SKITS

The Mongoose
National Capital Area Council

Props: Box with coiled spring in it and fur tied to end of spring. When box is opened spring will shoot fur out of box.

Setting:  2 Scouts talking about what they caught in the woods.

Object:     Get other Scouts to look in box and see the Mongoose.

Cub 1: Did you see what we caught in the woods last weekend?

Cub 2: No!  What was it?

Cub 1: It's a Mongoose.

Cub 2: A what?

Cub 1: A Mongoose, they are very quick and hard to catch.  Did you know that?

Cub 2: Where is this Mongoose?

Cub 1:  Right here in this box.

Cub 2: Can I look?

Cub 1: Sure! But don't scare it. (Peek in box lid carefully.)

Cub 2: Wow did you see how shiny and glassy the eyes looked?

Cub 1: You know they are so fast that they kill snakes by grabbing their head?

Cub 2: Wow that's really neat. (Get someone to look and let the box lid come open quickly, so fur flies.)

The Weather Man
Central New Jersey Council

This is performed on a stage. Hang a large map, or a sheet with some outlines drawn on it, across the back of the stage.  Since the skit involves water, it is a good idea to use a waterproof ground cloth to protect the stage.

Plan the skit, assemble the materials, and assign responsibilities ahead of time.  Everybody except the Scapegoat knows what will happen.  Let the Scouts decide what kind of weather to use, and what props are needed to represent it.

The Skit

The Weather Man stands in front of the map, and presents a parody of the television evening news report.

He reads from a script in his hand. As he announces each kind of weather, it appears, aimed straight at him from off-stage.

He announces that the South will have wind. The backdrop shakes and a large fan blows the papers in his hand.

The Weather Man reports that there will be snow in the North.  White confetti drops from the sky, or over the map. He reports hail in the Midwest, and small white objects pelt him. (Plastic packing makes good hail.)

Each time the weather reacts to his report, the Weather Man acts more scared.  Finally, he turns the page, stops, and protests that he can't do this any more.  He needs a brave person to read the last forecast for him, and asks for a volunteer from the audience.  With the help of the audience, the 'volunteer' is selected and pushed forward.

The Scapegoat is handed the script, and reads, "And tomorrow this area will have heavy rains." Instantly, he is hit by a bucket of water from offstage. [If inside, pretend bucket is full of water, but use confetti instead]

Variation

The Weather Man and the Scapegoat will clearly expect something.  In fact, the Weather Man will usually have a hard time hiding his anticipation.  Without warning him about the actual outcome, get him wet instead of the Scapegoat.

Another Variation:

Hang or hold up a large map, or a sheet with some outlines of states on it. The scouts should decided on the weather and the props in advance. The Weatherman stands in from of the map and presents a weather report, (like on TV)  He reads from a script in his hand.  As he announces each kind of weather, it appears, aimed straight at him from off stage. He announces that the South will have wind.  The backdrop shakes and a large wind blows (be creative).  The Weather man reports there will be snow in the North.

White confetti falls from the sky over the weatherman.  He reports hail in the Midwest and white objects pelt him.  The weatherman acts more and more scared.  Finally he turns the page and stops and quits. He asks for a volunteer to take over. A volunteer is force to continue. He is handed the script which reads: Tomorrow This Area Will Have Heavy Rains, the reader is immediately drenched with buckets of water. (Variation, go ahead and drench the weatherman, especially funny if you have the scoutmaster be the weatherman and he does not know skit.) [If inside, pretend bucket is full of water, but use confetti instead]

Foggy Warning
Central New Jersey Council

A small vessel is approaching the Weser river delta from the north sea. The fog is so dense that the captain sends a deckhand to the bow and reduces speed to dead slow ahead.

"Can you see anything !?", the captain shouts.. "Not a tiny thing!" is the answer from the bow.

The captain lets the ship move ahead at lowest speed, only hoping that the currents don't set the ship off to far.  "Still nothing in sight!?", the captain asks.

"Nothing at all!", is the reply. "Oh, now there seems to be something! It's almost ahead, just a bit to starboard!"

"Well, and what is it !?"

"I can't tell! By now, it's just a shadow! We need to close in a bit so I can see better!" Cautiously they proceed and the captain turns the ship a little bit to starboard, decreasing the distance to that object.

"Can you see it now?" - "Not really, it's still just a shadow!" "Yes! It looks like a buoy ... oh yes, now I can recognize the shape, it is a buoy! Just close in a little bit more!"

After a short moment: "What type of a buoy, can you see that?"

"No, I can't! Can not distinguish it's colors, see just a shadow in this fog! Go on closer! It's still slightly to starboard!" Again, the captain turns the ship a bit and they continue dead slow ahead through that thick fog.

"Now, what kind of buoy is it !?", the captain shouts.

"It's , uhm ..., it is ... " Crunch! They hit the ground. "Oh yes, now I can see it!" replies the deckhand, "It's a shallow water warning!"

Poison Spring
Central New Jersey Council

One by one the boys drag on stage crying for water.  Each reaches a bucket with a ladle and takes a drink, splashing some water to show there is really water in it and dies. Ham up the dying as much as you want.  More than ladle may be needed so that there is plenty of water to slosh around. The next to the last person starts to drink from the bucket, when the last person comes in, sees all the dead bodies and yells for the other guy not to drink from the bucket, that it is poison.

The last person throws the bucket in the audience which really only contains rice or confetti; only the ladles had water.

Lorie McGraw sent a fun skit for those who might be having a Cowboy Day camp.  Or use this whenever.

Cowboy Joe
Great Skit for Cowboy Day Camp

A cowboy rides up to a Saloon, goes inside and orders a drink. He's just about got the glass of sasparilla to his lips, when a guy comes running up to the door, and yells "Hey Joe! Your house is burnin!"

The man leaps up, runs out and jumps on his horse just as he thinks... "Hey, I don't have a house."   He goes back in and sits down, and raises the glass to his lips again.

Just then a man comes running up to the door and yells "Hey Joe! Your dad has died!"

So he leaps up, runs out, gets on his horse and starts to head down the street when he thinks... "Wait a minute, my dad died years ago."

He goes back to the bar, and sure enough, he's just about to take a sip of his sarsaparilla when another guys runs up. "Joe! Congratulations! You've won the lottery! There's a pile of money waiting for you down at the post office!"

The cowboy gets up, leaps on the horse, and starts flying towards the post office. He almost gets there when he thinks, "Hey, wait a minute. My name ain't Joe..."

Another Skit from Lorie

To Build or Not to Build

A couple of not very bright guys drove their pickup truck drove into a lumberyard. One saunters into the office and said, "Howdy.  We need us some of them four-by-twos."

The clerk said, "You mean two-by-fours, don't you?"  The guy says, "Maybe right. Hold on. I'll go check," and headed out went back to the truck.  A minute or so later he ambles back in and says, "Yep. That's it, I meant two-by-fours."

"Fine... How long do you need them?"

The slightly confused person paused for a minute, scratched his beard, then said, "Well now I'd better go check."

After awhile, he returned to the office and said, "A long time. Ya see, we're gonna build us a house."