OPENING CEREMONIES

Playball

San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

Have your Cub Scouts help you with this one. Using cardboard or poster board have them cut out 8 different ball shapes. Have them paint or color them to resemble different balls like tennis, football, soccer, baseball, etc. Once dried have them use a stencil to spell out P-L-A-Y-B-A-L-L, one letter on each ball. Then glue or tape to the back of corresponding letter the text the cub is to read.  Be sure to use LARGE print. (Need 8 Scouts to read aloud.)

Cub # 1:   P is for our Parents who love us and help the Pack.

Cub # 2:   L is for our Leaders who help us on our scouting path.

Cub # 3:   A is for Achievements that help us grow and learn.

Cub # 4:   Y is for Yesterday the memories that we share.

Cub # 5:   B is for Baloo the Bear who helps us learn to camp.

Cub # 6:   A is for Activities because we want to run and play.

Cub # 7:   L is for Laughing because Cub Scouts is such fun.

Cub # 8:   L is for Learning skills we can use for life.

Sporting Flag Ceremony

San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach & Verdugo Hills Councils

This can be done with one person reading the entire poem or splitting it yup by lines and having different Cub read either each couplet or each line.

Everywhere we gather I can see your colors wave,

In churches, schools and stadiums, even in a cave.

Two foes can meet upon a playing field,

All are Americans; they will not yield.

In sportsmanship and honor, some say that is the way,

To keep our colors flying in every patriotic display.

The freedom to choose, even if we don’t agree,

To fight for what’s right, the price to live among the free.

Please join me in pledging allegiance to our flag.

The Sportsman’s Creed:

Baltimore Area Council

Have the Scouts repeat after the Leader:

The Player…

…lives clean and plays hard.
He plays for the love of the game.

…wins without boasting, he loses without excuses,
and he never quits.

…respects officials and accepts their decisions without question.

…never forgets that he represents his Den and Pack.

Have the Cubmaster repeat after the leader

The Coach…

…inspires in the boys a love for the game and the desire to win.

…teaches them that it is better to lose fairly than to win unfairly.

…leads players and spectators to respect others by setting them a good example.

…is the type of adult he wants his boys to be.

Have the Den Leaders repeat after the Leader:

 The official…

…knows the rules.

…is fair and firm in all decisions. (S)He calls them as (s)he sees them.

…treats everyone courteously and demands the same treatment for (her)himself.

…knows the game is for the boys, and lets them have the spotlight.

Have the Parents repeat after the Leader:

 The spectators…

…never boo a player or official

…appreciate a good play, no matter who makes it.

…know the Pack gets the blame or the praise for their conduct.

…recognize the need for more sportsmen and fewer “sports”.

Summer Opening

Baltimore Area Council

Have each boy read his part while holding an item or items that would be used in each of the summer activities. Narrator should, also, be a Cub Scout.

Narrator:     What would of happened if our Cubmaster and Den Leaders had decided they didn’t want any Cub Scouting this summer?

(Read only those that apply to your Pack - add activities that you may do that are not listed).

Cub # 1:        We wouldn’t have had our Softball League.

Cub # 2:        Day Camp would have been just a dream.

Cub # 3:        Our families would have missed the fun of our Picnic.

Cub # 4:        We wouldn’t have met with other Packs for the Cub Scout Olympics.

Cub # 5:        The fathers probably would not have gone camping with us at the Webelos Overnighter.

Cub # 6:        We wouldn’t have marched in our city’s Fourth of July Parade.

Narrator:     As you can see, it would have been a pretty dull summer if they had decided to take the summer off. Let’s give a big cheer for our Leaders and parents who have cared enough to give us Cub Scouting during the summer.

Favorite Song Opening Ceremony

Voyageurs Area Council

Cub # 1:     My favorite song is "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." I like it because it reminds me of how excited I feel when my favorite (relative) comes to visit me.

Cub # 2:     My favorite song is "Singing In the Rain".  I love to run out in the rain, taste the raindrops and splash in the puddles.

Cub # 3:     My favorite song is "The Bare Necessities" from "The Jungle Book." I don't like to worry about things I can't change.  I am happy with myself and my life.

Cub # 4:     My favorite son is "Home on the Range."  I love to go camping with my family and enjoy the quiet and peace of the outdoors.

Cub # 5:     My favorite song is "God Bless America." I love my country, my flag, and my home.

Cub # 6:     What is your favorite song? It tells a lot about you - what is important to you, what you think about, and what you like.

Cub # 7:     Please join with us by singing the first verse of your favorite song.  Don't mind if someone by you sings something different.  We can still make beautiful music together.

Cubmaster: Everyone sing the first verse of your favorite song. 

Afraid to try this??  Don’t worry, you can bet that regardless of the sound, everyone will be smiling at the end.

Our Country’s Birthday

Baltimore Area Council

Set Up: Stage this ceremony by placing the flag in a stand on the right side of the stage. Play a fan on it for a ripple effect. Soft background patriotic music playing.

(Voice from person hidden off stage) I am Old Glory. I am here to help celebrate the birthday of our country this month. For more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom. Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states. Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American faith, my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions. Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage. They have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity. They have prayed that they and their fellow men might continue to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So long as the principles of ‘truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.

Cubmaster: Please rise and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance with me.