November Cub Scout Roundtable Issue

Volume 7, Issue 3

Turn Up the Power (Webelos Craftsman & Scientist)

SKITS

Ten Little Settlers
Sam Houston Area Council

Play opens with settler # 1 on stage and Indians in the background. A turkey keeps wandering back and forth on stage. Settlers read their parts, or a narrator can read them as they enter.

#1: One little settler discovering the land, along came another to offer a hand. (shakes hand of #2)

#2: Two little settlers happy and free, one came to build a home then there were, three.

(carries hammer) #3: Three little settlers clearing the shore, one came to till the soil then there were four.

(carries shovel) #4: Four through the winter fight to survive; share with your brother, and then there were five. (carries blanket) #5: Five in the spring, tending fields and chicks, make friends with another, and then there were six.

(carries hoe) #6: Six in the summer heat, pray now to heaven, for the lands bounty, and then there were seven. (carries grain bag) #7: Seven little settlers glean harvest great, a farmer came to offer help, and then there were eight.

(carries rake) #8: Eight little settlers, resting by the pine, in came the hunter, and then there were nine.

(carries turkey) #9: Nine little settlers home from the glen, called for the cook, and then there were ten.

(wears apron) #10: Ten little settlers, hungry all day, ready to enjoy the first Thanksgiving Day. (All circle, wave Indians into the circle. While they are all busy talking, the turkey gets up and runs away.)

Ticket Line
Sam Houston Area Council

Fans are standing in line waiting to buy tickets for the big game, movie, or concert. Four fans are standing in line, saying how much they want to attend the event, and wondering when the ticket window is going to open to sell tickets. A person walks up to the front of the line. The fans get upset, telling him to not cut in line and to go to the end of the line. They begin to shove him back. This person tries once more to reach the front of the line, and then gives up and says, in giving up, "They can get someone else to open this ticket window."

Just A Poor Conductor
York Adams Council

Props:

Plain chair with arms on it (lawn chair?)

Straps, belts (to strap in conductor)

Stainless steel bowl (about "hat size") with wires taped to it dangling down

Chairs for other boys to use

Lollipop

Cellophane tape

Train tickets (plain pieces of paper)

Hand-held hole punch

Chairs are arranged like seats on a train. Boys are sitting in seats holding tickets for the conductor. Conductor is at the back of the "passenger car," coming forward to punch the tickets. One Cub (in middle row) is clearly visible, enjoying a lollipop.

Narrator: Not so long ago, on a train not so far away, a group of Cub Scouts were taking the train to another place not so far away. As the train took off from the station, the conductor began checking the passengers' tickets.

Conductor: Tickets? Tickets? (Walks "forward," punching tickets)

Narrator: Suddenly, the lights in the train went out!

(Have someone turn off all the lights in the room and have boys on stage make shuffling noises. Tape lollipop to sleeve of conductor. Then turn on the lights again. Boys are looking around wondering what happened.

Narrator: When the lights came on again, [name] discovered someone had taken his lollipop.

Cub: Hey! Who took my lollipop? Where'd it go? Hey, look! The conductor took my lollipop! Call the police!

Narrator: And so the conductor was arrested, taken to jail, and tried for the heinous crime of taking a Cub Scout's lollipop.

(Rearrange stage to be a "courtroom." Have a judge behind the table and the accused standing in front of him.)

Narrator: Throughout the trial, the conductor pleaded his innocence.

Conductor: But honestly, judge, I didn't do it! I don't know how it got on my sleeve, but I am just a poor, poor man. I don't have anything. (Pulls pocket linings out of pockets) I tell you, I'm just a poor conductor!

Narrator: But the evidence was against him and the jury found him guilty of first degree lollipop swiping. He was sentenced to the electric chair!

Conductor (being dragged offstage): But I didn't do it, I didn't do it! I'm just a poor conductor!

(Scene changes: Electric chair is at center stage and the conductor is ushered in.)

Conductor: Please, please, you have to believe me! I didn't do it I tell you. I'm just a poor conductor!

Narrator: Despite his cries of innocence, the conductor was strapped in the electric chair. (Boys strap him into the chair and put the bowl on his head.) And at the stroke of midnight, the switch was pulled. (Have one Cub on the side acting as if pulling a big breaker switch. At the same time, have someone flicker the lights and have the conductor "jolt around.")

Conductor: Hey, that hurt! Let me go. I didn't do it.

Narrator: Something was wrong. They hit the switch again. (Repeat switch, lights, and jolting actions.)

Conductor: Stop! Stop! Let me go. I'm innocent!

Narrator: They tried it one last time. (Same actions.)

Conductor: Please stop! Don't do this to me! I didn't do it!

Narrator: Something was really wrong. The chair didn't seem to bother him. But it was the law that, after three tries, if the accused was still alive, he had to be set free.

(Boys undo straps and conductor stands up.)

Conductor: There you have it folks. It's like I've been telling you:

"I'M JUST A POOR CONDUCTOR!"

Do Your Best
York Adams Council

• Props:
• Two "copies" of a model (like a simple plastic model of a car), one not put together yet and the other built to look really good.
• Model making supplies (glue, paints, etc.)
• "First Prize" ribbon
• Light bulb (plastic one, if possible)
• Circuit card (out of an old computer)
• Telephone
• Potable radio (remember the transistor radio?)
• Telegraph (Morse Code) key or spool of wire

Set Up:

Cub #1 is sitting at a table with an unassembled model and model making supplies in front of him. He is looking quite frustrated. Other Cub Scouts enter. They have their props near at hand but out of sight.

Cub #1: Hi guys. This is impossible. No one can figure out these things! I'll never get this model done by the Pack Meeting "I Did It" Show. I give up.

Cub #2: Oh come on; you just have to try. You can get it done.

Cub #3: Yeah, you know-Do Your Best, like our Cub Scout Motto says.

Cub #1: Forget it! That's just a bunch of words. I can't do this. There's no sense in even trying. I'll just tell them I couldn't do it. And besides, even if I do my best, it still won't be any good.

Cub #2: Hey, man! Don't say that. Think of all the people who have done their best and look at what it's done for us.

Cub #1: Naw! You guys are just a bunch of talk. I can't think of anything that anyone has done that does us any good.

Cub #2: Tell that to Samuel Morse! (Holds up telegraph key or spool of wire) By doing his best, he invented the telegraph and a special code that could be used to send messages all over the world.

Cub #1 Okay, but that's all-just a telegraph. And nobody uses it anymore!

Cub #3: Nope, not just a telegraph. The telegraph led to other things. What about Alexander Graham Bell? He believed he could get our voices to travel through wires to one another. He and his assistant, Watson, spent lots of time working on it and look what they finally invented! (Holds up the telephone) That wouldn't have happened if they hadn't done their best.

Cub #4: "jumps in": And what about Thomas Edison? He did his best and look what that got us! (Holds up the light bulb) I read that Thomas Edison and the people who worked for him tried hundreds of different ideas before they finally came up with a working light bulb. They sure did their best.

Cub #5: Ever hear of a guy named Marconi? He had an idea that information could travel through the air as electrical signals-no wires! He worked and worked until he finally got it. He did his best and look what we have now! (Holds up the radio)

Cub #6: And we studied about these two Americans, William Shockley and John Bardeen,. They kept working on an idea they had until they finally invented the transistor. That opened the way to other inventions that finally brought us modern electronics like we have in computers. (Holds up the circuit card) If they hadn't done their best, we might not have the computers and electronics we have today!

Cub #1: Okay! Okay! I get it! I really should do my best at whatever I am doing! But you guys have to help!

Others: Sure, we'll help!

(They pick up the table and move it out of sight. Then they all come back on stage with the others crowded around Cub #1 as they enter. He has the completed model in one hand and the "1st Place" ribbon in the other.)

Others: See what we told you! All you have to do is try! Way to go! Good job!

(They move out of the way so the audience can see him with the model and ribbon)

Cub #1: Yeah, you guys sure were right. All we have to do is "Do Your Best" and it pays off in the end. And thanks a lot for helping me-in more ways than one!

Vegetable Puppet Thanksgiving
Heart of America Council

Pilgrim Woman: For this puppet use a yellow squash, corn silk for her hair, a foam cup and paper towel for the hat paper features, and a pencil.

Pilgrim Man: Use a zucchini squash about the size of an ear of corn; paper for hair, features, and hat brim; a paper cup for crown, and a pencil.

Indian: Use an ear of corn; paper for his headband, feathers and features; and coat hanger wire.

Turkey: A white squash, paper, crepe paper and a pencil make a turkey puppet.

Setting: Two operators manipulate the puppets while they, or other actors, speak the lines. The skit has two scenes; no scenery is required. If you want more characters, you will have to make a larger theater and simply increase the number of Pilgrims and Indians.

(If you don't want to do this as a puppet skit, have the boys dress in costumes and have a narrator and the boys can act the parts out.)

(As the scene opens, a Pilgrim husband and his wife are talking)

She: (crying) I don't know what I'm going to do! You've invited 150 people for dinner on Thanksgiving. I don't have enough dishes. I don't know what to serve. I have nothing to wear. I just don't know what I'm going to do!

He: There, there, dear. I'm sorry. It was just one of those things. I asked a few people and before I knew it, word got around and everyone wanted to come. Even the Indians asked if they could come. I didn't know what to say!

She: You could have said, "No!" 150 people! What am I to do?

(a turkey enters)

Turkey: Gobble, gobble. Sure you've invited 150 people-but not one turkey!

She: I'm sorry, but there are just too many people coming.

Turkey: Gobble, Gobble. Humph! Okay. If that's how you feel. You will be sorry. We turkeys will have our own Thanksgiving dinner.

(The turkey exits and an Indian enters)

Indian: Say, I want to thank you for inviting all the Indians on Thanksgiving .

What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?

He: Oh, no. She's just a little upset about the dinner. There are 150 people coming, and she doesn't know how to handle it.

Indian: Tell her not to worry about a thing. Just leave everything to the old "Kernel" here! I'll help you fix a dinner that's fingerlickin' good!

He: You will? But how?

Indian: It's easy! I'm the owner of Plymouth Rock catering. Are the turkeys coming?

She: No. That would be just too many people. Tom Turkey said they'd have their own Thanksgiving dinner.

Indian: In that case, I'll serve my specialty-southern

fried chicken. The turkeys hate it.

She: Southern fried chicken! It sounds delightful. How do you make it?

Indian: That's an old tribe secret. But I promise you'll love it. Now, that's settled-a southern fried chicken dinner for 150 people on Thursday. Right?

She: That's right. We can't thank you enough. See you then.

Indian: Okay. And don't worry about a thing.

Good-bye. (All three exit)

(It's the day of the dinner. The Pilgrims and Indians come on stage)

Indian: Well, everything's all set. I'm surprised nobody's here yet.

She: I am too. Here it is time for dinner, and not one person is here. I wonder where they could be!

He: Will the chicken stay warm?

Indian: It should. I'll check the kitchen to make sure everything's all right.

She: Let me know if you see anyone coming too.

(Indian exits)

He: I really don't understand it. I'm sure I told everybody the right day-Thanksgiving; the fourth Thursday in November. How could they be confused?

(The Indian comes back on.)

Indian: Now that's strange. I just went to check the kitchen, and everyone's gone-the cooks, the waitresses-everyone! I didn't even see a turkey.

He: I'm not surprised you didn't see a turkey. All of the turkeys are at their own Thanksgiving dinner.

She: Where do you think everyone went?

Indian: I don't know. But here comes Tom Turkey. Maybe he can help us.

(The turkey enters)

Turkey: Gobble, gobble. Well, folks, how's your dinner coming along without us?

He: Not too well. Nobody's here. Have you seen anybody?

Turkey: Or, sure. I've seen everybody.

He: You have? Where?

Turkey: Over at our place, of course.

Indian: Your place? What are they doing there?

Turkey: They're having dinner.

She: Dinner? But they were invited here.

Turkey: Well, I invited them, too.

Indian: And they went to your place? But why?

Turkey: Because they remembered something you should never, never forget.

He: Oh, my gosh. Of course. Now we remember!

All: Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving if you don't have dinner with a Turkey!

Be Thankful
Heart of America Council

Personnel: 2 Cubs or 2 Leaders

Cub 1: Oh boy, Thanksgiving is coming! Turkey, stuffing and lots of pumpkin pie. Boy, am I going to pig out!

Cub 2: Is that all Thanksgiving means to you?

Cub 1: Sure, what does it mean to you?

Cub 2: Eating a big dinner is only a small part of Thanksgiving. It is a time to celebrate and to give thanks for all that we have.

Cub 1: Oh! Yea, to give thanks for that pumpkin pie.

Cub 2: To give thanks for everything we have, not just for the food, but our homes, family, and friends, and our freedoms.

Cub 1: Freedoms?

Cub 2: Yes, the Pilgrims celebrated religious freedom with a feast after a year in the New World. The other freedoms that we enjoy in America are freedom of speech, freedom to live as we choose, and the freedom to elect our leaders.

Cub 1: I never realized that I had so many things to be thankful for.

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