GATHERING ACTIVITIES

Note on Word Searches, Word Games, Mazes and such – In order to make these items fit in the two column format of Baloo’s Bugle they are shrunk to a width of about 3 inches.  Your Cubs probably need bigger pictures.  You can get these by copying and pasting the picture from the Word version or clipping the picture in the Adobe (.pdf) version and then enlarging to page width.  CD

Gathering Activities

York Adams Council

Question: What happens to kids when "there's nothing to do!"?

Answer: They usually find something to do.  And 9 times out of 10, it ain't what you want them to be doing!

Solution: Have something for them to do!  That's one of the purposes of the Gathering Activity.  It gives the people something to do while you're still running around getting things organized to actually run the meeting.  It also provides a mechanism to get the group focused as a group.

The Gathering Activity should get people involved and interacting.  If they're doing a word search puzzle, for example, only have groups of 3 or 4 work on one and then, during the Pack Meeting, find out how well the groups did. Also focus on more than just the Cub Scouts. (Cub Scouting is a family activity!)  Use inventive ways to get the adults and siblings involved.  Maybe give a puzzle to each family and then find out how the families did.  Use your imagination to make sure you include everyone. Gathering Activities need to be preplanned.  For example, if you are having the folks do a word search puzzle, you'll need to have the sheets copied beforehand and you'll need to provide pencils.

Idea: Have a coffee can of "golf pencils" for Pack Meeting use. You can get them at Staples and other office supply stores.  They come in boxes of 144.  One box seems to last about a year in our Pack because people generally remember to return them to the coffee can at the end of each meeting.

If you are the Cubmaster or Committee Chair, don't do this all by yourself—assign a den each month to come up with and conduct the Pre-Opening Activity.  It means that the den members will have to arrive well before the start of the Pack Meeting so that they can greet everyone else, give out materials, and direct the activity as people arrive.

Idea: Publish a Duty Roster at the beginning of the program year.  Use the Duty Roster to assign Dens to plan and conduct the different "activities" that make up the Pack Meetings.

Pick a Crop Challenge:

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Each boy, family or team tries to list as many crops as possible in a 3 minute time.  See if anyone remembers that non-traditional “crops” are also farmed, such as trout on a trout farm.

Agricultural Alphabet:

Alice, Golden Empire Council

See if you can think of a “farm” word that starts with each letter of the alphabet.  Or see if you can make a list of farm animals that start with each letter of the alphabet (think globally!) This could be a den, family or team challenge.   Winners get first crack at the refreshments, or some silly prize, such as a “Cow Pattie” award – see Games for directions on how to make.

Go Hunt in the Hay

Great Salt Lake Council

In a small pile of hay, hide pennies or toys that the kids must feel for with their eyes shut, or blindfolded.

Farm Safety 4 Kids Games
:  www.fs4jk.org/

Check out the site for great online and printout games, coloring pages, activities – organization devoted to keeping kids safe around the farm. Here are two of the games from the site – the second one is more challenging – but lots more on the site – including online games and downloadable booklets!

1. Beans & Secrets Puzzle:  Write the LAST letter of each picture in the CORRECT space to find out the answer to the question “Why should you never tell a secret to a bean?”

Go to the website and copy this picture down in full size and while you are out there look for other great things to do!!!

There are several tricks to this puzzle

(Don’t tell the boys, let them find out)

The pictures are not in order

One number is used twice

(Answer:  Beanstalk – Beans Talk! )

2. Alphabet Soup Farm Game:

Insert a different letter into each of the 26 empty boxes to form a farm-related word of four or more letters reading across. The letter you insert may be the first, last, or in the middle of the word. Each letter of the alphabet will be used only once. Cross off the list below as you use it.

Example: In the first row across, insert the letter U and form the word AUGER.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M –

N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Go to the website for the answers!!!!

Smelling Kim

York Adams Council

Equipment: A collection of dried foodstuffs that were grown on farms each with a distinctive smell, e.g., coffee; tea; sage; rosemary; etc. and each in an identical container or in a small square of muslin tied with cotton;
paper and pencil per Cub

Formation: None or Circle

Have Pack (or Den) members goes to the containers as they arrive and try to identify the items by their smell.  Encourage discussion and interaction.

Or have the Pack or Den sit in a circle with the containers in the center, the leader identifies the foodstuffs.  He then numbers each container and passes them around the circle.  The Cubs must identify the foodstuffs by their smell and write the correct names against the numbers on their sheet of paper.

Animal Name Game

Great Salt Lake Council

Put the correct letter in front of the appropriate space.

_____ 1. adult female horse                 A. piglet

_____ 2. adult male goat                      B. rooster

_____ 3. a horse not yet a year old     C. calf

_____ 4. baby cow                                 D. drake

_____ 5. young male horse                   E. colt

_____ 6. adult male duck                     F. mare

_____ 7. baby pig                                   G. buck or billy

_____ 8. adult male chicken                H. foal

_____ 9. young duck                             I. ewe

_____ 10. young goat                            J. poults

_____ 11. adult male horse                  K. kid

_____ 12. adult female pig                   L. duckling

_____ 13. adult male cattle                  M. stallion

_____ 14. adult female sheep              N. sow

_____ 15. young chickens                    O. bull

Answers: 1-F, 2-G, 3-H, 4-C, 5-E, 6-D, 7-A, 8-B,
 9-L, 10-K, 11-M, 12-N, 13-O, 14-I, 15-J

Milking Contest:

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Alice told me this was from her files but you can check out the CS RT Planning Guide for a similar activity CD

Materials: 

Large cardboard cutout of a dairy cow,

Disposable plastic gloves (Watch out for latex allergies),

bucket(s),

stool, if available.

Directions: 

ü  Make a small pin-hole in the finger of the glove. 

ü  Fill the glove with water,

ü  Then attach to the cow cutout using the rolled up “wrist” of the glove for strength. 

ü  Set the bucket to catch the “milk”

ü  Have a contest to see who is  the best milker. 

ü  Set a time limit. 

ü  Or divide into equal teams and see which team collects the most “milk” –
each boy gets just one squeeze per udder.

Corn Husking Contest:

Materials: 

Corn still in husks,

2 pairs of very large leather work gloves,

Pot of water boiling on the stove so you can enjoy the fruit of your labors. 

Your treat for the den or pack meeting can be the corn, along with butter to spread!

Directions: 

ü  Divide into two teams, lined up to do a relay. 

ü  First boy in each team runs to the pile of corn,

ü  Puts on the gloves, and

ü  Removes all the husk. 

ü  Then he runs back and tags the next boy in line. 

ü  Repeat until every boy in each line has done the “chore.” 

ü  First team done wins.

Alternate version: 

Each boy works alone.

You can use the leather glove idea, or simply let the boys use their hands. 

Set a 1 minute time limit and see who can husk the most corn.

The husks could also be used for another activity – let everyone make a corn husk doll or figure!  (There’s probably a parent or grandparent in the pack who remembers doing this!)

Farm Word Scramble

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Match up these scrambled words that have to do with farming in the left column with the completed word in the right column