Being Clean

(Have three handkerchiefs—one crumpled and soiled, one clean but not ironed, and one clean and ironed.)

Being clean and unspoiled seems like a simple thing, doesn’t it? But it’s really one of the toughest assignments in our Scout Law. Think of what a soiled handkerchief goes through in order to be clean. (Hold up the soiled handkerchief.) It gets scalded in hot water. It gets soaked in harsh soap suds and strong bleach. It gets scrubbed or tumbled around roughly in a washing machine. Then it gets thrown around in a hot clothes dryer until it’s dry. And then, the worst torture of all, it gets flattened out under a heavy, hot iron. But then when all that’s done, the handkerchief looks like this, clean and unspotted. (Hold up the clean, ironed handkerchief.)

We must be willing to go through something like that if we are to be clean and unspotted. Turning your back on everything dirty is not as simple as it sounds. It often means making yourself unpopular with some people. Not going along with the crowd can be mighty rough. Or, if you have done wrong, it’s extremely painful to admit what you’ve done and try to make it right again, to ask forgiveness. But these are the trials that purify. You see, the tough treatment in the laundry of life can help you to be clean—if you can take it.

How about it? Will you settle for being unsoiled, like this? (Hold up the clean, but unironed, handkerchief.) Or would you like being clean, orderly, and unspotted, like this? (Hold up the clean, ironed handkerchief again.) A Scout is clean.

Helicopters, 13/03/09

Chat about helicopters and parachutes

Make a helicopter – templates on card, colours, paper clips.

Parachute, soft ball(s)

Craft – make parachutes

Paper serviettes or bin liners cut to 200mm x 300mm; thread cut in 300mm lengths; dolly pegs (decorated to look like people!); chenille sticks (for arms)

Rockets, 06/03/09

Craft – make ballisters

Rocket and fin templates, colours, sellotape, selection of empty 2litre pop bottles, pre-prepared launch pads

Craft – make rockets

Film cannisters, alka selzer, water, card templates to stick on outside, colours, sellotape

To park to launch ballisters & rockets!!

Launch pads, rockets, 2litre pop bottles, rockets

Giving each Beaver Scouts approx ¼ of an alka selzer tablet to put in their film cannister rocket add a small amount of water to the cannister, put the lid back on quickly and place them, lid downwards, on the floor.  Depending on much water was put in the rocket and how big the piece of alka selzer was, the rockets will “launch”t off sooner or later, much to the amusement of the Beaver Scouts!!  Don’t stand directly over the rockets watching for them to launch otherwise it will hit you in the face!

 

For the ballisters the same pop bottles can be used more than once though they do get a bit tatty after about 6 – 8 “launches”!

Game – Beetle drive on the theme of a rocket

Dice, paper, pencils.  Component parts = fin x 2, body, nose cone, exhaust x 2

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“The real way to gain happiness is to give it to others.”

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Scoutmasters deal with the individual boy rather than with the mass.”

Winter, 27/02/09

Make large snowmen indoors by stuffing large, white rubbish bags with newspaper

Chat - Talk about the winter and cold weather

Have an indoor snowball fight using wadded up pieces of paper or marshmallows

Make miniature igloos using marshmallows and frosting.

OR

Paint a snow scene on light blue paper using glue. Sprinkle the glue with white glitter or salt and let dry

Give everyone an ice cube and see who can find ways to melt them the fastest

Collect different pairs of gloves. Mix them up and set them in a pile. Take turns finding the matching gloves

A Quiet Hero

Barry Bonds probably hit another home run last night. Now, I know I’m going to ruffle a few feathers when I say this, but, Big deal! Another run. Yawn, hooray, ho-hum. It will be in the papers and discussed on sports talk shows, I’m sure. The guy is a real hero, right? A couple of years ago at summer camp, I met another hero. He was a very small 13-year-old. And he was a very homesick Scout.

“Big deal,” I hear someone out there echoing my comment, “a little wimp who can’t stand to leave his mommy.” That’s a pretty insensitive thing to say to a kid whose feelings are tearing him up to the point of crying in front of his friends—a kid who probably hates himself for being weak and feeling homesick. To make things worse we were at the base camp for our annual canoe trip on the rain-swollen Kippewa River in Canada and more than one boy (and leader) was having second thoughts. The homesick Scout came to me as we were loading the canoes. “Mr. Sterrett, I don’t think I want to go. I think I want to go home,” he said. When he had made similar comments the night before, the other Scouts and leaders had joked and tried to distract him. But there comes a time when a boy has to either go forward or back.

We walked away from the others and I put my hand on his shoulder. “In five minutes, we’ll be leaving,” I said, “You can be in the canoe with us or you can be in the truck going back.” And then, oh, how hard it was to do—I walked away and left him to his thoughts.

He came with us on the trip. A couple of his buddies gave him a friendly punch on his shoulder, but nobody cheered. His accomplishment wasn’t printed in the papers or discussed on talk shows. Now, Bonds—he’s okay. But to me, that Scout is a special kind of hero. The quiet kind.

Walk to School Day, 20/02/09

Let the Beavers cut out and decorate a card Wellington boot

Walk to school day (Oct 2^nd) is to save pollution, money on petrol, friendlier way to travel. Less stressful, healthier, allows you to get to know your locality, quality time with the kids. Enables you to put road safety into practice. Meet people etc.

See who can throw their welly the furthest

14 numbered bus stops. 14 separate cards with instructions for each stop ie NO 4 bus only room for 1 beaver if there are three 2 are out. You can remove a bus stop and card if you want to or use them all through the game.

Safety bands

Using black bin bag and reflective tape make arm bands and chest bands

Walk in the dark

With torches - have a short walk around your HQ.

Try ideas to let the Beavers -  stop, look and listen

Snow, 13/02/09

Snowflakes

Let the Beaver Scouts cut out snowflakes and stick them around the room - see who can do the most or the most decorative one.

Snowmen Aboard (as Captain's Aboard)

The Beaver Scout run around and when one of the following is called out they have to complete the actions - the last one to complete the action is out.

Snowman - stand still

Blizzard - cover eyes and stand still

Snow Balls - curl up in a ball on the floor

Eskimos - Beavers rub noses

Sledges in 2s - Beavers pair up and sit on a pretend sledge (could be done in 3s or4 s etc)

Igloos - Beavers make an arch in 2s

Snow Flakes - Beavers lie in floor with arms and legs outstretched

Ice Skating Animal

Materials

Old CD

Construction Paper or Felt

Pom-Poms

Pipe Cleaners

Wiggle Eyes

Glue

Snow Shaped Sequins (optional)

Method

Make a small person or animal using pom-poms by gluing 2 larger pom-poms together, one will be the head and one will be the body.

Use the paper or even beads to make the face.

Use smaller pom-poms or pipe cleaners for arms and legs. Cut 2 pieces of pipe cleaner approximately 1 inch long.

Glue them on the bottom of your pom-pom animal's 'feet'. Set aside and let the glue dry.

Lay the CD down so the shiny side is up.

Glue your animal to the CD.

Finally, you can decorate your 'ice rink' and skater more using snowflake shaped sequins if you like. You can also use a large pom-pom to look like a rock glued on the CD where the middle hole is.

Chat and drink

Why does it snow? What is snow made of?

Try some of the new white chocolate finger biscuits or what about snowballs?

Snow Circle

Beaver Scouts sit in a circle (on chairs if possible). Name them - snow, frost, cold, wind around the circle.

When snow is called out all the Beavers with that name swap places - and so on. Try calling 2 out at once.

When storm is called all the Beavers swap places

Weather, 06/02/09

Weather Wheel

Let the Beaver Scouts draw and cut out 2 circles of card (can be larger than samples below)

Divide one into ¼ s and let the Beaver Scouts draw the weather signs – as sample

Divide the other into ¼ s and cut away one quarter (do not cut right into the centre – see example - as this is needed for the fastener)

Fasten to together with a paper fastener through the centre

The Beaver Scouts can then turn to top show the weather and mark onto the chart

Game:  Weather corners

Using sunshine, rain, snow and clouds as the corners

Usual rules

Game:

Traffic lights

Using weather actions:

Sun – lie on floor and sunbathe

Rain – run on the spot

Wind – run around the room

Snow – move slowly like snow flakes

And of course FREEZE