Over-the-top pack meeting ideas!

[RUS]

Hi Trabucchi, I've been involved in the Scouting program for 26 years now (Scoutmaster, 11 year old Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Wolf, bear and Webelos leader as well as Merit badge councilor) Right now, I am Cubmaster and Webelos leader. Some of the things we've done at our pack meetings are:

 

We built a very realistic fake fire in Webelos den meeting using fans, led lights and silk cloth and we use it in our Arrow of Light ceremonies. It changes colors that coincide with the 7 great virtues of life. I can send you instructions and pictures if you want. It's actually very easy to build.

 

We made a huge arrow of light sign with removable rays that have the 7 great virtues of life and as the scouts take them off one by one and put them in the fire it changes into the color of that virtue.

 

I made an awesome crossover bridge that the boys actually build right there at pack meeting before the boy crosses over. the graduating cub scout says the Scout oath and the boys lay in the 3 main pillars and then the boy recites the scout law and the boys lay the twelve planks - and then the boy crosses over - it turns the whole thing into a very impressive ceremony. I can send you plans and pictures of my bridge.

 

I bought (very cheaply) many of the flags of american history and I typed a little history for each one and stapled it to the back of the flags - all the boys walk out onto the stage , each with a flag in his hand but held half folded. the first boy drops the half of his flag so it drops down and unfolds (but the flag doesn't hit the ground of course, the two top edges stay in his hands) and he reads the quick little history of the flag which is now facing him, then the next boy drop the half of his flag and reads his and so on......the boys loved it and so did the parents.

I bought the flags for 6 bucks a piece at buyusflags.com. I use them every year.

 

I made a 7 minute little video of the birds of arizona on movie maker and had all the boys do the explaining and talking on the video we made if funny and short then - we opened up the other half of the cultural hall and on a long table I had color pictures of the same birds I printed at office-max off the internet. I had the pictures of the birds taped to the table and the names of the birds on a little wordstrip below them coverd up with a little flap of paper I taped over them, so that all the parents and the kids could come up to the table, look at the pictures, guess the names of the birds and then lift the flap up to see if they were right. on a table next to it, i had the boys parents ond committe members bring animal skins, deer heads, bear skin rugs, javalina heads and whatever else we could dig up thats nature related and i had the boys stand behind them and I had them explain the animals to the parents - we practiced at a combined den meeting the week before.

 

We had a science week where we practiced various science experiments (I can send you a list) at den meeting and then at pack meeting the next week we put them all on a long table and the boys performed them for their parents.

 

For the Resourcefulness core value, we handed out pictures of people being resourcefull (funny pictures from redneck repairs.com) the families got a good laugh and then we opened up the other half of the cultural hall and we had lots of antiques and old stuff and we said "probably no one was more resourceful that the pioneers and we had the boys stand at the table and explain how the pioneers or people in the past used these things - which we practiced at den meeting.

 

For the fitness core value we made a pvc pipe frame and hung a little black curtain with a little slit in it and a table in front of it and put pants on the guys arms and a man behind him who put his arms thru the shirt sleeves and as i called out the exercises the "midget" performed them, it was hilarious.

 

Good luck.