PACK/DEN ACTIVITIES

General Information
Trapper Trails Council

Safety Rules for approaching a dog.

Approach slowly

Let dog sniff you

Ask permission to pet a dog

Do Not move or shout

Do not go near a dog while he is eating

Dog comes from the Icelandic word doggr.

Guard/Police Dog Demonstration

Trapper Trails Council

Guard/Police Dog Demonstration

A demonstration about dogs can be a fun activity for Cub Scouts. Be sure to

do the presentation in an area with plenty of room.  Coach the audience about asking before petting a dog.  Be aware some children and adults are afraid of dogs.  Call in advance to make arrangements. Here are a few  sources to check out:

1. Police - Many police stations have dogs especially trained to do police work. They might also have a dog trained to work in the drug enforcement division.

2. Military-Military bases often use guard dogs to protect the base.

3. Animal Shelter - A visit to the animal shelter can help teach the youth about pet care. Call first.

4. 4H - Seeing eye dogs are raised from pups in a loving home before completing their training are raised as 4H projects.

5. Other animals can also be seen at a pet aviary, horse stables, and the zoo. Ask around, there are people who raise farm animals, petting zoos, and animals for TV performances.

Puppy Portrait Frame
Circle 10 Council

Your family dog will look pretty as a picture when her snapshot is displayed in this dog-bone frame.

Material: Flat wooden frame, dog-bone treats, water based high-gloss polyurethane, small paintbrush, hot glue

Step 1: Remove the glass and the cardboard backing from a flat wooden frame and set them aside.  Lay the wood, face side up, on a flat working surface and arrange crunchy dog-bone treats on top of it.  Place them horizontally, end to end to fashion a border all the way around, or diagonally to accent the corners.

Step 2: Once the pattern is determined, remove the dog bones, lay them face down, and apply a coat of water-based high-gloss polyurethane to the backs.  Once dry, hot-glue the bones to the frame so the polyurethane sides are against the frame (adults only.)

Step 3: Apply polyurethane to the tops and sides of the glued-on bones, let dry and apply another coat of polyurethane.

Step 4: When the final coat is completely dry, insert your photo and reassemble the frame.

Humane Society
Circle 10 Council

Find out where your local Humane Society is located.  Call to find out about educational services, some have tours and classes for children that your group might be able to join in, some have reproducible educational materials on caring for pets and animal safety.

Obedience School
Circle 10 Council

Based on Simon Says, preface the commands with “the trainer says”.  Use appropriate dog tricks or behaviors such as lie down, beg for a treat, roll over, speak (woof), scratch your ear, wag your tail, show your tongue and pant.

How do dogs help other people?
Circle 10 Council

Have someone from the blind association to bring a guide dog in and to talk to the class about the dog and what he does, how he is trained, etc.

Have a policeman come and talk about how dogs help them in their job.

Animal Charades
Circle 10 Council

Charades is a great game -- indoors or out -- for toddlers or mixed age groups.  Everyone sits in a semi-circle and, one at a time; each child is given the name of an animal to act out (without sound).  You can simplify the game by saying -- this is a barnyard animal, an animal from Australia, or the zoo.

Dog Bone Magnet
Heart of America

Materials:

Dog bone snack, acrylic Sealer (clear) felt, moveable eyes, scissors, 2 small pom poms, 1 medium size (2 1/4") pom pom, (buy in fringe department), Magnetic tape, craft glue

1. Dip bone into clear acrylic and allow to dry.

2. Glue pom pom in center. Add felt ears and small nose pom pom or felt circle.

3. Glue on moveable eyes.  Add magnetic tape to back of bone.

Dog Cookies
Heart of America Council

Materials: 1/2 cup Cornmeal, 6 tablespoons Oil, 2/3 cup water or meat broth, 2 cup whole wheat flour Rolling pin, Cookie cutters (bone shaped would be fun) Cookie sheet

Use of an oven

1. Mix dry ingredients together, add wet ingredients.

2. Use your hands to mush it up well. If it feels too dry, add a few drops of water. If it feels too wet, add a teaspoon of flour at a time until it feels soft but not sticky. Careful not to over-mush or the dough will get tough.

3. Roll out about 1/2" thick on a flour dusted surface, cut out with any shape of cookie cutters.  Place on cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden.

5. Be sure to let cool before giving to your pet!

A Pooch’s Place Mat
Heart of America Council

Materials: Poster board, Dog bone shaped cookie cutter, Potato, Knife, Acrylic paint Paper plate or pie tin, Paper towels, Clear Contact paper

1. Cut a place mat shape from poster board.  Then press a dog bone cookie cutter into the cut surface of a potato half and leave it in place. Pare away a 1/4" layer of potato from around the cutter. Remove the cutter and blot the potato with a paper towel.

2. Pour some acrylic paint on a paper plate or pie tin. Press the stamp into the paint, dab off excess color on newspaper, and print dog bones on the placemat.  For the best results, rinse and dry the potato before switching to another color.  Once the design is dry, laminate the place mat between sheets of clear contact paper.

Balloon Dog
Heart of America Council

Materials:

Long thin balloons (available in craft & hobby stores like Hobby  Lobby, Michael's, US Toy or party stores such as Paper Warehouse)

Optional: Hand or Foot Pump

The first trick to making a balloon animal is to blow up the balloon.  This is hard.  You can buy a hand pump or use a football pump to help blow up the balloons.  Do not blow the balloon up all the way, you only need a small balloon.

Carefully tie the balloon.  When twisting a balloon, always start at the end with the knot.  Do not worry, it will not break if you twist it, but you must hold on to both ends of the balloon.  Otherwise, the balloon will untwist.  The balloon will not stay twisted by itself.  You have to twist the balloon together.

1. Blow up the balloon half way.

2.  Start at the beginning with the knot and twist a 3 to 4" bubble or 3 or 4 fingers wide.  Make sure you hang on to both ends of balloon, otherwise it will untwist. Twist it around 2 or 3 times. Do not worry it will not break.  Why didn’t it break?  There is space at the end of the balloon for the trapped air.  That is why we only blow the balloon up half way.

3: While holding on to the twisted balloon, make another bubble the same size.  This will be the one ear.  Do not let go.

4.  Make another balloon bubble the same size.  This is the other ear.

5.  Twist balloon joints A & B together twist 2 or 4 time all the way around.  The balloon will not break, and they will stay together.  If yours looks like this, very good; if not, try it again -practice makes perfect!

6: Now for the neck.  Twist a 2 to 3" bubble or 3 or 4 fingers wide.  This is the neck.  Make sure you hang on to the balloon, both parts.

7:  To make the legs, start by twisting a 2 to 3" bubble.  Hang on to the neck as you twist the balloon, and do not let go of the leg.

8:  Second leg, same as the first.  Twist a 2 to 3" bubble.  Twist those two parts together just like you did with the ears.  Remember twist around each other 4 or 5 times.

9.  Have a lot of balloon left over?  Hotdog!  We make the body 1 hand long.  Then twisting; make sure you hang on to the balloon.  Make the legs like you did in step 7.