Leap Year, 29/02/08

Turk’s Head

(Make a large Turk’s head knot about 4 to 6 inches around. Before your Minute begins, pass the Turk’s head around for all of the boys to see.) Who knows what this is? See how the strands of rope go in and around each other, and seem to never end? Working as a patrol, you boys are like the strands of this Turk’s head knot, in that you must learn to work in and around other people to reach a common goal.

(Next, pull two opposite strands apart so that the shape of the Turk’s head is distorted.) This is what happens when the patrol members do not work together:

The patrol becomes all bent out of shape. (Begin rolling the knot around your fingers or hands; this should put the shape back into the Turk’s head.) This external “working” could be the senior patrol leader or his assistant or even the Scoutmaster working with the patrol to set the example on working together.

Baden-Powells Birthday, 22/02/08

Coming in Game: Otters and Beavers

As the Beaver Scouts come in divide them into 2 teams and stand them in lines opposite each other. The players in one line are otters, the others are beavers. One otter approaches the beaver line and taps 3 outstretched palms. The last person tapped chases the otter back to their line. If the otter makes it back the beaver is captured and sits behind the otter they were chasing, but if the beaver catches the otter they both return to the beaver line and the otter sits behind the beaver.

Then a beaver does the same with the otters. Should a player capture a player who has captives of their own the new winner captures all of them too!

Game:  Happy Scouting Families

Make 5 sets of cards with each of these logos:

Beaver Scouts ; Cub Scouts ; Scouts ; Explorer Scouts ; Scout Network.

Print each one on to different coloured card

Shuffle the sets and hand them out so each player has a card

On the word ‘go’ the players try to find the other 4 members of the Scouting family

The complete family must then sit down in order with the Beaver Scout at the front and Scout Network at the end.

Blow up balloons - ready for the party games!

Chat -  Talk about the evening why we are having a party

Musical statues

Musical chairs

Pass the parcel (make sure there are sweets available for those who don’t unwrap one

Balloon games

- who can keep it in the air the longest

- who can burst it the easiest

Make a sandwich

Ice a bun (add a candle)

Games: (Shrinking) Brownsea Island

Spread out a large groundsheet and stand the Beaver Scouts some distance away

On the word ‘go’ the players try to stand on the island

When the leader calls ‘stop’ any player not on the island is out

All players leave the island, which is folded to make it smaller

The game is repeated until only 2 players are left

Valentines Day, 14/02/08

Broken Hearts

First make as many hearts as Beavers out of old birthday card fronts.

Cut each into 6 pieces and place the broken hearts around the hall.

As the Beavers come in give them a piece of card the hall,

Each Beavers has to ‘mend his heart’

Game: Heartbeat

With the Beavers in 2 teams.

Team A forms a circle around the leader.Team B Lines up at one end of the hall

On the word GO Team B take it in turns to run to the other side of the hall and back. When they have all run they shout STOP. Meanwhile Team A catch and return a ball to the leader counting as they do. See how high the count is - then swap teams over

Game:  Broken Hearts

First make as many hearts as Beavers out of old birthday card fronts.

Cut each into 6 pieces and place the broken hearts around the hall.

As the Beavers come in give them a piece of card the hall,

Each Beavers has to ‘mend his heart’

Post-box relay

You need 4 boxes painted red to look like post boxes and 4 sacks

In relay the Beavers have to take a valentines card from the sack and then post it through the post box

Craft: Sandwiches

Let the Beaver Scouts make jam sandwiches and use a heart shaped cutter to cut them

Heart Bingo

Equipment - bingo bag with numbers

Make as many hearts (out of A4 drawing paper) as Beavers and put a number on the back. Place the hearts number down on the floor.

Divide Beavers into 2 teams. The Beavers run around and when the whistle is blown they stand on a heart. A leader draws a number from the bingo bag - the Beavers look on the reverse of their heart - if it is their number they are out. First team to get 3 out wins.

Craft Bases: CD hearts

Materials Needed:

CD; Construction Paper or Felt ; Glue ; Photo
Cut two heart shapes out of construction paper. You want them big enough to cover the CD and have about 1 inch left on the sides (figure 1). It might be helpful to trace the CD onto the paper first so you know about what size to make it.

Glue the CD to the middle of one heart.

Cut a rectangle out of the centre of the other heart (figure 2).

Cut out the details of your photo; for example, if it is a picture of a dog, carefully cut the dog out and discard all the background.

Glue your photo in the centre of the CD (figure 3).

Glue the heart with the rectangle cut in it onto the top of the heart with the CD (figure 4).

This will look like a frame, and you should se the shiny part of the CD also! Trim any edges as necessary. You can decorate your heart with other things - Glitter, sequins, ribbon, etc. - be creative!

Valentine Jar

Give each Beaver Scouts an empty jar to paint with glass paint and decorate with sequins or felt shapes

Fill with pot pourie or bath salts. Add a circle of material as a lid.

Jam tarts

Make some heart shaped bases and part cook. Let the Beaver Scouts add red jam and then finish off the cooking

Photo Valentine Card

Materials Needed:

• Construction Paper
• Glue
• Photo
• Crayons or Markers

Instructions:
Fold a piece of construction paper in half to form a card. Write a message on the inside.

Make a sign on another piece of paper. Using large writing, make it a message to your valentine. Something as simple as "I love You" will work. Have someone take a picture of you holding the sign. Either make this soon enough before Valentine's Day that you have time to develop the film, or use a polaroid camera or digital camera and print out the photos on your PC.

Cut out a large heart for the front of your card. You will want it big enough to have room to cut out the centre of the heart and frame your picture with it. Glue your picture on the front of the card, and then glue the heart frame over that.

 

Butterfly card

Materials Needed:

• Lolly Stick
• Glue
• Construction Paper
• Marker
• Pipe Cleaner
• Tape

Instructions:
Cut 2 hearts out or red paper, about as tall and wide as the lolly stick. Trim off the bottom of each heart as shown in figure 1. Lay the 2 hearts down so the bottom edges are slightly overlapping - figure 2. Glue the hearts together on the bottom edges, and then glue the lolly stick on the hearts as shown in figure 3.

  

Use the marker to make eyes and a mouth. You can also write a Valentine's day message on the wings of the butterfly. Cut two 2 inch pieces from a pipe cleaner. Tape them on the back of the lolly sticks to be the butterfly's antenna - figure 4.

Game

Hearts / spades / diamond / clubs

Place these shapes at the corners of the room. When it is called the Beaver Scouts must run to that corner.

Game: Heart Bingo

Equipment - bingo bag with numbers

Make as many hearts (out of A4 drawing paper) as Beavers and put a number on the back. Place the hearts number down on the floor.

Divide Beavers into 2 teams. The Beavers run around and when the whistle is blown they stand on a heart. A leader draws a number from the bingo bag - the Beavers look on the reverse of their heart - if it is their number they are out. First team to get 3 out wins.

Make Your Own Valentine's Day Cards

This year, give your Valentine a special, home-made card. You can get spectacular results using easy techniques.

The easiest way to make a Valentine's Day or any card is to fold a sheet of paper in half and decorate it. Sound boring? Well, it doesn't have to be

One of the simplest ways is to cut a variety of heart shapes out of paper and glue them to the front of the card. Make different designs, animals, people, etc.

1.       Take the heart idea one step further! Instead of cutting heart shapes out of paper, cut them out of fabric, wallpaper samples, tissue paper, wrapping paper, or anything else you can think of. Outline your hearts/designs using 3d fabric paint!

2.       Recycle last year's cards! Cut around the shape on the card. Glue it to a piece of construction paper, and trim around the picture leaving about a 1/4-inch border. Outline your hearts/designs using 3d fabric paint!

3.       Use collage techniques. Cut pictures out of magazines and glue them to your card. Try to find a collection of pictures that will tell a story! Cut words out of magazines to use - great for a secret admirer!

4.       Use stamping/printing techniques. You can get a wide variety of rubber stamps on the market today, along with custom ink pads. You can also make your own stamps by cutting a heart design out of a potato, apple, sponge, cookie cutter, or even a piece of styrofoam.

5.       Cut small squares and/or triangles out of different coloured paper, wallpaper samples, fabric, etc. Glue them onto the front of your card to form a mosaic/quilt like picture.

6.       Use stencils, either store-bought or home-made, to make nice pictures on the from of the card.

7.       Use clip art to make Valentine's Day cards! There are many fun sites that offer free clip art for personal use. Outline your hearts/designs using 3d fabric paint!

8.       Use a colouring book page on the front of your card! You can cut one put of a colouring book you have, or choose from several online colouring pages to print. Outline your hearts/designs using 3d fabric paint!

9.       Paint a design on your card! Use fingerpaint to make a personalized design. You can also use tempera or acrylic paint. While the paint is still wait, you might want to sprinkle a little bit of glitter on your card to add a special finishing touch.

Chinese New Year, 07/02/08

Dragon Boats

Collect a number of large boxes from the local supermarket. Let the Beavers colour the boxes - like Dragon boats - in red (for summer, heat and fire). Let them do their own thing.

Chat -  Talk about the evening

Talk about the animals that represent the years - what are the Beaver Scouts ?

Using the Dragon Boats from the coming in game have some relay races.

Craft: Dragon

Green card, 2 long strips of green paper, sticky tape, scissors, 2 drinking straws, crayons

Stick the 2 ends of the paper strips together at right angles to each other. Fold the other over the top of the first and keep folding alternatively until the paper is used up. Stick the 2 end together to fasten off the folds.

Fold the card in ½ and draw a dragons head on - cut out and stick to one end of the body. Attach a tail and stick on the 2 straws to the back and front of the dragon to work the puppet

Chopsticks

Cut up some chocolate or have some Polos (check for allergies before choosing the sweets)

Let the Beavers in relays try to pick up the sweets with chopsticks.

Shuttlecock

This game has been played for centuries in China  

You may not have enough rackets - so let the Beavers make some out of card and bat the shuttlecocks about!

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“The sport in Scouting is to find the good in every boy and develop it.”