Ideas for keeping boys busy at the Pinewood derby

[pack330]

We are looking for ideas to help keep the boys and their younger siblings busy while there are breaks. Any ideas? Websites? Thanks.

[CubsRgr8]

Have a couple of sewing enabled adults helping the scouts make their own red, brag vests.

 

Have a series of puzzle stations that the scouts and their parents work to solve. Solve 10/12 and be rewarded with a PWD patch.

 

Have the scouts vote for a "scouts choice" trophy before the racing begins.

 

Have a series of stations where real, live Boy Scouts are teaching how to tie knots. DYB to tie them, have a Boy Scout sign a chit, and the scout earns a patch.

 

Have a couple of auto-themed craft projects set up. You know, neckerchief slides, photo frames, etc.

 

Set up tables to promote a planned service project, summer camp, etc.

 

For many of these, it's important to have a few "planted" scouts (ususually your son and a buddy or two) who do it and then politely communicate (aka brag) to their buddies "look what I did!"(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

[Twocubdad]

We are fortunate enough to have two tracks -- newer one we use for racing. We set up the old track and have a couple Boy Scouts run it as an open track for the boys who have been eliminated from the official racing. We kep tying to get parents to build car to race, but no luck yet.

 

We also sell pizza and subs by the slice (at cost) and have a big bucket of lemonade for anyone who wants it.

 

Honestly, we don't have a big problem entertaining the boys during the race. Our guys really get into cheering for their buddies and watching the race. One thing that helps is that we schedule the race for a Sunday afternoon, and stagger the start times by rank. That way, you only have to show up in time for your rank's race and can leave as soon as you're eliminated, if you want.

[Bob White]

her are some things done by the pack were I was CM.

 

Have local race car drivers on hand with their cars for the cubs to meet

 

Put the tracks on table tops so that everyone can see

 

Set up pit areas that have all the cars on display and judge them for special recognitions. (everybody gets one) best use of the color_____, best concept, best paint job, best stock car, best dragster etc.

 

Project the race brackets on the wal so thast every one can follow along and the boys can see their names move along.

 

Our favorite-we had the troop selling pizza and pop in an adjoining room. So we took video cameras and aimed them at the tracks, then ran cables to TVs in the pizza room and the cubs could watch the races on the TV.

 

Have fun,

Bob White

[mschwartz]

We have 80+ Scouts in our Pack, and so we use the better part of a day to run our Pinewood Derby. The strategy we've used for a while now is to schedule the day so that (for instance) Tigers come check in at 9:00 (which involves both uniform inspection and weigh-in of the cars) and then start racing at 9:15 or 9:30 depending on how many there are. We guesstimate the amount of time the races will take, then have the Wolves appear about a half hour before the Tigers will finish. And so on. That way we never have the entire Pack there at once, and the boys who are there are very focused on the racing (as are their families, for the most part). The only breaks in the action come when one group has finished and the next is waiting to start, and those are generally filled with (a) trophy presentations and (b) photo opportunities.

 

Then, during the morning we have doughnut holes, juice, and coffee available, and once it hits 11 or so, we have hot dogs. So food is always there. But as a rule, no one group is there for more than about an hour and a half, and so the boredom factor is pretty low.

 

Seems to work pretty well for us, anyhow!

[mschwartz]

We have 80+ Scouts in our Pack, and so we use the better part of a Saturday to run our Pinewood Derby. The strategy we've used for a while now is to schedule the day so that (for instance) Tigers come check in at 9:00 (which involves both uniform inspection and weigh-in of the cars) and then start racing at 9:15 or 9:30 depending on how many there are. [staggered start times, as mentioned in another reply above.] We guesstimate the amount of time the races will take, then have the Wolves appear about a half hour before the Tigers will finish. And so on. That way we never have the entire Pack there at once, and the boys who are there are very focused on the racing (as are their families, for the most part). The only breaks in the action come when one group has finished and the next is waiting to start, and those are generally filled with (a) trophy presentations and (b) photo opportunities.

 

Then, during the morning we have doughnut holes, juice, and coffee available, and once it hits 11 or so, we have hot dogs. So food is always there. But as a rule, no one group is there for more than about an hour and a half, and so the boredom factor is pretty low.

 

Seems to work pretty well for us, anyhow!

[NativeTexan]

We contacted some local people who brought their real race cars and street rods for the boys to look at and sit in. This worked out great!