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LEADER
IDEAS
Barb
Stephens
You
can make an "Emergency Kit" to suit your group of
Cubs:
Emergency
Kit
Select
the games/ideas that you want to use.
Get any materials that may be required for them and put them all
in a crate along with the two wrapped boxes described next.
This is your emergency kit.
Cover
two small shoeboxes with wrapping paper (lid and box separately).
On slips of paper, write each of the following (you can add your
own).
Fold
the papers and place them in box 1.
When you run low on activities, let a Cub draw one paper from the
box. This is the activity
they can do for 10 minutes. If
they haven't done it yet, you can teach them.
Many of these ideas are easy to learn.
Then put the completed activity in box 2 so it won't be selected
again too soon.
Banana
You
need a rag or sock or a real banana (not peeled).
All players form a circle with all sitting on the floor.
It is important for the players to sit close together with their
knees up and their hands tucked under their legs.
The person in the middle has to figure out where the banana is
as
the players in the circle are passing the "banana" under their
legs secretly.
Barnyard
Scramble
Give
each child the name of an animal on a slip of paper.
Make sure there are at least two of each animal.
On the signal, the kids must make the sound that their animals
make and try to find other kids with the same animal.
Charade
Box
Have
a box prepared with simple ideas to act out written on a slip of
paper. These may be
done alone or with a buddy. Add
to these or change them often if you find that the kids like this
activity. Charades can be
as simple or
complex
as the kids are ready for; e.g., setting the table, bowling, drinking
something you like, eating corn on the cob, etc.
Corner
Tag
Pick
four corners or spots and give each spot a name (Apple, Orange, Banana,
Grape; Squirrel, Frog, Bird, Snake; or just 1, 2, 3, 4). Place a sign in
each corner with a picture of the name you have chosen for it.
Gather
The
kids together and point out the four corners and their names.
Choose one child to be "It". "It" stands in
the middle of the area or room, covers his eyes, and counts to 20 while
the other players run to the corners.
Keeping
his
eyes closed, "It" calls out the name of a corner.
Everyone in that corner is out of the game. "It" closes
his eyes and counts again while the remaining boys all run to a corner
again. The game continues
until only one person is left who then becomes "It" for the
next round.
Cub
Handbook Hunt
Look
through your Wolf/Bear/Webelos handbook.
Write in the page number of the handbook where the following (and
more) can be found:
1.
Find a picture of the food pyramid.
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2.
Find a Native American game.
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3.
Find the rank requirements list.
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4.
Find where there's information on sign language.
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5.
Find the story about Akela.
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6.
Find directions for making invisible ink.
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7.
Find a page showing knots.
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8.
Find a page that discusses the American flag.
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9.
Find out how to sharpen a knife.
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10.
Find the Cub Scout motto.
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11.
Find where/how to wear insignia.
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12.
Find where first aid is discussed.
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13.
Find a picture of a tool.
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14.
Find the requirement that includes collections.
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15.
Find bike safety rules.
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16.
Find the page that discusses religious emblems.
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(Note:
Not all the above are in any one handbook.
Use the ones that are and find others to add to your list.
Good
Morning Captain
The
captain sits slightly apart from the group and is blindfolded.
The leader indicates a player who says "Good Morning
Captain!" The captain
tries to name the speaker. If
the captain correctly identifies the speaker
he
retains his position. If
not the player becomes the new captain.
Players should try to disguise their voice.
Penguin
Tag
Everyone
must keep their knees together and elbows "glued" to the side
of their bodies. Everyone
is 'it' - you tag others by waddling over and tagging them lightly with
your flippers.
Person
to Person
Have
the kids pair up with a single person being the caller.
The singleton calls out "hip to hip" or "elbow to
elbow" or any other acceptable body part.
When the singleton calls "Person to Person," the paired
kids must then un-pair and find a new partner.
The singleton tries to get a partner also, so there is a new
singleton to do the calling.
Poor
Kitty
The
children are arranged in a circle, sitting down.
The one child is the "poor kitty" and he goes up to
another child purring and meowing.
The person approached must pat the kitty on the head and say,
"Poor Poor Kitty."
If
the child laughs, then he must become the kitty and try to make others
laugh.
Promise
(or Law) Relay
Have
the Promise (or Law) written out on strips of paper so that each line is
incomplete. Have boys one
at a time, draw a slip of paper from a hat, race to a board (or table)
and put the pieces of paper together in the correct order.
Reward everyone.
Simon
Says
One
person is chosen to be "Simon" the others stand in a strait
line. Simon then calls out
a an action for the children to follow.
It can be anything like, touch your toes, jump 10 times on 1
foot, etc. Simon when
giving an action can simply state the action by itself ("touch your
ears") but whoever does this is out and has to sit down.
Or Simon can say "Simon says, touch your ears" and then
everyone must follow the instruction.
You can vary the actions according to the age group of children
you are playing with. The
last person who is standing can then be "Simon"!
Touch
Blue
The
game begins with everyone in a circle.
The leader will call out, "Touch Blue" and everyone
must touch something that is blue (someone's shorts, piece of a shirt).
Continue by calling out different colors and/or body parts, etc.
*************************************
Have
a postal question on general information (they can help about collecting
and displaying stamps)
Check
out
www.usps.com
Cooperative
Choosing
Pacific Harbor
It's
no fun to be chosen last; regardless of the reason (popularity or
competitiveness) that last boy usually feels bad about himself, the
other boys and the game. Cooperative
Choosing eliminates this problem by using creative means of dividing up
into teams. Try using birth
months (January, February, March is Team 1, April, May, June is Team 2,
etc.) Alternatively, use
first or last initials, last digit of phone numbers, or anything else
you can think of to divide boys into teams.
The
Never-Ending Game
Pacific Harbor
Not
a game, so much as a method; consider using this method when playing any
game where boys are eliminated as the game progresses.
Divide boys into two groups and give each group the same task.
When a boy is eliminated from one group, he joins the other
group. Some boys will get
more exercise than others but no one ever sits out.
This method keeps boys from becoming bored and causing problems
while the leader's attention is on the game.
Training
for Unit Committees
Trapper Trails Council
Dale Marble DCM
Many
of us as a child, learned the string game
" The Cat's Cradle"
Here
two people with a string knotting the two ends to form a circle pass it
back and forth in a variety of forms between their hands.
Expanding:
You
need at least 42 feet of rope, ends tied together.
Instead
of two people you need four.
Where
your finger and thumb work together before now your arms replace them.
To
start the activity, two
people stand inside the rope at waist high.
Make
a wrap with the rope, around each persons waist.
Pull
the rope from around the waist of each person and loop it over the other
person head.
This
is where you start the training.
Can
the four people proceed without talking, probably not.
Communication
is a key point here.
Everyone
must work together to solve the problem and figure out what to do next.
Remember
never give up.
(Hint:
Add two more people doing the small game, working along with you, to
help figure it out where you are at.)
Questions?
E-Mail buggs@mstar2.net
Offer
good thru 12/31/00
Boys'
Life has a reading contest each year.
To enter the 2000 contest write a one-page report titled
"The Best Book I Read This Year": and enter it in the Boys'
Life 2000 "Say Yes to Reading!" Contest.
The
book can be fiction or non-fiction. But the report has to be in your own
words. Enter in one of the three age categories:
•8
years old and younger, •9 and 10 years old, •11 years and older.
When
Pedro receives your report, you'll get a free patch.
(And
yes, the patch is a temporary insignia, so it can be worn on the Boy
Scout, or Cub Scout uniform shirt, on the right pocket. Proudly display
it there!)
The
top three winners from each age group will also get a Leatherman
multi-tool, copies of Codemaster books 1 and 2, the limited edition
Codemaster pin-and-patch set--plus their names will be announced in
Boys' Life!
The
contest is open to all Boys' Life readers. Be sure to include your name,
address, age and grade in school on the entry.
Send
your report, along with a business-size addressed, stamped envelope, to:
BSA,
Boy's Life Reading Contest,
S204,
P.O. Box 152079,
Irving,
TX 75015-2079
Entries
must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2000
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