GAMES

World Champion Paper-Stacking Constest
Sandy from various resources

Equipment:Lots of scrap copy or computer paper.

To play:

1.  Clear a large, open space in the room.  Divide the group into two teams or into several small ones.

2.  Each team gets equal piles of paper with which to build a tower.  No other materials – no staplers, tape, or glue – can be used to construct the tower.  Paper should be folded to reinforce construction.  The tighter the paper is folded, the stronger it gets – but it also gets smaller.  Loosely folded paper might provide large building elements, but the construction will be more fragile.

3.  The team that builds the highest tower wins an award.  Award citations also for the cleverest construction techniques and the most architecturally beautiful.

Hint: 

Have the entire group work together to build a tower first demonstrating the architectural techniques described in #2 of the directions.  Divide the Den into smaller competitive groups after experimenting with different building techniques.

Paper, Plastic Aluminum
Sandy from various resources

The Cubs stand in a circle with one Cub in the center.  The Cub in the middle holds a beanbag and tosses it to one of the Cubs standing in the circle.  While it’s in the air, the Cub in the center shouts either “PAPER!”, “Plastic!”, or “Aluminum!”  The Cub who catches the beanbag must name an object made from paper, plastic, or aluminum in 5 seconds while the other Cubs count out loud.  If the object’s name is duplicated, or if the Cub can’t think of an object, he’s out of the circle.  When there is only one Cub left (the winner) he takes the place of the Cub in the middle of the circle.

Kick The Can
Sandy from various resources

Equipment: Two empty cans

To play:

Divide the Den into two teams and line them up relay style behind a start/finish line.  Give each team an empty can.  The object of the game is for the first Cub on each team to kick the can to a turning point then back to the start/finish line.  One at a time, the rest of the team repeats the action.  The first team finished wins.

Litter Basketball
Sandy from various resources

(Boys always get fussed at for doing this – why not make it a game?)

Equipment: Lots of crumpled computer or copy paper, Trash cans

To play: 

Divide Den into two teams and seat them behind a throw line.  Place the trash cans about 10 feet away (distance depends on the motor skills of your Den).  On the signal “GO!” Cubs fire their paper “basketballs” at the trash can goals.  After a set amount of time stop the game.  Count the number of “basketballs” in each trash can.  The team with the most “basketballs” in the cans wins.

Go Nuts
Baden Powell Council

In this game, the object is to squirrel away the largest stash of nuts.  Beforehand, hide a bunch of unshelled peanuts around your yard.  Then form two teams and have each group select a spot to serve as their nest.  At the sound of a starting whistle or shout, players begin filling their team's nest with as many peanuts as they can find.  The team that has collected the most nuts after three minutes wins.

Push-Catch
Baden Powell Council

Everyone is in a circle except for one person in the middle, who is "It.".  "It" has a ball that he throws to those in the circle.  The leader must shout out either Push or Catch.  The person to whom the ball is thrown must Do The Opposite Action that was shouted out.  That is, if "It" shouts Push, the Cub Scout must Catch the ball.  If an error is committed by either not doing the opposite or stumbling with the ball, the Cub Scout must sit down or step back and is eliminated from play.

Mismatch
Baden Powell Council

Divide into two teams.  Observers leave the room.  Mismatchers get busy changing things on themselves or in the room.  The observers return and try to spot the modifications.  The teams switch places and go through the process again.

Haggadah
Baden Powell Council

This month Jews celebrate Passover, a joyous event in the history of their ancestors, when they escaped from slavery in Egypt and journeyed to freedom. Your Cub Scouts can play a version of this Passover game.  Players sit in a circle. One holds a beanbag and starts to tell the Passover story.  The storyteller stops at any point in the story and throws the beanbag to another player who continues the story.  Since many of your Cub Scouts will not know the Passover story, they can play the game making up a story about anything.  The boys will have fun trying to add on to a story as it goes along.  If you want, you can pick a theme or topic that you want them

to follow for the story.

Reduce It - Reuse It
Heart of America Council

This one’s made from scratch and has never been tested that I know.  Best of luck!  And if it or a variation of it works well, let the world know about it.  This game focuses on the idea of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” as the way to minimize personal pollution.  It will take a little bit of courage on someone’s part (the Den Leader’s?) because someone has to come forward with their recycling bin and whatever is in it.  The object of the exercise is to get the boys thinking about the “stuff’ we throw out on a regular basis and how we might eliminate some of it.

The leader brings in the recycle bin of “stuff’ and, one at a time, displays their wares.  The boys then discuss/disgust what, if anything, could have been done to reduce or reuse the items  shown. [Note: If you’ve got beer or other alcoholic beverage bottles in the bin, please remove them before doing this game!]

Keep America Beautiful
Heart of America

The audience is told that a tree will be planted and, through the magic of Scouting, will grow and blossom.  Two teams of four are chosen, and each team selects a captain.  The captains are given signs to wear which say “sapling.”  Each captain stands in the middle of his team.  Others on the team are handed a paper sack containing a roll of scotch tape, 20-30 green construction paper leaves, a few birds, blossoms, and butterflies made out of construction paper, a bird nest, and a few small real branches.  At the signal to “Go”, each team begins to make their sapling grow by handing him the branches to hold and taping the contents of the bag to him.  First team to finish is the winner.

Trash Ball
Heart of America Council

Divide the group in half and situate them on opposite sides of a volleyball net or rope strung between two trees).  Offer each group an equal amount of dry trash, such as newspaper, tin cans, 2-liter bottles, small cardboard boxes, cleaned out milk cartons, etc.  On “Go”, each team tries to put their trash over the net. Do not set a time limit for the game, but tell them you will signal when the game is over.  This unexpected signal prevents a team from collecting all the trash and throwing it over seconds before the time limit.  The winner is the team with the least amount of trash on their side of the net at the end of the time limit.

Cleaning Up Our Town
Heart of America

Equipment: 2 aprons, 2 towels, 2 brooms, 2 dustpans, 2 buckets filled with water, 4 dishes, 1 garbage can.

Divide the group into two teams, and line the up in straight lines at one end of the playing area.  Give the broom and the apron to the first boy on each team; at the other end of the playing area, place the dustpan, the bucket, and the dishes and the towel.  The garbage can is put between the two buckets.  On “Go”, the first boy puts on the apron and sweeps the floor to where the dustpan lies.  He scoops the dirt into the dustpan and dumps it into the garbage can.  The boy then washes and dries the two dishes and races to the start, carrying the apron and broom. The house is clean when all boys have swept the floor and dried the dishes.

Skin The Snake
National Capital Area Council

Divide the boys into two or more teams and line up single file. The first player in line reaches his right hand between his legs and grasps the left hand of the player behind him.  This player does the same with the player behind him, and so on until the line is linked.  The last player lies fiat on his back, still holding the hand from the player in front of him.  The line moves backward at a signal from the first player until each player is lying down.  The last player gets up and moves forward, pulling the whole line after him. The first team back in position wins.

Toss Game
National Capital Area Council

Cut paddles from plywood and glue on fill dispenser cups.  The ball is a bead, like those in Immediate Recognition kits.  Tie the bead to a 12-inch string and attach the other end of the string to the paddle.  Catch the bead in the cup.  Most balls caught in a specified amount of time is the winner.

Observation
National Capital Area Council