Kind/My Animal Friends - Obedient/It's a Hit

May's & June's Scout Law Points and Themes
May Scout Law Point: Kind
May Theme: My Animal Friends
Jun Scout Law Point: Obedient
Jun Theme: It's a Hit

Opening Brain Teaser - This would be a great thing to write on the chalk or white board for boys and parents to have something to think about while they wait for everyone to arrive at a Pack or Den Meeting.  (An idea you could use would be to reward the cub scouts a piece of candy if they get it right).

 

How many squares can you count in the diagram below?
Picture
 *Answer is at the end of this section. (scroll down)
(Brain Teaser taken from: The Little Black Book of Mindbenders by John Samson and Elsie Samson; pg. 71)

Gathering Activity
Guess That Ball Game!
Make copies of the following clues to see if people can guess the ball game.  During the meeting tell everyone the answers.
1.  The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.048 m) high mounted to a backboard at each end. Basketball

2.  You can kick the ball though a goal post to earn an extra point. Football

3. A sport that involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded in the grass.  Croquet

4.  This sport can be played by two (as in singles) or four (as in doubles) indoors or outdoors. Tennis

5.  This fictional game uses 4 balls, two of which are bludgers. Quidditch

6.  In this game, you roll a large heavy ball down an lane. Bowling

7.  Each team takes a turn at bat, and the goal is to score runs by moving around the four bases. Baseball

8.  Players in this game try to keep the ball from hitting the lines or going out of bounds in their square . Two or Four Square

9.  A sport in which players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall. Handball

10.  A popular sport that is played professionally, in recreational leagues, on school teams, in backyards, sandlots, or beaches. Volleyball

Flag Ceremony

AN EAGLE OPENING

Materials: prepared posters showing different species of eagles; each Cub Scout’s lines written in large print on the back of his poster

Cub #1: The eagle is one of the largest and most powerful birds in the world, with a wingspan of up to 7 feet.

Cub #2: They look fierce and proud, and gracefully soar high in the air in search of prey. Because of this, eagles have long been symbols of freedom and power.

Cub #3: The United States chose the bald eagle as the national bird in 1782. Our country’s insignia and many of our coins have the eagle on them.

Cub #4: Eagles are very strong. They weigh 8 to 13 pounds and are 30- to 35-feet long. When the wind is favorable, golden eagles have been known to carry prey weighing as much as they do.

Cub #5: Eagles have very keen eyesight. Most birds have better eyesight than humans, but eagles and hawks are said to have the keenest eyesight of all. They sight their prey while flying thousands of feet above the ground.

Cub #6: Eagles have long, broad wings and tails. They can glide long distances by holding their wings out stiffly.

Cub #7: Since the eagle is on so many of our historical documents and since the eagle is usually perched upon the top of the flagpole, let us present the United States flag. Will you join us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

Materials: Brand Name Peanut Butter (I read on line that the brand name peanut butters go through processing which helps to get rid of the fungus in raw peanuts that makes birds sick. Also it is good to know and share with the cub scouts that avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and onions should not be fed to birds.), TP Roll, Bird Seed, table knife, peanut butter, sandwich plastic bag, black marker, yarn, cookie sheet, scissors, ruler (not shown)
Directions:

1) Write each cub scout's name on their own sandwich bag. 

2) Then cut two slits in the toilet paper roll directly across from each other. 

3) Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the TP Roll. 

4) Pour some bird seed onto a cookie sheet. 

5) Roll the TP roll in the bird seed.  Be sure to cover the TP Roll well with the bird seed.
 * Just to give you an idea of how much bird seed I used, I probably could have done 4 to 5 TP Roll Feeders with the small bag shown in the picture above.

6) Cut a 4 ft piece of yard.

7) Thread the yarn through the TP Roll and slip the ends through the slits you cut into the TP Roll earlier. You will need to help the cub scout find the slits since they will be hidden from all the peanut butter and bird seeds.  If you pass your finger, applying slight pressure, to the inside of the TP Roll, it will help you find the slits.(These slits will help keep the TP Roll from turning when the birds try to eat from it).

8) Even out the yarn on both sides so they are equal.  Then tie a knot about 4 inches from the ends.  This will allow you to have enough yarn left for the cub scouts to tie it to a tree.

9) Tell the boys to go home and tie it to a tree and watch the birds.  Maybe suggest they put it on a tree next to a window so they can watch without scaring the birds away. 
Mother's Day Plaque

*Note: This project is a three week project which allows it to dry in between steps.  You can shorten it to two weeks if you think the boys can do the following: Paint the decorative topping piece and not the stem part of it.  Paint the plaque without getting get paint in the hole where the stem will be glued. If you choose to do this, reverse steps 4 and 3.
Materials Needed: one 2x4 cut in pieces 5 inches long, sand paper, A wooden decorative piece (found at Hobby Lobby), white paint, letter stickers, heart stickers, Modge Podge, sponge paint brush, wood glue
Directions (1st Week):
1) Cut the 2x4 into pieces 5 inches long.

2) Sand the wooden pieces.

3) Drill a hole for the wooden decorative piece.

4) Using wood glue, glue the wooden decorative piece into the hole you drilled.
Directions (2nd Week):

5) Paint the plaque. Then let it dry.
Directions (3rd Week):

6) Have the boys put the letter stickers on and the heart sticker.  (*Note if the boys lift up the letters more than once after putting them on the wood, the letters will not secure to the wood and will move around when they apply the Modge Podge.  A good idea is to cut the letters out with the plastic backing so they can get the placement of the letters down first.  Then pull off the letter sticker from its plastic backing and put it in its intended spot on the plaque one by one). Press hard on the stickers so they have a firm grip on the wood.  Then using Modge Podge and a sponge brush, spread a thin coat on top.  (*Note, applying Modge Podge looks easier than it is for boys.  demonstrating the technique of dipping the sponge brush into the glue just enough and then using as few strokes as possible, will help them understand how to do it effectively; hopefully. :)  On the other hand, handing them the Modge Podge and saying "Have at it!" would be fun if you videotaped them and then showed it at Pack Meeting.

7) This is what is should look like when you are done.

Obedient Paper Ball

*Making this obedient paper ball helps the boys become INVOLVED in learning the rules rather than just listening to an adult tell them the rules.
Materials Needed: Print out a copy of the Strips Pattern for each boy on cardstock, Two craft brad fasteners for each boy, scissors, round hole punch.
Here is the Link to print off the pattern of strips with/without rules (Strips Pattern).  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0revQcSgs4OMlpGem9WbmsyNWc
Directions:
1) Print off the Strips Pattern onto to cardstock paper.  *Note you do not have to use white cardstock paper it can be a different color to add interest.
2) Make up and write down your own rules on the blank strips (optional)

3) Cut the strips. I used 10 strips to make the Obedient Paper Ball.
4) Using a round hole punch, punch holes at both ends of each strip.

5) Stack the strips and put a Craft Brat Fastener through all the holes on one end of the stack of strips.  Repeat for the other end of the stack of strips.

 

 

 
6) Carefully pull the strips one by one away from each other until the ends bow in and it starts to form a ball.

7) This is what is should look like when you are done.

 

Dodge Ball With Lots of Small Bouncy Balls

Dodge Ball - The perfect TIME FILLER!  Buy 6 to 10 SMALL bouncy balls; the more the merry, plus the games go quicker giving everyone more opportunity to play. (You can purchase the balls in grocery stores (toy section) and discount department stores isles. They cost anywhere from $1 to $2).  They are light, easy to throw, and usually do not hurt when they hit their intended target. TEAM DODGE BALL RULES: Split the boys into two teams and draw a line, using rope, tape or whatever down the middle of the room.  Have them try to hit the team members of the opposing team.  Once someone is hit, they walk to the sidelines and sit down(You want them out of the way so they do not get tripped on).  Play until all of the members of one team are out. The team that has players still standing wins.  You can also play DODGE BALL ELIMINATION.  Everyone is for them self, following the same rules.  Last person, standing, wins.

Audience Participation/Game Idea
LINE 'EM UP
Materials: Ball to toss or, if outside, water balloons.  Divide the group into two teams of equal ability. Line up each team parallel to the other, with each player standing 2 feet from the player beside him. A player on one side tosses a ball to the matching player on the other side, who then tosses it to the next player in line on the first side. Continue until a player misses. That player retires from the game, and the game continues. 
*For an added challenge, when one round is complete, both teams move back one step and start the game again.

 'Thank You' Treat Ideas for Leaders Shared at AM Round Table
 

AW: Your work is AWsome!
Gummy Bears: You are Beary helpful!
Drinking cup: I sip from the cup of your knowledge!
Bag of Nuts: We're nuts about you!
Fish Crackers: You're o-fish-ally the best!
100 Grand Candy Bar:You're worth 100 Grand!
Mr. Goodbar: You always do such a Good job!
Mounds Candy Bar: You're mounds of help!
Skor Candy Bar: We skored when we got you as a leader!

Cheers for May 2016 
Bear Applause: Growl like a bear and turn a quarter turn.  Repeat the growl, turning a quarter turn each time until you come full circle.
Moose Cheer: Put your thumbs in your ears and wiggle your fingers.
Bobcat Applause: Stand and give a loud roar three times.
Cheers for June 2016
Relay Applause: Start at one end of each row or section.  The leader claps the hand of the person next to him and so on.
Bowling: Pretend to hold a ball, start swing while taking three steps, roll ball down the lane, and wait for a count of five.  Jump and cheer for a strike.  Yell, "Strike!"
Baseball Cheer: "Hey, batter-batter-batter! Hey, batter-batter-batter! Swwwwiiiiinggggg, batter!"

Opening Brain Teaser Answer: 19 Squares