Reinforcing skills is an important part of a Scouting program. If you can use a game to turn it into a fun activity, it can also encourage cooperation and help leadership skills develop.
This is a traditional Scout game which might date back to Baden-Powell himself. It practices Scoutcraft (lashings) as well as cooperation and problem solving.
This can be used with just one group or patrol as a team building activity or with multiple groups as a competition. It would also work well with First Class requirement 7a – Discuss when you should and should not use lashings. Then demonstrate tying the timber hitch and clove hitch and their use in square, shear, and diagonal lashings by joining two poles or staves together.
Snapper Fishing Game
Materials (for each patrol or group)
- rope or sticks to marks two sides (riverbanks)
- four poles – each four to five feet long
- several (at least three) pieces of rope or cord
- one mousetrap
Instructions
- Use ropes, sticks, or something similar to mark two “riverbanks” approximately 15 feet apart.
- The mousetrap should be set on one side of the “river”.
- On the other side, the patrol should work together to lash the poles together with the pieces of rope or cord.
- After they have lashed them all together, they should use their long “fishing” pole to snap the mousetrap.
Great interpatrol activity! We call it “Catch the Snapper” and use rat traps! In addition to team building, the emphasis is on round lashings to extend the length of a spar. Complete instructions, list of materials and action photos are here: http://scoutpioneering.com/2013/03/12/scout-meeting-challenge-catch-the-snapper/
Catch the Snapper Video!