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[rec.scouting.*] Leader Hints (FAQ 13)

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Archive-name: scouting/leader-hints
Last-Modified: 22 Apr 1997

See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
This file contains a number of ideas for the Cub Scout Leaders.
It shows ways to reward your cub scouts for their behaviour and
attendance, how to deal with kids suffering from Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
It also gives a couple of program ideas and games for your cub meetings,
and general information on jungle book names and cub scout promises.

Also have a look at the other files in the rec.scouting FAQ series,
especially the following:
  - for general unit administration (See unit-administration)
  - for cub laws and promises (See scouting-around-the-world)
  - for pointers to other resources (See introduction)

If you know a good idea that hasn't been included in this FAQ,
please do all of us the favour and post it on rec.scouting. Drop me
a copy too to make sure that I include it in this file.

The FAQs are archived at:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/scouting/

As the FAQ files are updated regularly, make sure that you have the
latest copy in your hands. The release date of this FAQ is indicated
in the line starting with "Last-Modified:" at the top of this file.
Files older than three months should be considered as outdated.

*** COPYRIGHT NOTICE ***

This file or parts of it may be freely used, printed and re-distributed
as long as you enclose this paragraph and keep the references to the
respective contributors and to the maintainer (listed below) intact.

-- Bill Nelson <nelsonb@aztec.asu.edu>
Original maintainer:
  Danny Schwendener  v/o "Spike"                 dannys@world.scout.org
   Wolfsmeute Orion/Glockenhof, Sihlstr. 33, CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland


From: dannys@world.scout.org (Danny Schwendener) Subject: Cub recognitions - should we use them at all? Date: 1 Mar 93 10:00:00 Whether cubs should be given awards or advancement ranks is a much discussed item. Some will argue that kids are already overstressed at school so that an additional pressure in the free-time program is not productive. Others underline that a small reward is one of the few very effective ways to boost the participation of the kids in the program. I personally think that both sides have their good points. There is, however, one thing you have to keep in mind all the time: A reward is only a valid option if *all* kids are physically and mentally able to obtain it. You should also be very careful not to create a fault between a group of kids who always get all rewards and the rest of the kids. The bottom line: If you use awards, use them with intelligence.
Date: 19 Apr 1995 (update) From: (Peter Van Houten) <Peter_Van_Houten@SIMULACRUM.WV.TEK.com> ~From: davev@u.washington.edu (Dave VanEss) Subject: Cub Immediate recognition - Den Leader Hints I know this has not been solicited, but here are some ideas for immediate recognition for Cub Scout dens that have been working in my Pack, and others that I have come in contact with. 1) Arrowhead Necklace -- Using Dough Art dough cut out arrowheads. Use a spoon to mark texture on the face of the arrowhead. Bake until hard. Drill hole at top of arrowhead for lace. Paint arrowhead using Glossy Black spray paint (comes out looking like obsedian). Glue white/black feather to the back of the arrowhead, and thread leather lace through hole. You now have a recognition necklace the boys can wear and display how far they are along on their Wolf or Bear trail. I had the boys make their own necklaces, but they couldn't start wearing them until they've completed the Bobcat. So the Arrowhead represents they've earned their Arrowhead. As they progress along the Wolf trail they receive a White Wolf's tooth (also made from Dough Art) for each of the 12 Wolf requirements. This can also be used with Bear Claws for the Bear trail. To help separate the teeth, the boy can earn beads to go on his necklace. A white bead for attending the den meeting or pack meeting, a black bead for attending in uniform. When done you'll have a very impressive necklace (as well as, by having the boys make them you are doing one of the arrow point achievements for making something with a feather). 2) Another tip for rewarding behavior, attendance, uniforming, etc. is to have a grab box or treasure chest. In the treasure chest you accumulate all sorts of trinkets (pencils, cards, key rings, etc.) that they boys can choose from when they've met your criteria. For example: All boys that show up in full uniform for a den meeting will get to choose from the treasure chest. Or the boys that pay their dues on time get to choose something. Maybe the boys have exemplified themselves during the den meeting (your house isn't destroyed) and you want to reward them. So where do you get the trinkets? Make friends first with every marketing person you know (most of them are involved in scouting). Companys give away tons of stuff to promote their products, most of which is cheap and fun (things like sun glasses, small footballs, pencils/pens, key rings, stickers, buttons, hats, etc.). Ask and ye shall receive. Also, check out the discount stores for cheap items, such as pencils with different style erassers on them. Check out garage sells for old souviners...these can be very, very cheap. I like to give out awards at the Court of Honor. For parents that helped with the Reststop fund raiser (Coffees and coffee), a cookie spray painted gold on a ribbon becomes "Order of the Cookie". If you have a wood worker in the Unit Plaques become real cheap. (I can make walnut 5" by 7" for about $1.50 each) Everyone likes to be appreciatted. It might seem corny put the people getting the awards reallyy do appreciate it. Here are soem more things I have done. Golden Hammers (plywood cutouts of hammers spraypainted gold on a ribbon) Given to Adults that helped build paper recycle boxes. Lemon Heads on a plaque (One parent suppling transportation got stopped by the Highway Patrol and asked to have his passengerd not to throw lemon heads (hard candy) out the windows of moving cars. Committee Patch on a Plaque. Order of the Ugly Red Forklift For the guy that ran our newspaper recycling program. (He moved the paper box around with said forklift). Award was a plaque with a "Matchbox" forklift glued on it. Anyway, the ideas are endless. If their is some kind of in joke in between the participents, so much the better. (Example if on a 50 miler you find that you are running low on toliet paper, a plaque for the leaders that went along could have an empty paper roll) Bottom line is that immediate recognition for achievement and behavior is necessary to support future achievements and success. KISMIF -- Keep it Simple, Make it Fun!
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 17:58:35 -0500 From: (Peter Van Houten) <Peter_Van_Houten@SIMULACRUM.WV.TEK.com> Subject: Recognition Dinner Ideas HELPING HAND AWARD -- Stuffed glove on a dowel rod for the person who always lends a helping hand. WET SPONGE AWARD -- A piece of sponge mounted on cardboard. For the newest leader who needs help soaking up all the new info in the Cub Scout program. ON THE BALL AWARD -- A styrofoam ball with a pipe cleaner Cub Scout on top for the energetic person who has it all together. GOOD EGG AWARD -- An egg made out of felt mounted on a piece of cardboard for the special person who has been a good sport by helping the pack. BIG HEART AWARD -- A big stuffed heart pillow in red. For someone who shows real dedication to the Cub Scout program. PURPLE HEART AWARD -- A big stuffed heart in purple, for anyone injured 'in the line of duty'. LIFE SAVER AWARD -- A roll of lifesavers mounted on cardboard. This might be for someone who has assisted the Pack with a problem. FIRST AID AWARD -- Home made first aid kit for a dedicated unit leader. GO-FOR AWARD -- Plastic or model car on a handmade trophy stand. For the person who picks up awards or runs errands for the Pack. GO GETTER AWARD -- This is an inflated balloon full of 'Hot Air' for the "Go Power for the Go Getter". OLD FOSSIL AWARD -- A rock or an arrowhead for the person who has been in scouting the longest. BOUNCE AWARD -- A sheet of 'Bounce' fabric softener for the Den Leaders to bounce back and to soften their hearts. BRIGHT IDEA AWARD -- Spray a light bulb gold and mount to a plague. Present to the person who always has good ideas. BANQUET AWARD -- A large wooden spoon painted Blue and Gold. Attatch a ribbon and present to the Chairman of the Blue and Gold Banquet. GOLDEN PEAR AWARD -- Attatch a plastic fruit pear to a plaque. Present to the pair (Couple) who has done so much for the Pack. LINK TO SCOUTING AWARD -- Attatch a few pieces of chainlink fence to a plaque and present to the leader who has helped prepare the boys for Boy Scouts. GOLDEN KNOT AWARD -- This is a good award for a Cubmaster. Use rope, tie an overhand knot and spray gold. Attatch to a plaque and award to the person who has tied it all together. MARF AWARD -- MARF (Maintain Absolute Rigid Flexibility). Cut a piece of wood or cardboard in an odd shape. Put the letters M-A-R-F on it and present to anyone who works with the boys.
Date: Sun May 29 18:20:02 MET DST 1994 From: NINRLWG@PEELE.BAS.NCSU.EDU,jantikaicc.helsinki.fi, guertl@matd.tu-graz.ac.at Subject: The Cub scout promise in other languages THE PROMISE IN OTHER LANGUAGES SPANISH: Yo prometo hacer todo lo posible para cumplir con mis deberes para con Dios y mi patria, para ayudar a los demas y obedecer la Ley del Pack. FRENCH: La promesse du Louveteau: Je promets de faire mon devoir de mon mieux envers Diey et ma patrie, d'etre honnete et d'obeir aux lois de mon groupe. GERMAN: Unser Versprechen heisst: Ich verspreche mein Bestes zu tun fur Gott and mein Vaterland, erlich zu sein und das Meutegesetz zu befolgen. ITALIAN: La promessa del Lupetto: Io prometto di fare il possible, di fare il mio doverse a Dio e alla nazione di andare diritto e di obbedire la Legge del Gruppo. FINNISH: Lupaus The promise Lupaan parhaani mukaan I promise to do my best rakastaa Jumalaani, to love my God, toteuttaa sudenpentujen lakia to keep the cub law ja olla toisille avuksi and to help other people joka paiva. every day. AUSTRIAN: Ich verscpreche so gut ich kann, ein gutes Wichtel / guter Woelfling zu sein, nach dem Gesetz zu leben und bitte Gott, mir dabei zu helfen. In the last word, you should have two little dots on each "a", but I seem to be unable to find this letter from my keyboard right now... The "wolf cubs", "sudenpennut" in Finnish, are scouts aged 7-10. They are organized as packs ("lauma"), there is usually 2 or 3 packs in every troop ("lippukunta"). Cubs have weekly meetings, sometimes excursions and campouts, They learn scouting and every day skills following a program, which is right now changing, so I will tell more about it next year... SWISS: Although officially there is a cub scout promise, cub leaders are discouraged to use them, because at the cub scout age, kids are just too young to keep the promise seriously. Leaders are however encouraged to set up their individual pack law. [Note: More information on how cub scouting is lived in foreign countries can be found in FAQ#2 'Scouting around the World' -- Danny]
From: bcockburn@acorn.co.uk (Bruce Cockburn) Subject: Jungle Book / cubs names (UK) Date: 11 May 92 22:18:38 GMT The following may be of interest to scouters not familiar with the Jungle Book nomenclature. It is reproduced from the Gilcraft book entitled "Wolf Cubs", my copy is dated 1948. This is a table of accepted pronunciations. I have used the "*" character to bracket text which was printed in an italic font. The term <a-acute> refers to a single character "a" with an acute accent over it. It may help to print this out if you can to aid understanding. Akela Ah-k<a-acute>y-la*h* Bagheera Ba*r*-gheer-a*h* Baloo Baa-loo Bandarlog B<u-acute>nder-loag Chil Cheel Hathi H<a-acute>*r*-ty Kaa Ka*r* Mowgli Mow(as in "now")-gly Nag Na*r*g Rikki-tikki-tavi Rikky-tikky-tay-vy Shere Khan Share-kha*r*n Tabaqui Tar-b<aacute>rk-i The following (also from the same source) is a list of "Jungle Names for the Cub Pack". (i) Names held "Ex Officio" Akela Cubmaster. Baloo } Bagheera } Assistant Cubmasters. Raksha } Black Plume } Brown Tip } Grey Brother } Sixers. Red Fang } Tawny Fur } WhiteClaw } Sahi (the Porcupine) Pack Scribe. White Hood Pack Storekeeper. (ii) Names Awarded for Prowess in Cub Activities Ahdeek (the Reindeer) Team Games. Apukwa (the Bulrush) Weaving. Blue Smoke Signalling. Chil (The Kite) Singing. Crimson Arrow Throwing and catching. Dahinda (the Bull-frog) Leapfrog, cartwheels, etc. Ferao (the Scarlet Woodpecker) Woodwork. Golden Quill Artist. Hawkeye Observation. Hiawatha All-round athletics. Iagoo (the Story-teller) Telling stories. Jacala (the Crocodile) Acting. Kaa (the Python) Tree-climbing. Karela (the Bitter Vine) Knotting. Keego (the Fish) Swimming. Keneu (the Great War Eagle) Running. Kotick (the Seal) Wrestling. Kwasin (the Strong Man) Boxing. Limmerskin (the Wren) Message-carrying. Little Beaver Lair-building. Mysa (the Wild Buffalo) Good hearing. Nag (the Cobra) First Aid. Nushka ("Look!") Guide. Oonai (the Wolf) Reciting. Pukeena (the Grasshopper) High Jump. Scarlet Feather Fire-lighting. Sea Catch (the Seal) Diving. Shaw-shaw (the Swallow) Skipping. Singum (the Lion) Book-carrying. Rann (the Eagle) Good eyesight. Tilji-pho (the Lark) Musician. Toomai Folk-dancing. Wabeeno (the Magician) Walking the Plank. Wawbeck (the Rock) Modelling. White Elk Long Jump. Won-tolla Hopping. (iii) Names Awarded by Akela at his Discretion Hathi (the Elephant) Punctual and regular attendance. Jeebi (the Ghost) Fattest Cub. Kim (Little friend of all the world) Helpfulness. Ko (the Crow) Noisiest Cub. Mang (the Bat) Obedience. Mor (the Peacock) Tidiness and cleanliness. Onaway ("Awake!") Alertness. Shada (the Pelican) Perseverance. Rikki-tikki-tavi (the Mongoose) Cheeriness, or Courage. Mowgli Friend to animals. Sona (the Himalayan Bear) Good manners. Suggeema (the Mosquito) Smallest Cub. Tall Pine Tallest Cub.
Date: Thu, 28 May 1992 03:51:44 -0400 From: "Jack W. Weinmann" <bk233@CLEVELAND.FREENET.EDU> Subject: Cub-A-Ree Ideas (USA) One of the districts in my council is having its first Cub-A-Ree. Here is a description of the stations: Station 1: Citizenship Part 1: Den conducts flag ceremony of its choice - up to 5 points awarded for correct etiquette, originality & overall performance. Part 2: Den selects 5 questions to answer on citizenship & national heritage from 10 sealed questions. (1 pt. per correct answer) Beads: Gold 9-10 pts, Blue 6-8 pts, Red under 6 pts Station 2: Knots (square, bowline, clovehitch, sheet bend, & taughtline hitch) Station leader asks 5 boys to tie one knot each. If a boy is not assigned a knot, he may help Scouts who have been assigned. Scoring: 2 pts for each knot completed in a 2 min. period Beads: Gold 10 pts, Blue 6 or 8 pts, Red under 6 pts Station 3: Rope Toss The den has a 20 ft. rope and has 3 tosses to hit a graduated bullseye. Scoring: 10 pts (Gold bead) if best throw hits within 2-ft square 8 pts (Blue bead) if best throw hits within 4-ft square 6 pts (Blue bead) if best throw hits within 6-ft square 2 pts (Red bead) if best throw hits outside of square Station 4: First Aid and Safety Message Game Station leader presents 5 first aid and safety situations to the den, in sequence. Den has 1 min. for each situation to reply to each situation and/or demonstrate appropriate technique to use. (2 pts per correct answer) Beads: Gold 10 pts, Blue 6-8 pts, Red under 6 pts Station 5: Obstacle Course Entire den runs course consisting of a tire, rope swing, pylon run, and ramp climb. Each Cub timed and the average for the den determined. Scoring: Average time up to 60 sec. 10 pts -- Gold Bead Average time 60 - 90 sec. 8 pts -- Blue Bead Average time over 90 sec. 6 pts -- Red Bead Station 6: Nature Trail Station leader presents den with a list of 10 items to point out on the nature trail. When they find an item, they point it out to the station leader. Max. time on trail -- 5 min. Scoring: 1 pt per item. Gold 9 - 10 pts, Blue 5 - 8 pts, Red under 5 pts Station 7: Rain Gutter Regatta In relay fashion, 3 Scouts selected by their den blow a walnut shell boat the length of a 10 ft. gutter. Scoring: Based on how fast it takes to complete the task. Exact times will be determined and be available at the station. Ratings: "Hydroplane" ----- 10 pts. ---- Gold "Motorboat" 5 - 8 pts. ---- Blue "Rowboat" under 5 pts. ---- Red Station 8: Marble Shooting Contest A range set up consisting of a 5-ft. diameter circle with 13 marbles placed in center-cross fashion. Rotating shots, each den has 3 min. to shoot as many marbles out of the ring as possible. Scoring: 11 - 13 marbles knocked out = 10 pts ---- Gold bead 6 - 10 " " " = 7 pts ---- Blue bead 0 - 5 " " " = 5 pts ---- Red bead Station 9: Uniforms Points awarded to the den based on the uniforming of participating den members. Scoring: All Scouts wearing proper shirt & neckerchief -- 10 pts - Gold 1/2 or more wearing proper shirt & neckerchief - 6 pts - Blue Less that 1/2 wearing proper shirt @ neckerchief 2 pts - Red Station 10: Skit Competition At 4:00, the dens should gather at the pavillion area to present their skits. Each den has 3 min. to put on their skit. Points awarded on originality, style, content & presentation. Scoring: Up to 10 pts. as determined by the judge. Gold Bead - 8 - 10 pts, Blue - 4 - 7 pts, Red - 0 - 3 pts Note: Dens (2 or more boys). Games are a DEN effort. Stations are geared so that it takes TEAM effort. All station activities taken from the Wolf, Bear, & Webelos Handbooks. (Their statement - our ideas could have other sources!) Although there is no limit to the number of boys in a den, it is recommended that dens be in the 8 boy range. Larger dens could be split into two dens for the competition so all boys are able to participate in the contests.
From: joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins) Subject: Chemical Experiments for cubs Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 14:02:18 GMT [always with adult attendance - Ed.] As a younger child, my son LOVED mixing baking soda and vinegar in zip lock bags and watching the bags fill with CO2. We then 'poured' the CO2 into a plastic pail and lowered a lit match into it (by hand). The match goes out when it passes into the CO2. But if you can get a strip of magnesium, ignite that and lower that into CO2 - it won't go out but will instead strip the oxygen off the CO2, leaving carbon dust floating in the pail. It is also good because its sparks brightly and makes loud popping noises. Be using magnesium - perhaps do it outside Get a stalk of celery and cut it lengthwise about 2/3 of the way up. Get two drinking glasses and fill with water. Place them side by side. Add two different colors of food coloring into the glasses, i.e. red in one and blue in the other. Place the celery such that one part is in one glass and the other part is in the other (which is why you cut it 2/3 of the way.) Come back the next day and look at the stalks. Get an ordinary egg and put in a glass. Pour in vinegar sufficient to cover it with perhaps 1" to spare. Let sit overnight. The next day take out the egg and feel it....the vinegar has dissolved the calcium carbonate in the shell and the shell is gone. You are feeling the membrane that lined the shell and it has a rubbery feel. Rinse with plenty of water. Get calcium carbonate (blackboard chalk is perfect). Heat up real hot in a propane blowtorch (put the chalk in a vise). This will drive the CO2 out of the CaCO3. This leaves CaO (lime). When you heat up lime, it gets bright - which is where the word LIMELIGHT comes from. Drop in water when done. Go to radio shack and buy magnets of all types (square, circular, etc). Give them to you child, along with paper clips, bobby pins, iron nails, etc You child will have a ball with it. Then get wire at radio shack and wrap many many turns around an iron nail. Connect that to a battery and you have an electromagnet. Show your child how it also picks up paper clips, etc. Go a hardware store and get root killer. Look at the package - it should be copper sulfate pentahydrate. When you open it up, it will be blue crystals. This is good stuff to work with but be careful - poisonous - wash your hands after touching it. Anyway, drop some in a glass and dissolve in water. Then get an iron nail and sandpaper it a bit to make it shiny. Drop it in and wait a few hours. It will get copper-plated. (Has to do with the relative activity of metals) Now dissolve more in water- this time to excess, i.e. have crystals sitting on the bottom. Connect an old spoon to a wire and connect that wire to the negative pole of a DC powersupply. Connect some copper wire to the positive pole of the DC powersupply. The other end of that copper wire should be stripped clean and dropped in the water. Don't let the two touch while in the water. After a while, the copper wire in the water will start to shrink in size but the spool will get a copper coating. (Copper plated). The DC power supply can be batteries but use at least 3 volts or so. Get a small piece of aluminum foil, about 4" square. Fold it in 1/2 two times and this will give you 1" square. Get some lye from the grocery store or hardware store (Caution - corrosive, dangerous stuff). Get a 3-4 crystals of lye and place on the foil, dead center. Place the foil on a paper plate and plate this in a sink. Add 1 drop of water to the crystals and step back. The water will dissolve the lye. The lye is now in solution and in contact with the aluminum foil. The aluminum foil is covered with a thin layer of aluminum oxide (invisible). The lye solution starts to react with the aluminum oxide and breaks it down. It then hits the foil and reacts with that. As the reaction gets going, it heats up. This causes the reactants to mix it up even faster and get even hotter. Finally, you run out of either lye or aluminum. Rinse thoroughly with water when done. Moral - never mix lye with aluminum. A slow burn - get plain old steel wool (non-detergent) and plain old strong clorox (again - non-detergent). Place the steel wool in a large bowl or glass. Pour the clorox over it, covering it. Let sit overnight. Come back tomorrow and most of the steel wool is gone and you now have plain old rust. (P.S. this will make the clorox quite warm - let it sit in a sink overnight in case it breaks - don't squeeze the steel wool before you use it. Just put in as-is - if you squeeze it or stretch it, the reaction will go faster and become hotter). Rinse thoroughly with water when done. Keep the chemicals away from your child - potent stuff. Don't mix chemicals on your own without knowing what you are doing. Some household chemicals and combinations thereof are EXTREMELY dangerous. Have fun and hope that helps.... Mail me if you want more experiments or have questions on the above.
From: choffman@adobe.com (Charles Hoffman) Subject: Attention Deficit - Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) Date: 9 Nov 92 17:54:36 GMT When I posted by request for information about the ADD and ADHD boys in my Webelos Den, the following information was sent to me. These suggestions have made my meetings much easier.: Keep all activities down to 15 minutes or less. I would add that allowing and encouraging the boys to be creative in their projects helps tremendously. Separate the ADHD boys from each other, and from other boys who are liable to follow the ADHD boys' lead in going wild. I seat my boys in a "U" shape with the Den Chief and my Asst Den Leader at the bottom of the "U". The three ADD and ADHD boys along with the most reactive of the other boys are seated in an alternating arrangement with the quieter boys. The two ADHD boys are seated right next to the leaders (DC and ADL) to allow for personal one on one control and the ADHD boys work harder at self control as they can get immediate words of praise from the leaders. Let the boys know the plans for the meeting at the begining. Give them a goal and keep reminding them why they are doing what they are doing. Give recognition in the meeting for their achievements. Maintain control of the meeting. I use a carrot and stick approach. The carrot is the "good conduct jug". Each boy places a bead in a clear water bottle at the start of each meeting. When disruptive or dangerous behavior happens, the Denner removes a bead. There are lines on the jug that will take about 3-4 months to cover. We just had our first reward, by their choice a trip to a local pizza/game center. The stick is first to "signs up", while using direct eye contact with the boys. A firm, non-stressed voice helps. Don't dwell on control, but quickly move to the focus activity. Use short simple sentences. Ask the boys to repeat requests and directions back to you. Have the boys draw up their own den meeting rules. I have a list that my boys made up posted in our meeting room. They point out infractions to each other. Serve refreshments last. My boys do a round-robin for "snack". Every kid seems to prefer red drinks. The food coloring used, plus sugar in the cookies is guaranteed to have the kids bouncing off the walls in a half hour. Snack is a time for quietly going over the days activities and letting the boys know what will be done at the next meeting. Be prepared. I prepare a month in advance what will be done at each meeting, and what must be done at home for each boy to earn the current activity pins. Having a well thought out plan gives me the freedom to adapt as the situation changes. In addition make one or more of each craft in advance so the boys have a model to "touch and feel" and so that you know how to do it, and that the boys are capable of doing the tasks needed for the craft. Get the quick boys to help the slower boys. With supervision this can be a help. But watch out. Boys this age switch from cooperative to competitive modes very fast. Keep the boys focused. ADHD boys are very easily distracted by external stimuli. I and my leaders constantly walk among the boys asking them to tell us what they are doing, complementing creativity. This seems to help in the longer more complex Webelos crafts. Many ADD and ADHD boys take drugs (Ritalin, etc) to allow them to control their responses. Parents try to give the boys their dose about 1/2 hour before the meeting. But in real life, this does not alway happen. Be prepared for lasts week's angel to be this week's terror. My Asst Den Leader will become the terror's shadow when this happens. This is vital to a controlled meeting. Contact the ADD Warehouse, which has a catalog of reading and other things relevant to ADD/ADHD. You can call them at (800) 233-9273. I sat down with my ADD/ADHD parents and selected books that covered symptoms that were most common with their boys. The public library in my town had several books that gave me a good insight to the problem, but be warned, my parents told me that some the information was out of date. ADD/ADHD kids need even more complements than other kids. But don't forget the other boys. Make the complement real, and word it in such a way as to encourage future growth. One of my ADHD boys has become quite an innovator in fishing for complements. He is begining to understand what actions will and will not earn him a complement and his behavior is slowly improving. Don't treat the ADD/ADHD boys as if they have an "unusual" problem. Cycle your activities. I have an active gathering game, den business, a focused activity, another short game, and then snack/reflection all within a 1 1/4 hour period. My parents stay away from den meetings unless we are doing an activity that requires lots of supervision or assistance. The parents state that their boys are learning that all adults (Akeylas) require the same behavior, not just parents and teachers. Relate information and activities to "doing" things. Somatic language that connotes physical activity helps. Many ADD boys learn best by doing, and are very poor at memorizing remote facts. This can slow meetings down, but will improve the experience for everyone.
From: dannys@world.scout.org (Danny Schwendener) Subject: Game ideas for cub scouts [pointer] Date: 21/4/93 Here's a pointer for those who are looking for games which you can play with cub scout dens or packs: I have received a collection of cub scout games from Jim Speirs. Eventually, it will end either as an addition to FAQ#3 'Games' or as a separate FAQ (I haven't decided it yet), but in the meantime, the collection can be retrieved by anonymous ftp from ftp.ethz.ch; log in as 'anonymous'. The file can be found in the directory ftp.ethz.ch:/rec.scouting/games/ . This directory also contains many other games ideas. In addition, it is always a good idea to look into FAQ#3 'Games', even though the games are more directed towards scouts and a few of them may not be suitable for younger cubs.
From: dcp@teak03.cray.com (Dennis Parker) Subject: Projects - Wolf's Head Molding Date: 19 Jan 94 13:49:18 CST If your pack has the money, buy a set of the wolf's head plastic molds from you r local scout shop (they're also in the catalog). They're about a buck a piece. Get enough for the largest den in your pack and then you can pass them around from den to den. Next year, get the bear heads, etc. Let the kids mix up some plaster of paris and fill the molds. The molds will take several days to harden completely. At the next meeting, the kids can pain t them. We did blue edges and yellow backgrounds then each boy choose the color for the wolf head itself. We had brown, black, gray, and white wolves. [Charles Hoffman] A hint on plaster of paris. Spray a coat of primer or varnis h on the plaster before painting. Otherwise the plaster can act like a sponge.
From: choffman@adobe.com (Charles Hoffman) Subject: Projects - Various Date: Thu, 20 Jan 1994 22:16:07 GMT Basicly my boys have enjoyed anything that involved making things with their hands. The more tools they got to use the better. Paint is fun also, but be prepared for spills and other messes. I usually had one or two parents to aid my normal team when it came to these projects. Give the manual projects a try. Hand your cubs a copy of the How-To-Book, or one of the other books (names escape me at the time), and let them make a suggestion. This worked wonders for me. I did it at the begining of a den meeting. In five minutes they were itching to start their selected project. Just be ready as they will alway decide on the most complicated option :)
From: paullxa@gwis.circ.gwu.edu (Paul Ainsworth) Subject: Camp Sparklers Date: 26 Apr 1994 09:47:09 -0400 At my camp, Camp Lassen in nothern Calif., after normal merit badge instruction is over, we start what we call our "Afternoon Sparklers." These are actvities, other then for advancement, for the boys to enjoy. (Shotgun Shooting, Hoseback Riding, Free Swim, Wall Climbing". In the evenings, we have are "Evening Sparklers" in which there are a variety of things, camp wide and troop oriented. Some things we do include: Troop/ Patrol Competitions, Tenure based activites, Hoot-an-naany. I was wondering if any of you have similar practices. I am interested in updating some of our program. For the last five year, with the exception of a couple of new program areas, we have not added that much to our eveing program.
From: hayesj@rintintin.Colorado.EDU, glen@ornews.intel.com Subject: Re: Middle Ages Camp Ideas? >I bet some of you have organized or attended a Middle Ages- >related scout camp. I'm planning one right now and ask for >your ideas: any fun/exciting/interesting activities related >to knights, castles, wizards, kings, that kind of stuff... Ben Delatour Scout Ranch used this theme for their camp wide activies day. Contests included archery, lance throwing, 'horse races' piggy back jousting, fencing and quarter staff. A "safe" sword can be made by using flexible pvc pipe (1") for the core stiffiner. Cover this with the prefab pipe insulation foam which brings the exterior to about 4". This is wrapped with duct tape to hold it on together. Bicycle greps can be used for hand holds. Some sort of helmet should be worn and a referee that makes sure the match does not get out of hand. A shield can be made from a foam covered round and held on by two or three straps (two for the arm and one to hold onto). A morning star (handle, chain & spiked ball) can be done using a foam covered soft rubber ball on a cord attached to a foam covered pvc pipe. A mace (spiked ball on a stick) can be done as above (with no cord). And of course the axes. Foam covered pvc pipe with a foam ax head. A nature scavenger hunt can be modelled on a quest for ingredients to 'potions' for Merlin to cure Arthur, Lancelot, etc. A campwide capture the flag could easily have a medieval theme. Be sure to get a juggler on staff! :) You might have the staff volunteer to subject themselves to a dunking chair in costume, labeled as 'FOOL'. Tuanting the throwers with things like, "Thou art unworthy of thy missles." or "Me thinks thou must be the fool to attempt to unseat me!" A trumpet blowing competition with a suitably decorated bugle would fit.
From: jantikai@cc.Helsinki.FI (Jaana A Antikainen) Subject: Re: Hard Questions - Discipline > Here's a question I faced last weekend at our Cuboree. > We were camped at a government park, beside a fast-flowing river with > a waterfall. Our first and clearly stated rule was that no-one goes > down by river without an adult. Sure enough, Sunday morning, > four cubs went for a walk on the river trail. > The problem with the behaviour was: > - The were breaking an important rule, established for safety > - They had placed themselves in some risk of injury > - No adults knew where they were > - They had removed themselves when they were needed to help > strike camp (everybody else was working) > I don't think they were defiantly setting out to get in trouble. > What should we have done with them? First, I would like to say that I consider sending cubs (or scouts) home from a camp etc. a very bad move, unless they repeatedly behave violently or otherwise disturb the *others*. That will only make them feel that they are not wanted - cubs especially are too young to realise that it's only their behaviour that's wrong. As a consequence they will seek for your attention more on the next time, and we all know that children's way to do this is sometimes not too construnctive...:) You could try explaining the cubs first what they can do, and when, like -you can go swimming at your free time, IF you ask an adult to watch -you can take a walk, IF you go that direction and if you have nothing else to do -you can use your knife, as long as you follow these safety rules And give the cubs enough free time to do all these things. That was preventive. Then when the crime has happened, they of course must do the things they left undone (the packing, in your case). Additionally, I have used the method "if you don't want to participate, that's your problem". This means that the cubs that didn't take part in the work done together, may either take part in the play together. Don't let them do anything else while others are playing, though! Just make them sit and watch. And explain that if they cannot obay the safety rules themselves they must be watched - they may not go anywhere where a leader cannot see them. Ususally a few hours of this ban is enough to make the cubs realise WHY it is important that they follow the rules - everybody has more fun so! Similarly, a cub that doesn't follow swimming rules may not go swimming for a while, and cub who doesn't follow knife rules must give his/her knife to a leader. This has worked. Explained in the right way, these all are consequences, not punishments. And to the cubs it is real shame to be left out because "you can't be trusted to follow the rules", and if you as a leader behave correctly (show the cub that you care anyway) he/she will work hard afterwords to be able to be trusted again...
From: af512@freenet.buffalo.edu (Ari Klein) Subject: picked on scout Date: Tue, 12 Jul 1994 14:28:26 GMT This past week at summer camp I was quite impressed with the new scout patrol. No homesickness, cooking and cleaning was going well, spirits were high, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Friday during breakfast cleanup.......WHAMMMMM! All of a sudden one of the boys hit another and we had two boys crying. "Everyone is always making fun of me...." etc. Things got calmed down, but I knew that I had to figure out what to do not to lose this boy and probably others. I remembered an activity told to me by an elementary teacher and modified it for this situation. At lunch time, I had the patrol leader (who is older) draw and cut out a cardboard person with a "Rip me" sign on him. I sat down with the patrol after lunch with this poster. They all were eager to rip into him. The patrol leader eagerly ripped off the ear of the poster as I instructed him ahead of time. Without any other prompting the boys all eagerly ripped off parts of the "guy." I was amazed. After calming them down, I asked, What's left? "nothing" Which was better, your part or the original? and so forth our discussion then went. We agreed that the boy in the poster was no longer any good to help anyone and that the parts were not too useful. We needed to put it back together. They all worked together, some reluctantly, putting our "guy" back together with tape. When they finished, I put him in front of everyone and after a long silence of them looking at him, wondering what was going on, I asked if he was the same as he was before, and did they thing think that he had wanted to get ripped up. They agreed he wasn't the same as before, but some did not buy into the idea of him having any feelings. I turned their attention toward the event that happened during breakfast. I told them it bothered and saddened me that one of the boys in the patrol felt as though he was picked on so much. I made the analogy that every time they said something bad about someone else it was just like ripping off a piece of him, he would not be the same after being called names or being put down. ....Dead quiet. I then said that the boy who blew up that morning was probably not feeling too good having had comments thrown at him throughout the week, he has in the same shape as our "rip me guy." We needed to find some way of building him back up and making him whole. I asked all the boys to think of something that they liked about the one boy. After a little while, some of the boys volunteered the thing that they had thought of, more of the boys said something until all of them had said something good about the hurt boy. It was clearly obvious that the boy appreciated the comments. I concluded by asking the boys to think about what they say to others, that they might be hurting them in a way that they did not want or expect. They didn;t have to like everyone else in the patrol, but things would work out better of they didn't say nasty things to other people. I was surprised at how well this activity went. In a way, it was a modified team building activity we use sometimes during our annual troop orientation workshop weekend for boy leaders. A group of 11 year olds seem so mature to us, but they are still quite young. This was a heavy thing to lay on them, but I believe that they got the point and may be just a little better for it. I hope that this article is worth the bandwidth.
From: jss2@rsvl.unisys.com (wild jim bob) Subject: Re: Help a new Wolf leader... PLEASE! Date: Thu, 4 Aug 1994 14:49:13 GMT > I'm going to be a Wolf leader this year and I don't have a clue!! I > don't know where to start! Can anyone give me some guidance? A previous poster has already said this very well. Keep them busy. Keep them busy. Keep them busy. Here are a few more ideas (not in any order). - Go to scout den leader training. Offered by district in the fall and spri ng. - Consult with your den leader coach (if avail) for ideas. - Talk to other current or past den leaders for ideas. - Go to roundtables for ideas. Offered monthly by district. - Talk to parents of the scouts for ideas. - Get the parents involved. - You are the leader of the den. Not the den slave. - Have the parents commit to organizing weekly den activities which you lead . - Get a den leader assistant. - Get a den cheif from a nearby boy scout troup. - Assign a denner and assistant denner (wolf scouts in your den) to help with the meetings. You might want to practive the activitys with them before the meetings. - Don't try to do it all. I've been there! - Have fun. You will survive. - Leading the den at den and pack activities is enough for one person. - Go to monthly pack committee meetings to keep up with pack activities. * From: carolyn.marlowe@sanctum.com In the past couple of years we've done the following: had someone from a Museum bring live wild mammals and reptiles (small) native to our state, skating, bowling, a picnic in the park, see a minor league baseball game, go to Mideival Times, Buccaneer Bay (water park), Santa Claus visit, volleyball, badmiton, obstacle course, ice cream sundae, and much more. Do you use the Program Helps? I find it to be very helpful in planing the Pack Meetings, plus the "Den and Pack Ceremonies" book has a lot of neat ceremonies for Advancements that the boys (and parents) enjoy. They both really enjoyed one of the ones for Arror of Light that I did last year. Another ceremony that was a big hit was the one for Bear (searching for them).
From: brianm@ma.hw.ac.uk, scocca@gibbs.oit.unc.edu, mcgrew@rahul.net Subject: Re: Shirts & Skins: Gametime 101 Date: Tue, 9 Aug 1994 10:04:51 GMT Rules for Choosing Sides: "1. Leaders choose sides. Don't let two boys choose the sides because 2. Pick sides by counting off by twos or by randomly picking two boys of similar abilities and putting one on each side. Other variations: 2b. count off, using variations on occasions to prevent scouts from strategically switching themselves (e.g.1-2-2-1-1-1-2-2-1-2-1-2-2-1-1-2) 2c. get everyone to line up "tallest to smallest" and then split off 1-2-1-2-.. The teams rarely were the same because there's always someone missing, and the kids grow up. It also tends to produce physically balanced teams for games where it matters.
From: Michael Keables <mkeables@du.edu> Subject: Magic Ideas (chemical magic for ceremonies) To: dannys@world.scout.org Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 14:03:58 -0700 (MST) Fellow scouters: Here are some ideas for using chemical magic in award ceremonies. Most of these ideas came from a recent Pow Wow as well as Roundtable discussions. Hope you find them useful. YIS, Mike Keables Cubmaster, Pack 632 Littleton, CO USA mkeables@du.edu ========================================================================== Denver Area Council 1994 POW-WOW October 22, 1994 Magic in Pack Ceremonies 1. Magic Sugar Cube Materials: clear glass of water, sugar cube, pencil Set up: clearly and darkly mark the letter "W" (for wolf or webelos ceremony) or "B" (for bobcat or bear ceremony) on one side of the sugar cube. Be sure that the letter is very dark. Effect: Letter appears to transfer from a sugar cube dropped in water to the back of the hand of the participants. Scenario: Tell participants that the letter will magically leave the sugar cube and be printed on the hand of the scouts who are worthy to advance in rank. Drop sugar cube in water and have one scout place his hand over the top of the glass; other scouts place their hands on top of the first. Tell the scouts to concentrate on their new rank. After a 15 seconds or so, have the scouts take their hands away and look at the top of the hand that was over the glass. The letter appears on the hand. How it's done: Before placing the sugar cube in the water, make some excuse to dip your thumb and fingers in the glass ("Boy, this sugar cube sure is sticky ..."). Wet your thumb and press hard over the letter to ink the bottom of the thumb. Then, assist each boy in placing his hand over the glass, pressing your thumb to the back of his hand while doing so. You will then have "stamped" the letter onto the back of the hand. As long as it is done quickly and the boys are focused on the sugar cube, they will not notice the effect of the thumb on their hand. 2. Removing color from liquids. Materials: food coloring, pitcher of water, 2 glasses, liquid bleach Setup: place one drop of food coloring in bottom of one glass, 1 teaspoon of bleach in the other. Place glasses so that the audience cannot see the advance preparations. Effect: Water poured into a glass changes color Scenario: Water is poured into an "empty" glass and immediately changes color. The colored water is then poured into another "empty" glass which then turns back into "water." How it's done: Water poured into first glass changes color on contact with the food coloring. Color is bleached out of water in the second glass. Be sure to hide the base of the glass with your fingers so that the coloring and bleach in the glasses cannot be seen. 3. Color-changing liquids (yellow-green-blue) Materials: yellow and green food coloring, pitcher of water, 4 clear plastic glasses, liquid bleach Setup: Four clear glasses: one empty, one with a drop of yellow food coloring, one with a drop of green food coloring, one with 1/4 teaspoon of liquid bleach. As in above, be sure audience cannot see the preparation or the bottom of the glasses during the trick. Effect: Water changes colors from clear to yellow to green to blue as the liquid is poured into successive glasses. Scenario: Water from a spring at a nearby Boy Scout camp has the special properties of changing into Cub Scout colors if boys have completed all of their requirements for their badge of rank. Water is poured from a special receptacle into the first glass. Water turns yellow when poured from first glass into second; water turns green when poured from second glass into third ("Are you boys sure that you completed all of the requirements for the ______ badge?"). Water turns blue when poured into last glass, indicating the boys have in fact completed the final test for their badge of rank. How it's done: First glass is empty so water is clear when poured into the first glass. Water turns yellow when added to the glass with the drop of yellow food coloring; yellow water turns green when added to the glass with a drop of green food coloring; green water turns blue when added to the glass with the liquid bleach (the yellow color is bleached our of the green water, leaving the water blue in color.) 4. Multi-colored liquids. This trick requires the use of chemicals normally available at scientific supply stores; in fact, most chemistry sets will contain the required chemicals. Materials: 6 clear plastic glasses, sodium carbonate, yellow and blue food coloring, white vinegar, phenolphthalein solution, liquid bleach Setup: prepare the glasses as follows: glass 1: pinch of sodium carbonate dissolved in 6 ounces of water glass 2: 1 drop yellow food coloring glass 3: liquid phenolphthalein (made from powdered phenolphthalein and rubbing alcohol); keep covered as solution evaporates. glass 4: 1 drop blue food color glass 5: 1/4 full white vinegar (be sure to palm the bottom half of the glass until you begin pouring. glass 6: 1/4 full liquid bleach Effect: "Water" is poured into different glasses, each time changing to a different color. Color sequence is clear, yellow, red, purple, green, clear. Scenario: Similar to the above except more glasses with more colors. How it's done: Same as above. Reactions between chemicals in solution produce the different colors. Be careful to dispose of the last glass quickly as it does look like water but is really heavily laced with chlorine bleach (the last thing you want to happen is for a scout to come up and taste the "water") 5. Magic balloon. Materials: large balloon (at least 8 inches in diameter when inflated), dry ice Setup: small piece of dry ice inserted into balloon. Effect: balloon continues to inflate, even after being tied closed. Scenario: Balloon is partially inflated at the beginning of the meeting and tied. By the end of the meeting, the balloon has become even more inflated. How it's done: the dry ice inside the balloon slowly vaporizes when added to warm air. Partially blowing up the balloon provides enough warm air for the process to occur. 6. Magic water test. Setup: Styrofoam or paper cup (not plastic!) with slush powder ("Aqua-gel", "Joke-gel") in bottom of cup. Approx. 1 teaspoon of powder per 4 ounces of water. Slush powder is available at magic supply stores and novelty shops (usually in the gag gift section with the pepper gum, plastic vomit, etc.) Effect: water is poured into a cup and then inverted over the boys' heads without spilling. Scenario: Final test for boys advancing in rank. Pour water (I use water colored with blue food coloring) into the glass and tell the boys that if they are ready to advance in rank, then the spirit of scouting will protect them in this final test. Turn the cup upside down over the boys' heads. Variations: have parents hold small cups with gelled water over each boy and have the boys stick a straight pin through the bottom of the cup. Be sure that the cups are held above the sight of the parents as well so that they cannot see the gelled liquid inside. How it's done: The slush powder causes the water to gel on contact and will not pour/leak from the glass. ------------------------------ End of rec.scouting FAQ #6 ***************************

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