Newsletter - 2003 - February

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Boy Scouts During WWII

The Boy Scouts were very active during the War. Scouts begin campaign selling Defense Bonds and Stamps in 1941. They sponsored a variety of scrap drives beginning in 1942. The most important was for newspapers, scrap metal including tin cans, and old tires. There were also cooking fat collections that I believe the Scouts were involved in. Scouts also distributed posters and war information and participated in various Civilian Defense programs. They also collected books, musical instruments, and razors to send to the troops overseas. Scouts also collected clothing for Europeans once countries were liberated. Many civilians were destitute because of the exploitive German occupation policies and the damage resulting from the Allied bombing and fighting once landings took place in Italy and France. The Boy Scouts promoted merit badges and activities that seemed to have greater applicability to the war effort, like First Aid. One popular activity was to build model airplanes for aircraft recognition. These early model airplane kits were made from balsa wood. It was several years after the war ended before the first model airplane kits were available. After the War, the Scouts organized drives to help Scouts in the occupied countries re-establish their programs.

For more information check out these off-site links in no special order:

http://www.celebratefreedomfoundation.org/bswII.htm
http://histclo.hispeed.com/country/us/chron/940/cus40ww2y.html
http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/archives/0201/d-wwas.html
http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/archives/9911/d-wwas.html
http://www.wartime-memories.fsnet.co.uk/children2.html#scout

Crafts

Patriotic Pin - (For Mom)

Materials Needed:
Three small pieces patriotic fabric
Two pieces of ribbon
Buckrum, (Stiff fabric backing)
Pin for fastener
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Needle and thread
Three buttons, Red, White, and Blue to match the fabric

Directions:

1. You first cut three circles, one about two inches across and the next two bigger, each one bigger than the one before.
2. Sew the edges with a running stitch, as you would to make a Yo-Yos.
3. Draw it up and secure.
4. After making all three Yo-Yo’s, cut two pieces of ribbon, one in a bow with the ends hanging down, the other (tiny ribbon) make a tiny bow to go on top of the Yo-Yos.
5. Hot glue the larger bow on the stiffened fabric, then arrange the Yo-Yos in a nice pattern that appeals to you.
6. Now glue buttons on the yo-yos, one on each yo-yo.

It looks best to put the red button on blue or white fabric and so on. To finish, add the tiny ribbon in a corner of the yo-yos or in an area that most appeals to you.

American Flag - (For Dad)

Materials needed:
Pony Beads (6X9)
35 blue
45 white
79 red
3 yards of cord or ribbon
1 lanyard hook

Directions:
Fold your ribbon in half to find the center. Use a half hitch to secure it to lanyard hook. Lace beads using the photo as a guide. Finish by tying off with a double knot. Add beads on both ends.

Firecracker Hat

Materials:
Pencil
Yardstick
Scissors
1 18- by 24-inch sheet of red poster board
Red, white, and blue curling gift-wrap ribbon, ¾ inch wide
Masking tape and Scotch tape
Glue stick
Yellow and orange crepe paper
1 white or silver pipe cleaner
Pushpin

Step 1: Cut a 7- by 24-inch rectangle from red poster board. Using the yardstick, draw a line across the long end of the rectangle, 2 inches beneath the top edge. Draw vertical lines at 2-inch intervals across the top edge, as shown below in 1. Cut along each vertical line to form tabs. Place the yardstick across the bottom of the tabs and bend the tabs over the stick.

Step 2: Cut 20 lengths of ribbon, each 20 inches long. On a table, lay a 12-inch piece of masking tape sticky-side up. Press 10 of the ribbons onto the tape, as shown in 2. Repeat with a second 12-inch piece of masking tape.

Step 3: With the ribbons hanging down, press the 2 ribbon/tape strips along the tables edge of the red rectangle, leaving 5 inches between the strips for your childs forehead, as shown in 3. Roll the rectangle into a tube. Scotch-tape the edges to form a cylinder that will fit comfortably.

Step 4: Place the cylinder, with the tabs folded in, onto the remaining poster board. Trace around it and cut out the circle. Coat the outer 2 inches of the circle with glue. Press the tabs of the hat down onto the glue-coated portion of the circle and hold in place for a few seconds. Turn the hat right-side up to dry. If necessary, lay a magazine across the top to flatten the hat as it dries.

Step 5: Cut five strips of crepe paper, each 8 to 10 inches long. Stack the strips and wrap them with a pipe cleaner, as shown in 5. Pull tight and arrange the crepe paper to form a flower shape.

Step 6: With a pushpin, poke a hole in the center of the hat top. Thread the bottom 1½ inches of the pipe cleaner through the hole. On the inside of the hat, bend the tip against the underside of the hat and masking-tape it in place.

String of Stars

Materials: Craft Foam, Scissors, Tacky glue, Hole punch, Ribbons

Step 1: Cut out a bunch of craft foam stars that measure five or so inches across.

Step 2: Next cut out smaller stars of contrasting colors and use tacky glue to attach each one to a larger star.

Step 3: To finish, use a hole punch to make two holes in each glued pair, then thread lengths of ribbon through to tie them together.

 

Uncle Sam Windsock

Curve the ends of a half sheet of white poster board back until they overlap slightly Staple the ends in place. Paint or draw vertical stripes in red around the top half. Glue a dark blue paper strip around the middle of the cylinder, covering the ends of the red stripes.

Draw a face on the bottom half of the cylinder Red, white, and blue streamers can be glued to the inside of the bottom of the cylinder. For the hat rim, cut a blue circle larger than the cylinders diameter. Center the cylinder atop the circle, draw the outline of the cylinders diameter onto the blue circle, and then cut that outline from the interior of the blue circle. Slide the resulting blue "loop" onto the cylinder and tape in place.

Uncle Sam

For Uncle Sam’s hat, glue red stripes on a piece of white construction paper five inches by six inches. Cut a white circle (5” diameter) for the brim. Cut a * in the center of the circle. Fold the flaps back and insert a cardboard cylinder so that 2 ½” extends below the brim. Glue brim and striped paper to tube.

Cut a blue strip of paper for the band around the hat. Glue 6 stars to the band and then glue the band just above the brim. Cover the top of the hat with a circular piece of construction paper.

Make eyes, nose and mouth with felt-tip marker. Use cotton balls for hair, eyebrows, beard and moustache.

Another idea would be to enlarge the hat and make it out of poster board and let the boys wear it.

Flag Tie Slide

Materials:
Plastic bottle
plastic curtain ring
hot glue gun
acrylic or model paint

Using this actual size drawing, have the Cub Scouts make a paper pattern. Trace it onto a plastic bottle and cut out. On backside of plastic, using coarse sandpaper, rough up the plastic in the area where you will hot glue the curtain ring. Glue ring to the back for the tie slide. Paint a flag on the front.

 

Liberty Shaker

Materials:
Tissue tube
Small bells (available at craft stores)
Two 1 1/2-inch-wide cardboard circles
Clear report folder or clear acetate (available at art stores)
Star stickers
Colored tape

Fill a cardboard tissue tube with about a dozen small bells. Then seal the tube by taping the cardboard circles to the ends.

Next, cut a 6- by 20-inch rectangle from a clear report folder or clear acetate (sold at art supply stores) and fringe the 6-inch edges by making a series of 8-inch-long cuts (a parents job). Attach sticker stars to the fringe.

Wrap the rectangle around the tube so that the fringe extends from the ends, and secure it with tape. Then your child can decorate the shaker with colored tape stripes and more sticker stars.

Games

PATRIOTIC TREASURE HUNT

It is always fun to have a treasure hunt, and a patriotic one is even better. You will need nine different treasures, one for each Cub Scout. The following treasures are suggested:

1. Tiny flags from the craft store.

2. Eagle - cardboard cutout.

3. Patriotic lapel pin.

4. Capitol dome - attached to bookmark.

5. Declaration of Independence - tied and labeled.

6. Liberty Bell - real or cut out.

7. United States Seal - cardboard cut out.

8. Pledge of Allegiance (this should be the last treasure). Make, as many copies of each clue as there are Cubs. At the start of the hunt give each boy a clue. For the remaining clues, number the envelopes 2 through 9; place clues in proper envelopes. Conceal treasures according to the clues. The last clue should bring them all back to the gathering area so all can join in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Clue #1: On this patriotic treasure hunt you will find your next clue in the next door (south) under a bush by his doorstep. With a treasure for each of you.

Clue #2: Walk a little way to where a neighbor keeps his car. Youll find a treasure and a clue, in a corner in a jar.

Clue #3: Now look around you for a house with a porch nearby, and there behind the railing the treasure and clue you will find.

Clue #4: On a neighbor’s patio, find a certain flowerpot. There you will find another clue with a treasure youll use a lot.

Clue #5: Now hurry along until you come to a picket fence, hidden near the gates a clue and treasure won at great expense. (Use the Declaration of Independence).

Clue #6: Nows the time to turn your steps down a nearby path, your next clue and treasure are hidden near a birdbath.

Clue #7: Look around you for some stairs, look both left and right. The clue and treasure are near the bottom out of sight.

Clue #8: Hurry on your way to a big tree. There close beside it the treasure and clue you will see.

Clue #9: Your search for clues is over, and Uncle Sam stands guard over your remaining treasure a pretty printed card.

 

Make sure you have permission from the neighbors to use their property. Also, you can change the clues to fit your own situation. Try to make it a circle so they end up back where they started.

 

Which State?

For a pre-opening game for pack meeting, draw a rough map of the United States on poster board. Number each state, but dont identify it. Below the map, write the names of the states, but mix them up so they arent in any order. Provide a paper for each player to identify the states by number.

 

United States

Have boys make a list of as many states as they can remember. After a few minutes, the one with the longest list wins.

 

Geography

Divide into teams. One team picks out a place on a U.S. map, calls out the name and challenges the other team to find it in four minutes. If the other team gets it in the time limit, they get one point. If they do not, the other team gets the point. The game ends when one team has earned five points.

America’s Symbols Quiz

The right hand of the Statue of Liberty holds a torch. What does the left hand hold?

Which is taller…the Statue of Liberty or the Washington Monument?

What word are inscribed on the ribbon held in the mouth of the eagle on the Great Seal of the United States?

In the Great Seal, what is the bald eagle carrying in its talons?

What denomination of currency has the Great Seat printed on it?

How many people can fit inside the head of the Statue of Liberty?

What is the U.S. motto?

Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the “Star Spangled Banner” when he saw the flag still flying over what fort?

Name the four U.S. Presidents carved in the Mount Rushmore Memorial in South Dakota.

The Declaration of Independence says that all men are created ____________.

Answers: 1. book 2. the Washington Monument 3.“E pluribus unum” (one out of many) 4. arrow symbolizing war and olive branch symbolizing peace 5. the dollar bill 6. 40 7. In God We Trust 8. Fort McHenry 9.George Washington 10.equal

 

American Heritage Game

Make posters of well- known American symbols and pass them out around the room. Number each poster. Give each person a piece of paper, which is also numbered. Ask them to identify the posters and write the proper name by the number.

Suggestions are: American flag, the White House, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, bald eagle, the Presidential Seal, etc.

Flag Ceremonies

I AM AN AMERICAN

ARRANGEMENTS: Flags are advanced in regular manner. After Pledge of Allegiance and posting of flags, this ceremony is given. Twelve uniformed Cub Scouts. (Or use 6 Cubs, each getting two parts).

1st CUB: My Country gives each one of us the opportunity to advance according to his ambition. Education is for all. I am an American.

2nd CUB: My country means love of freedom, and faith in democracy, justice, and equality. I am an American.

3rd CUB: My Country believes in the moral worth of the common man. I am an American.

4th CUB: My country gives us the privilege of expressing beliefs or opinions without fear of persecution. I am an American.

5th CUB: My country has the best form of government. It is our duty to keep it that way. I am an American.

6th CUB: My country promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am an American.

7th CUB: My country gives us a privilege that we shall protect and defend even with our lives. I am an American

8th CUB: My country is, and always shall remain, the land of the free and the home of the brave. I am an American.

9th CUB: My country offers a living America that demands an informed, intelligent, and active citizenship. I am an American.

10th CUB: My country meets any needs or suffering with its abiding love and loyalty. I am an American.

11th CUB: My country is the servant - not the master. I am an American

12th CUB: My country possesses a Statue of Liberty whose torch shall burn as long as we keep it alight with our devotion to the freedom of the individual. I am an American and Uncle Sam needs us.

I Am Your Flag - Closing

Opening. Let each Tiger Cub say a line. Print the lines on a stiff piece of paper. You can use a picture of the different flags that have flown over the United States on each of the cards for the Tigers to hold.

I am your flag.

I was born June 14, 1777.

I am more than just cloth shaped into a design.

I am the refuge of the world’s oppressed people.

I am the silent sentinel of Freedom.

I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on earth.

I am the inspiration for which American patriots gave their lives and fortunes.

I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

I walk in silence with each of your Honored Dead to their final resting place beneath the silent white crosses, row upon row.

I have flown through peace and war, strife and prosperity, and amidst it all I have not fallen.

I Am Your Flag

Will the audience please rise and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance with me.

 

I Promise - Closing

(One boy steps forward and recites a line from the Cub Scout Promise. Another boy recites accompanying verse)

I promise:

An assurance I make, a pledge to do right. I keep it before me, a bright shining light.

To do my best:

I promise to try, then folks will believe in me.

To do my duty to God:

To God, the creator, I’m sure you will agree. So let’s keep it always, the Land of the Free.

To help other people:

If I am helpful, faithful, and just; then I’m deserving of everyone’s trust.

And to obey the Law of the Pack:

A guide for each day, as we go on our way. And a good one to know, as we follow and grow.

Narrator: In closing now, let us remember the full meaning of that saying : SCOUTING TODAY IS A LOT MORE THAN YOU THINK! So as we leave here tonight, we’d like to leave a closing thought with you, which is entitled:

Cheers

American Applause: Clap three times, yell “America, America,” clap three times, yell “You are the greatest,” clap three times. Repeat three times.

Tiger Cub Cheer: Repeat this cheer three times. The first time is spoken softly, the second a little louder, third time is yelled loudly with a big Tiger growl at the end: “The wonderful thing about Tigers… is the Tigers are wonderful things.”

USA Cheer: Shout “USA” and thrust right hand with doubled fist skyward, then shout “Hooray, onward and upward.”

Flag Cheer: Stand at attention, salute and say “Good Job!”

America Cheer: A-M-E-R-I-C-A Cub Scouts, Cub Scouts U.S.A.

Liberty Bell Cheer: Ding! Dong! Let freedom ring!

Eagle: Lock thumbs and flutter fingers like wing and shout “Cree, cree!”

Politician Applause: Pat your self on the back.

Abe Lincoln Cheer: That was great! HONEST!

Pack Applause: (Everyone yells together) Clap your hands! (While clapping 3 times) Stomp your feet! (While stomping 3 times) Pack ____ can’t be beaten!

Advancement Ceremonies

Uncle Sam Calls on You

Equipment needed: Uncle Sam costume. Hat, mustache and name tag should be sufficient.

Cubmaster: Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the efforts of some of our youngest Americans.

(In a booming voice) Uncle Sam wants YOU (point index finger at the audience and call the scout’s name(s)) to come forward and receive your Bobcat badges. Uncle Sam wants your parents to come forward too. Boys, please show that you are ready to become Bobcats by joining me in the Cub Scout Promise. (Lead in the Promise).

Fine. I am proud of your efforts and pleased to present your Bobcat badges. (Cubmaster present badges to the parents to pin on son’s shirt)

Cubmaster: And now Uncle Sam wants YOU (point index finger at the audience)

and call scout’s name(s) to come forward with your parents. I am very glad that you have completed the 12 achievements to earn your Wolf badge(s). I know your parents have helped a lot, So I will give them the honor of pinning on your new badge. (Present badge to parent).

(Continue in same fashion for Arrow Points, Bear badges, Activity badges, and Webelos badges.)

All of you Cub Scouts do your country great honor by your dedication to the Cub Scout Promise and the Law of the Pack. And now, I want YOU – all of YOU- to enjoy the rest of the meeting.

Stars and Stripes

Equipment needed: A ceremony board resembling the American flag with a large blue field for stars. A gold star with the name and awards of each recipient is attached to the board in the field.

Cubmaster: Several of the Cubs here tonight have been “shining” examples of Cub Scout citizens. They have done their part to help the Pack go by completing advancement requirements and earning awards this month.

Each of them is represented by a gold star on our special flag and we honor them tonight. (Call forward each recipient with his parents and present badges to parents to give their sons.)

InsaneScouter Moment - HONOR OR CHORE

Somewhere a bugle softly sounds

Its message of renown

And men inside their buildings wait

Until the flag comes down

As others run to gain their cars

Quite harrowed or dismayed

Afraid they will not reach their car

Before retreat is played

How many would be glad to stand,

Whose bodies are now mute?

Or have no hand that they might

Raise and stand and salute

So accept it as an honor,

Instead of just a chore

Be proud to stand and salute the flag...

Why hide inside the door?

 

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

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