Activities

The Iron Horse District and Sam Houston Area Council offer a variety of activities in which packs, troops, crews and ships are invited to participate. See the district calendar for specific dates.

The district camporee is a weekend campout for troops. Patrols compete in Scoutcraft competitions. Patrols are judged on leadership, teamwork, skill demonstration and Scout spirit.

Day camp is full of fun and excitement. The camp is held for four days in June. Cub Scouts have the opportunity to make new friends and share all kinds of new experiences, including bb guns, archery sports, nature crafts, and more. Tigers, Wolves, and Bears work on achievements and electives. Webelos Scouts work on activity badges.

District Dinner is an opportunity for us to thank our district volunteers for the hard work and dedication that made this year incredibly successful. Iron Horse District’s outstanding leaders at the unit and district levels will also be recognized. All volunteers are invited.

Merit Badge University is an opportunity for Boy Scouts or Venturers, of any rank, to work on merit badges. Classes are taught by adults with experience in the field.

Pushmobile is an event where Cub Scouts work together as a team to race their pushmobile through a course. A pushmobile is a boy powered go-cart. Cub Scout dens make their own pushmobile.

Scout Days are awesome opportunities to get your Scouts, friends and family together for some exciting experiences around the area with other Scouting families. All Scout Days are offered at a discounted price of admission. Also, many of our partners offer merit badge classes and advancement workshops for Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts.

Webelos Woods is a camp out designed to introduce Webelos Scouts to the many outdoor adventures of Scouting. This awesome weekend event includes patrol-method camping and Scout activities. On Saturday morning, Webelos Scouts compete in skills (e.g., first aid, fire building, camping skills, games, knots), and during the afternoon local troops teach basic Scouting skills. The Webelos Scouts are judged on patrol flag and yell, resources, leadership, teamwork, skill demonstration and Scout spirit.

District Monthly Meetings

Roundtable is a district monthly meeting typically held the second Thursday of every month to help unit leaders plan and carry out their own program. The objective of Roundtable is to give leaders program ideas; information on upcoming events and training, and an opportunity to share experiences and enjoy fun and fellowship with other Scouting leaders. Leaders will be inspired, motivated, informed, and able to provide a stronger program for their Scouts.

District committee meetings are typically held the first Thursday of every month. Consisting of chartered organization representatives (CORs) and elected district committee members, the district committee coordinates the functions of the district.

Commissioner meetings are typically held the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm. The commissioners review specific unit needs, discuss ways to support unit growth in the Journey to Excellence criteria, examine ways to promote events and provide resources to units, support on-time charter renewal, and evaluate ways to help the units and district maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America.

Trained leaders provide a quality, fun-filled program for youth. When leaders understand the whys and hows of Scouting, they are more effective in their roles. Scouting is a lifetime of learning. It’s a game with a purpose. Scouting teaches skills not only to the youth but also to its adult volunteers as well. Some training can be taken online at www.myscouting.org (e.g., YPT, Cub Leader Specific). Iron Horse District offers a variety of training courses. Find out more about training and courses held in the council.

Order of the Arrow (OA) Chapter meetings are typically held at LDS Church (16331 Hafer Rd, Houston, 77090) on the second Thursday of every month. The regular chapter meeting begins at 7:00 followed by ceremony practice, drumming and singing. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society.

Council Sponsored Activities

Sam Houston Area Council offers a variety of activities. See the council calendar for specific dates.

Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | Year Round

Spring

SHAC Spring of Service is an opportunity for Scouting families across the 16 counties served by the Sam Houston Area Council to participate in unit-developed service projects to benefit the local community.

University of Scouting is a one-day training opportunity for leaders of all program areas to come together for a day of fun, fellowship and learning. Over 100 different classes are offered and are presented by some of the most experienced volunteers in the council covering leader-specific training, information on how to train youth, conservation, program ideas and more.

OA Spring Fellowship is a weekend event for Order of the Arrow members. The day starts with Arrowmen giving back in cheerful service to the camp followed by fun events and activities, PowWows and more.

The Venturing Challenge s a weekend campout at a council camp for Venturers. This event is intended to be an opportunity for the youth to bring prospective Venturers and Sea Scouts to a council-wide activity. The weekend is filled with games, movies, crew against crew competitions, campfire program, shooting sports and much more.

Program Preview is conducted at May Roundtable. The district and council calendars are provided along with information on all the fun events for the upcoming year. After Program Preview, units should conduct an annual program planning conference to get ready for the coming year. Using national planning resources for each program, as well as various calendars (e.g., council, district, school, chartered partner), units can develop a program filled with safe and fun activities and adventures. Planning ahead allows the unit to generate new ideas, find resources, and allow more Scouts to have a quality program that is exciting and will create memories!

Summer

Summer Camp hosts a variety of summer experiences where Scouts in troops can earn merit badges and learn and practice their Scouting skills.

Resident Camp is a three-night summer camping program at Bovay Scout Ranch during July for Cub Scouts. Cub Scouts can participate in BB guns, archery, sling shots, crafts, sports, games, campfire, and lots more.

The Venturing Banquet is the annual awards banquet where Venturers and leadership will be presented with recognition for their work in the Venturing. Before the banquet, Venturing Officer Association (VOA) elections are held for the offices of council Venturing president, vice-president of program, and vice-president of administration and they are installed during the banquet.

Fall

Selling popcorn is a wonderful opportunity for units to earn funds to support their entire year of Scouting by selling gourmet popcorn. There are three options to sell popcorn: traditional take order sales, sell online to friends and family out of town and show-n-sell.

Fall Join Scouting Nights are an opportunity to reach out to each potential Cub Scout and his family with a personal invitation to join a pack where they will learn positive values, new skills and have fun with friends. The fall recruiting campaign will focus on recruiting new families to the fun and adventures of Cub Scouting.

The Sea Scouts Minto Rendezvous is a regional event for Sea Scouts to test their knowledge and skills. The competition includes over 20 events that test a ship’s teamwork, training and preparation in a variety of nautical-related events. A highlight of this annual event is the Flotsam Flotilla race. Materials vary from year to year (e.g., build a boat out of recyclable plastic containers and duct tape), but the challenge to build the fastest boat remains the same.

Fun with Family gives newly registered Cub Scouts and their families an opportunity to experience and overnight campout and exciting activities such as BB guns, crafts, archery and more! Fun With Family is typically held in October at Bovay Scout Ranch.

The Recognition Reception is held each fall and is an opportunity for the council to recognize the recipients of the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award a council can bestow on a volunteer Scouter.

Webelos Coyote Xtreme Camp is a two-night camping program that focuses on the Arrow of Light Award requirements and skills needed when camping with troops while trekking across the Bovay Scout Ranch to exciting outpost program areas. Fun, excitement and adventure is the name of the game at Webelos CTX camping program!

The OA Fall Pow Wow is a weekend event full of ceremony and dance classes, competitions and pow wows; sports; exciting games; shows; expos; and more for Order of the Arrow members from across the council.

The University of Scouting is a one-day training opportunity for leaders of all program areas to come together for a day of fun, fellowship and learning. Over 100 different classes are offered and are presented by some of the most experienced volunteers in the council covering leader specific training, information on how to train youth, conservation, program ideas and more.

Winter

Winter Camp is held each year at Camp Strake between Christmas and New Years and is a wonderful opportunity for troops to camp and Scouts to earn merit badges. Merit badge classes are taught by Scouters with real-life experiences in the field.

The OA Lodge Leadership Development is a dynamic annual youth and adult leadership training event for Order of the Arrow members to learn more about the OA and how to become a better leader. The day ends with a banquet.

Scout Sunday and Scout Sabbath is an opportunity for units are urged to participate in the religious service of their chartering organization. Units are encouraged to attend en masse in uniform, do a flag ceremony, speak about Scouting, and/or formally thank them for their support throughout the year. This is a great time to distribute the religious awards earned by Scouts.

Year-Round Activities

Adventure Camps are weekend campouts for Cub Scout packs at Bovay Scout Ranch. Families will enjoy eating in the air-conditioned dining hall and activities such as BB guns, archery, swimming, sports, crafts, games, BMX biking and more.

Wood Badge is a six-day advanced leadership course offered several times per year for Scout leaders involved in all program levels. Wood Badge is some of the best (and definitely the most fun!) leadership training found anywhere. Leadership skills developed through Wood Badge will make you a more effective leader at work, in Scouting at home and in other volunteer roles. During the course, participants define their personal vision of success for their Scouting position, and then outline five significant goals to bring that vision to life.

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an exciting, action-packed six-day council-level program designed to provide Scouts who are 13 years and older with leadership skills and experience they can use in their home units and in other situations demanding leadership of self and others. Content is delivered in a unit and small group outdoor setting with an emphasis on immediate application of learning in a fun environment. Courses are held in June and December. Courses fill up early.

Scout Days are opportunities for Scouts to receive discounts on events with our community partners such as Scout Day with the Houston Astros, Space Cowboys, Moster Jam, and more.