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

Play Fair & Square

Sam Houston Area Council

How many squares can you find in the grid below?

(The answer is 30)

Indoor Games

Catalina Council

Find and circle all of the games that are hidden in the grid. The words may be hidden in any direction.

BATTLESHIP          CAT'S CRADLE              CHARADES

CHECKERS                      CHESS              CRAZY EIGHTS

GO FISH                 HOTTER, COLDER                        I SPY

JACKS                           MONOPOLY   MUSICAL CHAIRS

SOLITAIRE                                       THUMB WRESTLING

TIC, TAC, TOE             OLD MAID            TIDDLYWINKS

                              TWENTY QUESTIONS

Outdoor Games

Catalina Council

Find and circle all of the games that are hidden in the grid. The words may be hidden in any direction.

CRACK THE WHIP          TAG                     DODGE BALL

FREEZE                    HIDE AND SEEK          HOPSCOTCH

HOT POTATO              JUMP ROPE                KEEP AWAY

KICK BALL              KICK THE CAN              LEAP FROG

MARBLES             MOTHER, MAY I?          RED ROVER

SIMON SAYS            TETHERBALL            TUG OF WAR

                                       WALL BALL

TOSS THE BIRD

Sam Houston Area Council

This is a tag game with a twist.

«  The “bird” can be a knotted towel or some other soft object suitable for throwing.

«  You can have as many as you think are necessary.

«  The point is that you can’t be tagged if you are holding a bird.

«  Scouts can toss the bird(s) to each other to help “protect” each other from being caught.

«  You will want to have fewer birds than you have people who are being chased.

«  More than one person can be “it.”

Pencil Puzzle 1

Catalina Council

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

How many letters of the alphabet can you write (capital letters) without taking your pen off the page and not going along a line you have already drawn?

The answer to this depends on how you write your letters so there is no single answer.

Pencil Puzzle 2

Catalina Council

Draw a square made up of dots like this one on your piece of paper.

Now, without lifting the pencil from the page,

draw no more than four straight lines that will cross through all nine dots.

Answer:
 The answer you will usually find in books is shown here:

But there are a number of answers. No one said what size the puzzle was - if you draw it very small and then have a very thick pencil you might even be able to cross all the dots with one line! And no one said the paper had to be kept flat - you could try folding it or rolling it up, which both give you another way of solving the puzzle.

Gathering Ideas

Alice, Golden Empire Council

ü  Create a life-size maze or labyrinth at the entrance to your Pack Meeting room.  Have each family walk through as they enter.  At the end, they can each get a special award, such as  “I Walked the Labyrinth” or “I Conquered the Maze”

ü  Maze or Not? Download pictures of mazes and labyrinths and display them.  See the Maze World website for some great pictures, or go to Google.  Individual or team must decide which is a maze and which is a labyrinth.  Winning person, family or team gets first chance at the refreshments.

ü  Give each den a list of trivia facts -  see ideas under Theme Related for facts about mazes, and/or puzzles & games, Pinewood Derby or cars and racers, and let them come up to share  their favorites from time to time during the pack meeting.

ü  Create your own trivia game - Use the facts under Theme Related to create a game.  One idea:  True or False? -  mix up the trivia facts, then make it a team competition between dens or families to recognize what is true.  Or pit the boys against the parents for even more fun!

ü  Have maze games for people to play – even if you are having a Pinewood Derby, it will keep everyone busy during weigh-in and set up.

Wonders of the Modern World

Catalina Council

Peep shows are lots of fun. This show is more fun than ever, because it's full of wonderful surprises.

Set up:  

ü  Round up as many shoe boxes as you need for the items to be featured. The more, the merrier.

ü  Cut a peep hole in the front of each box.

ü  Across the top, near the other end, cut a slot about 1/2" wide.

ü  Place an attraction in each box.

ü  A few strategically placed pieces of tape around the lid should help keep curious Cubs out of the box.

ü  Arrange your boxes on a table with the peep holes at eye level.

ü  Label each box to dramatize what's inside.

Here are some suggestions:

·         BULLDOZER: A picture of a sleeping bull.

·         HAIRLESS DOG: a hot dog.

·         HEART TRANSPLANT: A small flowerpot with a tiny branch covered in cut-out hearts.

·         ROCKETRY: Roll a piece of paper to resemble a tree trunk. Snip tabs at one end to paste trunk to cardboard base. Add some paper branches. Cut rockets from paper and hang from branches. Now you have your Rocket Tree.

·         POLAR ICE CAP: Cut and assemble a block from a piece of clear acetate. Make a paper hat and set on cube.

·         FIVE SENSES: Here's a real quickie! Paste five pennies on a piece of cardboard or heavy paper. Get it?

·         OCEAN LINER: Pile up a little pile of sand on a piece of cardboard.

·         AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER: Mom will get a kick out of this. Draw or cut out a picture of a dog licking a plate clean.

·         RUINS OF CHINA: Ask mom for an old dish. Smash it into a couple of pieces and glue the pieces to a cardboard base.

·         WOMAN (OR MAN) WITH EYES IN BACK OF HER HEAD: A picture of the den leader or Cubmaster.