Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Positive Attitude/Yes I Can

Core Value: Positive Attitude
Theme: Yes I Can!

Gathering Activity
Easy Tortoise & Hare Racers

In the famous fable, the tortoise agreed to race the hare. Even though the tortoise was much slower, he stuck to the task, while the hare got sidetracked. With a “Yes, I Can” attitude, the tortoise DID HIS BEST and won the race! Find the fable online and, if there is time, read it to the pack before the activity. If time is limited, give them a short summary.
Materials: separated egg carton cups; markers; paper for hares’ ears and cotton for the tails; marbles; a piece of wood or other material for a racing ramp.
Craft: Decorate the egg carton cups to resemble tortoises and rabbits, and put initials inside (in case the cups look alike!). Bring these to the race location.
Game: Place a marble under each tortoise cup and hare cup. Put the critters at the top of the ramp. On the signal, release them and watch them race. The ramp can be any length; it just has to go
downhill. See which animal wins the most times!

Opening Flag Ceremony
Quick Words of Wisdom


Materials: words of wisdom on individual, numbered slips of paper. (Maybe pick 10 or so of these; it will take too long to do them all.)
Hand out the slips of paper to parents as they come in to the pack meeting. When the meeting starts, tell everyone that there are parents in the audience with “words of wisdom” to share to help everyone have a positive attitude. Ask them to stand in place and read their slip of paper in number order.

1. If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours!
2. True happiness is not having what you want; it’s wanting what you have!
3. Where the loser sees barriers, the winner sees hurdles.
4. We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
5. V ery often a change of attitude is needed more than a change of scene.
6. Surrounded by people who love life, you love it too; surrounded by people who don’t, you don’t.
7. Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.
8. Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
9. It isn’t our position but our disposition that makes us happy.
10. A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
11. Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?
12. Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
13. Believe you can, and you’re half way there.
14. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.
15. Nothing can stop the man with a positive attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with a negative attitude.
16. Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.
17. We each shape our own lives, and the shape is determined largely by our attitudes.
18. More than any other quality, optimism is the one most associated with success and happiness.
19. A happy person is not someone in a certain set of circumstances, but rather, someone with a certain set of attitudes.
20. When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases, how you are going to be treated BY others.
21. People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
22. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
23. A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
24. When everything seems to be going against you, remember the airplane takes off AGAINST the wind, not WITH it.

Training Topic
“Preventing Leader Burnout” (begins on p. 32):

 

Audience Participation Activity
CHRISTMAS WITH THE RIGHT FAMILY

Christmas was almost here, and Mother RIGHT was finishing the Christmas baking. Father RIGHT, Susan RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT returned from their last minute Christmas errands. “There’s not much LEFT to be done,” said Father RIGHT, as he came into the kitchen. “Did you leave the basket of food at church?” asked Mother RIGHT. “I LEFT it RIGHT where you told me to,” said Father RIGHT. “I’m glad my shopping is done,” said Billy RIGHT, “I don’t have any money LEFT.” The hall telephone rang, and Susan RIGHT LEFT to answer it. She rushed back and told the family, “Aunt Tillie RIGHT LEFT a package for us RIGHT on Grandma RIGHT’S porch.” “I’ll go over there RIGHT now and get it,” she said as she LEFT in a rush. Father RIGHT LEFT the kitchen and brought in the Christmas tree. By the time Susan RIGHT returned, Mother RIGHT, father RIGHT and Billy RIGHT had begun to trim this year’s family RIGHT’S Christmas tree. The entire RIGHT family sang carols as they finished the decorating. Then they LEFT all the presents arranged under the tree and went RIGHT up to bed, hoping they had LEFT all the gifts in the RIGHT place and had selected the RIGHT gift for each member of the RIGHT family. Now I hope you have the RIGHT present for yourself, because that’s all that’s LEFT of our story, except to wish you a Merry Christmas. Isn’t that RIGHT?

 

Cheers

Winner: Put two thumbs up and yell, “You’re a winner!”
Yes I Can!: On the count of 3, everyone shout, “Yes, I Can!”
Big Sneeze: Cup hands in front of nose and sneeze in hands. Having nowhere to put it, wipe your hands on your shirt.
Clam: Fold hands together, interlocking fingers. Make noise by clapping palms together.
Shovel: For those who dig right in and do their best. Make a motion of shoveling snow or dirt three times.
Spring: For those who spring into action. Everyone stands and jumps in place, saying “Boing, boing, boing!”