PACK/DEN ACTIVITIES

Fun Facts

The largest spider ever caught, a member of the genus Ladiodora, was found in Brazil in 1973.  It measured 10.63 inches across.

The first gasoline-powered tractors were built in Iowa in 1902.  Weighing in at upward of 11 tons, they were so hard to start that some farmers just left them running all night long.

The first post offices in America were create d and organized by the British Parliament in 1711.

In 1786, the Continental Congress adopted the dollar and decimal coinage still in use in the U.S. today.

The State of Liberty stands 151 feet, 1 inch from the feet to the top of the torch.  It weighs 225 tons.

Strawberries have been cultivated in America since about 1835.

California and Florida are the nation’s leading strawberry-producing areas.

In 1925, a Ford automobile cost $265.00

The raspberry is a member of the rose family.

Large kangaroos can hop as fast as 40 miles an hour over short distaces and can leap over obstacles as high as 6 feet.

Found this info online: you can write State Farm and when your Scouts learn about how to care for their homes this info can be passed along. 
An average of a quarter-million families have their homes ruined and lives disrupted each winter because of frozen-pipes damage.  Insurance companies pay an average of $450 million in claims due to this damage.
For a free brochure that includes additional tips for preventing frozen pipes, see a State Farm agent or write:

No Frozen Pipes,
Public Affairs Department (FP),
State Farm Insurance,
One State Farm Plaza,
Bloomington, IL  61710

Something I recently learned about those product registration cards.  I didn’t fill them out.  I wasn’t aware that they were used to inform buyers about product recalls.  This is another little fact you can share with your Cubs.

Many of us throw away product registration cards due to lack of time and motivation. Here's a good reason to make time:  When products are recalled, manufacturers use product registration data to alert customers. 

Tuba
Trapper Trails Council

Materials: 3 feet of clear flexible tubing 5/8 to ¾ inch inside diameter, 8-inch funnel and tape.
Directions: Push one end of the funnel into the piece of tubing and secure with tape.  With lips together, place free end of tubing to your mouth.  Force air between lips to make a buzzing sound.  Be sure to clean thoroughly after each music session.

Bass Fiddle (Just like on the Beverly Hill Billies)
Trapper Trails Council

Materials: Coffee can, mop or broom handle, string, and heavy tape
Directions: Punch a hole in the bottom of the can, tread the string through the hole and secure it on the inside.  Tie the other end of the string to the end of the broomstick and secure with tape so it does not slide down.  To play it, put one foot on the can to hold it in place, rest the end of the broomstick without the string on the coffee can or on the floor.  And tilt the dowel back until the string is tight.  Then pluck it.

Flower Pot Bells
Trapper Trails Council

Materials:  Different sizes of clay pots, rope, washer for each pot, 2 dowels, rubber ball or foam rubber material.

Directions: Hang different sizes of clay pots upside down from wooden dowel, use either a large knot at the end of the rope or else tie on a washer so that the rope will be secure in the pot.  Use a dowel with either a rubber ball pushed on to it or else a piece of foam that has been wrapped in material wrapped around one end to make a striker.  Attach a rope or heavy string tied onto either end of the dowel to hang the bells.  Or for a different sound tie nails to a stick and hit them with a spoon.

Jingle Bell Gloves
Trapper Trails Council
(a good sewing project too for Cubs)

Materials: Stretchy kind of children’s glove and 5 little jingle bells
Directions: Take a child’s stretchy glove and ser s jingle bell to the end of each finger

Shakers
Trapper Trails Council

Materials: Clean dry 16 oz. Plastic soda bottles, cans, or 2 paper cups, rice, beans, or anything that will make a noise (colored noodles, glitter, sequins), glue or tape, ribbon. 
Directions:  Put a small handful of rice in bottle, can, or in one of the cups.  Glue on the lid or tape on the other cup.  Tie the ribbon around the neck of the bottle, decorate, and shake.

Add Excitement to Songs
Indian Nations Council

Add motions that fit the words.

Divide the audience into two groups and have one group sing one line and the other sing the next line.

Make some of your own songs up for den songs, pack songs, or any special occasion.  Use well known tunes like Yankee Doodle or Home On The Range for the melody.  Boys do a better job of singing if they practice songs at their Den meetings.

Leave words out and use handclaps in the space, for examples, "The More We Get Together" clap every time the word "together" should be sung.

Sing "contra songs". Two or more different melodies can be sung together at times with a pleasing effect.

Add musical instruments or rhythm instruments.

Make Your Own Music

Music is an ancient art, which has been practiced by all known primitive people.  It ranges from vocal signals to the crude noises of ancient instruments to the complicated modern symphony played on the many delicately complicated modern orchestra instruments.  All of today's many musical instruments can be divided into three basic types invented by early man.

These are:

1. Wind instruments that through which air is blown to produce sound.

2.The string instruments played by plucking with the fingers or vibrating with a bow.

3.Percussion instruments played by striking with hands or hammers.

Soda Straw Harmonica

Cut a strip of corrugated cardboard with large corrugations, 8" long and 1 1/2" wide.  Cut 8 straws into the following lengths-one of each length. 8 1/2", 7 3/4", 7", 6 3/4", 6", 5 1/4", 4 1/2", 4 1/4".  Push these straws between the corrugations of the cardboard beginning about 1 1/2" from one end and leaving four empty corrugations between straws.  The shorter the vibrations, the higher the pitch.  To play, blow over the straws.

Pin Music Box

Use 12 straight pins, a cigar box, a pencil with an eraser, hammer and pliers.  Drive the pins into the cigar box cover in a straight line with each pin a bit deeper that the preceding one.  The long pins will be the low notes.  Mount a pin in the pencil eraser to pluck the pins in the board.  Tune each pin to scale by pounding it in further if it's too low and pulling it out slightly if it's too high in tone.

Soda Straw Oboe

Flatten one end of a large soda strew about 3/34" from end.  Cut the corner of the flat end off diagonally with scissors.  Blow gently through the flattened end.  To make a higher note, cut off the other end of the straw.  The more you cut off, the higher the note.  Blow across top of clean jug for "oompa" sound

Drum

Get a plastic bleach container (be sure and rinse it well.)  Saw if off just below the handle.  Use bottom for a drumhead.  Drum with fingers or dowel stick.  You can also use a large oatmeal box.

Cymbals

Punch screw holes in the center of two tin pie plates.  Screw dowel stick handles to hold.

Triangle

Get dad to bend an 8" piece of 1/4" steel curtain rod into a triangle shape (it's easy with a vise).  Hold triangle by string.  Strike with dowel stick.

Musical Hoedown

Paper or plastic plate banjo: Staple folded shirt cardboard to paper plate. Attach rubber bands to paper clips at the bottom of the plate and to the top of shirt cardboard.

Glockenspiel

Cut 8 lengths of 1/4" steel curtain rods with a hacksaw starting at 6" for the top one and increasing the length of each one as you go down 1/4".  Make one bar at a time and test its pitch to "Do-Re-Mi" Etc.  File a little off the end to true the pitch.  Notch a groove with hacksaw at each end of bars, then fasten to frame with string.  Make wood frame from pieces of 1/2" x 2" wood. Screw ends together with 2 wood screws.  For handle use a length of broomstick.  Notch frame at both ends secure with glue and screws.  Striker: 8 inch dowel stick-wood ball on end.

The Bottle Xylophone

This is made from eight soft drink bottles, five 12 ounces size, two 16 ounces, and one 10-ounce.  Make a hanging stand.  Hang bottles by their necks and tune by pouring water into them.  After tuning the bottles be sure to mark the water level for easy refilling.  Use a knife handle for playing.

Circle 10 Council

Homespun Band

Tell each den leader to have each scout bring a tool (such as a screwdriver, saw, or hammer) or a kitchen pan or utensil.  Divide up in dens and give them each a song (one verse & chorus).  Give each den about 10 minutes to “practice” with their instruments.  They need to use each item that was brought as a part of their band.

Round Time
Circle 10 Council

Divide the room into 3 separate groups. (All of these songs can be found in the Cub Scout Songbook)  Have one group start and then start the other groups, go through the songs 2 or 3 times.

The first group will sing “Row Row Row Your Boat”
The second Group will sing “Down by the Station”
The Third group will sing “Are you Sleeping?”