SCHOLAR

MENTAL SKILLS GROUP

Baltimore Area Council

The quality that a Webelos leader will find most helpful on this badge is the ability to listen to a boy and praise him for his school accomplishments. Advance planning is important to make this badge appealing to a 10 year old.

You will need to find out who works at the school and how the education chain-of-command works in your locality. The school secretary can usually be very helpful. Also, the Board of Education will be glad to furnish you information. P. T. A. Officers will also be able to help you get information. Try to find out some of these things:

What jobs are there at school for the boys to do? What extra-curricular activities are available? For what activities in the community is the school used? Who are the people on the office staff, cafeteria staff, and custodial staff? What are their responsibilities? What are some of the problems of the school and how can you help?

Activities

English Class

Circle Ten Council

Find the following words concerning an English Class in the Word Search

COMPARE                 COMPOSITION                  CRITICIZE

DESCRIBE                          ESSAY                       GRAMMAR

NOVEL                          PARAGRAPH                           POEM

PRONOUNCE                     READ                                RECITE

SENTENCE                        SPEECH                          SPELLING

STORY                         VOCABULARY                        WRITE

Name the States

 Circle Ten Council

Give each boy a piece of paper and pencil and have them write down all 50 states.  The first one that has all 50 yells STOP and the other boys count up how many they have.  You can make up your own game using colors or animals in the zoo.  Set a time limit.

Spelling Mixer

Circle Ten Council

Print large letters on 5 x 8 index cards, one letter on each card.  Do not use the letters J, K, Q, V, or Z.  Make several extra cards with vowels on them.  Have a card for each person in the group.  Three adults act as judges.  On signal, people hold up their cards and rush around to find 2 letters that will make a 3 letter word.  The 3 people lock arms and race to the judge, who writes the word on the back of their cards.  Then they separate and rush back to find 2 more letters.  This continues for 5 to 10 minutes.  The winner is the person with the most words on his card.

Den Activities

Baltimore Area Council

·         Invite a teacher or principal to one of your Den meetings. Not only will this provide you some expert help, but it will give the boys a chance to relate to this adult on an informal basis outside the classroom.

·         Let the boys talk about what’s going on in school. Don’t try to change any of their ideas, but guide the discussion in such a way that they will see the value of an education.

·         Prepare a chart of the school system and explain and discuss with the boys.

·         Obtain some old school books for the boys to browse through. it will be interesting for them to see how fast education is moving forward.

·         Discuss possible Den service projects for the school.

·         Take a tour of the Board of Education.

·         Exhibit: Chart of school system, old school books along side current books.

·         Demonstration:  Oral report on field trip. Explain chart of school system, oral report on responsibilities of employees of school.

NOTE: Most of the work on this badge will be done by the boy in school; but don’t let this deter you from planning interesting Den meetings. You needn’t limit the meetings to discussion. You might take a trip to a high school or college to show the difference from elementary school. The service project will make the badge seem more real to the boys.

Here are some suggestions to help a Webelos leader increase the value and effectiveness of the boys’ education, which can be worked into the Den program:

·         By keeping physically fit, the boy is more likely to get the most out of school.  Emotional health is as important as physical health. Help him with his emotional development. Encourage him to talk about his problems and listen when he does. Pat him on the back when he does well.

·         Help each boy lead a balanced life. Studies should be counter-balanced with recreational and social activities.

·         Help him make wise use of his time. Horace Mann wrote: “Lost, yesterday; somewhere between sunrise and sunset; two golden hours, each set with 60 diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.”

·         A boy feels about school, to a certain extent, according to how he thinks adults feel about it.  He’s looking to you for guidance.

Activities outside the classroom strengthen and extend the learning that goes on in school. His Webelos program is enhancing his education and you, as his leader, are an integral part of his growing up process.

Brain Teasers

Baltimore Area Council

Take the number of pennies in a dollar. Multiply by the number of thirds in a circle. Divide by the number of inches in a foot of string. Subtract the number of nickels in a quarter.        Answer: 20

Take the number of toes on both feet. Multiply by the number of pints in a quart. Add the number of months in a half-year. Subtract the number of thumbs on two hands. Divide by the number of oranges in a dozen.      Answer: 2

If three cats can catch three rats in three minutes. How many cats could catch one hundred rats in one hundred minutes?           Answer: The same 3 cats

A boy, driving some cows, was asked how many cows he had. He said: “When they are in line, there are two cows ahead of a cow, two cows behind a cow, and one cow in the middle.” Now many cows were there?                 Answer: 3

If you went to bed at 8:00 at night and set the alarm to get up at 9:00 the next morning, how many hour of sleep would this permit you to have? Answer: 1 hour

Do they have a 4th of July in England?
                                                                                 Answer: Yes

Why can’t a man living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina be buried west of the Mississippi?
                                                  Answer: He must be dead first

How many birthdays does the average man have? 
                                                                                      Answer: 1

If you have only one match and you enter a room in which there is a kerosene lamp. an oil heater and a wood burning stove, which do you light first?
                                                                     Answer: The match

A man built a rectangle house. Each side has a southern exposure. A big bear comes wandering by. What color is the bear?      Answer: White

Magic Squares

Baltimore Area Council

Arrange the numbers 1 through 9 in a three by three box so that the totals for each column, row, and diagonal are equal. Each number may be used only once. Can you calculate what each row, column, and diagonal are going to equal before you solve the puzzle?

Games.  See website list for links to solutions

Scout Law Dart Board

Baltimore Area Council

Equipment:  Dart board and darts. The dartboard should have spaces with numbers through 12.

Each boy, in turn, throws a dart at the dartboard and scores a point if he can recite the point of the Scout Law represented by the number in which his dart sticks. Score one point for each correct throw and identification. Permit each boy to continue throwing until he misses either in his throw or in his identification of the point of the Law the dart where the dart landed.

Quiz Games

Baltimore Area Council

For laughs, ask your Scouts the following:

At what time was Adam born?                [A little before Eve]

What is it that can’t run and can’t walk, has a tongue and can’t talk?       [A wagon]

On which side is a pitcher handle?                   [The outside]

What is the best bet ever made?                     [The alphabet]

What increases in value when it’s turned upside down?
                                                                         [The number “6”]

What is it that can’t talk but always tells you the truth?
                                                                                       [A mirror]

What insect can be found in school?          [A spelling bee]

Following Directions

Baltimore Area Council

1.____________ 8.____________ 15.___________

2.____________ 9.____________ 16.___________

3.____________ 10.___________ 17.___________

4.____________ 11.___________ 18.___________

5.____________ 12.___________ 19.___________

6.____________ 13.___________

7.____________ 14.___________

·         If you ever saw a cow jump over the moon, write V in spaces 2, 3, 18, and 19. If not, write L in these spaces.

·         If X comes before H in the alphabet, write Z in space 16. If it comes after H. write W.

·         If 31,467 is more than 12 dozen, write G in spaces 8 and 12.

·         If you like candy better than mosquitoes, indicate with an O in spaces 13 and 14. If not, consult a psychiatrist at once!

·         Closing one eye and without counting on your fingers, write the 5th letter of the alphabet in space 11.

·         If Shakespeare wrote “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” put an O in spaces 9 and 17. Otherwise, put an I.

·         If white and black are opposites, write V in space 10. If they are the same, write nothing.

·         If 16 quarts make one pint, draw an elephant in space 7. Otherwise, write S.

·         If summer is warmer than winter, write the 3rd, 2nd, and 4th letters of the alphabet in spaces 4, 6, and 15 respectively.

·         If you can read this sentence, place the first and last vowel in spaces 1 and 5 respectively.

Now, read the message ... it makes sense!