SKITS

Chinese Zodiac Animals

Sam Houston Area Council

Each Cub Scout stands with a picture or drawing of one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals with the most recent corresponding year number on the front and his part in LARGE print on the back. .

If you don’t have 12 Cub Scouts, have them take turns, or invite members of the audience to hold one of the zodiac pictures.

Leader:     We are here to celebrate Chinese New Year. Chinese years are based on a lunar calendar which means that the cycle of years is based on the cycles of the moon. The New Year starts with a new moon and is usually sometime in January or February.

                    Each year is given the name of one of the zodiac animals. Each animal has certain qualities. Some people believe that you will have the same qualities as the animal connected with the year you are born. Let me now introduce the twelve Chinese zodiac animals.

                    You decide if the animal for your year has qualities that you have, too.

Cub # 1:       1997 is the Year of the Oxen. Oxen are hardworking and patient.

Cub # 2:       1998 is the Year of the Tiger. Tigers have a forceful personality and are adventurous and confident.

Cub # 3:       1999 is the Year of the Rabbit. Rabbits are home lovers, peaceable and sociable.

Cub # 4:       2000 is the Year of the Dragon. Dragons have strong personalities, love their freedom and hate routine.

Cub # 5:       2001 is the Year of the Snake. Snakes are sensitive with a strong sense of responsibility.

Cub # 6:       2002 is the Year of the Horse. Horses are hardworking, admirable and ambitious.

Cub # 7:       2003 is the Year of the Ram. Rams are gentle, caring and achieve what they want by kindness.

Cub # 8:       2004 is the Year of the Monkey. Monkeys are charming, cheeky and clever.

Cub # 9:       2005 is the Year of the Rooster. Roosters are faithful to family and friends.

Cub # 10:   2006 is the Year of the Dog. Dogs: are loyal and caring with a fearless streak.

Cub # 11:   2007 is the Year of the Pig. Pigs are peace loving, trusting and strong.

Cub # 12:   2008 is the Year of the Rat. Rats are cheerful, charming and welcome everywhere.

The Abacus

Sam Houston Area Council

Prop:     Construct a small abacus with beads that can be moved and heard clinking together. You can use dowel rods or wires on which to string the beads. It doesn’t have to be an exact replica, just a reasonable design for the purpose of the skit.

Cub #1:     Look what I found at the flea market, a genuine abacus! (Waving the abacus around.)

Cub #2:     A-ba-what?

Cub #1:     An abacus!

Cub #3:     What do you use it for?

Cub #1:     It’s an ancient counting device. Why, it’s an ancestor of the modern calculator and computer. In fact, it’s still used in China and Japan today.

Cub #2:     Do you mean you can count things with that? No way. It can’t possibly work.

Cub #1:     I’ll prove it. Give me a problem.

Cub #2:     OK. An elevator starts with five people on it. It stops and three people get off and two people get on.

Cub #1:     Got it. (Beads moving furiously.)

Cub #3:     Then it stops again and four people get on and no one gets off.

Cub #1:     Right. (Click, click, click.)

Cub #2:     Next stop five people get off and one person gets on.

Cub #1:     Five off, one on. (Click, click, click.)

Cub #3:     Next three people get on and two people get off.

Cub #1:     Got it. (Click, click, click.)

Cub #2:     Then one person gets on and seven people get off.

Cub #1:     One off, seven on, keep going. (Click, click, click.)

Cub #3:     Finally, four people get off and two people get on.

Cub #1:     Got that.

Cub #2:     OK, Mr. Abacus, how many stops did the elevator make?

Cub #1:     (Exasperated) I don’t know!

Cub #2:     See, I told you it wouldn’t work.

Why The Sun Shines When The Rooster Crows

Utah National Parks Council

This is a puppet play. Make stick puppets (cardboard figures attached to sticks) and move them as narrator reads the script. Boys take turns being narrator. Control the room light accordingly.

Stage: Have a tall mountain at one side of the stage.

Puppets:

4 medium suns

5 small suns (can be placed on one stick)

1 large sun

elders (can be placed on one stick)

Oppopolo the Giant (holding his bow and arrow)

nightingale

thrush

lark

blackbird

rooster

Puppet for the main sun should have two sides, one with a smiling face, the other frowning. The elders should have smiling side and frowning side.

"Once upon a time, the earth was surrounded by many suns. To the east shone one sun, another in the west; there was one in the north and one in the south. And in between there were five smaller suns! There was also the sun we know today in our sky."

"As you can well imagine, the earth was scorched. No grass could grow, and people were too hot and tired to work or sleep. So one day the wise elders of the world met to think what to do. They decided to ask the giant, Oppopolo, to shoot down the suns so that the poor earth could feel coolness."

"Oppopolo lived on top of the highest mountain and was as tall as ten ordinary men. His body was strong and his eyes flashed with bravery. The elders climbed the mountain with their request and the giant agreed to help."

(clear the stage)

"So it was that the very next day when the first sun rose over the horizon, Oppopolo took his mighty bow and shot it down. The people cheered with joy (puppeteers can cheer). (raise other suns) Another speedy arrow brought down the second sun, then the third, fourth, fifth and more.

At first the people danced with glee. But by the time the ninth sun fell, they became rather worried, for the tenth sun had watched everything, and hidden himself behind the mountain. The earth was dark as night and cold as winter ice."

"Stop, Oppopolo, stop!" cried the people. They begged for the remaining sun to return but he refused to leave his safe hiding place!"

"It was decided that someone must plead with the sun, but as he might now fear a human, a bird would be sent instead. First the nightingale went as messenger, singing sweetly. The sun refused to listen. Then the thrush tried, and the lark, and the blackbird. But it was no use. At last the rooster was asked if he would try. "All right" he replied. "But I can't sing. All I can do is crow."

"The rooster lifted his neck and crowed loudly (crow). When he did this, the sun didn't recognize the noise, and as it came again the sun peeped out, curiously. As his light appeared from behind the mountain, the birds, animals and people all shouted and sang with joy (cheer)! The sun was pleased, and felt bold enough to show himself in full. So, to this day, the sun hides at night until the rooster's crow tells him it is safe again to come out!"