Cub Scout Game - Show Me Your Colors

Last month one of our leaders planned a really fun game for our cub scouts. She had small glow sticks for each boy. We played in a dark cultural hall of our church building. One boy counted to ten, while the other boys hid around the room (hiding their glow sticks in their shirts). When the boy counting reached ten, he yelled "Show me your colors." All the boys held up their glow sticks and tried to stay away from the boy who was it - although they had a hard time remembering who was it in the dark. There was really no point to hiding, except it was fun for the boys. It was a cold day outside and this was a fun way for the boys to use up some extra energy playing tag in the dark.

Winter Service Fun

My mother is spending a few weeks and a care and rehab center this winter. One day this snowman appeared outside her window. I thought it might be fun to take activity day girls or cub scouts to build a few snowmen outside the windows of the rest home in our neighborhood. I noticed the face is painted on, so their are no rocks to be left over on the lawn after it melts.

Activity Day

In December, let the girls make Christmas cards. Have them send one of their cards to a missionary serving from your ward.

Consider learning a Christmas song from the Children's Songbook and having the girls share it at your ward Christmas activity. This fulfills a Faith in God requirement for developing talents.

Cub Scouts

December is the perfect time to send Christmas cards to the missionaries in your ward. Be sure to take time to discuss with the boys why a mission is important and habits they can develop now that will help them prepare to be missionaries.

I like to have the boys each share a Christmas story with each other. After they have shared their stories we will make a Christmas craft or treat, or play a Christmas game.

We practice our knots this month as time allows. I keep the ropes in my bag and we get them out when we have extra time.

Activity Day

As the weather cools off, November would be a good time to try out a sewing project with the girls. Find something fairly simple-most will have never used a needle and thread before. A small stuffed animal (with a flat pattern) would be fun, or maybe a fleece or knit headband that only needs to be stitched together into a circle. You could practice threading and using a needle one week, and the next meeting make something.

Cub Scouts

November is the time to talk about citizenship requirements. We have the boys memorize the 12th Article of Faith. When we take time to discuss with the boys what it means to be a good citizen and how their actions can affect others, they complete one of the Faith in God requirements that they need for their religious knot award.

We also work on the flag requirements for the wolf age boys and the bear requirement about what makes America special.

Our boys always have fun playing a game called 'I've seen a flag'. The first says I've seen a flag at ____. The second boy says I've seen a flag at _____, and ______(he gives a new location first and then repeats the first boys location). Continue around the circle until the last boy add his own location and then repeats all the locations given earlier. Sometimes the boys like to go around the circle an extra time. It is always OK for them to help each other out when they have trouble remembering.

Activity Day

Raking leaves is a fun service project for girls to do in the fall. Review the story of the Good Samaritan with them and have them help plan out who in your neighborhood might need help raking their leaves. This will complete one of their Faith in God requirements.

Girls love crafts, so find a fun and easy Halloween craft to make. Or you could make a fun holiday treat with them for them to take home and share with their families. There are also lots of fun Halloween games.

Cub Scouts

For October den meetings, we learned about safety (Be Ready requirements for bear age boys). Here is a link for a fun game to help the boys review and remember what they have learned.

October is the perfect month to have the boys plan a leaf raking service project for the Faith in God. We review the story of the Good Samaritan and then plan out who in the neighborhood could use help having their leaves raked next week. We call it a 'Rake and Run'. The boys try to sneak into someone's yard and rake up leaves without getting caught. Sometimes if it is our turn to do a skit in pack meeting, we have the boys act out the Good Samaritan story.

It is fun to do a Halloween craft or game this month. A favorite is the Mr. Bones game. We hide skeleton pieces for the boys to find and assemble. I found it on the Family Fun website, and it includes the skeleton template to print and cut out the pieces you need.

Activity Day

Fall would be a fun time to collect leaves and flowers to press. The pressed leaves and flowers could be used to make bookmarks or note cards. After the note cards are finished, they can write a note to a grandparent or other relative. To make bookmarks, laminate the items with clear packing tape. To make note cards you can either glue or use the packing tape or clear contact paper to attach the items to a card made from card stock paper.

Here are some instructions for pounding leaves between layers of muslin to make book marks or other fabric items.

Cub Scouts

September is a great time to collect leaves to make a leaf collection. Teach the boys how to press them inside of a book one week, and then mount and label them the next week. While out in the neighborhood collecting leaves they can also pick up liter.

Take the boys to a nature center or other place. Our boys went to see the wildlife displays at a local outdoor store.

The boys can learn about birds and make bird feeders. I've seen fun ones with peanut butter and pine cones, cereal hung on yarn, and birdseed 'cookies' made with birdseed and unflavored gelatin molded in cookie cutter shapes. Check and make sure your boys don't have any food allergies. We had to find an alternative from the peanut butter pine cone feeders this year because of a peanut allergy.

Activity Day

Girls like doing outside activities too. Plan a  short hike or bike ride. Visit the park (and maybe pick up trash in addition to playing). Consider asking each girl to take a turn planning, preparing, and leading an outdoor game. It is important to give children opportunities to present ideas in front of others.

Some fun outdoor activities include making giant bubbles, sailing paper boats (or make from pool noodles), learning to throw a Frisbee, playing hopscotch, or playing a game with a ball.

I found a fun leaf craft to make bugs from leaves and other natural materials here.

Cub Scouts

Cub Scouts love to run and play together outdoors. Take advantage of summertime. Have the boys plan and participate in a picnic (Wolf elective). Ask for volunteers to make an obstacle course in their backyard (be sure to ask parents). Take time to work on the feats of skill for wolf age boys and building muscles for bear age boys.