Cub Scout Pack 250 embraces family-centered Scouting

Cub Scouting has changed a lot since the days of merit badges and all-boys packs. Today, it’s about families learning, exploring and serving together — and Cub Scout Pack 250 in Perryville is leading the way.
Pack 250, guided by Cubmaster Justin Amschler and Committee Chair Christina Puckett, is now a family pack, welcoming both boys and girls from kindergarten through fifth grade. Parents are not just spectators — they’re part of the adventure.
“It’s more of a Scout-parent partnership, especially with the kindergartners and the first graders,” Puckett said. “Parents are usually required to attend Cub Scout meetings with their children.”
Instead of the old badge system, today’s Cub Scouts take part in “adventures” — small, themed activities in areas such as first aid, good citizenship or outdoor skills.
When they complete an activity, they earn an adventure loop for their belt.
At a recent Sunday meeting at the Bank of Missouri Soccer Complex, Puckett led about 15 boys and girls — with their parents gathered around — through a hands-on first aid lesson. Scouts practiced cleaning a wound, applying antiseptic and covering it with a bandage. The goal, she said, is to teach practical life skills while encouraging kids and parents to learn together.
Amschler said the adventures also focus on values and service. “Being helpful to your community is a big thing,” he said. “There are valuable life skills, outdoor-related skills and activities such as hiking and camping. Service projects are something they are encouraged to do, and some of them have to do.”

One project already in the works is a flag retirement ceremony hosted by the pack’s Arrow of Light den. “We collect unserviceable flags from the American Legion and the VFW,” Amschler said.
“There were quite a few of them — it almost filled my trailer. We are going to work on the process of retiring those flags and have a proper flag retirement.”
This fall, Pack 250 families will head to Camp Llewellyn, near Silva, for a “Fall Cub-O-Ree Campout.”
The two-night event will give new Scouts and parents a fun, family-centered introduction to camping. The outing will include supervised activities, a council-approved setting and plenty of chances for families to bond around the campfire.
Recruitment is also on the calendar. The pack will host a sign-up event from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Rotary Club Pavilion in the soccer park. “We want any child, along with a parent or guardian, who’s potentially interested in joining Cub Scouts to come to the event and see some of the activities that we do,” Puckett said. “That will be a chance for them to see if they’re interested in joining our pack.”
And yes, no Cub Scout event would be complete without s’mores. Weather permitting, the kids will roast marshmallows and build their own sticky treats over a small fire pit.
For Amschler, Puckett and Pack 250, the mission is simple: help children grow in character, strengthen families and make Scouting fun. “Cub Scouting is about learning together,” Amschler said. “It’s about preparing kids for life — and parents get to be right there alongside them.”