USSSP - Baloo's Bugle

PACK AND DEN ACTIVITIES

Active Theme Ideas

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Invite your local fire department to a Pack meeting. Fire Safety Awareness month is an opportune time for this Pack meeting. Most fire departments have short programs developed, which they will share with your Scouts.
Invite your local police department to a Den or Pack meeting. The police have many different programs, such as a canine dog demonstration, the rescue helicopter, finger printing demonstration, and “Stay Safe” (self-defense) program.
Invite your local paramedics and or flight nurse crew to a Pack Meeting. The first aid requirement for all levels of Cub Scouting can be fulfilled.
A good service project for the Scouts may be to assist your local fire department with replacing batteries in smoke detectors of people within your community who may not be able.
Plan an outing for your Den to your local fire or police department
Plan an outing for your Den or Pack to an animal rescue center or humane society because “To the Rescue”, does not only mean the rescue of people.

** Remember 2- Deep Adult Leadership!!!

Safety Projects for Den Meetings

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Learn how to build a fire and put it out. (Webelos outdoor activity)
Learn how to call the fire department and how to escape from home in case of fire.
Learn how to put out fire on a person and give him first aid; learn exits in public places boys frequent such as movies, schools and churches.
Ask boys to tell how they held a home fire inspection.
Make a card of emergency numbers.

Fire- Triangle Experiment

Baltimore Area Council

Fire requires three things: air, fuel, and heat. Take away any one and the fire goes out. Demonstrate this with a wooden match and bottle.

Have a Cub Scout (or a parent at the Den Meeting) strike a match (creating heat by friction). Let it burn a moment (using oxygen to burn the wood or fuel), and then drop it into the bottle and place his hand over the top. This cuts off the oxygen and the hatch goes out even though there is still plenty of fuel.

Have a Cub Scout strike a match and dip it into a glass of water. The water cuts off the air and cools the fuel, extinguishing the fire even quicker

Your boys may want to make a poster showing the fire triangle as illustrated.

Two Week Track Down:
Healthy Habits for Healthy Wolves !

Kathleen from a Pack in the Midwest (I never did get town or council) sent me this idea for Wolves. Achievement 3, Keep Your Body Healthy, requires Cubs to keep track of some items for two weeks. To make it a little more fun Kathleen made up charts with Wolf theme activity names for the items. The boys only had to make a check mark every time they did it or log minutes or hours for outdoor play and sleep.-

Divide the sheet of paper into 6 horizontal blocks going across the paper.
Make 14 vertical lines. This creates a section for the category and 14 boxes, one for each day, to record the results.
For play outside and sleep hours, they log the time in the box
For the others they just put a check mark or an X in the box every time they do it that day.
If they didn't fill it out for 2 weeks straight, she let them keep going until they had 14 days recorded.
For boys that have divorced parents with joint custody, give them two charts, one for each parent's house.

Wolf Theme	Human Term	Tracking
Wash Your Paws!	Wash Your Hands	X each time
Brush Your Fangs!	Brush Your Teeth	X each time
Swim in The Lake!	Take a Bath	X each time
Wolf Down Some Water!	Drink Water	X each glass
Run With Your Pack!	Play Outside	# Minutes
Curl Up in Your Den!	Sleep Hours	# hours

Kathleen told me that for “Swim in The Lake !” the cubs understood it but the parents got confused

Instant Inventor Problems

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Goal: To have the Dens try to invent solutions

As a pack activity, run all stations simultaneously, with dens starting at different stations and rotating. Separate stations as far away from one another as possible, so a den can’t copy another den’s solutions. Allow Tigers about 15 minutes per station, Wolf and Bear Dens about 10 minutes and Webelos dens about 8 minutes.

As a Den activity give your den one problem at a time. Perhaps using them for Gathering Activities.

PROBLEM 1: Rescue!

Place a doll on the floor about 8 feet from a line. Behind the line, have a pile of 15-20 3-ft. garden canes or similar sticks, string and scissors. Also, have some decoy materials. Give the Denner this message: A child is in danger of drowning in this alligator infested river. Save her! Use any material you see.

Possible solution: Build a triangle or rectangle with the sticks and string. Maneuver it behind the child and pull her to safety.

Scoring 5 points for trying hard, 10 points making the rescue

PROBLEM 2: Move the Poison!

Have an empty soda standing on the floor. Nearby are drinking straws, a length of string, and as decoys a wooden slat, a fork and a length of heavy wire. Give the Denner this message: There has been an accident in which a powerful poison has spilled out of this bottle and down its sides. The bottle must be moved to the table as soon as possible. Do not touch it or you will be burned badly. Use any materials you see here.

2 Possible Solutions: Use the drinking straws as shown in the “Lift the Bottlestick” game in the Den Chief Handbook or make an overhand knot in the string, slip it over the bottle, and tighten it.

Scoring 5 points for trying hard, 10 points for moving the bottle

PROBLEM 3: Deliver the Medicine!

Mark off a canyon on the floor. Place a coffee can inside the canyon, approximately 8 feet from the edge. In a pile along the outside edge, have 2-10 ft. lengths of molding or other light strips of wood. Have other items as decoys. Give the Denner this message: One of your den members is far down in this canyon. He has suffered a bad cut in a fall and needs first aid supplies. It would take hours to climb down to reach him where the coffee can is. Invent a way to get the first aid supplies to him quickly without throwing them over the edge of the canyon.

Solution: Have the den members hold the molding strips together to form a trough for the can. Roll the ball down the trough.

Scoring 5 points for trying hard, 10 points for getting the first aid kit safely to the victim

Fire Safety Posters

Baltimore Area Council

Have boys create their own slogans and designs for posters. Use Poster Board and felt tip pens, crayons, or paint. Display at Pack Meeting.

Firefighter Costume

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Materials:

Firefighter (plastic hat okay)
Solid color raincoat (stripes are okay)
Galoshes

Directions:

You can put any color shirt on because it will not show if you button the coat.
Put on the galoshes, raincoat, and firefighter hat and you're all set!!

Tips:

You can find inexpensive fighter hats at party supply stores, but the more durable ones are found at toy stores.
Cut off the end of garden hose for him to carry around

Emergency Phone number List

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Have each Cub Scout create a card or label to attach to his home phone (or refrigerator).

Include phone numbers that the Cub Scout may need –

911 Police (non emergency)

Fire Doctor

Mom at work Dad at work

Friend that will help

Mom’s cell phone Dad’s cell phone

First Aid Kit

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Materials:

1 or 2 35 mm Film Canisters

(HHHMMMmmm, I guess this craft will be obsolete in a few years with digital cameras! CM)

Adhesive label

Paper Markers

Hot Glue and/or E-6000 ™ epoxy

PVC pipe piece for neckerchief slide

Directions –

If you can find supplies that are small enough you can fit it all in film canister.

Otherwise glue the backs of two lids together with E-6000 ™ epoxy and let dry

Attach PVC pipe piece to lids or film can with hot glue.

Make a label for the front with either "First Aid Kit" or the red cross symbol.

Put the following items inside:

4"x 4" sponge container

rubber band band aids

plastic wrap waterproof tape

alcohol towelette.

Identification Card-

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Make identification cards for all the cubs in your pack.

Be Prepared for the unexpected.

Code Wheel-

Greater St. Louis Area Council

Materials:

Cardboard (Paper plates are excellent)
Small paper Brad

Directions:

Draw the code wheels directly onto the cardboard (see illustration for examples)
Cut out the circles and place the smaller circle marked key on top of the larger circle
Punch a small hole in the center of each circle and inert the brad.
Spread the legs of the brad so that the two circles are fairly tight against each. Wheels should turn freely.
For your code turn the inner wheel so that a number is directly above the letter A on the larger circle. (e.g. Put 15 directly above the A.) Then write the number & letter that sets the code (for this example – A-15) Write your message using the numbers that correspond to the letters when 15 is at A

Personal First Aid Kit

Timucua District, North Florida Council

You need:

Mini Storage Box

Paint Markers

First Aid and/or Emergency Supplies: Band-Aids, Antiseptic Cream, Safety Pins, Q-Tips, Needle & Thread, Quarters

Instructions:

It's easy. Decoratemini storage box with paint markers. Fill with supplies.

Write a Hometown Hero Tall Story

Timucua District, North Florida Council

It’s highly unlikely that the boys want to sit down with pen and paper in hand and write up their own stories—too much like being in school! So, instead, have them work together with the leaders to create a tall story of their modern-day hometown hero. Start with a whiteboard or sheets of newsprint hung on the walls. You will need to coach/coax them in coming up with a “hero,” but if you start with a “main event” that the hero accomplished, things should flow fairly well from there. For example, if you give them some ideas for the main event, like “forming the Susquehanna River,” or “raising the Blue Mountain,” then they can come up with the hero and how the event was accomplished. Gather as many ideas as you can from them and then help them put together a chronology or timeline. Finally, piece together an outline for the few paragraphs the story should be and help them draft it. When it’s all done, make sure it gets printed in the next Pack Newsletter.

Police Badge Slide

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Materials:

Plastic Police Badge
¾ inch PVC ring

Equipment:

Hot glue/gun

Directions:

Mount the PVC ring to the back of the badge with hot glue

Film Canister First Aid Kit

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Hook them to your belt or your back pack! These are great for camping, school, summer camp or field trips.

You need:

Empty Film Canister
8' of Plastic Lace (4' each of two colors)
Plastic Clip
Alphabet Beads for Names or Initials
or Number Beads for Troop Number
14 Pony Beads
Foamie Cool Scout Shapes
Gemstones
Low Temp Glue Gun
Paint Marker (optional)
Scissors

Directions

Cut two 4 ft. pieces of plastic craft lace.
Tie them on a plastic clip so the same colors are opposite
Fold strand 1 to opposite side leaving a small loop (fig. B).
Fold strand 3 to opposite side leaving a small loop.
Hold strands in place with one hand.
With your other hand, weave strand 2 over strand 3 and under strand 1.
Weave strand 4 over strand 1 and under strand 3 (fig. C)
Pull tightly, stretching the cord slightly to secure.
Continue until you have about a 1" braid.
String a pony bead, then your number or letter beads,
then another pony bead.
Continue with more box stitches until you have enough to go all around the film canister.
Glue the lanyard braid you have just made all around the film canister near the top.
Tie loose end to ring on clip.
Pull tight, stretching lace to secure.
Add three pony beads to each lace end.
Tie off with a double knot and trim.
Decorate the front of the film canister with foamies and gemstones.
Paint lid with a paint marker if desired.

Ideas for your first aid kit:

Small paper with name, phone and address
Band-Aid
Safety Pins
Wet Nap
Needle with Thread
Bee-Stinger Remover
Antiseptic Wipe

Fire Extinguisher

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Supplies:

1 Small Soda Bottle,
1 Soda Straw,
Cork,
Thread,
3 Tbsp. Vinegar,
Kleenex,
1 Tsp. Baking Soda,
Tempura Paint

Directions:

Pour the vinegar in the bottle.
Put a hole through the cork.
Put the straw through the hole.
Unfold the Kleenex and put the baking soda in the middle of it.
Fold up the edges of the Kleenex and tie it with the thread.
Hold the thread and put the Kleenex into the bottle. Do not let it touch the vinegar.
Put the cork with the straw in it into the bottle. This will hold the thread.
Tip the bottle so the tissue gets wet from the vinegar. It will mix with the soda and form a gas.
Point the straw towards a candle flame and watch what happens. The gas will put out the flame.

Do you know the name of the gas?

(Carbon Dioxide)

Milk Carton Fire Truck

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Supplies:

4 Half-gallon milk cartons,
Plastic berry basket,
4 small jar lids for wheels,
a few odds and ends.

Directions

The body of the truck should be 16” long.

From each of 3 cartons, remove top, lay cartons flat and cut off 1” lengthwise (Fig. 1).
Fit the cartons one inside the other with the closed portions at the ends.
For the cab, cut the fourth milk carton with tabs, as shown, making it about 2” high and 2” from front to back.
Glue tabs to body about 2½” from the front of truck.
Glue on 4 small jar lids painted to look like tires, for wheels.
Use a section of a berry basket for a radiator grille
Make bumpers from cardboard covered with aluminum foil. Glue a plastic bottle cap to cab roof as a flasher;
Make headlights from soda bottle caps.
Paint body with tempura mixed with detergent.
The ladder is made from the top part of a berry basket, cut 1¼” wide. Cut the top rim off, and separate at corners.
Wire, or tie two pieces together and fasten on each side of truck.

Fireman’s Hat Bank

Baltimore Area Council

Firemen save property, but you can save coins in this firefighter’s hat. Make one of your own as a salute to Fire Prevention Month.

A plastic container (with its lid) from nondairy whipped topping, cardboard and paint are all you need.

Place the lid on the container and invert for the crown of the hat.
Then, cut a slit in the top of the crown for inserting the coins.
Cut the brim, as shown, from cardboard.
Glue crown to brim.
For ridges on the hat, glue pieces of yarn or twine from the coin slot to the brim
Gently roll up sides of the brim.
Paint the hat.
Cut a shield from cardboard
Paint it any color you want, adding the number of the Engine Company when the paint is dry. (Tip: use your Pack number or Den number as the Engine Company number.)
Glue the shield in place on the front of the hat.
To remove coins (only allowed in case of fire or other real emergency), lift the crown from the brim.