A Game with a Purpose

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A couple of years ago, ZM went to a shooting sports day camp offered by our district and earned the BB Shooting pin from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. Find out what opportunities there are for your Cub Scouts to earn their shooting sports recognitions in your area.

Collecting Pin for Cub Scouts

Kids collect all sorts of things – trading cards, bottle caps, rocks, cars. If your Cub Scout has a collection, he can earn the Collecting pin from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. It will encourage him to organize all of those things which have collected in his room into something he can display and be proud of.

Encouraging a New Boy Scout

What steps can a parent take in encouraging a new Boy Scout who has just joined a troop with little or no previous Scouting experience?

BSA Bear Den Meeting 6 – More Sawdust and Nails and Games, Games, Games!

This Bear Den Meeting plan completes Bear Achievement 20 – Sawdust and Nails and covers part of Bear Achievement 15 – Games, Games, Games.

Four Facts Game

This is an icebreaker game. It would also work well with any activity relating to personal history or storytelling. I think it could also be worked into a discussion about honesty.

Announcements Song

The Announcements Song will add some laughs to the dry business parts of your meetings. Sing “Announcements, announcements, announcements” followed by one of the verses and then do an announcement. Sing it again and then do another announcement.

Sleeping Pirate Game

This month I am featuring the Cultural Awareness Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts. The meeting plan for week two suggests playing Sleeping Pirate as a opening activity while the Scouts are gathering. This works well for this purpose since it doesn’t require much equipment and additional Scouts can join in as they arrive.

Mystifying Paper Osmosis Trick

A magic trick will add some fun to your meeting. For this simple trick you will need an accomplice who is capable of not telling everyone he is helping you.

Abracadabra Pack Meeting Plan Available for January Core Value – Positive Attitude

The core value for the month of January is Positive Attitude. A January supplemental meeting plan theme called Abracadabra has recently been posted to the BSA website.

Tent Pitching Contest (Standard or Blindfolded)

Tent pitching contests are an inter-patrol activity staple. To make it a blindfolded tent pitching contest, just add blindfolds. If you want, let one team member keep his vision, but he can only participate by giving verbal instructions to the others. This makes a good communications exercise also.

The Great Rope Escape Magic Trick

This month I am featuring the BSA Abracadabra theme for the January Pack meeting. If you want to add some fun to your meeting, perform a simple magic trick. Cub Scouts will love it.

Book Review: Getting Started in Pinewood Derby

I recently received a copy of Getting Started in Pinewood Derby by Troy Thorne. This colorful workbook goes through all of the steps involved in building a car. My favorite thing about the book is that it is directed at Cub Scouts – who should be doing most of the work on their cars.

January Cub Scout Theme – Abracadabra (Positive Attitude)

Rumor has it that BSA will be rolling out an Abracadabra theme for January’s core value of Positive Attitude. So this month I am going to highlight some ideas to go along with that magic based program theme also.

Shoot The Gap Game

This game is suggested as an interpatrol activity for one of the meeting plans in the Public Service troop program feature. This game would also work as a team building game or ice breaker, since the participants must know the names of the other players. So I think this could also be worked into a Crew program.

Audience Participation – The Story of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

This a 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”.

Coin Collecting Merit Badge for Boy Scouts

If you know a Boy Scout with a coin collection, have him look at the requirements for the Coin Collecting merit badge.

Cotton Swab Snowflake Craft

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.

Marbles Pin for Cub Scouts

My kids have several sets of marbles and ZM and LC still enjoy playing with them. Marbles is a great “take anywhere” game. Just grab your bag of marbles, draw some circles on the ground, and you are ready for a game. If your Cub Scout has already earned the Marbles Belt Loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program, he can learn more about the game by earning the pin.