Keeping dad occupied and out of the way

I've seen two solutions that worked well to prevent the dads from taking over the pinewood derby. In one pack they handed out cars at pack meeting, gave the kids half an hour to build the cars, and then raced them afterward. In another, the elders quorum held their own races the week after the Cubs.

This month is Scouting Month, the anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. Thank you, Lord Baden-Powell!

Crash course

So last night was our pack's Pinewood Derby, which seemed to be a success for the most part.

Only two upset parents — the kids were all OK, although some were disappointed that their cars weren't the fastest. There were some amazing designs, including a Hershey's bar and a banana (both of which were extremely fast!). Only one car exploded. Well, not exactly exploded, but the back fell off and was beyond repair. And there was a divot in lane three that caused a few cars to fly off the track, jump the safety barrier and crash into the crowd. No injuries were reported, however. The cookies and chocolate milk seemed to make up for any bad feelings.

In other words, it was a normal Pinewood Derby...and now we're all planning our cars for next year!

It's all downhill from here

As tonight is our Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby, I thought it might be fun to take a look at Pinewood Derbies of the past.

Speed Racer!

The Pinewood Derby can bring out the best and the worst in Cub families. Sometimes a few of the dads forget that it's about the kids learning skills and having fun. It's also a popular topic for cartoonists (if not an obsession). Long live the pinewood derby!