website.

Cub Scouting is for children currently in kindergarten through fifth grade, or rising in late spring to the first grade through fifth grade. Boys and girls do not have to go to any particular school or live in any particular area to join Cub Scouts with Pack 584. The choice of a Cub Scout Pack is usually a matter of where friends are joining and/or the convenience of the meeting location (in our case, First Lutheran Church of Bothell).

Contact information for other Bothell Packs can be found at the Northern Trails District Website. Information on Chief Seattle Council can be found at the Chief Seattle Council Website.

Dens are organized by grade, with age-appropriate programs and activities for each grade:

Syntax Description

Kindergarten Lion

First grade Tiger

Second grade Wolf

Third grade Bear

Fourth and fifth grade Webelos

Each Den is a group of at least four, but no more than twelve, children in the same grade. Each Den is led by an adult called the Den Leader (usually, but not always a Den parent), who in turn is assisted by other Den parents. When available, local Scouts BSA Troops also provides one or more older Scouts BSA Scouts to assist each Den as a Den Chief. Dens meet at times and places that each Den decides. Den Meetings usually take place about 2-3 times per month, at meeting places provided by First Lutheran Church of Bothell. Dens can also meet at someone’s home, at a school, or at some other location and time determined by the Den Leaders and parents. Den Meetings last about an hour, Den parents usually rotate bringing snacks/drinks to the meeting, and the Scouts work on various program activities, play games, and have fun.

Once a month, Pack 584 has a meeting of all the Dens in the Pack. These Pack Meetings are not just for the Scouts, but for the parents and siblings as well. It could therefore easily be called a Family Night. The monthly Pack Meeting/ Family Night takes place on the third Thursday of each month, starting around 7 PM at the First Lutheran Church of Bothell Fellowship Hall. The Pack Meeting lasts about an hour, and usually involves activities, games and fun, like the Den Meetings, but may also include songs and skits, ceremonies, and recognition awards for individual Cubs. The Pack 584 Pack Meeting/Family Night is led by the Cubmaster of Pack 584.

On the first Monday evening of each month, the adult parents and Pack and Den Leaders of Pack 584 have a meeting of the Pack Committee. The meeting of the Pack Committee is not restricted just to the Leaders, but is open to any parents in the Pack. The purpose of the Pack Committee is to plan and prepare for events, set Pack policies consistent with BSA national policies, and to support the Den Leaders and Pack Leaders. The actual dates and meeting times of the Pack Committee will be posted on the Pack Calendar Page.

Cub Scout parent information guide

The Boy Scouts of America publishes a very helpful Cub Scout Parent Information Guide pamphlet. We distribute these at our Join Scouting Nights to the extent we have them available. There is also an online English language version only of the Cub Scout Parent Information Guide.

Becoming a Den Leader and forming a Den

Many willing Scouts each year are unable to join Cub Scouting because an adult doesn’t volunteer to be a Den Lleader. Having a Den leader for a Den of Pack 584 Cub Scouts is absolutely critical, so let’s talk about what’s involved.

The Duties: A Den Leader meets weekly for about one hour with a Den of Cub Scouts. A Den can have anywhere from a minimum of four to a maximum of twelve Scouts. The Den Meeting is held at a meeting place provided by First Lutheran Church of Bothell, or at a place selected by the Den Leader. The time, place and frequency of Den Meetings is at the convenience of the Den Leader and families in the Den.

Support and Training: Pack 584 is committed to providing Den Leaders with the necessary training and support to carry out their duties. In addition to support from current Leaders and online Fast Start Leader Training and online Youth Protection Training, there are District-wide Cub Scout training opportunities that we strongly encourage Den Leaders to attend. – Pack 584 will pay the modest registration fees for any Leader completing the training. Pack 584 also provides helpful support publications free of charge to Den Leaders.

Starting in the Fall of 2010, Cub Scouting is promoting the Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guide as a new way of having successful Den and Pack Meetings. This program was originally called “Fast Tracks” when it was a BSA Pilot Program, but the program’s apparent success has moved it to the recommended mainline method of delivering the Cub Scout program.

Den Chiefs: If available, local Scouts BSA Troops will provide each Den with one or more older Scouts BSA Scouts to assist the Den Leader. These older Scouts BSA Scouts are called Den Chiefs, and are trained for this very special job.

It’s fun for the Leader, too! This is absolutely the best part of being a Den Leader. You’ll find that the Den Meeting time passes quickly, and that, if you let yourself, you’ll end up having as much fun as the Scouts.

The Excuses (NOT!)

I don’t have the time: Time is, of course, scarce for everyone. However, Pack 584 believes in Den Leaders working as a team in the Pack, to share the load. The Cubmaster, Asst. Cubmaster and other Den Leaders will be there to help when you need it, and you’ll find help among the other Den parents. In addition, Pack 584 has a very close relationship with local Scouts BSA Troops (the Scouting program for older boys and girls ages 11 through 17), and the Troops will provide the Pack assistance and expertise as needed.

I don’t know how: Unless you were a Cub Scout or Scouts BSA Scout, or have some other Scouting experience, it is entirely likely that you don’t know anything about how Scouting works. Don’t let this bother you. In addition to the support and training listed above, Scouting itself, and our District and Council, have all kinds of resources to help you succeed. All you need to bring to the table is a little time and a positive “I can do this” attitude.

Joining requirements for Pack 584

Cub Scouts – To join Pack 584, a youth candidate must: (1) be in kindergarten through fifth grade and between 5 and 10 years old, (2) is part of a Den with a Den Leader forming to receive them, or is joining an existing Den which is willing to add him or her as a member and (4) pays the fees to Pack 584, which are set out in the next section.

Parents – Our basic rule is that if your child joins Pack 584, so do you. Except for Den Leaders, parents of youth members are not required to submit an application nor pay any annual fee to participate in Pack activities with their children. Without solid parental participation, Dens cannot form, and Pack 584 cannot provide a quality program to the youth. It is in large part due to parental support and encouragement that our youth members advance in Scouting and realize their full potential. See the Leadership page for more details on how to participate.

Den Leaders and adult Scouters - Male and female adults over the age of 18 can join Pack 584 and the Boy Scouts of America as an adult Scouter (Den Leader, Assistant Den Leader, Committee Members, etc.) provided that his or her application is accepted by the Pack Committee and approved by the Boy Scouts of America. NOTE: All registered adult volunteers are now required to complete the online Youth Protection training even before submitting the application referred to next - the certificate of completing this online Youth Protection training has to be printed out and attached to the application. There is a $24 registration fee for adults (prorated for our charter year depending on the date of registration). Adult leader candidates must provide their social security numbers and submit to background checks which include searches for criminal convictions. The Boy Scouts of America will deny membership to adults with criminal convictions involving drugs, sex crimes, or violence. Den Leaders and other adult Scouters receive Scouting Magazine as part of their registration. Registered adult leaders are also eligible to participate in online and live Scouting training programs.

You can join Pack 584 online by going to the following url:

Scouting Application Form

If you have any questions or issues with how to join, please contact us via the Leaders page.

Forms and fees

Fees are often very confusing for new Scout families. The main reasons for the confusion are the timing of when fees are collected and how they are collected for different parts of the Boy Scouts of America organization. Hopefully, the Forms and Fees page will clarify how fees are collected.

Things your child needs right away

Once your child is registered in the Pack and the Den is formed, the Den Leader will get up with the Den parents to work out the Den Meeting schedules. Once this is done, your Scout will need two things right away to get involved with Pack and Den activities: (1) a Handbook for his or her grade level (Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear or Webelos); and (2) a Cub Scout uniform. The only uniforming requirement for Pack 584 members is the official Cub Scout shirt and Cub Scout neckerchief for their grade level. The Cub Scout uniform is worn at Den and Pack Meetings, and while traveling to and from camping trips.

Uniform by grade level:

The Lion Scout (kindergarten) uniform is a Lion t-shirt and hat. The official blue shirt is optional.

The Tiger Scout (first grade) uniform is the dark blue official shirt with the official orange Tiger Cub neckerchief.

The Wolf Scout (second grade) uniform is the dark blue official shirt with the official yellow/gold Wolf Cub neckerchief.

The Bear Scout (third grade) uniform is the dark blue official shirt with the official light blue Bear Cub neckerchief.

The Webelos Scout (fourth and fifth grade) uniform is a choice of the Den. Webelos Den members can decide to either wear the dark blue official shirt, or the khaki colored official shirt, or a combination of either of them. In either uniform choice, the official plaid neckerchief for Webelos is required. The Webelos “colors” are strongly suggested for the activity pins.

You can buy the uniform, handbook and other Scout supplies at the Mount Baker Council Scout Shop in Everett. The Scout Shop is located at the Mount Baker Council Service Center, 1715 100th Pl SE B, Everett, WA 98208, Telephone: 425-338-0380. You can also buy all of these things online at the BSA Online Store. Be sure to get the correct grade level handbook, and ALSO BE SURE THAT YOUR CHILD WRITES THEIR NAME IN THEIR HANDBOOK AS SOON AS HE OR SHE GETS IT!

Uniform Patches

In addition to the uniform shirt, you will also need to purchase and sew on/affix to the uniform the following patches: (1) a Chief Seattle Council patch; (2) the Pack numerals of 584 and (3) the Den number patch. The Den number is the number of your child’s Den, assigned by the Cubmaster. If the Den number hasn’t yet been assigned or you don’t know what it is, you can wait on getting the Den number patch until you’re sure about the Den number. For placement of patches, get a uniform insignia sheet from the Scout Shop or online.

Youth protection

The Boy Scouts of America has adopted strict policies, known as the Guide to Safe Scouting, to provide safety and security of its youth members. These policies are primarily for the protection of our youth members; however, many of them also serve to protect our adult leaders from false accusations of abuse. Click here for the online version of the current Guide to Safe Scouting.

In the front of each grade level handbook is a tear-out pamphlet entitled “How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse - A Parent’s Guide.” The reading of this tear-out pamphlet is a required part of your child’s advancement in the Cub Scouting program.

See also important new changes requiring all adult volunteers to have successfully completed the online Youth Protection Training above.

Cub Scout camping

Visit the Camping page for detailed information on Pack 584 camping.

Other fun Cub Scout things

There are so many fun things available for Cub Scouts, it’s hard to list them all. Also, the Cub Scouting program is designed so that Cubs at each grade level can do activities suitable for that age. Den activities include crafts, telling jokes and stories, learning about our country, and playing games (ESPECIALLY playing games!). Here are some activities at the Pack level that all Cub Scouts seem to enjoy:

Pinewood Derby: From a rectangular piece of pine, Cubs work with parents to shape, sand, paint and decorate a race car. The Pack gathers in January for the Pinewood Derby, where all Cubs race their cars on a special track rented by the Pack.

The Blue and Gold Banquet: All the families in the Pack gather for Scouting’s annual birthday party in February (or March) and celebrate Scouting. The Blue and Gold Banquet usually features good food and fellowship, usually potluck, and plenty of advancement recognitions.

Cub Scout Day Camp: In July, our District puts on a great Day Camp for Cub Scouts. At Day Camp, Cub Scouts can do extended activities, all day long, including activities such as BB-gun shooting and Archery that can’t be done at Den Meetings.

Religious Emblem Program: The Cub Scout Religious Emblem program offers a partnership between the child’s family, the family’s religious leaders, and Scouting, to explore age-appropriate faith issues. Scouting is strictly non-sectarian, so each faith partnering with Scouting has developed a curriculum and workbooks for its own Religious Emblem Award. Cub Scouts who complete their faith’s Religious Emblem program receive a Religious Emblem medal. As with the academic and sports loops, the choice of working on the Religious Emblem Award is completely optional with the Cub Scout. Follow this link for more information on the Religious Emblem programs.

BSA membership rules

The National Office of the Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, sets all of the overall policies of Cub Scout Packs and Scouts BSA Scout Troops in the United States, including such things as advancement requirements, uniforming, and joining requirements. All Pack adults and parents need to be aware that national BSA does have the ultimate right to revoke youth or adult membership or deny advancement to any Cub Scout or Scouts BSA Scout who does not comply with these BSA rules.

These national BSA positions include a belief in God. Virtually every religion is represented in Scouting. Each Cub Scout promises to live by the Cub Scout Promise (…do my duty to God…). BSA has interpreted this to mean that a Cub Scout or adult Scouter cannot be an avowed atheist or agnostic. The choice of religious preference by a Cub Scout or adult Scouter is of no consequence to the BSA or Pack 584, so long as that religious preference includes a belief in God. The Boy Scouts of America and Pack 584 do not define nor interpret the term, “God.” Interpretation of the term, “God,” is the role of the Cub Scout’s family and religious advisors.

You may voice your concerns over such policies directly with the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America by emailing them or writing a letter to the following address:

National Boy Scouts of America Foundation

1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane

Irving, Texas 75015-2079

Media Contact: (855) 870-2178