PACK/DEN ACTIVITIES

Favorite Team Slide
York Adams Area Council
Debbie Kalpowsky

Note:  In preparing to make this slide, you need to check with the boys to find out who their favorite teams are (regardless of the sport).  Then you can scour the world for copies of the team logos.  The internet is a reasonable source for some team emblems, but a lot of them are not available.  For some, I would look in mail order catalogues,  sports magazines, etc. I was able to find stickers of various sports teams at a discount store for a dollar.  These work great.

Materials:

•          1 inch (or size of logo) disk

•          ¾-inch PVC slide ring

•          Color copies of team logos

Equipment:

•          Tacky glue

•          Hot glue

•          Scissors

Directions:

1.        Cut out team logos to the size of the disks.

2.        Mount logo on disk using tacky glue.

3.        Mount the slide ring to back of disk using hot glue.

Ball Practice
York Adams Council

Have some of the parents available to help toss, kick, bat, etc. balls around with the boys.  This will keep them busy for hours! 

Know The Rules of the Game
York Adams Area Council

Have one of the boy’s older siblings or a coach-parent provide some pre-meeting discussion on rules of different sports.  This would be a good opportunity to also discuss what Good Sportsmanship is. 

Local Soccer Star Demo
York Adams Area Council

August is a great time to start the boys thinking about soccer, which starts up at the beginning of the school year.  Why not contact one of the local high schools about getting one or two of the star players to attend the meeting and conduct a demonstration/workshop for the boys.  They could practice some basic “moves” like dribbling, kicking, etc. 

Multi-Sport Game
York Adams Area Council

Make up a special ball game with all kinds of wacky rules combining the rules and equipment from several different sports.  For example, you can have a game that uses a softball that has to be kicked or “pucked” (using hockey sticks) around the b-ball court.  The boys can only pick it up when they’re shooting a basket that earns them touchdown points. 

Summer Olympics
York Adams Area Council

Hold a fun mini-Olympics.  This can involve many of the usual Olympic sports with enjoyable twists added to them.  Examples of sport events might include Water Balloon Shot Put, 100-foot Crab-Walk Dash, Synchronous Swimming (without water), Low Jump (under a pole without knocking it from its holder), Balloon Javelin Throw, 50-foot 3-Legged (Potato Sack) Hurdles, 25-Yard One-Footed Relay, etc.  Make sure to have Olympic Gold/Silver/Bronze “medals” for all of the participants and the winners.

Sports Event Between Packs
York Adams Area Council

Again, you need to go to the Cub Scout Leader Book to get more details, but this is one opportunity that the BSA promotes and on which it provides specific guidance.  If you have a neighboring Pack, especially if there’s a little fun rivalry with it, set up a summertime Olympic event or a day of games.  Make sure to involve the whole family in the activities.

Family Sports Day
York Adams Area Council

This is just a different flavor of the same kind of event that you might plan between Packs.  For a few years our Pack had a “Pack Family Picnic” at Codorus State Park that included softball, volleyball, badminton, swimming, etc. 

Trip to the BallGame
York Adams Area Council

For those of us in the YAAC, we have multiple opportunities for attending a sporting event as a Pack.  Our Pack does an annual trip to a Senator’s game in the summer—we make sure we pick an evening that has a nice give-away for the people going.  Visit the Senator’s website <http://www.senatorsbaseball.com> for schedule/event information.

Handicap Sports Event
York Adams Area Council

To heighten the boys’ awareness of other boys’ challenges, hold a sports event that includes some element of physical challenge that physically handicapped children must accept as everyday. 

String Ball
National Area Capital Council

Materials

Balloons

Any color string

Scissors

Yardstick

Petroleum jelly

White glue

Paper plate

Waxed paper

Pin

Construction paper

Instructions

1.        Blow up as balloons as you want to make.

2.        For each balloon, cut 30 pieces of any color string between 12 and 15 inches long.

3.        Rub a thin layer of petroleum jelly on each balloon.

4.        Pour a little glue onto a paper plate.

5.        Dip a string into the glue, and past it on a balloon.  Continue dipping and pasting the strings in overlapping designs on a balloon.

6.        Place on waxed paper to dry.  Let glue dry completely, at least overnight.  Do the same for the other balloons.

7.        When the glue has dried, use a pin to pop the balloons.  COVER YOUR EARS!!

8.        Carefully pull out the balloons through a space between the hardened strings.  (Promptly discard balloon pieces — they are choking hazards for small children!)

When you finish you are ready to play some string ball!

Tiny Straw Kite
National Area Capital Council

Materials:

Dental floss

6 straws

Thread

Tissue paper

Glue

Paint

Fine paintbrushes

String

Instructions

1.        Thread 1 long piece of dental floss through 3 straws.  Tie the ends of the floss together, which will form the straws into a triangle.

2.        Cut 3 pieces of dental floss 2 inches longer than the straws.  Thread a piece of floss through each of the last 3 straws, leaving an inch sticking out of each end.

3.        Tie together 1 end of the floss from all 3 straws.  You will have a 3-armed star.  Tie the floss hanging from the other end of each straw to a corner of the triangle.  You will have a 4-sided shape called a tetrahedron.

4.        Cover 2 sides of the tetrahedron by gluing tissue paper to the straws.

5.        On the triangles with tissue paper, poke small holes in the paper 1/3 of the way from the top of the kite.  Thread a piece of floss through each hole, and tie them around the straw.

Tie a slightly longer piece of floss around the straw near the bottom 1/3 of the kite.  Tie the floss together, then tie a long string to this to fly the kite.  Paint anything nice you like on your kite, and see how high it can fly!

African Design Boomerang
National Area Capital Council

Materials:

Foam board or cardboard

Colored markers

Craft knife

Instructions

C            Sketch a boomerang shape onto foam board or cardboard (Webelos may use plywood) then cut out.

C             Using a combination of different geometric designs and colors, create your own traditional style boomerang pattern.  Aboriginal art also reflected elements of nature.  You will find designs of leaves, twigs, birds’ footprints and pawprints.  You may want to include some of these in your boomerang patterns also.

C                    Display your boomerang by hanging it from the ceiling or tall bookshelf.  You can make and entire collection, each with a different design featuring lots of colors, or use only a few colors and the art of repetitive patterns to create interest

Sand Cast Sea Treasures
National Area Capital Council

Materials:

Starfish or shells found on the beach

4 cups sand

Clear plastic pony beads - Yellow and Purple

Decorative gel glue

White glue

Plaster of Paris

Glitter glue - Green and Purple

2 Containers for sand and plaster mixture

Spoon

Paintbrush

Water

Instructions:

1.        Collect shells or starfish on the beach. If you do not live near a beach, these items are often available at craft stores.

2.        Fill container with four cups of sand. Add 1/2 cup of water to sand and mix well.

3.        Press starfish or shell, face down into sand to make an impression.

4.        Remove shell from sand.

5.        In another container, mix 1/2 bottle of white glue with 1/2 cup of water.

6.        Add 1 cup of plaster of Paris. Mix well. (TIP: This step is messy. Work outside if possible.)

7.        Pour this plaster mixture into impression in the sand. Allow this to set for one hour.

8.        Remove plaster casting from sand. Brush off extra sand with a paintbrush.

9.        Brush a coat of decorative gel glue over the top surface of sand casting.

10.     Outline and add accents with glitter glue. Glue pony beads to sand castings.

Sculptures of Ice
National Area Council

Materials:

Empty plastic containers or milk cartons

Water

Food Coloring

Garbage bags

Instructions

1.        Add a few drops of food coloring to water that you have put into empty plastic containers or milk cartons.  Freeze overnight.

2.        The next day, spread large garbage bags on a picnic table (in the shade!), and put a frozen container on each.  Peel off or have an adult cut away the containers.  Now you are ready to sculpt.  Use your hands and your mouth to make wild and crazy shapes.

Beach Bucket
National Area Capital Council

Materials:

A large plastic jug

A paper punch

Yarn or brass fasteners

Self-adhesive paper

Instructions

                Thoroughly wash the plastic jug and let it dry.  Cut away the top half of the jug.

Cut a 1-inch by 12-inch strip from the tope half of the jug — this will be the handle.

Punch a small hole at each end of the handle, and punch two holes opposite each other near the top of the bucket.

Attach the handle to the bucket with brass fasteners (or tie a short length of yarn through the holes).

Use self-adhesive paper to design a summer scene.

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