Glow Stick Ceremony Question

[jw_elder77]

I used the glow stick ceremony (not sure where I found it) for my first Wolf to earn his Wolf Badge. And I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to slow down the glowing process.

 

For those unfamiliar with the Glow Stick Ceremony, here is what I had found somewhere and copied to a word doc :

"Glow Stick Ceremony

Prior to the meeting, cut the top off of a glow stick and remove the glass cylinder. Empty the contents of each liquid into 2 different containers (to transport to the meeting). For the ceremony, i placed the lesser of the 2 liquids in a clear glass votive holder (it wasn't so obvious there was already liquid in there). I had the scout hold this container as i explained to everyone that while at summer camp i had collected some water from the lake. The lake water, when placed in the container would tell us if Johnny had the Spirit of Scouting in him. I had the lights turned off and proceeded to pour the 2nd liquid in the holder, and within minutes it was glowing with the "Spirit of Scouting"! It was truelly magical moment for everyone there, and the look on his face was PRICELESS! I think he was a little nervous that he didn't do everything he was supposed to ".

 

My problem was that the liquid instantly began to glow and I would like to try to slow that process down a bit. You know, maybe getting the scout to think about it for a few seconds.

 

Thanks for your help. This forum is great.

[Trevorum]

That sounds like a great ceremony!

 

I'm not a chemist, but I think I just do a little experimentation with temperature. Cold slows down the reaction and heat speeds it up.

 

see: http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa040902a.htm

 

[jw_elder77]

The one Wolf that I did this for, my son, was amazed. By the time we turned the lights back on, we were surrounded by the rest of my Wolf den, oohing and ahhing. I'm guessing I'll have a few more Wolf badges to present next month at the Pack meeting.

 

By the way, after I posted the original message, I figured out where I found the ceremony. Right here in the Scouter.com forums. http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=48437

[nldscout]

While this sounds cool and I imagine it it is these chemicals are very causic and should not be used in such a manner. If one one the scouts spills it or splashes it on him self it could be a problem.

 

I would never allow cutting of the protective shell on them.

[Trevorum]

nld, that's a common concern of parents, but it is unfounded. The devices "are not recommended for children under 5", but are non-toxic, non-corrosive, and non-irritant. Washing hands is recommended if some is spilled, but under adult supervision, these sticks should be safe for Cub Scout ceremonies.

[ScoutNut]

Trust me, when putting this together you WILL have accidents (have plenty of extras on hand). Those little glass viles are VERY fragile, they have to be in order to break when the stick is bent.

 

The worst problem I have ever had is that my fingers & towels glowed for a while.

 

It is safe for Cubs. I would however use a container that can be sealed & make sure that the parent takes charge of it at the end of the ceremony. That way your meeting place, & every Cub in it, will not be glowing.

 

 

[jw_elder77]

Thanks for the concern expressed. But, I did the prep work in advance at home. I cut the plastic tube and dumped the yellow liguid in a clean babyfood jar and closed the lid. The glass tube was then wiped off and carefully broken into a second babyfood jar and any glass shards were carefully removed. My wife took a 3rd babyfood jar and decorated it so the yellow liquid would not be noticable to the boy holding it or by the audience. At the Pack meeting, right before the ceremony, I poured the yellow liquid into the ceremony jar. During the ceremony I used the clear liquid directly from its babyfood jar. As soon as the ceremony was over, I tightly capped the certemony jar with its lid. With the next ones, I may superglue the lid to the jar.

[Trevorum]

Ya know, I'm thinking that pre-cooling one of the liquids may work.

 

The fellows hold the votive, wrapping their hands around it to transfer body heat to the glass. The other liquid ("lake water") is kept in a small cooler with some ice. The initial glow reaction should be dim because of the low temperature. As the mixture warms up, the reaction should get brighter. It may work - you'll have to experiment a bit.

 

I wish I had thought of this when I was a CM!

[msnowman]

We did something very similar w/ our Bobcats when they earned rank. They carried a jar of "magic dew gathered from Camp Roosevelt" while Den Chief escorted them on the Path of the Bobcat (w/ stops to make, similar to an AoL trek). At the end the CM added Bobcat spirit and their jars would glow. It was very high on the Ohhh Ahhh factor.

 

YiS

Michelle

[Trevorum]

Michelle, what is an Arrow of Light "trek"? I presume it's some special part of the ceremony?

[msnowman]

Trev - the AoL ceremony we like to use has the boys who are making rank going thru stations where various Boy Scouts lead them in the Scout Sign, salute, handshake, etc....the things they are supposed to know for AoL. Well, we do a similar thing for Bobcat, with their Den Chief leading them them thru, stopping at stations w/ various adult leaders leading them thru the things they are supposed to know for Bobcat.

 

YiS

Michelle

[Lucky Red Lion]

I used this ceremony for a recent Tiger Badge ceremony. I also did the prep work at home several nights before the event. I put the liquid from each plastic tube into a clean baby food jar with lid for each boy. The baby jars now contained "scouting solution" from the nearby Ko'olau Mountains. I put the liquid from the glass vials together in one plastic medicine bottle with a built in dropper (this one had flouride drops). The bottle was opaque white and decorated with a Tiger Badge sticker from the scout shop and contained "Tiger Tears." One full dropper of Tiger Tears was more than enough chemical to get the desired glowing effect. Kids loved it and still believe I used actual tiger tears!