Newsletter - 2003 - October

InsaneScouter News

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Support InsaneScouter

For many years InsaneScouter has brought you Scouting resources and Program helps to help the world Scouting community, and as we all know Scouting can be a full time job for many of us. Furthermore it takes lots of research, construction and funding to keep the InsaneScouter website going. By purchasing any of the products in the Insane Trading Hut you will be helping to keep InsaneScouter the awesome web site it is. Currently there are four great CD's available, however in the near future we will be offering ten great New Scouting books to our Trading Hut. In January 2004, we hope to release our fully functing Web Site Hosting Package(s) which are currently being Beta Tested. At this time we are still looking for more Beta Tester's to help test our Web Hosting Control Panel, to apply as a Beta Tester please E-mail us at, Webmaster@insanescouter.org

Jamboree on The Internet

JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet) is an online extension to JOTA (Jamboree on the Air). Many Troops / Packs attempt to contact as many different Scouting Organizations as possible. JOTI allows for chatting and learning about other Scouting organizations and having a wonderful and safe time. For more information check out joti.org and scoutlink.net

JOTI was on October 18th and 19th and was great success, however you can still chat with many Scouts and Scouters from around the world year around, to join login into the chat room at http://insanescouter.com/chat/.

Games

Folklore Celebrities Game

Cut out pictures of characters from American folklore stories and paste them on cardboard or another suitable way to display. Number the pictures for identification. Have boys guess their names. The boy with the most correct, is declared winner.

 

Bear Killing Contest

(Davy Crocket is said to have killed bears "bear" handed) Give each player a loosely rolled newspaper. Blindfold and place them around the room. On the command "Look out for the bear!", have the players try to swat everyone else. Each player is eliminated as he is hit. The person remaining is the winner.

Davy Crockett Game

Have all the players except "Davy Crockett" form pairs and stand in a circle (or a designated play area). When Davy Crockett says, "face to face", the partners face each other. When he says, "back to back", or "side to side", his directions must be followed. If he says, "Davy Crocket", everyone, including himself, tries for a new partner. The one left out becomes Davy Crockett, and the game continues.

Paul Bunyan Game

Have a nail driving contest in honor of Paul Bunyan.

Indian Leg Wrestle (Hiawatha) Game

Two players lie side by side on their backs with their heads in opposite directions. They hook right elbows. When the Chief counts "one," they raise their right legs and touch them together. At the count of "two" this is repeated. At "three" they hook their right knees and try to turn each other over. The player who does a backward somersault is the loser.

The Frog Prince Game

Tell the story to the boys. Then blindfolded them, and have them feel around in a wading pool for a gold ball, amidst other floating toys. The gold ball can be a racquetball spray painted gold.

Rumplestilskin Game

Relay to wind as much gold thread around a spool in 10 seconds as you can. Prize is chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.

Cinderella Relay

Boys line up, take off one shoe, and hop to the finish line, where there is a "glass slipper" (their missing shoe), and the prize is a licorice shoelace.

Cermonies

Opening

American Folklore

Cub #1: American folklore is more than just heroes and make-believe.
Cub #2: It is how the early settlers made clothing.
Cub #3: How they trapped for food.
Cub #4: How they work.
Cub #5: How they played.
Cub #6: Folklore is about America.
Cub #7: Let us do an American thing. Please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Across America

Cub #1: I traveled across America and many legends I did meet.
Cub #2: I rode the Pony Express from Missouri to California.
Cub #3: I saw Daniel Boone in Kentucky.
Cub #4: Met Davy Crockett at the Alamo.
Cub #5: Rode with Pecos Bill in New Mexico.
Cub #6: Looked for the Lost Dutchman in Nevada.
Cub #7: Walked with Bigfoot in the Northwest.
Cub #8: And rode Babe the Blue Ox across the Dakotas.
Cubmaster: But tonight, Im going to meet the legends of tomorrow. Those legends
are the Cub Scouts in Pack _____.

Closing

American Folklore Heroes

CUB #1: All of our American Folklore heroes were hard working people“ not a shirker in the bunch.
CUB #2: Campfire stories about them tell us so.
CUB #3: All were Americans trying to improve this young country of ours.
CUB #4: As we leave here tonight, let us keep those hard working Americans in our mind.
CUB #5: Do the same as they did, do more than your share.
CUB #6: Help your parents whenever they ask and even when they don't.
CUB #7: Maybe some day, there will be a legend that tells about your great deeds.

Legendary Advancement Ceremony

It is well known that Tigers are very powerful. They can leap ten feet in a single bound. Their roar can be heard a mile away. Would the following awesome Tigers and their partners please come forward? These Tigers have explored big ideas and hunted excitement.

Our legendary Wolves can be heard howling. Wolves are persistent hunters and social animals. Would the following Wolves and their parents please come forward? These wolves have demonstrated their hunting skills by completing the Cub Wolf trail.

Bears are famous for their might. They are also known for being cuddly. Our Bears are known for their sharp claws and skill at sharpening and taking care of knives. Just as bears in the wild forage for food, these Bears shared their cooking expertise with their den. Would the following Bears please come forward?

Webelos are mysterious creatures. They are legendary for their energy and enthusiasm for fire building. Our Webelos are no different. They have mastered the requirements for the Webelos badge. Would the following Webelos and their parents please come forward?

 

Den Advancement (Led By Den Chief)

Set up the den doodle in a convenient spot where all the boys can see it. Have the toys stand facing the den doodle, in a circle around it, or in a semi-circle or line facing it.

DEN LEADER: Today we have a boy (or boys) who is ready to add another achievement marker to his string on our den doodle (or who has completed three more achievements and has earned a bead for his Progress Towards Rank.) He has been working hard en achievements to earn his (Wolf or Bear) badge.

Will _____ please come forward? 1 would like to present you with your doodle marker to add to your string. (Or bead to add to your thong).

Now while _____ is adding his doodle to his string on our den doodle (or adding his bead to his thong) our Den Chief will lead us in an Achievement Cheer.

DEN CHIEF:
We the boys of Den _______
Promise to do our best
To keep working on achievements
So our den will be better than the rest

DEN LEADER: Let's give ________ Big Hows. (Match the number of Hows to number of achievements completed) HOW! HOW! etc.

This ceremony can easily be changed for variety. Sometimes the boys could give the den yell or sing a Cub Scout Song instead of the cheer led by the Den Chief.

Johnny Appleseed Closing

Preparation: Prepare a basket of apples. These can be real or paper apples. Pin a thought on each apple.

Johnny Appleseed was a character from American Folklore. Here is a basket of his apples. Let's see what he might say to us if he were here. Cubmaster picks up an apple and reads the thought that is on it. The following are thoughts that can be put on the apples:

SMILE - A smile costs nothing but creates much. It happens in a flash but the memory sometimes lasts forever. It cannot be begged, bought, borrowed, or stolen, but it is something that is no earthly good to anyone unless it is given away. So, if you meet someone who is too weary to give you a smile, leave one of yours. No one needs a smile quite as much as a person who has none left to give.

FITNESS - A Cub Scout keeps himself strong and healthy, not just for his own sake but so that he can be a more useful citizen. When you are fit physically, you can be more helpful to those around you.

DO YOUR BEST - One of the hardest things for anyone to do is to stick to what he knows is right while his friends are coaxing him or while his enemies are threatening him to do just the opposite. A Cub Scout always does his best to do what he knows is right.

CHEERFUL - We have a choice. We can be pleasant or unpleasant. Which do you choose? You can be grouchy and grumbly, or you can be happy and cheerful. It's up to you.

THE VALUE OF A BADGE - A Cub Scout badge is a piece of embroidered cloth. It's not worth a lot of money. But the real value of a badge is what it represents, the things you've learned to earn it - how to keep healthy, how to be a good citizen, and how to use many new skills. Does your badge represent these things? Were you prepared to meet each test at the time you passed it, or did you just try to get by? Maybe you were prepared when you passed the test but you've forgotten the skill now. If this is true, then the badge has little real value now. Don't wear a cheap badge. Wear one that represents what you can really do and know.

DON'T GIVE UP - To be good at anything you have to believe that you can do it and then practice it until you can. There's no easy way to become an expert. You have to keep at it, over and over. There may be times when you think you just can't make it, but don't give up because it seems hard. Few things are worth doing that are easy to do at first.

HONESTY - Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, had this to say about honesty: "Honesty is a form of honor. An honorable man can be trusted with any amount of money or other valuables with the certainty that he will not steal it. When you feel inclined to cheat in order to win a game, just say to yourself, 'After all, it is only a game. It won't kill me if I do lose.' If you keep your head this way, you will often find that you win after all. It's great to win, but if you can't win, be a good loser."

Skits / Applauses / Fables / Songs

The Beautiful Maiden - Audience Participation Skit

Sante Fe: "Way out West"
Casey Jones: "Zoom..
Locomotive: Choo-choo"
Daniel Boone: "Daniel Boone was a men
John Henry: "Steel-driving man"
Wild Bill Hickcock: "Yippie ty-o"
Johnny Appleseed:Apples, apples, apples"
Paul Bunyan: Chop, chop"
Davy Crocket: "Hi, Raccoon!"
Beautiful Maiden: " Oh, mercy me"

Once upon a time in SANTE FE, a husky, gritty-grimy train engineer CASEY JONES climbed aboard his LOCOMOTIVE. The LOCOMOTIVE was on its way to pick up a BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN who was on her way to SANTE FE to wed DANIEL BOONE her love so fair. All of a sudden, in the middle of a small town, CASEY JONESs LOCOMOTIVE was stopped by JOHN HENRY, WILD BILL HICKOCK has been through here and tore the railroad to pieces", says JOHN HENRY. O.K, says CASEY JONES, this is where I pick up the BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN anyway.

On her LOCOMOTIVE trip to wed DANIEL BOONE her love so fair, the BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN noticed JOHNNY APPLESEED planting trees all along the way. He was following in the footsteps of PAUL BUNYAN who was chopping them down. She also spotted her dear old friend DAVY CROCKETT who was talking to the animals. It was not long, though, until the BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN was wed to her love so fair, DANIEL BOONE in SANTE FE.

Applauses/Cheers

Columbus Applause: Put hands up like you're holding a telescope and shout "Land Ho."

Black Powder Gun Cheer: Pretend to have black powder in your hand. Pour powder down the barrel. Stamp it down, raise the gun and fire saying "Click, Bang".

Pony Express Applause: Have everyone gallop in place and shout "Yipppeeeeee".

Model "T" Applause: Pretend to honk your horn and say "Ooooga, Ooooga, Ooooga".

Paul Revere Applause: Pretend to be riding a horse by moving up and down, while saying "The British are coming, The British are coming".

Casey Jones Applause: Hold left arm straight out, palm up, using right hand start clapping on shoulder, slowly speeding up while moving down left arm, until clapping hands, then use right hand to make motion of pulling whistle cord and go "Whoo, whoo" followed by crashing sound.

Paul Bunyan Cheer: Divide group in 2 sections. Have group 1 say "Chip" when you point to them and have group 2 say "Chop" when pointed at. Have the groups speed up and at the end yell "Timber ... Whoosh".

Patriotic Applause: Shout, "USA" and thrust hand with double fist skyward, then shout "Hooray, onward and upward".

Run-ons

Cub #1: What do birds say on Halloween?
Cub #2: Twick or tweet!
Cub #1: What do little ghosts chew?
Cub #2: Boo-ble gum.
Cub #1: Why did Dracula go to the orthodontist?
Cub #2: To improve his bite.
Cub #1: What do you do with a blue monster?
Cub #2: Cheer him up.

The Mountain Drivers Skit

Characters: Henry, a Den Chief Billy, a Cub Scout, Five boys (they are the four tires and the spare)

Props: Materials to create a make believe auto: packing boxes, flashlights for head lamps, a tin can containing some pebbles, a number of inflated balloons, five car rugs or blankets and a hand air pump.

Scene: Lights go out (if possible) and car is assembled in the middle of floor.

Henry and Billy enter. Henry states that he is the "world's greatest Mountain Driver" and asks Billy if he wants to go for a ride. Billy agrees and sits in the car. Henry cranks the car to start it. Billy shakes tin can with pebbles as Henry mimes cranking action. Henry gets in. Car stops. Repeat action. Henry begins driving. He uses lots of hand directions and waves his hands around a lot as he brags about being a great driver on mountain roads. (Encourage boys to create their own lines.) Billy says he'll navigate and point out interesting rock formations, up-coming hazards, etc. Henry drives over bump (boys jump as if they have driven over a bump in the road). One tire goes flat. (Hidden balloon is popped and the boy-tire slides out flat on his stomach to simulate flat tire.) Henry mimes jacking up car. (As this is done, boy raises up to hands and knees and crawls to back of car as Henry mimes carrying tire to back. Henry exchanges one tire for the spare and "rolls" it forward.) Henry, replacing tire, continues to brag about his abilities to Billy. They drive on. One tire goes flat, then another rotating around the car. (Boy-tires slide out flat on stomachs when flat.) Henry now pumps them up with the hand pump and boys return to the hands and knees position. Henry tests each tire after inflating by kicking. Each boy says "ouch!" when kicked. On signal, the four tires go flat simultaneously and Henry and Billy fall off seats and out of car. Tires throw off blankets and chase Henry and Billy out complaining that they are not very good mountain drivers at all.

Aesop's Fables

Characters: Aesop (dressed in long flowing sheet belted with a rope. White cotton beard.)
8 Knights (shield, sword and helmet; optional)
1 Rabbit (cardboard ears tied around head and sign saying "RABBIT" around neck.)
2 or 3 Boys as a snake (paper sack head and sheet or paper as body)
1 Boy as Bully (wears "BULLY" sign around neck)
2 Boys as themselves (lick lollipops)

Arrangement: This skit is divided into 3 very short simple scenes with little props and very simple costumes. Cubs can play one or more parts, except A-Sop. A-Sop is the narrator and holds up a sign at the end of each scene that states the moral of the story.

Aesop: Ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I would like you to meet some of the people I have written about.

Scene 1: (Enter 8 knights. One knight does battle with the other 7 knights, taking on one at a time. When he has finally finished defeating the seventh knight, who has fallen "dead" on the floor, the victor staggers then collapses in complete exhaustion.)

Aesop: The moral of this story is: (holds up a sign with the words) "Seven Knights Make One Weak."

Scene 2: (A rabbit is quietly eating a carrot. Along comes a snake. The rabbit disappears under the sheet - the snake has eaten him.)

Aesop: The moral of this story is: (holds up a sign with the words) "Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow."

Scene 3: (This scene needs a couple of simple props - a sign saying "Men Working", a small sawhorse, if available, and a box with a sign on it saying "Ditch. " As the scene opens, 2 boys are calmly licking big lollipops. They are standing by the "ditch" when the Bully enters.)

Bully: Okay, you guys, I'm hungry. You give me your candy.

Boy # 1: No, I won't.

Bully: Okay, then I'll take it (gets into a scuffle with boy #1 and yanks the candy from him. While the two are fighting, Boy #2 tosses his candy into the "ditch")

Bully: Now, where's yours? (Speaking to Boy #2) I want it too.

Boy #2: Oh, I ate it.

Bully: Chicken. (Leaves stage eating first boy's candy. Boy #2 retrieves his lollipop from the "ditch" and leaves stage with Boy #1)

Aesop: The moral of this story is: (holds up sign that says,) "A Ditch In Time Saves Mine".

 

Paul Bunyan, The Tall Timber Hero - Story

NARRATOR: Tonight I'm going to tell you a story about Paul Bunyan. I'd like for you to watch and listen carefully. Do everything that I do,

In the old logging days of the American northwest, men who cut timber sat around the campfire at night and told tall tales about a mythical lumberjack named Paul Bunyan. The loggers said that Paul was so tall that he used a young pine tree to comb his hair. (Pantomime combing hair). He always did things in a big way (stretch out arms). His axe had a woven grass handle and when he swung it in a circle (pretend to hold axe in hands and swing it in a circle) he could cut down 1000 trees at a time.

Babe, his big blue ox, had a head that was forty-two axe handles wide (arms outstretched). She could drink a river dry. She was so big that a bird flying from one horn in the fall didn't reach the other horn until spring (make flying motions with hands).

Paul Bunyan had a helper called Johnny Inkslinger. He was a bookkeeper. Johnny used a fountain pen made from a hose attached to a barrel. It took thirty men just to keep the barrel filled with ink (pretend dumping bucket of ink into barrel).

The griddle on which the pancakes were cooked at Paul's logging camp was so big that the cook hired boys with bacon strapped to their feet to skate across the griddle to grease it (make skating motions with feet). One day a visitor to the camp said to the cook, "Why do you have those logs piled up outside the kitchen?" "Those aren't logs", the cook replied. "They're sausages!"

One story tells how Paul dug a channel for the Mississippi River (pantomime digging motions). The dirt he piled up on both sides of the channel became the Rocky and the Allegheny Mountains.

Another story tells how Paul once needed some water for Babe. He dug five holes (pantomime digging motions) and filled them with water. Those water holes became the Great Lakes.

The men in Paul's logging camp were ordinary sized men. They came up to the toes of Paul's boots (look upward). The smokestacks in camp were so high they were rigged up on hinges so they could be lowered to let the clouds go by. (Pantomime lowering).

And that folks is the story of Paul Bunyan, the tall timber hero.

We Are Knights
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)

We are Knights!
We are Knights!
We wear our swords!
We wear our swords!

We fight and joust and go off to war!
We save fair damsels and slay dragons galore!
Were loyal to King Arthur and Camelots soil,
Oh, we are Knights.

The Kings Knight Out
(Tune: My Country Tis of Thee)

King Arthur had a date,
He stayed out very late,
The Queen was mad.

The Queen, she paced the floor,
The King came in at four,
She met him at the door,
God save the King.

Hed been out with the Knights,
They had been in a fight,
With enemies.

He fell in a moat,
Pushed by a passing goat,
He could just barely float,
God save the King.

His friends would not come near,
Loaded with battle gear,
They could not swim.

Helmets and armor new,
Cross-bows and arrows, too,
Even a metal shoe,
God save the King.

Just then a Knight went by,
His clothes were nice and dry,
He jumped right in.

Swam to the sinking King,
Pulled him out of the stream,
You should have heard him scream,
God save the King.

The Knights Oath
(Tune: The Farmer in the Dell)

A dragon slayer am I,
I cannot tell a lie.
For truth and honor and loyalty,
Are always on my side.

A cause is all I need,
Im ready to do a good deed.
To rescue and save in King Arthurs name,
For God and country!

Great Pumpkin is coming to Town
(Tune: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town)

You better not shriek,
You better not groan,
You better not howl,
You better not moan “
Great Pumpkin is comin' to town!
He's going to find out, from folks that he meets,
Who deserves tricks and who deserves treats“
Great Pumpkin is comin' to town!
He'll search in every pumpkin patch,
Haunted houses far and near,
To see if you've been spreading gloom
or bringing lots of cheer.
So you better not shriek, you better not groan,
You better not howl, you better not moan“
Great Pumpkin is comin' to

Hooky Spooky (Tune: Hokey Pokey)

Put your right arm in,
Put your right arm out,
Put your right arm in and shake it all about
Do the Hooky Spooky and everybody shout,
'That's what it's all about! BOO!

Deck the Patch (Tune: Deck the Halls)

Deck the patch with orange and black Fa La La La La La La La La Take along your goody sack Fa La La La La La La La La Don we now our gay apparel Fa La La La La La La La La Toll the Ancient Pumpkin Carol Fa La La La La La La La La.

5 Little Pumpkins

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate; The first one said "Oh my it's getting late". The second one said "There's a chill in the air." The third one said "Well, I don't care". The fourth one said "Let's run and run and run". The fifth one said "I'm ready for some fun". OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO went the wind And OUT went the light and the five little pumpkins rolled out of

Crafts

Jack's Beanstalk Craft

You will need:
1. Styrofoam cups or small clay pots
2. dirt, potting soil, etc.
3. 3-4 Bean seeds
4. water
Directions:

Fill the cup/pot with soil about half way. Plant the seeds. Cover with soil until the pots are about three-quarters full.

Pirate Spyglass

Materials:
Paper tube (paper towel or gift wrap)
Construction paper
Scotch tape
Optional: plastic wrap
Optional: Stickers for decorating

Instructions:

OPTIONAL: Take a small square of plastic wrap and cover one end of the paper tube. Secure the plastic wrap with tape. This is the glass lens for your spyglass Don't worry if it is not neat because you will be covering the edges of the plastic wrap in the next step.

Cover the outside of your paper tube with construction paper. (You choose the colors) Add a narrow strip of yellow around the end that has the glass (plastic wrap).

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars Craft

Paint stars yellow then sprinkled the stars with a translucent shimmer glitter to make them Twinkle.

In Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack threw some seeds and grew a giant beanstalk. Although that is just a fairy tale, part of it is true. Beans do grow from seeds. Have the boys plant their own beanstalk by following the directions below.

Dinosaur Feet Craft

These feet are fun to play racing games with so make a couple of sets.

What you will need:
Shoe box size boxes, Paint, fun foam, glue gun, knife (adult supervision), newspaper, duck tape.

What to do:
Cut a small hole in one end of each box just big enough for a boy's foot to fit in.
Tape the box closed with strong tape. Stuff the inside front and sides of the box with newspaper leaving just enough room for a childs foot to fit inside.
Spray paint the boxes a dinosaur color and let them dry.
Cut out 2 inch claws from fun foam and glue them to the front top of the box.

HATS

Princes - Make the old tried and true newspaper folded hat, remember them? You can find directions in many books. Make them out of plain newsprint. Then let the boys paint them and added a large feather to stick into the brim.

Knight helmets - Using a gallon milk jug, cut out the portion below the handle and the bottom of the carton. Decorate with grey tempera or cover with tin foil, and finish off with a feather. String might be needed to assist in keeping the helmet on.

Sword in the Stone - Cut an egg cup from the bottom of a cardboard egg carton for each boy. Turn it bottom side and cut a small slit in the center. To make a sword, cover one ice cream stick with aluminum foil. With scissors, cut the ends off another ice-cream stick and color it with markers. Glue the two sticks together.

Design A Shield And Banner

Enlarge template to desired size.
Let the boys design their own shield and
banner to display at pack meeting.

Knight's Shield

Take a large cardboard box and cut a shield shape out of the side. Cut a strip (about 8 inches by 2 inches) of heavy fabric or leather and glue or fasten it to the back. You can also use cardboard but it won't last as long. This is the handle. Either spray paint the front of the shield silver or cover it with tin foil (you can glue down the tin foil). Paint designs on the front or cut out the knight's symbol and tape it to the front of the shield.

Scepter

Take a cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels. Glue a Styrofoam ball on top (hobby shops or fabric stores with carry this). Cover the scepter with gold fabric or spray paint. If you spray paint it, you might want to dust it with sparkles while the paint is still wet. You can then twirl bright color ribbon around the scepter gluing the top and bottom strands. Some fake "jewels" that glitter adds a nice

Castle Bowling

Cut and discard the top sections from 6 half-gallon milk cartons. Cover the cartons with glue and paper. Using scissors, cut turrets along the top to look like a castle. Add stone designs and doors with a marker.

To Play - Set up the castles like pins in bowling. Using a rubber ball, have your guests take turns trying to bowl over the castles.

Silver Treasure

Make silver pieces out of cardboard circles covered with foil. Tell the kids that a dragon broke into the castle and stole the silver treasure. Hide the silver all through the room and have the kids hunt for it. Another idea for coins is to use the metal juice

Folktale Hero Neckerchief Slide

Mix and pour a small amount of plaster into the bowls of plastic spoons. Insert the slide ring (PVC pipe ring, curtain ring, pipe-cleaner ring) before the plaster sets. When hardened, pop out the oval face. Brush all surfaces with a mixture of glue and water to seal the plaster. Draw your favorite folk hero's face on the smooth bowl side. Attach yarn for hair and/or felt for an appropriate hat if desired. Make a felt pirate hat by cutting two hat shapes from felt and gluing them together, leaving the bottom open to slide down over the plaster head. Glue it to the head. Or make a bandanna with a scrap of fabric.

Knot Sampler Neckerchief Slide

Start with a 2" diameter slice of tree branch. You might want to finish the wood by rubbing it with something hard until it gets smooth and shiny. You could also use wax or some other type of wood finish. Using darning thread, or embroidery floss of contrasting colors (blue and gold work well), have each boy tie one or two knots they have learned (i.e. square
knot, bowline, sheet bend, etc.) Glue a couple knots to the front of the tree cookie. You can add labels for these if you like (printed on bark or on paper and glued on).

Family Crests

Encourage the Cubs to think about their own family histories by making a family crest. Discuss family crests. Then brainstorm with the boys to get ideas that could represent their family histories or lives. Some things they might want to focus on include: flags that represent the countries their families came from, pictures of foods that are common to their ethnicity, drawings that represent first or last names, drawings that depict favorite family events, photos that show family celebrations.

Materials: posterboard (at least 11"x14"), pictures, crayons, markers, crest outline, glue
1. Trace the crest shield on the posterboard and cut it out.
2. Divide the shape into three or four equal sections.
3. In each section, draw a picture that represents one idea about your family. Some boys may prefer to cut out pictures from magazines or use a family photograph. Another alternative is to use a computer, since this activity can be done easily with any drawing program.
4. Laminate the finished crests, if possible and display them at the next pack meeting.

Papier Mâché

The term papier mâché comes from the French phrase meaning "chewed paper." You can use papier mâché to make piñatas, masks, jewelry, and lots of other crafts. Objects to use as a mold include paper or plastic bowl, balloon, shoe box, toilet paper rolls, plastic eggs, paper cups, foam balls, empty plastic bottles, etc. For this month, think in terms of a Johnny Appleseed apple (balloon as a base), Paul Bunyon's axe (individual serving cereal box with one end opened and flattened as the axe head mold), or the head of a dragon (balloon as mold).
Materials: large bowl, plastic cup, newspapers, white household glue, water, paintbrush

1. Decide what object you would like to make, and find or build a mold that you can use as a base. If the shape is to be removed from the papier mâché after drying, cover it with petroleum jelly to make it easier to remove.
2. Now, dilute two parts of white household glue with one part water in a plastic cup.
3. Tear several sheets of newspaper into small pieces. Put them in a bowl and moisten them with water.
4. Cover your mold with pieces of damp paper, overlapping them as you go. Using a big paint brush, brush the layer with your diluted glue.
5. Continue building layer upon layer until the object is of desired thickness. You can "sculpt" your object by making the layers thicker in some places to form the desired shape. If you intend to remove the object from the mold, be sure not to close up the opening, or you will not be able to remove the mold.
6. Set your object on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Allow it to dry naturally away from direct heat.
7. Once your object is completely dry, you may remove it from the mold if desired. Then decorate it using acrylic paints, glitter, tissue paper, ribbon, yarn, or any other material.

RECIPES

Cheese Wands or Cheese Swords

12 slices American cheese or 6 slices American cheese
12 breadsticks 2 oz. cream cheese (softened)
For Cheese Wands: Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a star from each slice of cheese. Stick each cheese star onto the end of a breadstick with a dab of cream cheese.
For Cheese Swords: Cut each slice of cheese diagonally, forming 2 triangles. Stick each cheese triangle onto the end of a breadstick with a dab of cream cheese.

Pecos Bill's Breakfast Snack

1 cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter 1 cup rice krispies
Heat, melt and blend syrup, sugar and peanut butter. Add rice krispies, coating them well. Pour onto a cookie sheet, cool, cut and enjoy!

Johnny Appleseed Smiles

1 med. red apple, cored & sliced peanut butter mini marshmallows
Spread one side of two apple slices with peanut butter. Place 3-4 marshmallows on top of the peanut butter of one apple slice. Top it with the other apple slice (peanut butter side down) to make a sandwich. Squeeze gently and eat right away.

FORCES OF NATURE EXPERIMENT ACTIVITIES

Experiment: Shifting Plates / Earthquakes

Purpose: To demonstrate continental drift.

Materials:
Cookie sheet
2 cups of dirt (0.5 liter)
1 quart bowl (1 liter)
Spoon

Procedure:
Pour 2 cups of dirt into the bowl.
Add water and stir with the spoon until you have thick mud.
Pour the mud onto the cookie sheet.
Leave the pan of mud in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
Push down around the sides of the dried mud.

Results:
The surface of the dried mud should crack.

Why?
The mud has been broken into little pieces with jagged edges that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Notice that the earths continents also fit together much like the pieces of a puzzle. The little pieces of mud, if taken to represent the continents, broke apart due to the pressure you exerted on it. About 200 million years ago, pressures within the earth may have broken a single large land mass into the pieces that we know as the continents today.

Experiment: How To Make Fog

Materials:
Clear glass jar
Tea strainer
Ice cubes
Hot water

Procedure:
Fill the jar half full with hot water.
Rest the tea strainer over the opening.
Fill the tea strainer with ice cubes.
Fog should form inside the jar.

Why It Works:
The rising warm air from the hot water is cooled by the ice, causing the air to become saturated with moisture. The water vapor then condenses into tiny water droplets that are suspended in the air, forming fog.

Experiment: Measuring The Distance To A Storm

Materials:
Watch with a second hand
Thunderstorm

Procedure:
Watch for a flash of lightning and count the seconds until you hear thunder.
Divide the number of seconds by five.
The resulting number is the approximate number of miles to the storm.

Why It Works:
Light travels almost instantly through the air, while sound moves at around 1,100 feet per second. It takes roughly five seconds, then, for thunder to travel one mile (5,280 feet). Every five seconds of silence between the lightning flash and the thunderclap represents one mile.

Experiment: Homemade Clouds

Materials:
Match
Clear jar
Rubber glove

Procedure:
Put just enough water into the jar to cover the bottom.
Put the glove into the jar, pointing the fingers down. Stretch the glove opening over the jars mouth.
Put your hand carefully into the glove, making sure not to dislodge it. Quickly pull your gloved hand out of the jar, keeping the seal intact.
Take the glove off the jars mouth and drop a lit match into the container.
Quickly replace the glove over the jar, sealing the opening again.
Replace your hand into the glove and pull it outward.

Results: Clouds should form when you pull the glove outward the second time, and go away again when you put your hand back into the jar. There are water particles within the air. When you pull out the glove, you are making more room inside the jar, giving the air more room to expand. The water particles cool when this happens, and when that happens, they stick to each other, forming clouds. The match provides smoke, which just helps water particles cluster more easily. When you put your hand and the glove back inside the jar, you force air to compress into less space, heating the air up.

Experiment: Sparks

* Younger children might require adult supervision for this experiment. *

Materials:
Hot Glue
Plate
Styrofoam
BIC Pen
Pliers
Thumbtack
Pie Pan

Procedure:
Remove the pen cartridge from inside the BIC pen using the pliers. Keep the empty outer casing. This will serve as a handle later on.
Put the pie pan on a table, upside down.
Push the thumbtack down through the center of the pan.
Turn the pan right-side up. The thumbtack should be sticking through the middle of the pan, point up.
Cover the tack with hot glue.
Push the bottom of the pens outer casing onto the thumbtack point. Use the eraser end of a pencil to push it down if necessary. You will move the pie pan around by holding onto this pen handle.
Let the glue dry.
Use to wool rag to rub the styrofoam plate for 45 seconds.
Put the styrofoam plate upside down on the table surface.
Grab the pen handle and put the pie pan on top of the upside down styrofoam plate. The pen should be sticking upwards.
Touch the pie pan briefly with your finger. Warning! It may give you a small shock.
Take the pie pan off the styrofoam plate by gripping the pen handle.
Touch the pie pan with your finger to discharge it.

Experiment: How To Make A Rainbow

Materials:
Garden hose with spray nozzle
Sunlight

Procedure:
Adjust the hose so that it sprays a fine mist. Stand with the sun behind you and spray the water up into the air in front of you. An arch of colors should appear. The height of the rainbow will depend on how high the sun is. The higher the sun, the lower the rainbow will be. If the sun is higher than 40 degrees in the sky, no rainbow can be seen.

Experiment: How To Build A Tornado

Materials:
Food coloring
Dishwashing soap
Glass jar

Procedure:
Add enough water to fill ¾ of the glass jar.
Put in some food coloring, as well as a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent.
Place the lid back on the jar and shake it hard for 20 seconds
Twist the jar hard.

Results:
The liquid should form a funnel that resembles a real tornado. The vortexs body will even lengthen and shorten, just like the real storm.

Experiment: How To Build A Volcano

Materials:
Salt dough
Vinegar
Baking soda
Liquid detergent
Red food coloring
Baking pan
Plastic soda bottle

Procedure:
Make the salt dough by mixing 6 cups flour, 4 tablespoons cooking oil, 2 cups salt, and 2 cups of water in a large bowl. Knead the ingredients until they are firm and smooth. Add more water if necessary.
Place the soda bottle upright in the baking pan. Shape the salt dough around the bottle, making sure that the bottle mouth is clear and the bottle remains empty. Build your volcano however you want, with as much detail as you desire.
Fill the bottle with warm water. Add some drops of red food coloring.
Add 6 drop of liquid detergent into the bottle.
Add 2 tablespoons baking soda.
Pour the vinegar into the bottle slowly, then move away quickly!

Explanation:
The red lava that comes out of your volcano is a result of the reaction between baking soda and vinegar. When the two materials combine, they create carbon dioxide gas, which produces the bubbling and fizzing that you see. Carbon dioxide is also created when a real volcano erupts

Nature

Experiment: Crustal Movements

Purpose: To demonstrate how crustal movements create heat.

Materials:
Cardboard
Glass soft-drink bottle
Scissors
Refrigerator
Cup of water

Procedure:
Cut a circle out of the cardboard that is slightly larger than the top of the bottle in size.
Leave the empty bottle in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Take the bottle out of the freezer.
Dip the cardboard into the cup of water and put the wet paper of the bottle opening.
Rub the palms of your hands together quickly about 20 times.
Quickly put your hands around the outside of the bottle.
Watch the piece of cardboard paper.

Results:
One side of the cardboard circle should rise and fall.

Why?:
When you rubbed your hands together, you produced heat. After putting your hands on the bottle, it caused the cold air in the bottle to warm up and expand. The air molecules inside began to move faster, colliding and pushing up on he paper with enough force to partially lift the paper.

Similarly, sections of the earths crust will rub against each other when they collide. The heat they produce causes the rock material to vibrate. If molecules in the solid rock are heated enough, they break away from each other and cause the solid to melt into magma. If this magma is heated even further, it can change into gas. When heated, this material becomes larger. Earthquakes and volcanoes often occur when these materials inside the earth expand, forcing heat, energy, and gaseous materials out through the earths surface.

InsaneScouter Moment - Boys Grow Best When...

They are with adults who are at ease with them and who enjoy being with them... They are permitted to make mistakes, which will not harm them unduly, and are permitted to live with adults who do not pretend to be perfect...

Those about them believe in them and express confidence through word and through giving them freedom.. Those about them understand what they are trying to do and support them in their endeavors...

Those about them permit them to express doubts, to raise questions, to try their own ideas...

They understand the limits of the freedom within which they can make decisions, and when this freedom is limited to the responsibility they feel they can carry at their stage of development...

Those about them deal with them firmly and consistently...Adults around them behave as adults and show what the adult way is like... Those about them help them to succeed when they need help, but let them struggle when they are winning by themselves.

Those around them gear their expectancy of a child's behavior to his capacity for that behavior... Those about them understand how they grow, and encourage sound growth...

They feel strong within themselves, when they feel they are just the kind of person wanted by their family and friends, and their nation..

There is an atmosphere of friendliness and warmth whether with adults or children... They meet actual life situations, emotionally charged, and deal with them successfully, with or without adult help

Their performance expectancy is related to themselves and not to others...

They are interested in what they are doing for it's own sake. They will be interested when it has meaning for them. Boys who are forced to perform at tasks they are not interested in are not learning, but are actually blocked. This attempt of battery against human nature will lose in the end...

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