PACK AND DEN ACTIVITIES

Be sure to check out the Dinosaur websites from Circle Ten’s Pow Wow Book listed near the end of Baloo’s Bugle

Circle Ten Council

¨       Take the children to a museum with a fossil collection.

¨       Invite a local paleontologist to visit your class and show a fossil collection.

CAVE DRAWINGS

Circle Ten Council

On a wall, hang a roll of paper at least six feet long (but preferably up to 10 feet long). Have the boys draw a picture of their favorite dinosaur on it. When they're done, ask them to name their new prehistoric friend (leaders can write the names in) and sign their name next to their drawing. In advance of the pack meeting, you and your boys might want to draw in some background scenery, such as boulders, palm trees, ferns, ponds and hills, to help get the mural started. The final product will make a nice mural for the wall or backdrop for the stage.

INTRODUCING DIFFERENT DINOSAURS

Go to your local library or bookstore to locate the book "Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast" written by Jack Prelutsky. The book contains various poems about types of dinosaurs. Each poem describes the dinosaurs and their characteristics in rhyme. The poems could be used to talk about different dinosaurs and what they could and could not do.

Let the boys make up their own dinosaurs and list what its characteristics are. How tall, what color, etc. let them share their new dinosaurs with the group.

PACK MEETING IDEAS

Circle Ten Council

·         Make dinosaur footprints, cut from brown paper have them leading the families into the pack meeting location.

·         Lots of large green plants and giant rocks will add to the decor.

·         Hang dinosaur posters on the walls for a little more authenticity.

·         Top the tables with a black vinyl cloth and small, bushy, plants, small rocks and plastic or paper dinosaurs the boys have made.

·         No plasticware at this meeting! Instead use Frisbees for plates and let them eat with their hands. Provide each family with an oversize cloth or paper napkin cut from dinosaur fabric. If you desire paper, purchase a dinosaur tablecloth at your local party store and cut into napkins. If you want to serve some finger food try cutting dinosaur shape sandwiches (deep cookie cutters works well) and heat up some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. Don't forget to mix up some red punch for volcanic lava juice.

FOSSIL PRINTS

Developed by Michigan Reach Out!

http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/

Circle Ten Council

What You Need (per person)

Stone Dough Mix

1/2 cup of salt

1 cup flour

1/2 cup of brewed coffee (cold)

1 cup of used coffee grounds

Measuring cups

Mixing spoon

FOSSILS to imprint

Twigs

Leaves (stiff bay leaves work well)

Dead, hard shelled bugs like roly-polys

Seashells

Chicken bones (cleaned, boiled, sterilized)

Plastic dinosaur to get skin texture or footprints

Mixing Bowl

DIRECTIONS

1.        Measure salt, flour, coffee, and grounds; add each to bowl; and stir together until well mixed.
Turn this dough out onto a large sheet of waxed paper and knead it until smooth.

2.        Break off a piece large enough for the imprint you want to make, roll it into a ball, and use the heel of your hand to flatten it out.

3.        Press the object you wish to make a fossil imprint of firmly into the dough. You can use more than one object if you like. Carefully remove the objects to leave the prints behind. Let your fake stone dry overnight and you have an imitation fossil!

PITH HELMETS

Circle Ten Council

Fossils

Kathy, Hiawatha Council

1/4 cup of plaster of Paris
1 Cup of Vermiculite (found at gardening center)
1/2 cup of water
Measure and mix together. Put some in the bottom of a regular size paper cup. Fill about 1/4 full. Next they put in a small plastic or rubber dinosaur. Then the fun: the children bury their dinosaur completely. Don't let any part of him remain uncovered!! Set aside for 2 days. This mixture will turn hard (if measured correctly).

Dino Skeleton

Kathy, Hiawatha Council

 Provide the children with an outline of a dino. They glue on macaroni to resemble the dino skeleton.

Dinosaur Shadow Box

Kathy, Hiawatha Council

Shoe box, crayons, grass (real or fake), toy dinosaurs or play dough dinosaurs that children make and rocks. Draw mountains or marsh on inside bottom of shoe box. Turn box on side and fill shadow box floor with grass, rocks and dinosaurs.

Coffee Dough

Kathy, Hiawatha Council

1 cup flour
1 cup coffee grounds
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup sand
Mix ingredients together. Shape into a ball and place thumb in center to form a hole. Place a treasure inside and cover up. Let dry 4 to 5 days. It is suppose to resemble a rock or a pumice stone. Then the child cracks it like an egg. An idea is to shape it like an egg and place a dinosaur inside. Have it crack and let the child be amazed to find a dino inside.

DINOSAUR FEET

Circle Ten Council

I have seen this idea used for several themes.  It’s a perennial Cub Scout favorite.  Shoe Boxes as used here are great or in a pinch – large paper grocery bags.  CD

These feet are fun to play racing games with so make a couple of sets

What you will need:

Shoe box size boxes

Paint

Fun Foam

Glue gun

Knife (adult supervision)

Newspaper

DucT tape

Directions:

1.        Cut a small hole in one end of the top of each box just big enough for a boy's foot to fit in.

2.        Tape the box closed with strong tape. Stuff the inside front and sides of the box with newspaper leaving just enough room for a boy's foot to fit inside.

3.        Spray paint the boxes a dinosaur color and let then dry.

4.        Have boys decorate the boxes to look like dino feet.  For an extra touch, cut out 2" claws from fun foam and glue to the front top of the box.

5.        Now set up races at your pack or den meetings.  One pair per den makes for a good relay race

ROCK CREATURES

Circle Ten Council

Clean some smooth, flat stones by washing them in detergent.  Then decorate them with acrylic paints.  Use contact cement or white glue to join the rocks.  They will adhere better if you saturate a small piece of cotton and place it between rough-edged rocks.  After gluing, run a collar of glue cement around joints to make a lasting bond.  Challenge the Scouts to invent a new creature and name him/her!

FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS

Sam Houston Area Council

Self-hardening clay

Paper towels

Newspaper

Pencil

1.       Give each Cub a lump of clay about the size of an orange, a newspaper, and two paper towels

2.       Place the clay on the newspaper and press it out flat to a size slightly larger than their right foot.

3.       Place the newspaper and clay on the floor.

4.       Take off the right shoe and sock.

5.       Step an the clay firmly and then carefully lift the foot away, leaving a print.

6.       Cubs should write their names in the clay.

7.       Set the footprints aside to dry for several days.

MODELING DINOSAURS

Circle Ten Council

The boys can use clay to make their dinosaurs for display at Pack meeting. Make name tags with their creations name on it and the paleontologist (boys name) who discovered it.

DINOSAUR MOBILE

Circle Ten Council

Need:

2 Wire hangers

String

Paper dinosaur shapes or pictures of dinosaurs with hole punched to string

Directions:

Take to wire hangers and form an X. Tie together with string.

Take different pictures and string them then tie to hanger.

Never built a mobile??  There are other directions in Cub Scout rank books and How To Book.  CD

Dinosaur Bones

Longhorn Council

Materials needed:

Paper tubes (use paper towel rolls, tissue rolls, or for giant bones, use tubes from gift wrap

Newspaper or grocery bag strips, 1” x 4”

Masking tape

Glue mixture (flour and water consistency of thick gravy)

Tempera paint or latex house paint

Newspapers

Directions:

These bones will remind you of the Flintstones! You can make them any size, depending upon the size of your paper tube. If you don’t have a large enough tube, make one by taping a large piece of tagboard or lightweight cardboard into a cylinder.

Crush several sheets of newspaper into balls, wrapping crushed sheets with more sheets until they are the size you want. Use masking tape to secure the balls to the ends of the tubes.

Using the torn strips and glue mixture, place three or four layers of strips over the entire bone. Shape the ends while damp, adding more strips as desired to give the ends a bone shape.

Dry, and paint with tempera or latex paint. These are really lightweight, and make dramatic props for plays, decorations, or for Halloween costumes.

Dino Outdoor Adventures

Kathy, Hiawatha Council

The basic theme behind the Cuboree was Dinosaurs.  Somethings we did included:

        A Pellet Rifle Range where the Cubs could shoot at some cardboard dinosaurs as well as some static targets.

        An Archery Range with a couple of different dinosaur  targets to shoot at. The Cubs earned a sucker if they popped a balloon target.

Remember, to do pellet guns or archery for Cubs, it is required to be a Council sponsored activity.

        We gave the Cubs a chance to explore the "newly discovered dinosaur fossil bed" as well. Using a metal detector, the Cubs were to sweep the area looking for dinosaur skeletons. At one point the "Dino-finder" would detect something, which they dug up. It turned out to be a tin labeled "Pirate Treasure". The Scout leading the activity was supposed to try to get them to put it back in the ground by saying: "The Leader didn't say anything about digging up Pirate Treasure, put it back!" but then relent and let them open it up to find a bunch of Gummi worms.

 After their Gummi worm treat they would continue until they detected another anomaly. Although they were supposed to use toothbrushes and paintbrushes, they usually just dug with their hands to clear away the sand and unearth the "fossilized" dinosaur skeleton. It was carved out of wood and screwed to a sheet of plywood. The screws gave the detector some metal to find. If doing this – PLAN AHEAD - It took a few days to carve 2x4's down into a passable dinosaur skeleton.

Dino Soap Box Derby

Longhorn Council

Materials:

Small cardboard box

Four yogurt container tops

Four brads

Crayons or markers

Tape

Optional: String

Directions:

Start with a small box and punch four small holes (your job) on the sides, about half an inch from the bottom at each corner. Then take four plastic yogurt tops and punch a small hole in the center of each (also your job). Affix each yogurt top to the box with a brad and you instantly have four wheels (cover the sharp ends of the brad with tape for safety). Attach a string and handle, if you like. The rest is artwork.

Rocks, Shells and Fossil Prints

Longhorn Council

 Mix:

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup salt

3/4 cup flour

Add: warm water to make into a dough ball

The dough can be rolled, formed or used to press shells, rocks or other natural found objects into.  Let the dough air dry, turning each day until dry or microwave one minute on each side.  It may be necessary to adjust the microwave time according to the thickness of the dough and microwave temperature.  Dry dough can be painted with tempera paint.

Dino Puppets

Longhorn Council

 Materials Needed: 2 long white envelopes

Seal two long white envelopes.

Put one on top of the other with the backs of the envelopes facing down.

Holding them together, cut a thin strip off one end.

Tape the middle two cut edges together.

 Color a dinosaur face on the top of the top envelope.

Draw teeth on the inside of the mouth.

You can write in the mouth to use as an invitation if desired.

Pasta Fossil Plaque

Santa Clara County Council

Make a homemade fossil using dry pasta shapes for the bones.

Supplies:

Potting soil,

white glue,

dry pasta in different shapes,

Styrofoam tray, bowl & spoon,

measuring cup,

scissors,

felt.

Directions:

 Mix one cup of the potting soil with enough white glue to hold the dirt together.

 Shape the dirt into a ball and set it on the Styrofoam tray. 

 Press the ball down until it is flat and about ½ inch thick.

 The pasta shapes will be the bones. 

 Arrange different pasta shapes to design your own fossil – be creative. 

 When you have a design, carefully arrange it on top of the gluey dirt. 

 Gently press the pasta into the dirt to make sure it will stay. 

 Cover the pasta with a layer of glue.

 Let the dirt dry on the Styrofoam tray until it is hard. 

 This could take two or three days.

 When the dirt is dry, cut a piece of felt to fit the bottom of the plaque. 

 Glue the felt to the bottom of the plaque to keep it from scratching your table.

WEATHER ROCK

Sam Houston Area Council

A really different weather, forecaster, hut just about as accurate as the highly paid ones.

Cut three 36" lengths of twine or jute.

Fold the strands in half and form a loop about 2" from the top, as shown.

Cut a short piece of jute and tie under the loop.

Braid the 6 strands together about another 8" down from the loop.

Now, place a large smooth rock within the jute and knot to hold.

Continue braiding another 3 inches.

Knot, leaving about 2" for the tassel at the end.

On a white index card write the message below.

WEATHER ROCK

This rock is always 100% accurate!

A dry rock - fair weather

A wet rock - rainy weather

A dusty _rock - polluted air

A swaying rock - wind is blowing

A disappearing rock - heavy fog

Rock jumping up & down - earthquake

Rock is white - snow

Cover the front and back of the card with clear adhesive paper.

Glue the card to the rope below the loop.

Pet Rock Dinosaurs

Longhorn Council

You’ll need:

Smooth stones or rocks

Tempera Paint

White Glue

Brushes

Directions:

Wash and dry stones. For a paint that will adhere to stones, mix paint with glue, using approximately two parts paint to one part glue. Now for the fun. Create your own pet rock dinosaur either by painting the stone a background color and when dry adding a design, or by leaving the stone its natural color and painting the design directly on the stone. For a glossier finish, spray with clear lacquer when paint is dry.

Dinosaur Egg

Longhorn Council

 Materials needed:

Balloon

Newspaper strips, 1” x 3”

Glue mixture

Small toy dinosaur or one made of clay

String, about 30” long

Tape

This egg will really hatch! Surprise your friends when the baby dinosaur hidden in the egg pops out.

Directions:

Blow up the balloon and tie the end securely. Tape one end of the string to the center of the balloon’s middle. Wrap it around the balloon once, and let the loose end of the string hang loose.

Being careful not to get the loose string covered with paper—mache strips, cover the entire balloon (including the one wrap of string) with a layer of damp paper—mache strips. Wrap the hanging string around the balloon again, and let the loose end hang free.

Cover with another layer of paper—mache strips. Continue until the string is almost used up and the balloon is covered with several layers of string and paper—mache strips. Leave about 1” of string exposed.

Allow the egg to dry. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, cut two slits in the shape of an “x” in the side of the egg. The balloon inside will pop. Insert the tiny dinosaur into the egg, and cover the opening with two or three damp paper—mache strips. Dry. Then paint the egg with tempera paint

To hatch the dinosaur egg and release the tiny dinosaur, pull on the tiny piece of string that is left on the surface of the egg. Pull gently on the string and the egg will pop apart into two halves.