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 staying home from school for snow days. Build on this vision with a Winter Wonderland theme for your pack or den program.
You can modify games you play to have objects represent snow or ice. For example, if you are doing a relay where your Tigers blow cotton balls along a table with a straw, call it a snowball instead of a cotton ball.
If you are in an area where you regularly have snow, plan an afternoon of sledding for your pack or den. Here in Missouri, we are never sure if we are going to get rain or snow or ice, but if we do get good sledding snow, my boys have been known to call their patrol or den for an impromptu sledding outing. Or get together for a snowman building contest. Cub Scouts could also go ice skating together.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. I’ll add more posts to the list below. And remember, if you are doing winter sports or winter outdoor activities with your Scouts, remember to follow the the Guide to Safe Scouting.
Cub Scouts can make this craft to brighten up a holiday table. They can decorate the napkin rings any way they want.
Christmas Games: Stocking Surprise
Stocking Surprise is an easy game for your Christmas themed meeting or party. It works with almost any age group. When choosing items for the “stocking”, think of all of the senses. Include something with a scent, or something which makes noise. Include it in your Christmas games this year.
Holiday Meeting Ideas for Cub Scouts
odd sent in some ideas his Cub Scout pack do for the holidays, including some games and a service project. What are your favorite Cub Scout traditions for this time of year? Packs which are chartered by a church might have faith based activities. Or if your pack includes Cub Scouts from different faith traditions, you might have more generic holiday ideas.
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.
Gifts for Scout Christmas Celebration
A Cub Scout leader asks “We plan to have a party before the winter break and wanted to get each boy a little gift. Do you have any suggestions?”
Ice Applause and Snowball Applause
A quick silly applause adds some fun to a Pack meeting. These two applauses go with a Winter Wonderland theme but they also can just add some fun to any meeting or activity.
You don’t need a lot of fancy materials to make these and they can be put together pretty quickly, so these could be done at a pack meeting or den meeting.
Audience Participation – The Story of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
This an audience participation story about the cold winter when Paul Bunyan found Babe the Blue Ox. A few words and names are repeated throughout the story. Your audience will be divided into groups and assigned a word or name. Whenever they hear it, they must say something – loudly and with enthusiasm – and do an action. Cub Scouts usually enjoy these “action stories”.
This silly 911 song is a favorite on the playground. Yes, it involves crashing into trees, ambulance rides, blood, and the word cops.
‘Twas the Campout Before Christmas
Kim Gilbert of Pack 533 in Andover, Kansas sent me this take on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas so I could share it with you. Thanks Kim! I’m sure many of the Cub Packs out there will enjoy this.
These are a family recipe. As kids we called them “snowball cookies” because that is what they look like – small ball shaped cookies rolled in powdered sugar. My mom always called them Russian tea cakes.
Forgotten Meringue Cookies Recipe
My kids always enjoy making these cookies. They are called forgotten cookies because you put them in a hot oven, turn it off, and then forget about them until the next morning.
Winter Camp Games and Activities
Nancy sent in this question about winter camp games: “I would like ideas for a winter camp that we either play inside or outside in the snow at a cub camp with 3rd year Beavers.”
The Twelve Days of Camping Song
The Twelve Days of Camping is another silly song for you. This works well at Christmas (because of the tune) or at camp (because of the theme).
This donut snowmen idea for Cub Scouts is both a craft and a snack. Make them out of powdered sugar donuts, some pretzels, and a few other easy to find ingredients.
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