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Activities Related to the Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby is a racing event for Cub Scouts put on by the organization the Boy Scouts of America. This event allows kids to create a small pine racing car with or without their parents help in an effort to build the fastest car in their scout pack. For young children who are not yet Cub Scouts or children can't participate in the event itself, related activities that help them to feel a part of the action are available.

Car Building Clinic
- Many Cub Scouts look to their parents for guidance on one of their first building projects of their young lives. Unfortunately, many parents are as clueless as their kids as to how to build a Pinewood Derby car. Hold a clinic for Cub Scouts, their parents and others on how to build Pinewood Derby cars. The clinic can cover areas such as the best practices for keeping wheels straight, making the car fast and the ways to decorate cars. By involving the family members of the scouts, everybody can feel included.
Derby Songs
- A lot of fans, young and old, will be waiting for the Pinewood Derby to begin while the participants prepare. In the meantime, there are many different Pinewood Derby songs that scouts and their friends sing to bolster the spirit of the derby. These songs include "Oh My Little Pinewood Car Song," "Tom the Toad at the Pinewood Derby" and "The Pinewood Plea." These songs are available at the Boy Scout Pack 11 site.
Community Connection
- According to a Daily Times article, a Cub Scout troop paired up with a local firefighting team to teach fire safety while running the Pinewood Derby. This agreement between the two groups saw the firefighters buying a Pinewood Derby track in a trade for teaching the children good fire safety habits before each race. Similar connections to the community can be made in your race. Pair with your local law enforcement agency and discuss being a good pedestrian. Combine with a local charity and turn the race into a fundraiser event. Use the event to connect with the community at large to get more people involved.
Pinewood Derby Printouts
- Give the younger kids Pinewood Derby printouts such word searches and mazes so that they can still participate in the Pinewood fun during race day. The Boy Scout Pack 11 website includes many different activities available to print out including two word searches, two mazes, a racing board game and six coloring pages. These activities get younger scouts-to-be even more excited for being a part of Pinewood Derby in the future.

Soap Box Derby