PACK/DEN ACTIVITIES
The Legends of the Five
Kernels
It was very cold for the Pilgrims that first
winter. Food was in short supply. Some days, they had only five kernels of
corn. When spring came, the Pilgrims planted the remaining corn. The sun and
rain helped the seeds to grow, and much food was harvested in the fall. Every
Thanksgiving thereafter, the Pilgrims placed five kernels of corn beside each
plate to remind them of their blessings.
The first kernel reminded them of the
autumn beauty.
The second reminded them of their love for each other.
The third reminded them of their family's
love.
The fourth reminded them of their friends...especially their Indian brothers.
The fifth kernel reminded them of their
freedom.
Splattered Ink
Holiday Greeting Cards
York Adams Area Council
Materials:
•
Pre-made holiday scene stencils (or make your own
from clip art copied on plastic overhead projector sheets)
•
Old toothbrushes
•
Plastic knives
•
Small containers of different color inks
•
Card stock folded like greeting cards
DIRECTIONS: Cover the front of a card
with a stencil (preferably with the stencil centered on the card stock).
Using masking tape or other “removable tape,” secure the stencil in place.
Dip the ends of the toothbrush bristles into a selected color of ink
(but not so the whole brush is dripping with the ink!). Hold the toothbrush
“bristles up” about 2 feet away from the card stock and scrape the knife blade
across the bristles so that the ink splatters onto the card stock. When the
ink dries, remove the stencil and add an appropriate greeting on the inside of
the card. (Note: If you use 8-1/2 by 11 card stock, you can cut these in half
[8-1/2 by 5-1/2] and get envelopes that fit this size.)
Christmas Stamp Slide
Debbie Kalpowsky
York Adams Area Council
Materials:
•
Christmas Postage Stamp
•
1 inch square masonite or ¼ plywood
•
Paints
•
¾ inch PVC slide ring
Equipment:
•
Paintbrushes
•
Hot glue
Directions:
1.
Paint the wooden square, allow to dry
2.
Center the stamp onto the painted square.
3.
Mount the slide ring to the back of the wooden
square.
Now is the time to introduce your Cubs to
that long forgotten tradition of writing Thank You Notes.
Here are a few tips I found on the net
as to why a thank you note is written.
Be
Organized: During the rush to open gifts during the holidays remember to keep
gift tags or cards with the gift , and make a list of who gave you what. It
makes things a lot easier when it is time to write thank you notes.
Write
thanks to anyone who gave or sent you a gift should be thanked. Anyone who did
something special for you, baked you treats or if someone made you feel
special, they should be thanked.
It is
always important to thank someone when they actually give you the gift.
However, it is still courtesy to send a written thank you note after you have
opened the gift
Can't I
just email them? Email is a wonderful, fast way to send mail. However, a hand
written note is much more friendly and receptive. You can however be creative
with your computer and make up personal thank you notes, just be sure to print
and sign them in hand writing.
Keep Your note simple and be
personal
But I
can't write yet! If you are too young to compose a thank you note yourself,
ask your Den Leader, Mom or Dad to help. A drawing is also a nice way to thank
someone for thinking of you
Finally, Thank you notes should be written and
sent soon after the holidays are over. If you wait too long you won't do it.
Grab some paper and envelopes, find a comfortable place, and write your notes.
Christmas Holiday Party
York Adams Area Council
Every year our
Pack holds a Christmas Party for the children. We make sure that Jolly Saint
Nick is there and we organize activities that are conducted in a round-robin
fashion where dens start at their designated activity stations and, as they
complete the activities, they move to the next station. We still hold a Pack
Meeting at the start of the evening, but we extend the overall meeting time to
1-1/2 hours so that everything gets done.
Ice Rink Pack Meeting Party
York Adams Area Council
How about setting up a party or Pack
Meeting in conjunction with a night on ice? Check out where the rink/s are in
your hometown to take your Pack. Here are the website and contact information
for the new facility.
Pack Mitten Tree
York Adams Area Council
While we haven’t
done this as a Pack, I’ve seen it done at local businesses and churches. Each
child/family is asked to bring in a pair of mittens, a scarf, and/or a hat to
hang on the tree in the meeting area. After the meeting, the donations are
packaged and given to one of the local clothing banks or other clothing
distribution facilities.
Postage Stamp Holiday Cards
National Capitol Area Council
You will need:
Used postage stamps
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Markers and pencils
Cut around used
postage stamps and place them in a pan of water until the stamp separates from
the paper. Lay the stamps down on newspaper to dry.
Draw and cut out paper tree for Christmas or a Star of David for Hanukkah.
Cut the stamps in half diagonally. Glue them inside the lines of the tree or
star.
Glue the tree or star to a folded piece of paper to make a card. Add any
decorations you'd like with ribbon, markers, or paper.
Glue a piece of white paper inside the card and write a holiday greeting.
Light Bulb
Reindeer
National Capitol Area Council
Materials Needed:
Light Bulb
Thin Ribbon
Brown Fun Foam or Felt
Paint
3/4-Inch Red Pom-pom
Glue
Instructions:
Put 3 layers of paper maiche on the light bulb first. This will make the
light bulb less fragile.
Paint the light bulb
with light brown paint. Let the paint dry completely. Set the neck of the
light bulb into an empty film container to allow the paint to dry
With the neck of the
light bulb pointing up, paint eyes and a mouth on the reindeer. Glue on the
red, pom-pom nose.
Cut two antlers out
of fun foam. Glue one to each side of the light bulb neck.
Form a loop with a piece of thin ribbon,
about 10 - 12 inches long and glue it on the top, back edge of your reindeer
head. This will be the hanger for your ornament.
The Science Behind Snowflakes
By David Ropeik
National Capitol Area Council
Because of the way
that they grow,
Each frozen white crystal of snow
Is thought in our mind
To be one of a kind.
But guess what: It just isn't so.
When H20
molecules freeze,
Hexagons form with great ease.
Molecular bonds
Like magical wands
Form the six-sided shapes snowfall sees.
Dendrite flakes,
with their six crystal wings,
Are among nature's loveliest things.
These flakes are unique,
No two can you seek
Just the same in the white winter brings.
But at temperatures
lower or higher
In air that's more humid, or drier,
Different shapes grow:
Less unique flakes
of snow
That develop much simpler attire.
Needles, and
Columns, and Plates
Are flakes with identical mates.
Like wheels on a bike
These flakes look
alike.
Each type has quite similar traits.
But the turbulent
winds of a storm
With temperatures both cold and warm
And mixed moisture sources
Create varying forces
That cause complex mixed crystals to form.
So while some flakes
can all look the same,
Most are not nearly so tame.
They're all based on a "hex,"
But they're just as complex
As the Nature from whence each one came.
Now raindrops, and
sleet, even hail
Are part of a simpler tale:
Though they vary in size
Like a bunch of french fries
Each form the same way without fail.
Big drops fall from
moist warmer air,
Or when smaller drops join, way up there.
Hailstones will grow
When strong updrafts blow.
A thunderstorm has those to spare.
Sleet's just a
raindrop that froze
Before it crashed into your nose
Wet rain that falls
And then freezes on walls
Is freezing rain. Traffic it slows.
Each type of cold
precipitation
Has its own origination.
We suffer together
The wet winter weather
No matter our town, state, or nation.
David Ropeik is a longtime science
journalist and currently serves as Director of Risk Communication at the
Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. This article is drawn from the archives of
"How and Why," Ropeik's column about scientific puzzlers.
