WEBELOS

Note from Commissioner Dave – This Webelos section is reprinted from the August 2002 Baloo with a few additions.  I need to improve my resources for Webelos Activity Badges.

Communicator (1^st Year)

Circle Ten Council

Objectives

·         To learn about various forms of communication problems that other people may have.

·         To become aware of different way that people can communicate.

WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO

·         Visit a local newspaper office, radio station, or cable TV station.

·         Have a visually impaired, hearing impaired, or speech impaired person or a teacher for those with these impairments explain their compensatory forms of communication.

·         At the local library, find books about secret codes and various forms of communications

·         Visit the base of a ham radio operator.

·         Have a parent who uses a computer in his/her job explain its function.

·         Visit a travel agent to see how a computer is used to book a flight.  This could also be used as part of the Traveler Activity Badge, as you determine cost per mile of various modes of travel.

·         Learn the Cub Scout Promise or Boy Scout Oath in sign language.

·          

Den Activities for Communicator

Circle Ten Council

Message Coding

Use the Morse code table found in the Webelos Scout Handbook, Communicator Section to encode a short message.  Each boy should keep his message short, one sentence of 5 to 8 words, and not let the other boys see it.  After each boy has created his own message, let the other den members try to figure out the message.

NEWSLETTER

Have the boys use their knowledge of communications to set up a den newsletter with a calendar of upcoming events, a listing of supplies needed at future den meetings, a reporting of den activities, and acknowledgments of people who have helped with recent den programming.

SCOUT MOTTO

Have the Webelos learn the Scout Motto in Sign Language.

WIN-LOSE-OR-DRAW

Divide into two teams.  The equipment needed for this activity includes a one-minute timer, drawing marker, a pad of newsprint on an easel and a box with object cards.  One member of a team chooses an object card and tries to draw it on the newsprint.  His team tries to guess what he is drawing within one minute.  If the team guesses the object, they receive three points.  If the team is unsuccessful, the drawing is passed to the other team to guess within 30 seconds.  An accurate guess is worth two points.  If they too, are not successful, guessing is opened up to both teams together for another 30 seconds, and an accurate guess is worth only 1 point.  Play continues when the second team chooses an object card and draws it.  The winner is the team with the most points after a designated period of time.  Charades are not allowed for hints.

Ideas For Object Cards: 

Blue and Gold, U.S. Flag, Cub Scout, Neckerchief Slide, Award, Cub master, Table Decorations, Parents, Den, Summer Activity Award, Bobcat, Campfire, Pack Flag, Council Patch, Bear, Pinewood Derby, Wolf, Tiger, Arrow of Light, Skit, Applause, Webelos Activity Badge, Uniform, Webelos.

Pantomimes

This amusing way for expressing actions and moods will cause boys and parents more fun than you can imagine.  A fun way to start is to have boys in a circle. The leader makes an action and players exaggerate their version.  Then make up your own mime and have fun!

1.        Say with your hand, “Stop”

2.        Say with your head, “Stop”

3.        Say with your shoulder, “I bumped the door”

4.        Say with your foot, “I’m waiting”

5.        Say with your ear, “ I hear something”

6.        Say with your waist, “I’m dancing”

7.        Say with your jaw, “I’m surprised!”

8.        Say with your tongue, “Yum, this taste good”

9.        Say with your finger, “Come here”

10.     Say with your fingers,” This is hot!”

11.     Say with your nose, “I smell fresh pie”

12.     Make up your own gestures.

Here are some skits your Webelos could do at the pack meeting that make a point about communications.  Remember, in September your new Scouts probably do not have the hang of Pack Meetings yet, so a good skit by the Webelos could help your year get off on the right foot.  CD

Know To Whom You’re Speaking

Cast: Ship’s captain and signalman, Lighthouse keeper

Set Up: - Be sure not to use the word lighthouse until the very end.  Put Captain and signalman on one side of stage and LH Keeper and signalman on the other side.

Captain: (looks through binoculars or telescope) and sees the lights of another ship heading toward him.  (LH keeper shining flashlight) “Signalman contact the approaching ship.  Have them change course 10 degrees to the south”  

(Have Scout pretend to signal using flashing lights or semaphore flag.  Have the other signalman signal back.

Captain:  What did he say?

Signalman: “The reply was, Change YOUR course 10 degrees to the north.”

Captain: “Tell them, ‘I am a captain, so you change YOUR course 10 degrees to the south.’ ”

(Have Scout pretend to signal using flashing lights or semaphore flags.  Have the other signalman signal back.

Captain:  What did he say?

Signalman: “The reply was, “I am a seaman first class – change YOUR course 10 degrees to the north.”

Captain (infuriated): “Signal back, “This is a battleship – change YOUR course 10 degrees to the south.”

Have Scout pretend to signal using flashing lights or semaphore flags. Have the other signalman signal back

Captain:  What did he say?

Signalman: “The reply was, “This is a lighthouse.  Change YOUR course 10 degrees to the north!”

Round Robin Skit

Arrange the boys in a large circle.  Give each one a communications transmitter of some kind, such as a flashlight for Morse code, the string and can telephone, a boy’s hands for sign language, or a tom-tom for drumbeat.

Give the first boy a message to transmit, written on a piece of paper.  Each boy in turn apparently relays this message to the next boy in line using his signaling device.  (Remember your boys are just simulating this, not really doing it.)

The last boy writes down the message and comes up to stand beside you.  You read your message, which is “Mr. Watson, come here I need you”.  The boy is then asked to read his message, which is “The number you have reached is out of service.   Please hang up and try again.  If you think you have reached this recording by mistake…”  About halfway through this speech, put your arm on the boy’s back and begin guiding him off stage, shaking your head.
Cub Scout Alphabet Soup

Using the letter of the alphabet displayed, fill in the answer for each clue.  The first one has been done for you.

The “Jungle Book” name of an important Cub Scout Leader is Akela.

When they are old enough, Cub Scouts can join a patrol of B___  _______.

The title of the leader of the Pack is C______________.

The title of the Cub Scout who is the number one den helper is the D______________.

One Cub Scout elective activity, which could include wiring a doorbell, is E__________.

Every Cub Scout shows respect to this patriotic item that is used in opening ceremonies, the F______.

The Webelos activity badge that includes the study of rocks, minerals, and mountains is G___________.

A physical journey that Scouts big and small enjoy in the outdoors is a H____________.

This is found in instruments we write with:  I_____.

Kids like to see how far or how high they can do this physical action: J_____.

One way to move the ball in football or soccer is to K__________ it.

This is the noise we make when something is funny or we are happy: L________.

This is made by voices or by instruments:  M___________.

A familiar information source that contains many articles and is often recycled is a N__________.

People from many nations around the world take part in the O__________ events every four years.

These play characters are fun to make and are used in some skits: P___________.

The Cubmaster expects Q____________ when he gives the Cub Scout sign.

During races or relays we move our legs quickly and this called R___________.

The act of making musical sound with words is another word for S____________.

When the Cub Scout sign is given, we must stop T_____________.

A shirt, neckerchief and slide are part of the Cub Scout U________________.

In the summer, we often take a family V______________.

When a Cub Scout is 10 years old, and in the 4^th or 5^th grade, he can earn the Cub Scout rank of W___________.

The musical instrument, a X__________________, sort of resembles a piano.

Today is Y________________ tomorrow.

A Z_______________ is where lots of wild animals are kept for visitors to view.

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