Okay; not sure we have solid thinking here, though it appears maybe on World Level there may be some success?

[skeptic]

 

Chipmunks???  Another expense for registrations?  

 

https://onscouting.org/2026/05/11/parents-and-scouters-get-ready-for-chipmunks/

[qwazse]

Good luck keeping beckets on four year olds!

[Tron]

As a stand alone program I dont see this taking off. Cant wait to hear my DE talk about the new great opportunity to start new units.

[qwazse]

15 hours ago, qwazse said:

Good luck keeping beckets* on four year olds!

*neckers

durn autocorrect

[Jameson76]

On 5/11/2026 at 6:15 PM, skeptic said:

 

Chipmunks???  Another expense for registrations?  

 

https://onscouting.org/2026/05/11/parents-and-scouters-get-ready-for-chipmunks/

Insert a "jump the shark" meme, this has the organization certainly heading in a new direction

Originally we only had Scouts, then Cubs came 20 years later, which was for 8-10 years olds.  In the 60's when I was in Cubs we did basic things but longed to be Scouts to able to do all the cool stuff.  Now it is veering heavily to a Family Program, the original idea to help youth develop and grow into independent individuals equipped to take on the real world and make decisions on their own seems have (or is) being cast aside.

SA (sorry I know we're not supposed to abbreviate the name of the organization that lives on abbreviations) is definitely moving heavily to family, moving away from the Scout led program and conceding that the program will be basically (now) 4 year olds to maybe 7th graders

[BetterWithCheddar]

I'm a dad / den leader just completing our 4th year of Cubs. We've still got Webelos (4th Grade) and AOL (5th Grade) to go. It's too much.

[Tron]

15 hours ago, BetterWithCheddar said:

I'm a dad / den leader just completing our 4th year of Cubs. We've still got Webelos (4th Grade) and AOL (5th Grade) to go. It's too much.

What is your pack like? What are your pack costs?

[BetterWithCheddar]

8 hours ago, Tron said:

What is your pack like? What are your pack costs?

I think our Pack is pretty typical, and possibly one of the better Packs in our area:

• ~40 kids
• 1 Pack Meeting, 1 Den Meeting, 1 Special Activity per month (September - May)
• Dues are ~$100 (inclusive of national and council fees)
• Popcorn is our only fundraiser and funds most of our program
• Additional cost to families is minimal (<$100/year), excluding summer camp
• 3 dads (including me) do 90% of the work.

The cost isn't a factor and I enjoy helping out, even though it can be taxing. My biggest concern as a den leader of soon-to-be 4th graders is that we have some kids heading into their 5th year of the program and it no longer excites them. Cub Scouts just seems to drag on ~ that's what I mean by "too much."