ADVANCEMENT CEREMONIES

The Magic Colors
York Adams Area Council

Props: A clear container with a little dry ice in it, and top hat.  A glass of blue water and a glass of yellow water.

Cubmaster: Tonight I would like to show you the colors of the Cub Scouts.  First there is blue, which stands for loyalty, truth, and Honesty.  Then there is gold which stands for cheerfulness, Happiness, and Fun.  If we combine these two colors (pour the colors at the same time into the clear container and see what happens) we get green which stands for the earth and for the Boy Scout

Program.

Tonight we have some boys who will receive awards. There is really nothing magical about their advancement.  It requires a Cub to team up with his parents to achieve. (pulls awards from magician's hat.)

Magic Awards
Trapper Trails Council

Master of Ceremonies Toy Hunt

Equipment: Master of Ceremonies Top Hat, Wolf Award Cards secretly hidden in hat, Magic Wand, Bear Award Cards rolled inside, Several covered hankies-Webelos cards attached to each one

Note: This ceremony may take some practice on the part of the master of ceremonies. He may want to develop some kind of style to act like a magician.  (Prepare the top hat by laying the awards inside the hat so they can easily be removed.) Roll the awards in the magic wand (paper towel roll) so they can be removed by a shake of the wand. Tie the colored hankies to each end of the diagonal. Fold them and place them inside a pocket so they will come out one by one.

Master Of Ceremonies: Ladies & Gentlemen, Tonight the magic has already been performed, but I'll see if I can do one more magic act.  The Cub Scouts of Pack ___ have been working magic on the awards they have earned this past month.  They have produced their various awards as if by magic, but in reality have been working very hard to get these awards.  If our magic spirit is here tonight, we will produce those awards to present to our Cubs.  Wave hand over hat, then put wand on table.

Wait a few seconds and look surprised.  Reach in hat and pull out an award card.  Read the name and ask the Cub and his parents to come up.  After all of the Wolf awards been given out, go to the table and pick up wand.  Study it and with a surprise, shake out the Bear awards.  Pick them up and call out the names of the Cubs have them bring their parents forward.  After they have all been awarded, put your hand in your pocket and bring out a hankie.  Wipe your brow, but to your surprise there is something attached to it.  Read the award and give it out.  Repeat, until all of the awards have been given out.

Advancement Ideas
Trapper Trails Council

To present the awards to the boys the Cubmaster should dress as a magician, with a black cape and a black top hat. Ahead of time, a table should be prepared with a 5 or 6 inch hole cut in the top of it. The table should have a tablecloth or something draped over it so someone

can sit underneath it without being seen. The top hat should also have a hole in the top of it. 

The Cubmaster calls up the first boy to receive an award and lays his hat (top side down) on the table over the hole. He asks the boy what achievement he has been working on and then proceeds to pull the award out of the hat. The person under the table hands him a stuffed rabbit, then an old boot, and any number of items except the boy's award, until the Cubmaster remembers to say the magic words "Do Your Best." Then the Cubmaster pulls out the award and presents it to the boy. This can be done with each boy receiving an award, just change the magic words each time, such as "We'll Be Loyal Scouts," "The Cub Scout Follows Akela," etc. Practice this a few times and it will go smoother at the pack meeting.

Merlin
Trapper Trails Council

Personnel: Merlin, Cubmaster

Equipment: Merlin (wizard) costume, table (small) mixing bowl, cereal bowl, dry ice, stirring rod (Merlin staff), quart of water, towel, caps, baby powder, Cub Scout magic stuff.

Cubmaster: Down through the ages many smiles have been written about the great scholars and during the middle ages the scholars were the magicians. Probably the most famous of these magicians was named Merlin. If we can be absolutely silent and all close our eyes, maybe we will be able to conjure up the Old Master himself.

(Turm lights out. Fire caps. Throw a handful of baby powder into the air for "smoke" effect. Lights on and Merlin is there amongst the "smoke" -- coughing.)

Merlin: (Crackle cough) This smoke and fine business is definitely not the way to travel!  Magic? You want magic? You called the right guy. No one in history has ever been able to match the power of my spells. Let me show you some of my magic.

(Goes through several Cub Scout magic tracks See Cub Scout Magic Book - or does several silly magic tricks-)

Merlin: And now for the most important trick of all! (Merlin pours water into mixing bowl with dry ice already inside. Awards are inside small bowl now floating in large bowl. Merlin stirs with staff: C02 cloud should spill over and cover bowl Cubmaster calls names of boys receiving advancement and one by one each boy stirs the brew.  After each stir, Merlin reaches into the bowl and pulls out the boy’s award. He reads the award and congratulates the Scout: When all boys have received their awards, they're applauded and return to their seats.)

Merlin: Tonight you've seen two kinds of magic. The first being the kind of magic of illusion and spells. The second being the kind of magic you feel inside from a job well done and recognition of hard work. And in all my days in King Arthur's court that kind of magic has proven to be the kind of magic that endures. So for now, close your eyes, think of the knights of old and (Lights go out, caps pop, Merlin exits.  Cubmaster throws handful of powder Lights go back on.)

Merlin: (crackling from off stage) I’ll be on my way!

The Magic of Cub Scouting
Central New Jersey Council

Personnel: Cubmaster in top hat; Tiger Cub and Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scouts

Equipment: Magic box or curtain, magic wand, top hat

CUBMASTER: If it worked like magic, Cub Scout advancement would happen this way: A Tiger Cub would go into the magic box (Tiger Cub enters the box), I would wave my magic wand, and Abracadabra! -out comes a Wolf Cub Scout! (Wolf Cub Scout emerges from the box.)

Then, in would go the Wolf Cub Scout (enters the box) and, Abracadabra! -out comes a Bear Cub Scout! (Bear Cub Scout emerges.)

What would happen if we put the Bear Cub Scout back in? (Bear Cub Scout enters the box.) Now, let’s all say it together, Abracadabra! -and out comes a Webelos Scout. (Webelos Scout emerges.)

But is that the way Cub Scout advancement works? (Cub Scouts say “NO!”) It isn’t so easy! Each Cub Scout works hard to achieve his rank, and the following boys have done so tonight. Will the following boys and their parents come forward to receive the Bobcat badge? (Continue through the ranks.)