Meeting plan

Lion / Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion Den Meeting Plan

Mountain Lion is a required outdoor Lion adventure. Scouts identify and show how to use the Cub Scout Six Essentials; take an outdoor walk of at least 20 minutes carrying them and identify natural and human-made things with an adult partner; discover what S.A.W. means; and sort common local animals into domesticated and wild. The official page uses the wordi.

Supported requirements

1, 2, 3, 4

Adventure: Mountain Lion
Rank: Lion (kindergarten)
Status: Required
Selected activities: Six Essentials show-and-tell; 20-minute outdoor exploration walk; official S.A.W. discovery activity; local wild/domestic animal sort
Suggested meeting duration: 60 minutes
Estimated leader preparation: 30-50 minutes to check the route, weather, adult coverage, participant needs, essential-item examples, and official S.A.W. explanation; allow 10 minutes for cleanup. Assumes up to six Scouts with adult partners and a nearby accessible route.

About this adventure

Mountain Lion is a required outdoor Lion adventure. Scouts identify and show how to use the Cub Scout Six Essentials; take an outdoor walk of at least 20 minutes carrying them and identify natural and human-made things with an adult partner; discover what S.A.W. means; and sort common local animals into domesticated and wild. The official page uses the wording “Discover what S.A.W. means”; this plan does not guess the acronym’s expansion. See the adventure page for approved plans and handouts..

Safety and respect

• Before the walk, review the official Mountain Lion guide, SAFE Checklist, age-appropriate activity guidance, and weather resources linked there. Review participant health information through the approved process.
• Use the buddy system and active adult supervision. Confirm route access, accessibility, weather, hydration, and allergy response before leaving.
• Carry the Six Essentials: filled water bottle, small first-aid kit, whistle, flashlight, sun protection, and trail food. Adults manage first-aid supplies and allergy-related medication.
• Stay on the approved path and observe without picking plants, disturbing animals, or approaching unknown animals.
• Use the official handbook or activity instructions to teach the S.A.W. meaning. Do not invent its wording. If the leader cannot verify the explanation, pause that requirement and do not claim it complete.

Meeting preparation

Overall preparation effort: Medium because the required 20-minute outdoor walk needs route, weather, health, adult-coverage, and accessibility checks, plus Six Essentials for each participant. A nearby familiar route keeps coordination manageable but does not remove safety checks.

• Review the official adventure page’s required safety preparation, including weather training and participant health-record guidance.
• Confirm a safe 20-minute accessible route with permission and a weather decision plan. Reschedule if conditions are unsuitable.
• Bring or verify the Six Essentials for each Scout and adult as required by the event plan; do not assume families own all items.
• Locate the official S.A.W. explanation in the handbook or current activity resource before the meeting. The referenced Kim’s Game directions are unavailable; use only an activity with verified official instructions and safety guidance.
• Prepare animal picture cards showing common local animals, including examples of wild and domesticated animals.

Supplies

• Cub Scout Six Essentials: water, small first-aid kit, whistle, flashlight, sun protection, trail food
• Official resource that explains S.A.W.; one whistle per Scout if required by that activity
• Animal picture cards or photos of common local animals
• Route plan, weather check, and required adult/event supplies handled by the leader

Pre and post meeting activities for scouts

Before

Bring a Lion adult partner and appropriate outdoor clothing. Families may privately notify the leader about accessibility or health considerations through the usual secure process.

After

No additional work is needed if the Scout completed the walk and all other activities. If weather or access interrupts the 20-minute walk, repeat the full required walk with a den, pack, or family, carrying the Six Essentials and identifying natural and human-made things with the adult partner.

Completion checklist

• Requirement 1: Scout identified all six Cub Scout Essentials and showed what to do with each item.
• Requirement 2: Scout completed at least 20 minutes exploring outdoors with the Six Essentials and identified natural and human-made things with the adult partner.
• Requirement 3: Scout discovered what S.A.W. means using the verified official explanation. Do not mark complete if the source was unavailable.
• Requirement 4: Scout identified common local animals and separated them into domesticated and wild.

Sample Agenda

Leader notes and talking points

Welcome and opening (0:00-0:05)

• Set up: Keep the group with adult partners and confirm the route and weather remain suitable.
• Say: “Today we will prepare for the outdoors, take a walk, and learn about local animals.”
• Ask: “What helps us stay together on a walk?”
• Do: Explain the buddy system and that adults provide active supervision.

Six Essentials (0:05-0:15)

• Say: “These six items help us be prepared outside: water, a small first-aid kit, a whistle, a flashlight, sun protection, and trail food.”
• Do: Point to each item and ask each Scout to identify it and demonstrate or describe what it is for. Follow official directions for actual use.
• Ask: “Which item helps protect you from the sun?”
• Check: Naming items alone is not enough; each Scout shows what to do with them.

Transition outdoors (0:15-0:18)

• Do: Check buddies, adult partners, essential items, and route boundary. Carry records through the approved event process.
• Say: “Stay with your adult partner and buddy group. We walk together.”
• Ask: “Can you see your adult partner?”
• Safety: If route, weather, or supervision is not suitable, stop and reschedule.

20-minute exploration walk (0:18-0:38)

• Do: Track at least 20 minutes of actual outdoor exploration. Ask Scouts to point out natural and human-made items with the adult partner.
• Say: “What do you notice that comes from nature? What looks made by people?”
• Ask: “Can you find one of each without leaving the path?”
• Check: The Scout carries the Six Essentials and identifies examples with the adult partner. Do not count travel or instructions as exploration if they reduce the required time.

Return and water break (0:38-0:43)

• Do: Count the group, check participants, offer water, and return inside together.
• Say: “Let’s take a drink and settle in before the next activity.”

S.A.W. discovery (0:43-0:51)

• Set up: Use the current official explanation from the handbook or activity page. The acronym is not expanded in this plan because it was not confirmed by the retrieved source.
• Say: “Let’s discover what S.A.W. means using the official activity.”
• Do: Follow the verified official resource; do not create a lost-child scenario or send Scouts out of sight.
• Ask: “What does the official resource teach us to do?”
• Check: If no authoritative explanation is available, mark this requirement incomplete and follow up before recording completion.

Local animal sort (0:51-0:57)

• Do: Show local animal pictures and invite Scouts to sort them into wild and domesticated groups.
• Say: “Some animals live with people; others live in the wild. Let’s sort animals we may find around here.”
• Ask: “Would you expect to see this animal living with people or living wild?”
• Tip: Use local examples and avoid suggesting that Scouts approach or handle animals.

Closing and completion check (0:57-1:00)

• Do: Thank adult partners, close with a den cheer, and check the walk timer and all requirement steps.
• Say: “We observed outdoors without disturbing the place.”
• Check: If the full 20 minutes or verified S.A.W. learning did not happen, record the remaining step accurately.