SPSTracy

All my cubs go crazy too. It's the age. I bribe them with games at the end of the meeting IF they behave + I jump through hoops to "fun it up" when possible.

I think February is a great time for both a celebration and rank advancement. February is dreary, especially this year, and the derby and B&G perk things up. This is the first year it has been challenging to finish ranks because one of my dens has had 3 cancellations due to snow, but we are still on track. As the weather improves, we can use the den time for outdoor excursions, field trips, belt loops (for now), LNT outings, and so forth. Starting in April, boys get busy with baseball and soccer + the end of year is crazy busy, with every class, school, team, and activity planning an end of year event. Also, we are chartered by a Catholic school, so several April/May weekends are taken up by First Communion. It works for us, and it is tradition, but I do think Packs should do what works best for them.

Probably too late for your use, but I play "musical bases" at various holiday times. I print out or cut out a basic holiday picture (e.g. hearts for Valentine's Day, pumpkins for Halloween, etc.) and I glue it to card stock or cardboard. I tape these bases all around the large meeting space on the floor. # of bases = # of scouts You play a holiday song (I use an iHome and iPhone). They are supposed to run/dance around the room until the music goes off, then jump on a base. In the 1st round, everybody gets a base. Then you remove the bases one per room, just like musical chair, until there are two scouts and one base left. Last man on base wins. Rules: only feet on bases, no hands; no sliding or tackling. You do not want bases to be too big, or two of them will end up fighting/sharing the bases. They LOVE this and ask for it all the time.