Baloo's Bugle

March 2008 Cub Scout Roundtable Issue

Volume 14, Issue 8
April 2008 Theme
Theme: Abracadabra
Webelos: Sportsman & Family Member
Tiger Cub Activities

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATIONS

The Mystifying
Capital Area Council

Equipment: Pencil and paper for each Cub

Formation: Circle

  • Give all the Cubs a slip of paper – each the same size and shape as the others.
  • Then ask everyone to write a short sentence of four or five words. The words should be written plainly and should not be shown to any other person.
  • Then instruct them to fold their papers and bring them to someone previously selected to act as the ‘guardian’.
  • No one, not even the guardian, should attempt to read the papers, still folded.
  • As you gravely close your eyes, place the folded paper against your forehead and remain a moment in deep thought. Then call out any sentence that has occurred to you and as who wrote it. 
  • One of the Cubs, who is the accomplice, and who did not write a sentence nor submit a slip of paper, admits authorship of the sentence.
  • Then unfold the paper, apparently to verify his announcement (and read the sentence to yourself).
  • Next place the paper in your left hand and ask the guardian for another.
  • Repeat the same preliminaries and then call out the words written on the previous paper, which you have had the opportunity to read. This will be a bona fide answer and one of the Cubs will have to admit to writing the sentence. 
  • Keep the performance up in this manner until all the player’s slips of paper have been read.

In order for the trick to be successful, the accomplice must be careful to conceal from the audience the fact that he did not include a sentence in the collection given to the guardian.

JARED AND HIS MAGIC SHOW
Sam Houston Area Council

Directions: Divide the group in two parts.  Then tell them, every time you hear the word Magic, I want the Left side to say Abracadabra and then the Right side to say Alacazam!

Jared was a Cub Scout. He liked MAGIC shows. He decided that he would put on his own MAGIC show.

He practiced and practiced all his MAGIC tricks. Finally the big day came. He was going to put on his MAGIC show for is family and friends.

His brother liked MAGIC tricks too! He thought it would be fun to pull a trick on Jared. He talked to his sister Shari who was going to help Jared with his MAGIC tricks, and asked her to help him with his plan.

The time came and Jared started his show. He showed some MAGIC tricks with cards. Then he showed a MAGIC trick using a handkerchief and some flowers.

The next MAGIC trick he did was to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Then Jared showed the MAGIC number trick.

Now it was time for his last MAGIC trick. He was going to make Shari disappear.

Jared had Shari get in a MAGIC box. Jared shut the door and said the MAGIC words. He opened the door and she was gone. He closed the door and told everyone he would make her come back. Again, Jared said the MAGIC words and opened the door and guess what? She was still gone. Jared was very surprised. His brother was laughing. Jared’s brother came out to help him. They both said the MAGIC words and opened the door and there she was with a big smile on her face.

Jared’s brother said, “The MAGIC trick was on you. You thought she was really gone and she wasn’t.”

The Reluctant Rabbit
Capital Area Council

Divide audience into four groups.  Assign each group a word and a response.  Practice as you make assignments.

Joe:         Abracadabra
Rabbit:    Flop hands like ears and wiggle nose
Hat:         Tip imaginary hat
Dog:        Wooof

Joe was very busy. It was only a few days until the Pack Meeting and he was still trying to perfect his disappearing Rabbit trick. All the other Cub Scouts already had their tricks ready. But Joe was having a little trouble. He had his black top Hat and a very nice little Rabbit and Joe even knew exactly how to do the Rabbit in the Hat trick, but the Rabbit would not cooperate.

Just then, Joe’sDog came bounding into the room.  “Woof,” said the Dog. He was a very large Dog and the minute the Rabbit saw him, he bolted under the bed, toppling the Hat and just about knocking JOE off the bed. “Dog,” shouted Joe, “Get down! You keep scaring my Rabbit. And I already have enough trouble with him.” The Dog hung his head in shame. He was really a very good Dog and did not mean to scare the Rabbit. Joe reached under the bed and pulled out the Rabbit. Joe petted the Rabbit ad soon he was calm. “Now, let’s practice,” Joe said.  He took the Hat and after waving the magic wand a few times he put the Rabbit into the Hat. But the Rabbit would not stay in the Hat. Joe’sDog sat quietly and watched.  Nothing Joe did seemed to help.

Joe was getting very frustrated. He put the Hat on his own head and sat down on the bed. The Hat fell down around Joe’s eyes so he could not see. “Boy it’s dark in here,” he said. That was when it hit him.  The Rabbit had claustrophobia and was afraid of the dark! Every time Joe put him in the Hat, the Rabbit got very nervous and tried to escape. Joe patted his Dog on the head and thought and thought.  He didn’t have time to train another Rabbit. What could he do?

Then Joe had a bright idea. He opened the top drawer of his bureau and began searching through all his stuff.  His Dog came over to help.  Soon Joe found what he was looking for—his penlight. He put it in the bottom of the Hat and turned on the light.

Then he took the Rabbit waved the magic wand and stuffed the Rabbit into the Hat.  This time, with the light to keep him calm, the Rabbit stayed.

“Hurray!” shouted Joe. “Now I can do my trick!” And sure enough, the Rabbit had disappeared; the Hat was empty!  Even the Dog was surprised.