One Cub Scout meeting: Build It Up, Knock It Down

A den can finish the Lion adventure Build It Up, Knock It Down from one Straw Structures kit in one meeting. The free leader guide gives three timed activities, and every scout takes the build home.

Last reviewed October 4, 2026

One Cub Scout meeting

Last reviewed October 4, 2026. This page is one meeting, using only Sparks for Cub Scouts, Cub Scout bundle answers, and the Straw Structures leader guide those pages already link.

Which adventure is this meeting?

The guide cover says: "All three requirements of Build It Up, Knock It Down, from one kit, in one meeting." That is the Lion adventure Build It Up, Knock It Down. Sparks for Cub Scouts says Lions can build and rebuild towers with Straw Structures, and that Straw Structures is the first Spark with a free leader guide and printable sign-off sheet. The guide's alignment table also names other ranks (Designed by Tiger, Council Fire, Modular Design, and Engineer). Use the guide for those requirement letters. This page does not add any.

How long does the meeting take?

The landing page says adventure requirements a den can finish in one meeting, and that the Straw Structures guide has a ten minute practice video and three timed activities. The guide itself says leader prep is 10 minutes, once, and the video walkthrough runs about eight and a half minutes. The three activities are timed separately: As Tall As You, up to 20 minutes; Knock It Down, Build It Again, up to 20 minutes; Reach the Ceiling, up to 15 minutes. The guide does not add those three times into one meeting length, so this page does not either.

Does every scout take the build home?

Yes. The guide says, "Every Scout takes their build home." Sparks for Cub Scouts says every scout takes their build home, and "When done, they go home with the scout who made it."

Where is the free leader guide?

The landing page says the leader guide for Build It Up, Knock It Down is free and needs no signup. It also says Straw Structures for Scouts is a twelve page guide with a ten minute practice video, three timed activities, and a printable sign-off sheet with room for twenty scouts, and no email is required. The sign-off sheet quotes Scouting America's own requirement text, one line per scout. Read the guide PDF, the web guide, or print the sign-off sheet.

Does Scouting America endorse this?

Sparks for Cub Scouts says: "Scouting America does not endorse, approve or certify third-party products. The den leader signs requirements off." This page does not add an endorsement line beyond that sentence.