GATHERING ACTIVITIES

Four Clowns In A Row Bingo

Longhorn Council

This starts as a Gathering Activity – collecting signatures and ends as a BINGO game during game time. 

Pretty Neat.  CD

Give each person present a sheet of paper marked off in twenty squares. In each square they must get someone present to write his or her name. That will mean that each person will get the signatures of twenty people, one for each square. Provide each player with fifteen or twenty small stickers. If the committee could get white stickers and paint clown faces on them it would help.

Each one is now asked to write his or her name on a small piece of paper. These are placed in a hat. The leader draws the names from the hat, one at a time. As the name is called, the person bearing it responds with a lusty “Here,” and raises the right hand. This serves as an introduction to the group. Each person who has that name on his paper puts a sticker in the square where it appears.

When any player gets four stickers in a row, either across, down, or diagonally, he shouts: “Four clowns in a row!” Some suitable award may be made to that player. Let him read the names of the four.

Circus Word Search

Santa Clara County Council

Find these things that can be found at the circus.  Look up, down, across, backwards and diagonally:

ACTS                      JUGGLE                   BALLOONS

MIDWAY              BIG TOP                        RIGGING

CALLIOPE              RINGS                         CAMELS

SHOWS                CLOWNS                      TICKETS

ELEPHANTS         TIGERS                         HORSES

TRAINER           SOUVENIRS                  TRAPEZE

Impromptu Kazoo Band
Santa Clara County Council

Have supplies (combs and waxed paper pieces) for the boys to use when they come in.  Set aside a band practice area and have one of the parents or the Den Chief act as a conductor for the practice session.  Make sure the conductor encourages and makes it lots of goofy fun so the boys don’t lose interest.  You can also have some funny hats and rubber noses for the boys, so they can form a circus band.

Circus Menagerie

Heart of America Council

As the boys arrive, have them take turns imitating circus animals - roaring, scratching, pacing, climbing, etc. The first Cub to guess the animal wins an animal cracker. For variation, have them imitate circus performers - tightrope walkers, acrobats, clowns, jugglers, etc.

GRAB BAG CREATIONS

Circle Ten Council

This is a great gathering activity idea.  Each Den can start when their first family arrives.  Some of the guidelines may need to be changed for this to work as a Gathering activity.  But give it a whirl. CD

Give each den a bag full of odd stuff, a bottle of glue and see what they can make! Karla of Pack 44, Central City reports, “We did this at a pack meeting on short notice. We were supposed to go on a hayride and it was too cold. Each Den Leader was to bring several items in lots of 7, since we have 7 dens. The leaders came up with great ideas from their own stock of supplies.  We included stuff like:

construction paper    toilet paper rolls        paper towel rolls

beads                           packing peanuts                             yarn

tooth picks                   plastic milk lids                        feathers

pipe cleaners, felt   craft sticks pop tops              tooth picks

tongue depressors         tooth picks               plastic milk lids

feathers, pipe cleaners, felt                                         pop tops

tongue depressors         craft sticks                              spools

paper clips                           spools                           paper clips

Velcro pieces                    Rick-rack,     small pieces of wood,

bells,                                     string,                               buttons,

Margarine tubs,                          and anything else you have

Also, have a pile of grab bag stuff that you don't want to separate into the bags or didn't have enough of to give to each group or make a complete project.  Each group got to go to the grab bag and select items that they needed. This was done on a rotation basis and each group got to pick two things. Divide the groups by den. The leaders were allowed to help, just go around and provide positive comments to all the groups. Set a time limit and then put the items made in a central location. Then you can play games or if providing food you can eat. While play the games or eating the leaders judged the final works of art.

The awards were Cub Scout pencils.

Each group got an award i.e.  Most Useful, Most Creative, Best Use of Materials, Most Related to Scouting, etc.
It's a lot of fun and gets the parents very involved with the dens. It makes a great last minute pack meeting on short notice.