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Christmas Picture Bingo Kids always enjoy playing bingo, so if you are having a den or pack Christmas party, use these Christmas picture bingo cards.
Ice Applause and Snowball Applause A quick silly applause adds some fun to a Pack meeting. These two applauses go with this month's Winter Wonderland theme.
911 Song This silly song is a favorite with my boys. Yes, it involves crashing into trees, ambulance rides, blood, and the word cops. But it seems to be the type of song boys enjoy singing. Don't ask me why.
Music Belt Loop for Cub Scouts Cub Scouts enjoy singing, especially silly songs. The Music belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program can easily be turned into a Pack meeting or Den Meeting. If your Pack is going caroling this time of year, you can also incorporate it that way.
Cub Scout Theme - Winter Wonderland This time of year, Cub Scouts are looking forward to a winter wonderland. They have visions of snowy days with sledding and hot cocoa. And they dream of snow days. Build on this vision with a Winter Wonderland theme for your pack or den program.
Hunting for Thanksgiving Dinner Skit Here's a fun skit for a Pack meeting or a November campout. It is very easy and can be put on with almost any number of Scouts.
BSA Tiger Den Meeting 9 - How Do You Celebrate and Making Decorations This meeting plan covers Tiger Elective 1 - How Do You Celebrate? and Tiger Elective 2 - Making Decorations. The celebration which the plan mentions is a Blue and Gold banquet, but you could adjust this plan for a holiday celebration.
Bobbing for Worms Halloween Party Game Looking for a last minute Halloween game idea? Here is a really easy which is fun for the players and spectators alike. And it is good for all ages. Our Crew played this at their costume party last year.
Crew Social Event and Service Project – Trunk or Treat They are going to help distribute pizzas at the event and do some other small jobs for the organizers. In return, they will have a table where they can hang out together and pass out candy (since none of them has a car). They will wear costumes and have a great time. So this will mostly be a social event for them with just a little service thrown in. It should be fun for them.
Halloween Bingo Cards If you are looking for a fun gathering activity for a den meeting or pack meeting around Halloween time, try these Halloween Picture Bingo Cards.
Chess Terminology I always go over terminology first when introducing something new to Cub Scouts. This is a good practice for Boy Scouts and Venturers to learn also whenever they are doing skill instruction. So if you are having a chess themed meeting or activity, make sure you are all speaking the same language first. These are some very basic definitions to get you started.
Making a Plaster Print Mold Plaster of Paris is messy, which means Scouts will enjoy it. You can use this versatile medium to make plaster molds and casts. This technique can be used to make shoe prints or tire track casts for Requirement 1 of Bear Achievement 7 – Law Enforcement Is a Big Job.
Tin Can Lanterns Tin can lanterns make a very versatile craft project for Cub Scouts. You can make the holes in any pattern you like - a star for Christmas, a ghost for Halloween, a heart for Valentine's day. Webelos and Bears can probably do this project themselves with some adult supervision. Younger scouts will need more direct help from the adults.
Geography Belt Loop for Cub Scouts The Geography belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program is a good enrichment activity if you are planning to take a hike around your neighborhood. Because of the similar requirements, it can also be a companion to the Map and Compass belt loop.
Soccer Zipper Pulls If you want a craft with a soccer theme, try making soccer themed zipper pulls. I've outlined a basic idea below, but you can get creative and change it up however you want. They can use the colored beads at the bottom to represent their school colors or the colors for their favorite team.
Crew Activity – Teen Area at Homecoming Our parish Fall Festival is coming up in a couple of weeks. Our Crew asked if they could do some sort of service project at the event, and it was decided that they would provide some sort of gathering spot for the teenagers. So they are going to have a pavilion type tent which is for teenagers - no little kids allowed.
Craft Stick Picture Frame This is one of those things which 99 percent of you probably already know how to do, so I am really posting this just to remind you that things like this make a good gathering activity, especially for Tigers and Wolves.
Bicycle License Plate Craft This month I am featuring a cycling theme. If you are doing this theme with Cub Scouts, they might enjoy making their own "license plates" for their bikes. They can put their names on them or decorate them however they like.
Book Review: Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction My boys loved this book! It shows them how to make miniature catapults, bows, and other projectile machines out of common office supplies. This book would make a great basis for a troop open house or a just for a fun meeting. The projects in the book are perfect for 10 to 13 year old boys, which is usually the age group we target most heavily for recruiting. It could also be used with the Engineering merit badge or the Webelos Engineer activity badge.
Princess Pat Song Here's another song which LC sang at Boy Scout camp and ZM sang at Webelos camp. This silly song actully has some real history behind it. Princess Patricia was a member of the British royal family. A Canadian infantry unit was named in her honor. She designed their regimental colors - a red flag with a purple circle in the center. In the middle were the gold letters VP, which stood for Victoria Patricia. The flag was called a Ric-A-Dam-Do, which means "cloth of your mother" in Gaelic.
Rules for Ringer (A Marbles Game) One of the requirements for the Marbles Belt Loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program is to explain the rules of Ringer and play a game. When you think of kids playing marbles, you are probably picturing Ringer in your mind - a circle on the ground and kids shooting at the marbles within.
Recycled Cereal Box Scrapbooks Cub Scouts like to make scrapbooks with pictures and mementos. But you don't need to go buy expensive scrapbooking supplies to do this activity with your den of active boys. Remember, their idea of a fun activity doesn't always translate into a neat, perfect looking project. For them, half of the fun is doing it themselves.
Steal the Bacon Here is another game for a large group of Scouts. This is fun for all age levels - from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts to Venturers. Your older Scouts might try to employ some strategy when playing this game.
Tell It Like It Isn’t Game Every now and then people will contact me with a question about how I did this requirement or that. One question I have received a few times is "What are the rules for Tell It Like It Isn't for Tiger Achievement 4?" The instructions can be found in the Tiger handbook, but I think sometimes as den leaders we look at something and think it must be more complicated. Tell It Like It Isn't is the game most of us know as Telephone. Yes, it really is that simple.
Marbles Terminology This month I am focusing on classic outdoor games. One game which is fun for kids to learn is marbles. My sons have marbles and they play against each other. All you need is a shooter, some marbles, and a piece of chalk to draw the ring on the driveway. If you are going to explain how to play marbles, you should know the terminology.
My Turtle Swims Sideways ZM sang this song at Webelos camp and LC sang it at Boy Scout camp and they've continued singing it since. This song is pure boy humor.
BB Shooting Belt Loop for Cub Scouts One of the things my Webelos den got to do at summer camp was BB gun shooting. They love going to the range! And they all earned their BB Gun belt loop. Remember, boys can earn BB gun recognition items only at council or district day camp, resident camp, or council managed family camping program
Jaws Song Here's a song to go with this months aquatics theme. This is a classic camp song. There are lots of variations. If you want to ham it up even more, change your voice when singing the different verses to sound like a mama, papa, lady, etc.
Fishing Merit Badge for Boy Scouts Fishing merit badge is a fun one for Boy Scout summer camp. Of the eleven Scouts who went to camp from our troop a couple of weeks ago, seven did this badge. My favorite part when I am with Scouts working on this badge - watching them cook the fish.
Piranha Ball Here is a another game to go with this month's aquatic theme. It can be used to fuflill requirement 2 for the Swimming belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program: "Play a recreational game in the water with your den, pack, or family." This is a good game to play if you have some kids in your group who are not strong swimmers. They can play this game in chest-deep water and still have a lot of fun. For swimmers who need more of a challenge, the group can go to deeper water and tread water while they play.
Pool Tote Craft If you are looking for a craft for your pack pool party or aquatics themed meeting, you could let the Scouts decorate their own pool totes. Then they can carry all of their squishy balls, goggles, dive sticks, and other pool accessories themselves.
CD Fish Craft Instructions for a fish shaped craft made from old CDs. Make one or make several and put them together as a mobile.
Archery Belt Loop for Cub Scouts According to the age-appropriate guidelines in the Guide to Safe Scouting, Cub Scouts can only participate in archery at council or district programs. So you can't plan a pack archery outing. But if a local council or district day camp, resident camp, or council managed family camping programs offers archery, your Cub Scouts might get to work on their archery belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program.
Kayaking BSA Award One of the fun things Boy Scouts get to do at many summer camps is kayaking. When I am at Boy Scout camp, I always try to find some time to go kayaking on the lake. There is no merit badge specifically for kayaking like there is for canoeing or rowing on a lake, but there is the Kayaking BSA award.
Biker Gang Skit I can't say there is any lesson to be learned from this skit other than don't forget to bring your tent. And no, this is not my impression of bikers, so don't write. Nor is a particularly good example of leadership. It's just boy humor!
Bazooka Bubblegum Song This is one of DS's favorite scout songs. We hear this one a lot at camp, on hikes, and on hayrides. I'll warn you that when they start singing this, they tend to sing it over and over and over again. The best I can describe the tune is that it is sort of a rap style tune.
Chicken on a Hut Game This game makes a fun break in a meeting. It is a favorite with our Venture Crew. Because of the physical contact with the partners, when playing this game with our coed Crew, boys are partners with boys and girls are partners with girls.
I've Come to Marry the Princess Skit One of the great things about this skit is that the characters can be changed around a little to make it more fun. I've seen a very funny Star Wars version. And I remember one with the Kool Aid man in it from a while back. I can't remember exactly how he fit in, but I remember he kept saying "Oh Yeah...".
The Little Green Frog Song This is a fun song to do with a Cub Scout pack or den. It is full of boy humor. Make sure you get the parents to sing along also. That makes it really fun for the boys.
Crew Activity - City Museum The Crew is planning another activity this meeting. They are all going to church together and then they are heading to the City Museum. The City Museum is often described as a giant playground for teenagers and young adults, so this should be a fun activity for them.