My kids love creamsicles – the ice cream on a stick covered with orange flavored ice. We had some creamsicles and some black icing gel so we decided to have some Halloween fun with them. We made these Jack O Lantern creamsicles.

This would be a fun snack/craft for a den meeting. You have to work fairly quickly so they don’t melt though, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a big group.

Jack O Lantern Creamsicles

Ingredients

• One box of Creamsicles
• One tube of black icing gel

Directions

1. Put a Creamsicle on a plate or tray.
2. Draw a Jack O Lantern face on it with the icing gel.
3. If it has gotten soft while decorating, stick in back in the freezer for a few minutes.
4. Eat!

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We always carve at least one Jack ‘O Lantern in October. The first step is to remove the top and scoop out all of the pulp and seeds from the inside of the pumpkin. We never let the seeds go to waste though. We roast them and eat them instead.

If you want to roast the seeds from your pumpkin, our recipe is below. These never last long in our house.

Roast Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Ingredients

• One large pumpkin
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin.
3. Separate the pulp from the seeds. Do NOT wash the seeds. (The seeds are good with little bits of pulp still on them, but don’t leave big chunks.) Discard the pulp.
4. Spread the seeds in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
5. Melt the butter and combine with the Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.
6. Pour the butter mixture over the seeds and stir.
7. Bake the seeds for about 1 hour, until deep brown and crisp. Stir every 15 minutes.
8. Season with salt to taste.

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BSA provides a set of Tiger den meeting plans for Cub Scout den leaders. There are 16 basic meeting plan ideas and then some additional supplemental Tiger den meeting ideas. This is the fourth of the supplemental tiger den meeting plans. It covers Tiger Elective 45 – Fresh Baking.

You can download the complete meeting plan from the BSA website: Printable copy of BSA Tiger Den Meeting Supplemental Plan D – Go See It: Visit a Bakery

Tiger Den Meeting Ideas: BSA Supplemental Plan D – Go See It: Visit a Bakery

Preparation and Before the Meeting

You will need to contact a bakery and arrange to visit. Many bakeries or donut shops will be happy to show you around during their slow time. If you plan to make thank you notes before you leave (see After the Meeting below), bring some supplies for that.

Gathering

See my gathering activities page for ideas for gathering activities. Or play a  game during gathering time.

Opening

Start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Business

Hand out any recognitions. Keep the rest of the business to a minimum.

Activities

Tigers and their adult partners drive to the bakery. Just by going on this field trip, Tigers  fulfill elective 45:

Visit a bakery.

Closing

Keep it simple. Say the Law of the Pack.

After the Meeting

Have the Tigers make some thank you notes for the bakery staff.  If the bakery has a seating area, you could do this before you leave and give them to the staff right away.

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BSA provides a set of Tiger den meeting plans for Cub Scout den leaders. This is a review of the 16th den meeting plan in the series. This den meeting idea covers Tiger Elective 33 – Cleanup Treasure Hunt, Tiger Elective 23 – What Kind of Milk?, and Tiger Elective 25 – Snack Time.

You can download the complete meeting plan from the BSA website: Printable copy of BSA Tiger Den Meeting Plan 16

BSA Tiger Den Meeting Plan 16 – Cleanup Treasure Hunt, What Kind of Milk?, and Snack Time

Preparation and Before the Meeting

Communicate with the adult partners beforehand that each Tiger Cub should make a snack beforehand and bring it to the meeting beforehand. If you don’t think this will work, you could also have them make a simple snack together at the meeting. See my Cubs in the Kitchen page for some ideas.

You will also need to gather your supplies for the Cleanup Treasure Hunt. My Cleanup Treasure Hunt article has a printable list you can use.

Gathering

Check my gathering activities page for some appropriate activities for your gathering time. Or play a simple game.

Opening

Start with a flag ceremony and the Cub Scout Promise.

Business

Have them share their snack during this part of the meeting (Elective 25) and discuss the different types of milk they drink (Elective 23).

Activities

Go outside and do the  Cleanup Treasure Hunt (Elective 33). Allow some time at the end to let them talk about what they cleaned up. If any of them found anything unusual, they will want to share that.

Closing

Just do a simple closing – like the Law of the Pack.

After the Meeting

Have Tiger Cub Scouts help clean up. Dispose of the items they cleaned up. If you don’t have recycling containers at your meeting place, send those home with somebody to be disposed of properly. This is a good time to arrange for some of the other parents to help you with the next meeting.

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Plant a garden based on a pizza theme so you can make pizzas with fresh herbs, tomatoes, and your other favorite ingredients.

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Get this apron for yourself or your favorite Scouter. It is a spoof of the Boy Scout Law. It reads:

A Scouter Is… Capable, Generous Determined Patient Dependable Trusting Hopeful Fearless Flexible Humble and Exhausted

Makes a great gift for a den leader, Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, or anyone who has supported the Scouting program.

This standard adult sized apron is available in white, khaki, or yellow, Extra long and kids styles are also available.

A Scouter Is … Apron by ScouterMom
View more Scout Aprons

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The core value for the month of May is Health and Fitness. BSA has just released a Cub Scout pack meeting plan called Cub Cafe related to this core value. For more ideas for use with this theme, see my Cub Cafe program theme page.

The core value of Health and Fitness should still be the focus for the month.  Here is how the BSA plan suggests tying together this theme with May’s core value of Health and Fitness:

As Cub Scouts, we are personally committed to care for our minds and our bodies. One way we care for our bodies is by what we feed ourselves. By choosing Cub Café as a theme, we can emphasize healthier choices, thus reinforcing our commitment to care for our bodies.

Sometimes these meeting plans don’t seem like they have enough to fill an hour. The time required to do some of these things might vary with the size of the pack especially. If you need an additional activity, consider having the Cub Scouts prepare a healthy snack. See my Cubs in the Kitchen page for recipe ideas. Many of the recipes on the page can be done without access to a kitchen.

This Cub Scout pack meeting plan includes the following – all within a health and fitness theme. See the meeting plan for details.

• Gathering activity – Types of Apples word search
• Opening ceremony – What makes Old Glory: The program helps suggest having a campfire with this. You can use something like this Campfire Standup Western Decoration which wouldn’t be too difficult to make. Or use some crumpled red, yellow, and orange tissue paper around the pot. I’ve seen this ceremony done without the fake campfire and it works fine without it.
• A prayer about health
• Song – The Cub Scouts Eat So Well (To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
• Audience Participation – My Cubmaster Cooks
• Activity – Den Demonstrations
• Cub Cafe recognition ceremony
• A “Physically Strong” Cubmaster Minute
• A Health closing ceremony

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As I mentioned in a couple of previous posts, our Cub Pack worked on the Nutrition belt loop at the March Cub Scout Pack meeting. If you still need a pack meeting idea for May, this would also fit in well with May’s core value of Health and Fitness.

There are only three requirements for the Nutrition belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program:

1. Make a poster of foods that are good for you. Share the poster with your den.
2. Explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. Eat one of each.
3. Help prepare and eat a healthy meal of foods that are included in a food pyramid.

Pack Meeting Plan – Nutrition Belt Loop

Opening

We had a typical opening ceremony, with one of the dens doing flags.

Activities

The nutritionist brought in some food models and plastic plates and gave some to each den. She talked about the different types of food (and covered part of requirement 2 in the process). She asked them to make up a healthy plate of food. You could use play food or do something similar with magazine pictures.

Next, they made their posters for requirement 1.

Then they went into the kitchen. They made chicken wraps and fruit and yogurt  parfaits. This completed requirement 2 and also did requirement 3.

Recognition

Then recognitions were handed out. Nothing elaborate since there wasn’t much time.

Closing

The pack closed with a prayer and one of the dens did a closing flag ceremony.

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Every month, Cub Scouts focus on a core value. The core value for the month of May is Health and Fitness. Along with the regular pack meeting plan for this core value, BSA also plans to release a Cub Cafe theme. It will probably focus on cooking, like the old Cub Cafe theme did.

Here is what the old program helps said about this theme:

This month Cub Scouts can experience the varied tasks associated with running a café. From planning a budget and menu, to food selection and preparation, to eating and enjoying, Cub Scouts can do it all. Visit a supermarket and learn about where food comes from as well as the benefits of comparison shopping. Learn about table etiquette for both waiters and consumers. Make your pack meeting a Food Fair where each den runs its own Cub Café and everyone enjoys a taste.

So how can you fit ideas related to Cub Cafe along with Health and Fitness into your Cub Scout program in May? Here are some Cub Scout achievements, electives, and recognitions which you can incorporate into your May program:

Tiger Achievement 3: Keeping Myself Healthy and Safe

• 3D. Make a Food Guide Pyramid.

Wolf Achievement 8 – Cooking and Eating

1. Study the Food Guide Pyramid. Name some foods from each of the food groups shown in the pyramid.
2. Plan the meals you and your family should have for one day. List things your family should have from the food groups shown in the Food Group Pyramid. At each meal, you should have foods from at least three food groups.
3. Help fix at least one meal for your family. Help set the table, cook the food, and wash the dishes.
4. Fix your own breakfast. Wash and put away the dishes.
5. With an adult, help to plan, prepare, and cook an outdoor meal.

Bear Achievement 9 – What’s Cooking

1. With an adult, bake cookies.
2. With an adult, make snacks for the next den meeting.
3. With an adult, prepare one part of your breakfast, one part of your lunch, and one part of your supper.
4. Make a list of the “junk foods” you eat. Discuss “junk food” with a parent or teacher.
5. Make some trail food for a hike.
6. With an adult, make a dessert for your family.
7. With an adult, cook something outdoors.

Webelos Fitness Activity Badge

1. With your parent, guardian, or Webelos den leader, complete the Health and Fitness Character Connection.
   • Know: Tell why it is important to be healthy, clean, and fit.
   • Commit: Tell when it is difficult for you to stick with good health habits. Tell where you can go to be with others who encourage you to be healthy, clean, and fit.
   • Practice: Practice good health habits while doing the requirements for this activity badge.
2. Read the meal planning information in this chapter. With a parent or other family member, plan a week of meals. Explain what kinds of meals are best for you and why.
3. Keep a record of your daily meals and snacks for a week. Decide whether you have been eating foods that are good for you.

Webelos Outdoorsman Activity Badge

8. With your accompanying adult on a campout or outdoor activity, assist in preparing, cooking, and cleanup for one of your den’s meals. Tell why it is important for each den member to share in meal preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating together.

Nutrition Belt Loop and Pin

BL1. Make a poster of foods that are good for you. Share the poster with your den.
BL2. Explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. Eat one of each.
BL3. Help prepare and eat a healthy meal of foods that are included in a food pyramid. (With your parent’s or partner’s permission, see http://www.mypyramid.gov)
P1. Make a poster that shows different foods that are high in each of the vitamins. Using your poster, explain to your den or family the difference between a vitamin and a mineral and the importance of each for a healthy diet.
P2. Read the nutrition label from a packaged or canned food item. Learn about the importance of the nutrients listed. Explain what you learned to your den or family.
P3. Make a list of diseases that can be caused by a diet that is poor in nutrition.
P4. Talk with your school cafeteria manager about the role nutrition plays in the meals your school serves.
P5. With an adult, plan a balanced menu of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for your family for a week.
P6. Make a list of healthy snack foods. Demonstrate how to prepare two healthy snacks.
P7 With an adult, go grocery shopping. Report to your den or other family members what you learned about choosing good foods to eat.
P8. Demonstrate how to safely prepare food for three meals.
P9. Demonstrate how to store leftover food to prevent spoilage or contamination.
P10. Help with a garden. Report to your den or family about what is growing in the garden and how you helped. Show a picture of or bring an item harvested from your garden.
P11 Visit a farm or ranch. Talk with the owner about how the farm or ranch produces food for families.
P12. Explain how physical exercise works with nutrition in helping people be fit and healthy.Demonstrate three examples of good physical activity.

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As I mentioned last week, our Pack worked on the Nutrition belt loop at our March Pack Meeting. One of the kid’s aunts, who is a nutritionist, came in and did some activities and made some healthy dishes with the Cub Scouts. One of the recipes she made with them was this fruit and yogurt parfait recipe.

The Cub Scouts enjoyed making the parfaits, especially since they had some control over what they put in their own parfait.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla fat-free yogurt
• 2 cups low-fat granola
• 2 cups fresh or canned fruit – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, peaches, cherries

Directions

1. Line up 4 parfait glasses or other tall glasses.
2. Spoon 2 tablespoons of yogurt into each glass.
3. Spoon 2 tablespoons of granola over yogurt.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons of fruit over granola.
5. Repeat layers until parfait is the size you want it.

Makes 4 to 8 servings, depending on the size

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At our March Pack meeting the Cub Scouts worked on the Nutrition belt loop. A nutritionist came in and did some great activities with the Cub Scouts, including bringing in a chicken wrap recipe and letting each Cub Scout make his own chicken wrap.

This is the chicken wrap recipe she made with the Cub Scouts:

Chicken Wrap Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 12 ounce cans white chicken breast, drained
• 2/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 10 inch whole grain tortilla wraps
• 2 cups shredded lettuce leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into 16 slices
• 1/2 cup carrot shreds
• reduced sodium soy sauce for dipping (optional)

Directions

1. Mix the chicken, mayonnaise, and green onion in a bowl.
2. Combine the rice and vinegar in another bowl.
3. Spread 1/4 of the chicken mixture on a wrap.
4. Top with 1/2 cup of the rice mixture.
5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup lettuce, 4 avocado slices, and 2 tablespoons of carrot shreds on top of the rice.
6. Roll up the chicken wrap and cut in half or in quarters.
7. Repeat with remaining filling and wraps.
8. Serve with soy sauce for dipping if desired.

Makes 8 servings (1/2 wrap each)

Note

Tuna can be substituted for the chicken.

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If you are looking for something related to May’s Health and Fitness theme, check out the Nutrition belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. A pack meeting with a cookout could incorporate the requirements for this belt loop.

Note that although the US government is now promoting “My Plate” instead of “My Pyramid”, the requirements still refer to My Pyramid.

Nutrition Belt Loop Requirements

Complete these three requirements:

1. Make a poster of foods that are good for you. Share the poster with your den.
2. Explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. Eat one of each.
3. Help prepare and eat a healthy meal of foods that are included in a food pyramid. (With your parent’s or partner’s permission, see http://www.mypyramid.gov)

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BSA provides den meeting plans for den leader on the Scouting.org website. Today, I am going to go through the seventh Bear plan If you don’t already have the BSA den meeting plans, download BSA Bear Den Meeting Plan 7 to follow along with this article.

The BSA meeting plans are designed to be done in order. This plan focuses on Bear Achievement 9 – What’s Cooking? 

Get BSA Bear Den Meeting Plan 7 from the Scouting.org website so you can follow along.

BSA Bear Den Meeting 7 – What’s Cooking?

Preparation and Before the Meeting

Most of the prep for this meetings involves arranging for an appropriate space to meet and getting the ingredients and cooking materials together. We did this meeting in our church kitchen, which provided plenty of room for the Bears to get involved in the cooking.

Gathering

Play Food Pyramid Go Fish.

Opening

Do a  simple opening flag ceremony

Business

Keep it simple

Activities

First you will bake some cookies. See my Cubs in the Kitchen page for some recipe ideas or use your favorite recipe. Your Cub Scouts will really enjoy doing this and they will fulfill requirement 9a.

Next, make a snack together.  There are some suggestions listed in the den meeting plan. Here are some other ideas:

• Ticks on a Toilet Set
• Apple Smiles
• Banana Wheels
• Honey Apples

This will fulfill requirement 9b.

The junk food discussion to fulfill requirement 9d is pretty straightforward. My dens enjoyed this part.

For the trail food for requirement 9e, I had each Bear bring in one or two components for the trail mix. Then they each made their own mixes in ziploc bags, selecting the ingredients they wanted. If you have allergies in your den, tell everyone ahead of time so they don’t bring in something one of their friends is allergic to.

Closing

Close with a prayer or the Cub Scout Promise.

After the Meeting

Don’t forget to send everyone home with a bag of the cookies they made!

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BSA provides den meeting plans for den leader on the Scouting.org website. Today, I am going to go through the eighth Wolf Cub Scout plan. If you don’t already have the BSA den meeting plans, download BSA Wolf Den Meeting Plan 8 to follow along with this article.

The BSA meeting plans are designed to be done in order, so do the others before this one. This plan covers part of Wolf Achievement 8 – Cooking and Eating and part of Wolf Achievement 6 – Start a Collection.

Get BSA Wolf Den Meeting Plan 8 from the Scouting.org website

BSA Wolf Den Meeting Plan 8: Cooking and Eating and Start a Collection

Preparation and Before the Meeting

The preparation for this meeting is pretty straightforward. Just gather your materials and have them ready. The requirements for Wolf Achievement 6 line up nicely with the requirements for the Collecting belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program. With a little advance planning, you might be able to complete the belt loop also.

Gathering

Let your Wolf Cub Scouts play the Food Pyramid Go Fish Game

Opening

Do a simple opening flag ceremony. Or, for an outdoor ceremony with a flag pole, see Raising and Lowering the US Flag.

Business Items

Keep this part brief.

Activities

For Achievment 8a (“Study the food pyramid”) check out this Build Your Own Food Pyramid activity.

This Printable Menu Planner will help with Achievement 8b (“Plan the meals you and your family should have for one day.“)

Next, you will be moving on to Achievement 6 – Start a Collection. The Character Connection for Positive Attitude will take about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size and talkativeness of your den.

You Cub Scouts will probably enjoy showing off their collections. When I did this achievement with my den, the Den Chiefs also brought in collections. The Wolf Cub Scouts liked to see that the older Scouts also enjoyed collecting things.

Closing

Do a simple closing. You could say the Cub Scout Promise or the Law of the Pack.

After the Meeting

All of the Cub Scouts should help clean up. Take this opportunity to talk to any parents who will be helping you at the next meeting.

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If you are doing something related to forestry, you can make these tree shaped snacks to go with the theme. Or make them for something related to family trees.

The “leaves” for these trees are pretty sticky when you work with them. They have extra marshmallow coating to make them green enough.

I did these a few years back for one of my dens. We did them with a family tree activity. We only used the banana shaped candies, because our families were “bananas”!

Rice Crispy Treat Trees

Ingredients

• 2 bags mini marshmallows
• 6 tbsp butter
• 6 cups crisp rice cereal
• green food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups corn flakes
• Runts Fruit Candy
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. For the “tree trunks”, melt 1 bag of marshmallows and 3 tbsp butter in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
3. Stir in the crisp rice cereal.
4. Press the mixture into the pan and let cool.
5. Prepare two cookie sheets, by lining with wax paper or parchment paper, and spraying with cooking spray
6. For the “leaves”, melt the second bag of marshmallows and 3 tbsp butter in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
7. Add 15-20 drops of food coloring.
8. Stir in corn flakes until thoroughly coated.
9. Cut the pan of “trunks” into rectangular tree trunk shapes and spread them out on the trays. (You might not need all of the material.)
10. Spray your hands with cooking spray or give them generous coat of butter.
11. Spoon out some of the “leaves” at the top of a trunk and press into a round “tree canopy”.
12. Press some candies in right away.
13. Repeat with remaining “trees”.

If the corn flake mixture becomes to stiff to work with, microwave it for about 20 seconds

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Gooey Butter Cake is a favorite type of coffee cake here in St. Louis. This version of the recipe is even easy enough for Cub Scouts to make.

It is rich, so don’t cut too big of a piece for yourself!

Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Topping:

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese (light is OK)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together cake mix, butter, and egg.
3. Press the cake mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.
4. Beat together the cream cheese, eggs, and powdered sugar until smooth.
5. Pour the cream cheese topping over the cake mixture.
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until topping is set and slightly brown.
7. Cool.
8. Dust with additional powdered sugar.
9. Cut into squares.

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A bubbling bowl of potion will add fun to any magic themed meeting. If your Cub Scouts have never seen what happens when dry ice is placed in a bowl of punch, they will be amazed. Use this idea with the Abracadabra program theme .

Be careful with the dry ice. Don’t let the Cub Scouts touch it. Make sure the place where you obtain the dry ice from gives you “clean” dry ice which will not contaminate your punch.

Cub Juice Potion

Ingredients

• 2 liters lemon-lime soda
• 1  46 oz can pineapple juice (not concentrate)
• food color
• small chunk of dry ice

Directions

1. Mix juice and soda in a punch bowl.
2. Add a few drops of food color to make desired color.
3. Add the dry ice right before you are ready to serve.

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If you are using the Abracadabra theme this month, try making some Magic Wands to go with them. This recipe is simple enough that you could use it at a Pack meeting.

Magic Wands

Ingredients

• pretzel rods
• prepared vanilla frosting
• sprinkles or colored sugar for decoration

Directions

1. Spread about half of each pretzel rod with frosting.
2. Roll in sprinkles.
3. Wave magic wand.
4. Eat!

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Hoppin’ John is traditionally served on New Year’s Day to bring luck through the year. You can have it anytime though. This recipe works at camp or you can cook it at home on your stove.

This is really good served with Sweet Corn Bread.

One Pot Hoppin’ John

Equipment

• Large cooking pot or Dutch oven
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Spoon for stirring and serving
• Charcoal, fire, or stove

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry black-eyed peas
• 1 pound ham
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 to 8 cups water (depending if you want it thicker or soupier)
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Prepare the charcoal or fire if necessary.
2. Cut the ham into pieces.
3. Chop the onion.
4. Place the peas, ham, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper in the pot or Dutch oven.
5. Cover with water and bring to a simmer.
6. Cook for about 1 hour, until beans are tender
7. Stir in the rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. (Add a little additional water if it looks like there is not enough to cook the rice.)
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Serve. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top, if desired.

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Today’s Winter Wonderland idea for Cub Scouts is both a craft and a snack. Make snowmen out of powdered sugar donuts, some pretzels, and a few other easy to find ingredients.

It is easy for your Cub Scouts to make and only takes a few minutes. You could even use this as a gathering activity.

Donut Snowmen

Ingredients (per snowman)

• 3 small powder sugar donuts
• 3 thin pretzel sticks
• a few mini chocolate chips
• tube of red decorator icing (not the gel, can share this item)

Instructions

1. Put a donut on a plate and stick a pretzel stick through the hole in the middle of the donut.
2. Stack two more donuts on top, pushing the pretzel stick through them as you go.
3. You should now have a stack of three donuts with a pretzel stick in the middle holding them together. Add two more pretzel sticks as arms.
4. Push in mini chocolate chips for a face and buttons. (This was the most difficult part. Push them all the way in so they don’t fall out.)
5. Use the red icing to make a hat on top.
6. Admire.
7. Eat.

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