Beach Theme

Beach Theme Ideas

Pack meeting and blue and gold banquet ideas including skits, songs, advancement ceremonies, opening/closing ceremonies and more can be found in our theme ideas:

Beach Theme Ideas (.pdf)   .doc version   Cheers   Placemats 

Day Camp Fliers

The fliers are in Microsoft Word and should be customized before distributing.

One page flier (black and white)        Tri-fold flier (black and white)      

Pinterest

Visit our beach-themed Pinterest boards on the council Pinterest page for more ideas.  

Beach Theme Pinterest Board

 

Advancement Ceremonies:  Waves of Fun Advancement Ceremony

Set up: Create a beach scene using waves drawn or cut from paper against a wall (if done inside) or a scene with real sand, a backdrop of waves and various items that could be washed up by the waves. (A child’s wading pool could be used to contain your scene). It would be really effective to have the sound of the waves crashing, from a tape or CD playing in the background.

Cubmaster: Welcome to the beach. Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts have really been making waves and earning advancements this past month.

Let’s check and see what those waves have washed up on our beach!

• Shovel – For the Lions who are digging in and learning new skills
• Bucket – Tigers for growing their ability to learn and tackle new skills.
• Sun Block – Wolves for learning how to safely use new tools.
• Beach Ball – Bears for learning how to play new games with new friends.
• Beach Towel – Fourth grade Webelos Scouts useful “tool” at the beach (to dry off and cover up), older Scouts are learning how to make their way along the Scouting trail and use the tools they are discovering – new skills and experiences
• Surf Board or Body Board – Fifth grade Webelos Scouts are using the experience and tools they have learned about in Scouting to move out into the larger world and “test the waters”
• Beach Umbrella - Recognizing the pack leaders, pack committee, or special parents who cover all the “bases” to make sure the program runs smoothly and the Scouts are able to advance

At the end, with all the items removed, the CM can point out that Scouts always leave everything better than is was when they came.

Fishing Trip

Setting: The Cubmaster, or other leader, is recounting the vents of his recent fishing trip relating it to Cub Scouting.

Props: Cubmaster will need clothing for fishing, a pole that is hooked up with a magnetic hook. Cub River (some type of tub container to be the fishing hole).

Place advancements on the fish as 
described below before the meeting.

Cubmaster: Well, before I tell you who are getting awards tonight, I want to tell you about my latest fishing trip. You all know that any good fisherman will get up before dawn to prepare himself to go fishing. That is when this day started for me. There are seven things I have to do to get ready for a fishing trip, and as I was doing these things, I remembered the seven requirements that my son had to do to get his Bobcat Badge. Just like I prepared to go fishing, my son had to prepare himself to be a Cub Scout.

Call up Cub Scouts and their parents who are getting their Bobcat Badges.

Scouts, here at Pack ____, we are really proud of your accomplishment of completing the 7 requirements for the Bobcat Badge. And just like I have to have a license to go fishing, you have to become a Bobcat to go on in Scouting. Scouts, tonight I'm presenting your parents with your Bobcat Badge. When they give it to you, I want you to always remember how you prepared yourself for Scouting.

Present badges on pretend fishing licenses to the parents

Well, let me continue on with my fishing trip. You won't believe the trouble that I had! Before I even got to the river, I got lost, and had to look at a map. I then had to make a phone call because I forgot to leave a note to let my family know where I was going to be. Then, once I was at the river, things didn't get any better. I dropped my bait bucket, I cut my finger. I got knots in my fishing line, I even had to go back to the car for the lunch that I had packed. But you know, some nice things did happen to me too. The day was beautiful, birds were out singing in the trees, and the trail to the lake was clean. I saw some really neat plants growing along side of the path, and I found a really great rock for my son's collection.

Oh, yes you are probably wondering what all of this has to do with Scouting. Well, as I was having all of these problems I remembered the 12 Achievements that Cubs have to do to get their Wolf and Bear badges. And you know, some of the things that they had to learn I needed that day. The first aid for my cut finger, the knots in my line, and the lunch I did remember to pack. In Cub Scouts, the kids get a really good understanding of nature and how to take care of the land around them. That path was so clean I bet some fisherman who had been in Cub Scouting had come before me.

So I did go fishing, and caught (insert number of Wolf and Bear advancements that you have) really nice fish. Here let me show you.

Cast your line into Cub Lake and catch fish for the Wolf badge(s), and the Bear Badge(s)

Call up the Cubs with their Parents.

Scouts, you are receiving your Wolf Badge tonight, and, along with your parents, your Pack is really proud of you and the work you have done. Congratulations.

Scouts, you are receiving your Bear Badge tonight and you have shown us that you take your Cub Scouting seriously. Congratulations.

Well, my fishing trip continued on for a few more hours and I continued to think about Cub Scouting. I thought about how each of the Webelos Scouts earns the different Activity Badges, the badges give the Scout a taste of what Scouts BSA will be like. They just sort of cover what a Scout that is in 4th and 5th grade needs to know.

Will our Webelos leader please come up here tonight?  I'm going to go fishing and see if I can find any Webelos Activity Badges down here. Yes, there does appear to be a few.

Have Webelos Leader give out the badges to the Webelos Scouts

I want to thank each one of you tonight for coming along with me on this trip, Scouting and fishing sure do have a lot in common, and don’t you agree?

Goin' Fishin' Advancement

If you are indoors,

Pin the badges that were earned to a cardboard fish.

Make a fishing pole out of a dowel, string, and a paperclip hook.

Put paperclips bent into circles into mouths of the fish.

Make the fish different colors according to the badge pinned to it and tell each Scout who earned an advancement to go fishing for a (color) fish. (e.g. red fish for Wolf)

Make a statement about their achievements and have the parents help if needed.

If you are at the water, you could use the same process or you could use the water instead of a bucket to put the fish in. Simply wrap the badges tightly in aluminum foil and have the one who swims best in the water with the badges. When the Scout casts their line out, the swimmer can attach the proper badge to the hook and give it a tug.

Hawaiian Traditions Ceremony

With minor changes this ceremony can be used for Opening, Closing or Advancement.  For advancement, give out rank awards after each definition, creating a segue from the definition to something pertinent to the badge being awarded.  (e.g. for Aloha you could say the Bobcat Badge is how we say hello to all new Cub Scouts.)

Personnel: Master of ceremonies, conch shell blower (optional), six Cub Scouts, someone to operate a tape player.

Equipment: Tropical plants, tiki torches (improvised imitations for indoors); headdress and lei for the master of ceremonies; a shell or flower lei for each adult participant; conch shell; Hawaiian music and tape player; cards printed with the Hawaiian words; and for each person being recognized, a certificate or award and a flower or paper lei.

Arrangement: The torches on stage are lighted, and the house lights are turned down. Soft Hawaiian music playing in the background fades out. Three blasts of the conch shell start the ceremony; then the shell is blown four more times. The first blast is made facing east. Then there is a slight pause, and a chant may be performed. The second blast on the conch shell is made facing west. Then there is another pause, and another chant may be performed. The third blast is made facing south, and another pause is allowed. The fourth blast of the conch shell is made facing north.

Master Of Ceremonies (MC): (Addresses the audience in the traditional greeting style.) Aloha! Welcome to our (month) pack meeting. Traditional Hawaiian family life has many of the same ideals as Cub Scouting.

(Enter first Cub Scout) carrying a card with the word ALOHA on it.

MC: Aloha has many meanings: love, affection, compassion, mercy, pity, kindness, charity, hello, good-bye, alas, and regards. The Hawaiian family provides a ready source of love, affection, kindness, courtesy, and hospitality. In Hawaii, aloha is shown and given not only to family members but to all who visit.

Enter second Cub Scout carrying a card with the word IKE on it.

MC: Ike means to recognize everyone as a person. Everyone needs to be recognized, especially children. Ike can be given in a number of ways. It can be a look, a word, a touch, a hug, a gesture, and even a scolding. Children need to give ike to each other, so if the teacher demonstrates the giving of ike then the children will follow the example.

Enter third Cub Scout carrying a card with the word KOKUA on it.

MC: Kokua, which means help, was an important part of every household in old Hawaii. Every member helped get the work done. They did not have to be asked to kokua. They helped whenever they saw help was needed.

Enter fourth Cub Scout carrying a card with the word KULEANA on it.)

MC: Kuleana. One of the most important kuleana, or responsibilities, of every family member was to maintain acceptable standards of behavior. Attention-seeking behavior was frowned upon, and respect for social rank and seniority was a must. Each person was taught what was acceptable and not acceptable. He or she learned to accept and carry out his or her kuleana, or responsibilities, willingly.

Enter fifth Cub Scout carrying a card with the word LAULIMA on it.)

MC: Laulima means many hands. Everyone in the family, the ohana, shared the workload. Whether it was planting, building a house or a fishpond, preparing a meal or fishing, each person did a share of the work to get it done, If a man wanted a house built, his ohana, his family, willingly came to help. They gathered the building materials, built the foundation, put up the frame, and installed the thatched roof.

They also gathered the pili grass and other thatching materials. Children helped in whatever way they could. This kind of laulima made the work easier and more enjoyable.

Enter sixth Cub Scout carrying a card with the word LOKAHI on it.

MC: Lokahi means harmony and unity. The family considered lokahi very important, not only with people but also with the universe. The members of the family showed this in their daily living by sharing goods and services with each other. The ohana, or family members, generously gave to others no matter how little they had themselves.  Strangers were greeted with aloha and invited to come in and partake of food. Anyone visiting another area took food or a gift as a symbol of hospitality. They established lokahi with the universe by observing the law of daily living, which included homage to the gods. This kind of behavior nurtured harmony in the family-lokahi in the ohana.

(During the awards and recognition portions of the program, leis are presented in addition to the badges or certificates.)

(Four blasts of the conch shell are repeated.  This time the directions change: first to the north, second to the south, third to the west, and fourth to the east. Another version is three blasts: one to the mountains, one to the land, and the third to the sea.)

This concludes our meeting. Mahalo-thank you-for your attendance. Aloha.

Luau Advancement

Preparation:

• Obtain one lei for each Cub earning advancement or receiving recognition. (There are instructions on how to construct leis in Baloo this month)
• Write the name and a Hawaiian translation name on a card for each Cub earning advancement or receiving recognition. When outsiders began visiting Hawaii, adaptations were made to “translate” non-Hawaiian names to “Hawaiian names” phonetically based on the Hawaiian alphabet and word structure. The 5 vowels a,e,i,o and u as well as the 7 consonants h,k,l,m,n,p, and w make up the entire Hawaiian alphabet. In the Hawaiian language a consonant is always followed by a vowel which means all Hawaiian words end in a vowel.
• Attach the name cards and advancement cards to a Lei for the Cub.
• Decorate a staff as a war club or staff of office.  A 5’ long pole tied with assorted paper feathers, bones, and anything you can dream up would be great. Make it colorful.

Presentation:

Akela: Imitate a Hawaiian warrior King or Queen with his staff of office moving around wildly and calling loudly O-O-Ka-lay-nay-fa-po-me. Repeat this nonsense phrase three or more times.

Stop suddenly holding perfectly still and knock three times on the floor with the bottom of your staff.  All pack leadership should respectfully come and stand behind the king facing the audience.  They form the King’s council.  The council is silent throughout but does all the presentations for the King.  They are his eyes, ears, and hands.

Wait until it is quiet and the pack leaders are ready, then using an authoritative solemn voice announce, “This Luau is being held to celebrate the achievements of our growing Cub Scout warriors.  You have each earned your warrior name.  Come forth as I call you and escort your parents to the King's council.”  Call out each Cub earning new rank.  The Cub escorts his parents to stand between the King and his council facing the audience. 

The King’s council members (den leaders) pick the prepared Leis for the Cubs in their den.  Facing the audience the king calls out the names of the cubs and announces their Hawaiian names to the audience.  Instruct all to call each Cub by his Hawaiian warrior name for the rest of the night. The king then faces his council and presents the cub by his warrior name and declares that he is worthy to be accepted into fellowship the [Rank the cub has earned.] 

The Den Leader presents the lei (which has all the awards attached to it) to the Cub Scout’s parent.  The king directs the parent to place the lei over the Cub Scout's neck.  The king explains giving someone a lei symbolizes the love, affection, and respect you have for the person you are giving the lei to.  Having a lei exchange is a beautiful way to express your love Hawaiian style. It is customary to give a kiss on the cheek when adorning someone with a lei. Tell them, "You are welcome to honor this tradition if you wish."

Palm Tree Advancement

• Make a cardboard palm tree trunk. (If you have a source, the cardboard centers from carpet rolls (that most stores discard) are excellent for this)
• Decorate with green construction paper leaves. 
• Use brown balloons for coconuts, place Bobcat, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos stickers on the balloons to designate which awards are in which balloons.
• Place the badges to be awarded inside the balloons. 
• As each group is called forward, pull down “their” coconut from the tree and pop the balloon, and release their awards.

Present awards and a cheer for each rank.

Sailing Adventures

Cubmaster (CM):  When someone wanted to be a sailor, they would learn the terminology of the ship.  They learn their knots and the rigging.

Assistant Cubmaster (CA):  When someone wants to become a Cub Scout, they must learn the basics of Scouting. When they learn the Scout Oath and Scout Law, the sign, the salute, the handshake, the meaning of Webelos, and the motto, a becomes a Bobcat. Will the Bobcat recipients please come forward with their parents?

CM:  A sailor’s knowledge of the waterways did not end with his ship.  As he traveled along the waterways, he saw many different types of ships and their uses.  His world became larger.  So too, does a Cub Scout grow.  He learns about his national flag, about his family and world, about tools, and about many other things.  It is then that he is recognized as a Wolf.  Would our Wolf Cubs and their parents please come forward?

(Present awards to parents to pin on their son)

CA:  A sailor even today has to know the methods of ship communication, whether it be flags or radio.  They need to know about radar.  A Bear needs to be more aware of his Duty to God and how to worship, more about wildlife and the environment, more about family life and more about strengthening his body. Will our Bear rank recipients and their parents please come forward?

(Present awards to parents to pin on their son)

Webelos Leader 1:  A sailor soon learns about river currents and tides.  He learns to use these to travel.  A Webelos Scout must earn several different kinds of activity badges to help prepare him for the future. Will our Webelos and their parents please come forward?

(Cubmaster presents awards to parents to pin on their son)

WL 2:         Finally, a sailor has a destination, a goal; he must know where he is and how to get where he is going.  They use landmarks along the waterways, the constellations and the North Star to guide him.  They use a compass and a sextant to chart his course.  So, too, does a Webelos Scout.  He has earned more activity badges to give him skills for the future.  They have visited troops, as they plot their course.  They have filled out a Scouts BSA application form.  They are deciding on their goals, maybe even an Eagle Scout. Will our Arrow of Light recipients and their parents come forward?

(Cubmaster presents awards to parents to pin on their son)

SCHOOL OF FISH ADVANCEMENT

Equipment: A poster board or a sheet colored blue imitating water gradually getting deeper, four different size fish made of cardboard, awards.

Setting: Cubmaster is in front of room with water behind him.

Cubmaster: The small fish starts out in shallow water (Place smallest fish in shallow water) and the first step is to learn how to maneuver in the water, just as our beginning Scout is becoming familiar with Cub Scouting. The first part of becoming a Cub Scout is that of a Bobcat. Would the following boys please come forward with their parents? (Award badges)

Wolf  Leader: As our small fish becomes stronger and larger (place the next fish further out in the water) they move further into the water finding new adventures and discovering new areas. Just as our fish is developing so is our Cub Scout. The next step is that of a Wolf. Would the following boys please come forward with their parents? (Cubmaster awards badges and/or arrows)

Bear Leader: Our fish has grown into a larger fish (place 3^rd fish further out in the water) and has moved out further into the water becoming more acquainted with the other fish and is learning to maneuver faster in the water. Just like the fish, the Cub Scout is learning and meeting more challenges and is becoming more acquainted with the pack. The next step is that of the Bear. Would the following boys please come forward with their parents? (Cubmaster awards badges and/or arrows)

Webelos Leader  Our fish has finally reached the stage where they can go into the deepest water (place largest fish in the deepest water) and has learned quite a lot about the water and what lies in it. This stage of growth is like that of the Webelos. The Webelos has matured and learned much about the pack and is ready to move on into Boy Scouting. Would the following boys please come forward with their parents? (Cubmaster awards Webelos badge and/or activity pins)

Assistant Cubmaster    Just as the fish has developed and has gone out into deeper water, we know our Cub Scouts have learned and developed as we send them on into Boy Scouting and beyond.

SHIPS! SHIPS! SHIPS! ADVANCEMENT

Arrangement:  The Cubmaster has eight large cut-outs of different kinds of ships (battleship, rowboat, canoe, frigate, submarine, etc.).

There are many kinds of ships in Cub Scouting, just as there are many ships that sail the seas.  Here are some of the ships in Cub Scouting.

WORKMAN-SHIP:  This ship is neat and clean.  When you do your best with the arts and crafts you make in den meetings, your workmanship shows.

FRIEND-SHIP:  This is one of the best ships of Cub Scouting.  You meet new boys and learn to get along with those in your den.  Would the following boys please come forward?  They are the new Bobcats in our pack.  (Present the badges.)

SPORTSMAN-SHIP:  This ship is fair and square.  At den meetings you put this into practice when you play games.  Congratulate each other often.

FLAG-SHIP:  This ship proudly carries our country’s flag.  In Cub Scouts we proudly fly our American flag at den meetings and at pack meetings.  Would the following boys please come forward?  They are the new Wolves in our pack.  (Present the badges.)

SCHOLAR-SHIP:  A very important ship in the sea of education.  In Cub Scouting you learn many new things when working on achievements.

FELLOW-SHIP:  Cub Scouts come to den meetings every week to work together, to play together and to have fun!  Would the following boys please come forward?  They are the new Bears in our pack.  (Present the badges.)

LEADER-SHIP:  Everyone wants to board this ship.  As Cub Scouts you take turns acting as denner.  This helps you practice leadership with your friends.

TOWN-SHIP:  This ship is named for (city), our hometown.  We are happy to live here with our families.  I hope you will always remember this is where you started in Cub Scouts.  Remember your leaders and your friends here.  Would the following boys please come forward?  They are the new Webelos in our pack.  (Present the badges.)

(Pointing to all the ship cut-outs)  These are the ships in Cub Scouting.  Keep your fleet sturdy and strong.  The ships you launch here in Pack ___ will sail many seas and weather many storms, and they will last your whole lifetime!

Surf Board Advancement

• This would be good when each boy is receiving a large number of awards and recognitions (e.g. rank badge, arrow points, popcorn sale participation, pinewood derby participant). 
• Each boy would receive all of his awards attached to a cardboard surf board. 

Adult leaders receiving participation patches could receive theirs on a lei, intermixed with artificial flowers.

Under the Sea

CUBMASTER: There are many treasures in the sea. Some are natural and some were left by the shipwrecks of courageous explorers who traveled the seas in search of new worlds. Tonight we have a treasure chest full of special awards earned by our Cub Scouts, who showed courage in exploring new adventures in Cub Scouting. But treasures are better when shared, so let us share these treasures with the Cub Scouts who earned them and their parents and guardians who supported them as they did what was right to earn the awards regardless of how difficult it was.

(The Cubmaster then calls the name of each Cub Scout to receive an award, and he and his parents or guardian come to the front of the room where the award is presented. The Cubmaster makes the following statements as appropriate.)

Tonight’s Bobcat rank is presented in recognition of a Scout who showed courage in taking his first steps on the Cub Scout trail. (Repeat for each Bobcat.)

Our Wolf rank is awarded to a Scout who completed all of the Wolf achievements, no matter how difficult he found them. (Repeat for each Wolf.)

Our Bear rank is presented to a Scout who traveled even farther along the adventurous Cub Scout trail. (Repeat for each Bear.)

Our Webelos rank is awarded to a Scout who earned the required activity badges, including Fitness and Citizen, showing both physical and mental determination. (Repeat for each Webelos Scout.)

Volcano Message

Materials: A volcano (large bowl wrapped in colored tissue paper), a secret message for each advancing boy (see the Wolf Cub Scout Book for secret message writing), light bulb heat source to reveal the message disguised in the volcano.

Another thought - I think I would build my volcano around the light bulb.  Then I would have the secret message revealed by having the Cubs hold the message over the heat and warmth (light bulb) of the volcano.  Perhaps have a different message for each rank.  CD

Cubmaster: (Puts the paper over the volcano and tells everyone that the light represents the spirit of Scouting and calls each boy and his parents forward and asks each boy to say what he liked best about his recent achievements, Cub Scouts, or advancement. (Choose one, don’t confuse the boys) 

Cubmaster presents parents with awards who then give awards to the boys.

The message is now readable.

Have Scouts read it aloud. It could say something like: “Way to go!”  “Congratulations on your Bear Badge!” “I knew you could do it.”

WATER FUN

Props:       Various items used in the water: (e.g. mask, snorkel, fins, ski tube, skis, etc.) and leaders wearing them

Cubmaster needs to have a fishing hat and vest available.

Have a fish tank or fish bowl and enough dowel rods with strings attached to badges in plastic sealed bags.  These are the awards for the boys. 

Cubmaster:  Water fun is something that is enjoyed by nearly everyone.  We have some special people here tonight to show you ways to have fun in the water.

#1.    Mask man  The person who does not want to get water on his face, or the person who does not want to be seen.

#2.    Snorkler     The next person thinks he/she is a shark.  They think they are a part of the great white shark family.  In fact, _______ is a card-holding member of the JAWS fan club.

#3.    Finner        This person only walks on the beach and leaves big prints in the sand.  He’s hoping you think that Bigfoot has reappeared.

#4.    Tuber         This person is someone who has always wanted to drive on water, but has not yet figured out how.

#5.    Etc. (make up your own to fit the props)

These are just a few of the items that can be used to have fun in the water.  Fishing is also very popular.  (Put on fishing hat and vest.)  In this fish tank I have caught some badges for Cub Scouts who have advanced in rank.  (Pull badges out one by one and call boy forward with his parents.)

Waterways Advancement Ceremony

Set Up – All parts are read by same person, or it could be broken up amongst Den Leaders, Assistant CM(s) and others.  No props are required but pictures illustrating the various waterways would add to the ceremony (and the words could be placed on the back of the picture). If you want to get really creative, have the CM and an Assistant dress up as Lewis and Clark and modify the text to have them telling the story of their journey. 

In 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began a journey at the request of President Thomas Jefferson to explore the west in search of a water route to the Pacific Ocean.  Much of their journey was traveled on the great waterways and rivers of North America. 

Tonight we honor others on their own journey of discovery.  Will the following Cub Scouts and their parents please come forward?  (Call forward all the Cub Scouts receiving their Tiger Cub Award.)  These Cub Scouts represent the trickles of water from melting snow and ice that are the headwaters of America’s rivers and waterways.  These Cub Scouts have earned the Tiger Cub Badge.  (Present Tiger Cub Badges)

As these trickles of water come together they form small rivulets.  As Tiger Cub Scouts grow they come together in the Wolf Den.  Would the following Cub Scouts please come forward with their parents? (Call those Cub Scouts forward that are receiving their Bobcat Badges.)  These boys represent those rivulets. Each of these Cub Scouts has earned the Bob Cat Badge.  (Present Bobcat Badges.)

As these rivulets grow and move forward in their flow, they become streams.  Would the following Cub Scouts please come forward with their parents.  (Call those boys forward that are receiving their Wolf Badges.) These boys have grown and progressed in their Scouting journey of discovery and earned the Wolf Badge. (Present Wolf Badges.)

The streams grow and join becoming the rivers that are the tributaries of the great American Waterways.  The Bear Den represents those tributaries.  Would the following Cub Scouts please come forward with their parents. (Call forward the Cub Scouts receiving the Bear Badge.)  These boys represent those tributaries in their own journey of discovery. They have earned the Bear Badge. (Present Bear Badges)

When those tributaries come together to form the great American Waterways, the journey is almost complete.  Would the following Cub Scouts please come forward with their parents? (Call forward Cub Scouts receiving the Webelos Badge.)  These boys represent Lewis and Clark’s Mississippi River.  Each of these Cub Scouts has earned the Webelos Badge. (Present the Webelos Badge.)

Would the following Cub Scouts please come forward with their parents? (Call forward the Cub Scouts that are receiving the Arrow of Light.)  The greatest Waterway in America is the Mississippi River.  This is the beginning and ending point of Lewis and Clark’s journey of discovery.  As great as the Mississippi River is, it eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico ending its journey.  Tonight these Cub Scouts are ending their journey of discovery in Cub Scouting and receiving their Arrow of Light, Cub Scouting’s highest honor.  (Start your Pack’s traditional Arrow of Light Ceremony here)

“Water Adventure” Graduation Ceremony

Note:  This may be adapted to be an advancement for any Cub Scout rank advancement

Setting: 

• Side view of a ship (USS WEBELOS) is cut from cardboard. Cubmaster, Webelos Leaders and Bear Leaders dressed as Ships Officers.
• Bear Dens are standing to the side of the ship.
• The Cubmaster and new Webelos Leader/s are standing behind the ship.

Cubmaster: (blows whistle). Bear First Mate, is your crew assembled and ready to board?

Bear Leader: Aye, aye, Sir!

Cubmaster:  Webelos First Mate, are you ready to receive your new crew?

Webelos Leader: Aye, aye, Sir!

Cubmaster to Bears: Bears, are you prepared to board the Webelos Ship and continue along the trail that will lead to the USS Arrow of Light? (Prompt boys to say “Aye, aye, Sir!”) Before boarding the Webelos Ship, would you all raise your right hands in the Cub Scout Sign and recite the Cub Scout Promise? (CM leads boys in the promise)

Welcome aboard! (Motion the Bears toward the ship) Webelos First Mates, meet the new crew of the USS WEBELOS.

(Suggestion: Cubmaster can present the new Webelos with their neckerchiefs; the Webelos Leader with his/her badge of office, or the Den flag.)

 

Audience Participation: At the Beach

Divide the audience into groups, and assign each group one of the words listed below. Have all members of the group stand up and say the appropriate phrase when their word is said during the story. Alternatively, have a leader for each word, and everyone says the appropriate phrase for each key word.

	BEACH	Shade eyes with one hand and say, “Sand, sand, everywhere!”
	CUB SCOUT	Stand, Cub salute and say, “Do Your Best!”
	SWIM	Make swimming motions with your arms while saying, “stroke, stroke.”
	WATER	“Splash, splash!”
	FOOD	“Yum, yum!”
	KIDS	“Are we there yet?”

Summertime had arrived at last. School was out and the KIDS in the Black family were all looking forward to the first trip to the BEACH. All of the chores were done and it was time to pack the car. Mother was trying to pack the FOOD in the picnic basket, but was having trouble getting the sandwiches wrapped before the KIDS could grab them. “Why don’t you KIDS go out to the car and help your father while Chad stays here to help me get the FOOD ready?” Mother suggested. As soon as the KIDS had left the kitchen, Chad, a helpful CUB SCOUT, said, “What can I do to help, Mother?” “Get some WATER and ice for the punch, Chad,” said Mother. Together Mother and her helpful CUB SCOUT managed to finish packing all the FOOD in less than 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Father had finished packing the car. “OK, KIDS, it’s time to get in the car and drive to the BEACH,” Father said. “It will take us about half an hour to drive to the BEACH, so relax and enjoy yourselves, KIDS.” When they finally arrived at the BEACH, the KIDS couldn’t wait to get in the WATER and SWIM. Chad, the ever-helpful CUB SCOUT, volunteered to watch the younger children while Mother and Father spread the picnic blanket on the BEACH and unpacked the FOOD. “Hold my hand, Jimmy,” said Chad, the watchful CUB SCOUT. “Don’t get in the WATER over your knees, because you don’t know how to SWIM. We’ll wade right here in the shallow WATER near the rocks on the BEACH.” “Lunch is ready,” called Mother. “Come and get your FOOD.”

After they had finished the delicious FOOD Mother had packed, the KIDS decided to build a sandcastle on the BEACH, near the WATER. When it was time to leave the BEACH and head for home, Chad, the helpful CUB SCOUT helped gather the toys, while their parents loaded the leftover FOOD. “Thanks for taking us to the BEACH, Mom and Dad!" chorued the KIDS. "We sure had a good time SWIMming and playing on the BEACH." "And thanks for helping us at the BEACH, Chad. We're glad to have a CUB SCOUT in the family," Mother and father told their oldest son.

Audience Participation: Fisherman’s Luck

In this audience participation, the audience will be divided into the necessary number of groups and each group will say the following lines when their name is called:

	FISHERMAN	Great day for fishing
	FISH	Bubble, Bubble
	WORM	Wiggle, Wiggle
	REEL	Everyone pretends to reel in a fish

Once there was a FISHERMAN who went FISHing on a sunny April day. He was hoping to catch a big FISH. He found a nice spot and stopped along the river. The FISHERMAN put the REEL on his rod, and a worm on his hook and started to FISH. He patiently waited and waited, but no FISH came to eat the WORM on the hook. The FISHERMAN decided to leave his hook and WORM in the water and take a little nap. He was awakened by the screeching sound of his REEL; sure enough, he had hooked into a great big FISH.

The FISHERMAN wound in the REEL and to his surprise he found a stick on the end of his hook. The WORM was gone. So the FISHERMAN put another WORM on his hook and tossed his line into the water. Again he was awakened by the sound of the REEL, this time he found a tin can on his hook. “This is getting frustrating,” he said, “I really want to catch a FISH before I run out of WORMs”.

One last time the FISHERMAN threw this line into the water and set his rod and REEL beside him. The sound of the REEL woke him once again. This time however he could not REEL in his FISH he knew for sure that his WORM was long gone. He REELed and REELed until finally, a large black fin rose out of the water. The FISHERMAN has caught a submarine.

“Riiinnnng” went the alarm clock the FISHERMAN rolled over and said “six-thirty in the morning.” The whole trip had only been a dream.

Audience Participation: In Search of Sun Screen

Divide the audience into four groups. Assign a part to each group and have them practice. As narrator, read the story, they respond to the appropriate word.

	TIMMY:	“I love to swim”
	CUB SCOUTS:	“Do your best”
	SWIM/SWIMMING	“Splash, splash, splash”
	SUN SCREEN:	“Aaaaaaaaa-Oooooooo”

The day of the summer pack meeting was hot and dry. That was good because it was to be a SWIMMING party. The CUB SCOUTS and their families were to meet at the Miller’s house at noon. TIMMY started getting ready at 9 o’clock in the morning. He loved to SWIM. He had just completed SWIMMING lessons at the local SWIMMING pool and had his card stating that TIMMY had passed Advanced Beginners. He knew all his CUB SCOUT friends would be surprised. It was just last year that TIMMY could not SWIM at all.

TIMMY found his SWIMMING suit and towel and even his flip flops without any trouble. But search as he might he could not find his SUNSCREEN. This was terrible. All the CUB SCOUTS had learned the importance of always using SUNSCREEN at one of the den meetings. TIMMY knew that he must protect his skin from the intense summer sun while he was young so that he would not get skin cancer when he got older. Also, he did not want to get a bad sunburn. One of his friends in CUB SCOUTS had fallen asleep in the sun and couldn’t sit down or lay in bed comfortably for a week!

“Where are you, SUNSCREEN?” asked TIMMY as he started looking through the house again. It was almost time for the SWIMMING party. He didn’t want to be late. That was when he found it. Way in the back of a bathroom drawer, there was the SUNSCREEN. He grabbed it but to his dismay, the tube felt very light. Oh, no! The SUNSCREEN tube was empty. TIMMY could not squeeze out even one little drop. What could he do? There was no time to go to the store before meeting the CUB SCOUTS for the SWIMMING party. And he knew he should never go SWIMMING without his SUNSCREEN.

Just then, TIMMY’s big brother Weston came bursting through the kitchen door. “What’s the matter”, he asked when he saw TIMMY sitting dejectedly in the living room? I’m all out of SUNSCREEN. I can’t go SWIMMING with the CUB SCOUTS, was the reply. “Here, you can use mine”, said Weston, tossing his little brother a new tube of SUNSCREEN. TIMMY couldn’t believe it. Just that fast was his problem solved. “Thanks, Wes!” TIMMY shouted as he headed out the door to the SWIMMING party with the CUB SCOUTS. And for a whole week, he didn’t say anything bad about his brother!

Audience Participation: Joe Makes a Splash

Divide the group into four smaller groups and assign each group one of the words listed below. Read the story pausing as each of the key words is read. When one of the words is read the group assigned to that word stands and makes the appropriate response.

	JOE	“Oh, no!”
	WATER	“Splish, splash”
	AFRAID	slap hands to side of face and say “Aaaaahhhhhhhh”
	SCOUT	“Do your Best”

JOE had a problem and he didn’t know what to do about it. JOE had been a Cub SCOUT for several years and really enjoyed all the fun activities. But now JOE was a Webelos SCOUT. Now, this does not really sound like a problem, does it? But, as a Webelos SCOUT, JOE would soon be working on his Aquanaut Adventure. This meant that JOE would need to go swimming. And JOE was AFRAID of WATER!

Now, this had not always been the case. When JOE was a little boy he was not AFRAID of WATER. He was about 5 years old when it happened. He had been playing in the backyard, splashing in the WATER in his little play pool. WATER was fun to play in. But when JOE was climbing into the WATER one time he slipped and fell. He hit his head on the slide and almost drowned. If his mother had not been close at hand, it could have been much worse. But ever since that time, JOE was AFRAID of WATER.

Now, JOE was a Webelos SCOUT. How could he tell them that he was AFRAID of WATER? How would he ever be able to earn his Aquanaut Adventure? But JOE’s SCOUT leader was both smart and understanding. He had talked to JOE’s mother and knew about the WATER problem. And he knew what to do. He found a game that could be adapted to help the other boys understand that JOE had good reason to be AFRAID of WATER. Together, the SCOUTs played a game about being AFRAID, and then talked about how they felt. JOE was able to share his feelings without being made to feel ashamed. The other SCOUTs were able to understand how it felt to be AFRAID of WATER, and they did not tease JOE.

When it was time for the Webelos SCOUTs to work on their Aquanaut, JOE’s SCOUT leader gently guided him into the WATER. This was not easy for JOE, but with time and support he was gradually able to overcome being AFRAID of WATER and finally even earned his Aquanaut Adventure. None of the SCOUTs make fun of JOE. And when it was time for JOE to receive the award, all the SCOUTs stood and cheered. They had all learned that it’s OK to be AFRAID. And how people feel is most important of all.

Audience Participation: On The Beach – A Madlib Story

Ask the audience to provide the words (2 body parts, 3 nouns, 2 verbs) to fill in the blanks in the story. Narrator reads the story, filling in the blanks with the words provided by the audience.

If you want to enjoy yourself at the beach, you should bring your _____ (plural noun). Before exposing your skin to the sun, you should put suntan oil on your
_____  (body part). Rub it on your face; then smear it all over. Be sure that it’s rubbed in thoroughly.  Then go into the saltwater and_____ (verb). When
you come out of the water, don’t dry your _____ (body part). Lie down on a(an) _____ (noun) and soak up the rays. It’s fun if you bring a (an)
_____ (noun) to play with at the beach, I like to build_____ (plural noun) with sand.  You can _____ (verb) on the beach.

Audience Participation: Robinson Crusoe’s Diary

This is a nonsense game that never fails to crack them up – the sillier, the better! Names of objects are written on slips of paper and dropped into a container. As “Mr. Crusoe” reads his diary, each “sailor” takes turns drawing from the container to fill in the blanks.

Print these phrases on slips of paper:

My field glasses	A ship	A dove	A bonfire	My tent	A goatskin	A cup of goat’s milk
All my belongings	A big tree	Dandelions	A wild goat	A strong fence	A pile of straw	The top of the hill
A table and chair	30 cannibals	A loud noise	Some gunpowder	A chest of gold	A piece of canvas

“This morning I woke up early and ate my breakfast, which consisted of _____ and _____. Afterward, I took my saw and hammer and built _____. Since I was shipwrecked and alone, I had to go hunting in the woods to see what I might have for lunch.  I forgot my gun, so I had to capture _____ with my bare hands. I also tried to catch _____ to but could not run fast enough. I went home to my cave, sat down in and ate my lunch. Since my clothes were all lost as sea, I decided to make myself something to wear.  I made a pretty neat hat from _____ and a coat out of _____.  I decided to wrap my feet in _____.  Suddenly, I heard a _____ and rushed out and climbed into _____.  I looked through _____ just in case I might see _____. I didn’t but there on the beach, I saw _____ dancing in wild glee around _____. Running up the trail toward my hideout was _____ crying out and looking very frightened.  I hid the poor thing behind _____. I then found my gun, loaded it with _____ and stood guard over _____. When it seemed safe, I got busy and built _____ all around _____. Then I finally lay down in my comfortable bed, made of _____, and slept soundly.”

Audience Participation: Water

Narrator reads story. When audience hears a “water” word, they do a wave, like at sporting events.

One upon a time, there lived a poor merchant from Botany Bay. He sailed across the Seas to distant lands. He traveled with his dog, Bruno. During Ocean voyages, he missed his family.

On one of these Sea journeys, the poor merchant traveled to the island of Catomania. He heard a loud caterwaul as he entered the Bay. The island had a terrible problem. Too many cats! The king begged him to help. The poor merchant let loose his trusty Bruno. Bruno chased the cats on board the ship in the Bay.
The poor merchant quickly set sail for the high Seas, with a shipload of cats. At the next port, the island of Micea, he found another island with a problem. They had never seen a cat before. The island was run over with seagulls. There was practically not a place to land his ship because the gulls covered the Water’s edge. He was able to sell all of the cats to the inhabitants of Micea. The cats who were hungry after the long Ocean journey, gobbled up all of the gulls but two who flew to the topmast of the poor merchant’s ship in the BAY.

The merchant sailed for many days in the Ocean. When he reached America, he brought out his caravan of camels. They pulled his ship right to the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque. He found the pioneers wrestling with a plague of locusts. The quick-thinking merchant threw a stone at the giant gulls. They swooped down and hungrily devoured the locusts. The pioneers who were still settling in, didn’t have much to trade, so he let his camels have a drink from the River and was on his way again.

The next stop was an island called Waterworld. There was so much Water, the islanders had a hard time eating, sleeping, working or playing. The camels smelled the Water as soon as they made port and stampeded. Soon, the excess Water was gone. The islanders thanked the merchant by presenting him with a cargo hold full of umbrellas. They wouldn’t be needing them anymore.

When the merchant arrived home, his family Rained tears of joy. The tears poured for days and days. The wise merchant who knew it never Rains but it pours, sold the cargo hold of umbrellas to the good citizens, and became the now rich merchant from Botany Bay.
from the team’s container to its cup. The first team that can fill their cup to the line is the winner.

Backyard Pool Cheer: Don't stand up for this cheer.  Lean back in your floating pool chair, take sip of your tall cool drink and say "Ahh, this is the life."

Beach Cheer: Divide the audience into three groups.  When you point to group one, they yell "Sand!"  When you point to group two, they yell, "Surf!"  When you point to group three, they yell, "Sun!"

Big Rain Applause: Start tapping one finger from each hand.  Build quickly one finger at a time until you are clapping both hands.  Then reverse and have storm fade away.

Big swimmer’s Cheer: Swing arms all around, “splash, splash, splash!”

Caught Fish Cheer: Hold out left hand, palm up, and make flopping, gasping motions with the right hand on the palm of the left hand.

Clam Cheer: Fold hands together, interlocking fingers. Make noise by pressing palms together.

Clam Clap Cheer: Ask everyone to roll up their sleeves in preparation for this strenuous applause. Double up your fists with your left arm in front of your face and right arm over-head. Then silently open and close your right fist.

Deep Sea Diver Applause: “Blubb, Blubb, Blubb”.

Deep Sea Diver Cheer: Pretend to put on your diving suit, adjust your helmet, pretend to close face  door, and screw the locks in place. Then pretend to jump into the water by jumping one step ahead, pretend to be sinking to the ocean floor, mumbling, "BLUG, BLUG, BLUG!!!" VARIATION: Add the following when you reach the "bottom": walk around very stiffly in a circle, then slowly bend over and pick up something and yell: "I found the TREASURE! I found the TREASURE."

Diver’s Cheer: Same idea as Surfboarders Cheer, but jump off and say “Kersplash.” “Perfect!”

Dog-paddle Cheer: Paw air with hands, kick feet, “bark, bark, bark!”

Fish Cheer: Say “how, how, how, flop, flop, flop” while making flip flop motion with hands.

Fish Yell: Open and close mouth several times without making any sounds.

Fish Cheer: Pucker up lips like you are going to kiss and make kissing sound.

Fisherman Cheer:  Pretend to reel out some line, let it drift, yank your pretend pole back and start to reel in the fish. Struggle with it for a short time and say: "I'VE GOT IT!!! I'VE GOT IT!!!"

Guppy Cheer: Suck in both sides of your mouth and make a kissing noise three times.

Hot Feet Cheer: Pretend to take off your flip flops, jog in place "across the sand" while saying, "Hot, hot, hot!"

Hula Cheer: Hula to one side, then the other, using hips and arms.

Jaws (Shark) Cheer: Chomp, Chomp, Chomp.

Jaws Cheer 2: Hold arms to cover face (Hands holding elbows) yell "AAAAAH, HELP!"

Life Guard Cheer: Pinch nose with one hand, other arm is straight up, “I’m coming!”

Little Swimmer’s Cheer:  Raise hands up but not arms, “splash, splash, splash!” 

Rainstorm Applause: Start by gently patting knees alternately to simulate light rain falling.  Increase the noise by switching to hand clapping as the storm reaches its height.  With a hand signal, have everyone shout “Boom!” to represent thunder.  Gradually decrease the hand clapping and then pat the knees as the storm subsides.

Motor Boat Cheer: Pull on starter cord a few times while fluttering tongue on roof of mouth.  Then start the sound of a motor boat.

Motorboat Applause: Flutter tongue on roof of mouth.

Ocean Applause: Best done with a large group; have first row sway from side to side; second row swaying in opposite direction; third row same as first, etc. Then have them add sound effect: SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!!

Popeye Cheer: Divide audience into two parts:

1st group: Where's my spinach! Where's my spinach!

2nd group: Toot, toot! You're Popeye the sailor man! Here's your spinach!

1st group: Well, blow me down, I love my spinach

2nd group: Toot, toot! You're Popeye the sailor man!

Seal Applause: Extend your arm straight out in front of you and clap with stiff arms while saying, “‘Arf, arf, arf, arf

Shark Cheer: One elbow up like a fin, “dum, dum, ta, dum!”

Steamboat Cheer: Get group repeating "Chug-a- chug-chug. Then, reach up with your right hand and pull down. Audience responds with "Toot, "Toot."

Surfer Cheer: Pretend to stand on a surf board with your arms to the side to keep balance. Say, "Hang 10."

Surfboarders Cheer: Pretend to be riding a surfboard, run it onto the beach, jump off, spread arms wide, say “Success!”

Swimmer's Belly Cheer: Put both hands out in front of you and slap your hands together once. Look both ways and say,
"Where's the water, where's the water."

Swimming Cheer: Pretend to swim using the breaststroke, clap hands together as you put your arms forward.

Undersea Applause: Hold your nose, bend your knees, and then pretend to sink underwater, saying "Glub, glub, glub."

Water Balloon Relay Applause: Divide the audience in half.  The first half acts out the water balloon applause above.  Following “Splat” the other half of the audience yells “I’m ALL WET!”

Water Balloon Applause: Leader tells everyone to pick up their water balloon, balance it as it wobbles in their hands, then rear back and throw.  Wait a second then everyone yells “SPLAT!”

Wave Cheer: Start with one side and let the wave go around the room twice.

Waves of Sound Applause: Add on sound to the Wave: Leader indicates the soft start, building to a loud noise, then decreasing back down as the wave travels across the room.

Closing Ceremony: Aloha

Personnel: 6 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Poster or cards with A-L-O-H-A printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one of the parts and after the last one is read, all Cub Scouts shout “Aloha.” Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	A – We came together and had our fun. It seems as though we’d just begun.
#2:	L – We sang and danced and played some games. And had some fun with Hawaiian names.
#3:	O – We ate new foods and learned how Hawaiian children play and shout.
#4:	H – We dressed in grass skirts we had made. It was so fun we wish we could stay.
#5:	A – But now the time has come to say, “Aloha until another day!”
All:	“ALOHA!”

Closing Ceremony: Aloha Closing

Personnel: 5 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Cards with A-L-O-H-A printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one of the parts. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	A – As we prepare to leave you tonight,
#2:	L – Let the Scouting Spirit burn within us bright.
#3:	O – Our pledge is to always do our best.
#4:	H – Hawaiian dreams will ease our Rest
#5:	A – Aloha means hello, and also goodbye.

Closing Ceremony: Conservation

Personnel: Cubmaster
Equipment: Picture of a local or famous waterway (e.g. Mississippi, Hudson, or Delaware River or one of the Great Lakes)

The Waterways of the USA are great and beautiful. The Waterways and the rest of America are ours to enjoy. Surely we want to preserve it for the thousands of Cub Scouts who will come after us. Let us close our meeting by standing and repeating in unison a pledge that will remind us to conserve our H2Ohhh! And waterways and other wonderful parts of our country for those who follow us. (Repeat the Outdoor Code.)

Closing Ceremony: Making Waves Closing

Personnel: Cubmaster (CM) and assistant Cubmaster (CA) or den leader, several Cub Scouts
Equipment: gear (e.g., face masks, snorkel gear, a plastic float tube, a body board or surf board, or kayak carried by several Cub Scouts
Use a blue sheet or large piece of fabric or paper for a “sky” backdrop. Now cut out or paint a large half-circle of orange and place it at the bottom of the sky, to make your setting sun. Make a series of waves – you can cut a row of waves out of cardboard by connecting this kind of shape. Have the Cub Scouts paint each row using a variety of blues, greens and whites. http://www.tutorialdash.com/imageuploads/7a484769ccae674b6c5e6317126739e 1.gif
To make your waves look more authentic, give each Cub Scout a paper plate with several drops of various blue/green/gray/white colors – instead of mixing the paint, just sweep the brush through all the colors and let the colors get mixed only as it happens on the wave. After the paint is dried, use a sponge lightly dipped in white to put the finishing touches on the crest, or whitecap. Even if you have used the exact same pattern for all your rows of waves, the varied colors and placing each row slightly offset from the one in front and back will make your waves look good. The setting sun can just be going “into the waves.”
Instructions: Cub Scouts can enter the “scene” from the sides wearing various gear as if they were just emerging from the water. Each Cub Scout can talk about some way that Scouts can “make waves” by doing service. Use projects that your unit has done, or share some of the ideas on the Good Turn for America website. www.goodturnforamerica.org.
After several ideas have been shared, all the Cub Scouts line up. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable with presenting. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

CM:	Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts have really been making waves – getting out in the community and giving service. We’d like to share some experiences.
CA:	As you can see, today’s Scouts are following in the tradition of that unknown Scout who so impressed William Boyce – the founding of Boy Scouts of America was a direct result of an English Scout who showed him the way through thick London fog and refused payment. He told Boyce that it was their  “Good Turn for the Day!” We hope that each of you will follow that example and always be ready to serve!
All:	“Make some waves – Do a Good Turn!”

Closing Ceremony: Net Closing

Form a net by clasping hands in any crisscross design making sure everyone is caught in the net (part of the net). Cub Scouts shake each other’s hand that they are holding and say “Do Your Best.”

Closing Ceremony: Nature and The Good Visitor

Personnel: 4 Cub Scouts, Cubmaster or den leader
Equpment: Printed script for each Scout
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

CM:	Our pack meeting tonight brought us all together to think about the waterways near our town and the outdoor opportunities they provide. We can enjoy the waterways and the great outdoors but we must think of others who will follow us. Wherever you go in the great wide world of nature, try to be a "good" visitor who will leave the plants and the creatures for others to enjoy after you leave.
#1:	The only shots I took were snapshots.
#2:	I tried to walk on pathways to keep off plants.
#3:	When I see animals or birds, I try to remember that I am a guest in their living place and I don't do anything to them but look at them.
#4:	The one big thing I always do when I am ready to go home is to look and see that all fires are out in nature's backyard.
CM:	With Cubs Scouts and Webelos Scouts like you to help keep our friends on the ball, I'm sure that the beauties of nature will be around for years to come. Thanks, Cub Scouts, Good night.

Closing Ceremony: Pebbles

Personnel: Cubmaster, Cub Scouts (enough to make a circle around the pool)
Equpment: Small wading pool filled with water, pool candle meant for floating (purchase at a pool supply store)
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 
Setting: Make a circle around the wading pool

Cubmaster: Have you ever taken pebbles and thrown them in a quiet stream or lake? If you have, you probably noticed that each wave started by each pebble was influenced by the waves started by other pebbles. Through the ideals of Scouting, the things we do, the friends we make, we can have great influence for good on those with whom we associate (Cubmaster carefully lights a candle and gently places it in the pool. They let everyone stand silent for a minute or two then leads them in the Cub Scout benediction). May the Spirit of Cub Scouting, be with you and me, Until we meet again.

Closing Ceremony: Three Important Things

Personnel: 4 Cub Scouts
Equpment: Cub Scout badge, Cub Scout Handbook, candle, printed script for each Scout
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	To the sailor, three things were essential -compass, sextant, and a flag to tell which way the wind blew.
#2:	To Cub Scouts, these three things are important - (show items) a badge, a handbook, and a candle.
#3:	The badge tells who you are and where you are going, the handbook tells how to get where you are going, and the candle is a symbol of the light of Scouting.
#4:	It is a light that must be kept burning in the heart of every Cub Scout.

Closing Ceremony: Transportation of Smiles

Personnel: 8 Cub Scouts
Equpment: Poster or cards with S-M-I-L-E-S printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back, 2 tug boat pictures for Cub Scout #1 and #8
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	Something that should be transported every day, is a smile from one another as we hurry on our way,
#2:	While carrying SMILES we’re transporting a valuable treasure
#3:	For the value of transporting a smile to others we can’t even measure.
#4:	That smile we give from the heart can lighten someone’s load,
#5:	Making brighter their day as they travels down life’s road.
#6:	So, carry a smile with you wherever you go
#7:	And transport to others a friendly glow.
#8:	It only takes a mile with curves at beginning and end to give others smiles and win for us a friend.

Closing Ceremony: Water Fun Closing

Personnel: 7 Cub Scouts (parts can be combined)
Equipment: Printed script for each Scout
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	Well, we sure had fun getting you wet.
#2:	We had the best time ever yet.
#3:	Thanks for joining us in the sand -
#4:	And the water fun was, oh, so grand.
#5:	Now we need to end this lovely rhyme,
#6:	Come and join us again next time!

Quotations

Quotations contain the wisdom of the ages and are a great source of inspiration for Cubmaster Minutes, material for an advancement ceremony or an insightful addition to a pack meeting program cover

• We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
• A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. William Wordsworth
• A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. Henry David Thoreau
• The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out. Annie Dillard
• The true peace of God begins at any spot a thousand miles from the nearest land. Joseph Conrad
• Never a ship sails out of the bay, But carries my heart as a stowaway. Roselle Mercier Montgomery, The Stowaway
• I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man. Henry David Thoreau
• The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. Isak Dinesen
• Filthy water cannot be washed. African Proverb
• Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war. Loren Eiseley
• For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
  It's always our self we find in the sea. E.E. Cummings
• Most of us, I suppose, are a little nervous of the sea. No matter what its smiles may be, we doubt its friendship. H.M. Tomlinson
• The only cure for seasickness is to sit on the shady side of an old brick church in the country. Author Unknown
• Though inland far we be,
  Our souls have sight of that immortal sea
  Which brought us hither. William Wordsworth, Intimations of Immortality
• Ocean: A body of water occupying two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills. Ambrose Bierce
• The sea has never been friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness. Joseph Conrad
• Praise the sea; on shore remain. John Florio
• Rivers are roads which move, and which carry us whither we desire to go. Blaise Pascal
• The great sea makes one a great sceptic. Richard Jefferies
• And thou, vast ocean! on whose awful face
  Time's iron feet can print no ruin-trace. Robert Montgomery, The Omnipresence of the Deity
• Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. Robert Henri
• I hate to be near the sea, and to hear it raging and roaring like a wild beast in its den. It puts me in mind of the everlasting efforts of the human mind, struggling to be free and ending just where it began. William Hazlitt
• There is nothing so desperately monotonous as the sea, and I no longer wonder at the cruelty of pirates. James Russell Lowell
• The lakes are something which you are unprepared for; they lie up so high, exposed to the light, and the forest is diminished to a fine fringe on their edges, with here and there a blue mountain, like amethyst jewels set around some jewel of the first water, - so anterior, so superior, to all the changes that are to take place on their shores, even now civil and refined, and fair as they can ever be. Henry David Thoreau
• Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans. Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997)
• Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a pre-requisite to the realization of all other human rights. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, Environment News Service.
• Clean water is not an expenditure of Federal funds; clean water is an investment in the future of our country. Bud Shuster, U.S. Representative, quoted in The Washington Post, 1/9/87.
• Rivers are roads which move, and which carry us whither we desire to go. Blaise Pascal
• But we have not used our waters well. Major rivers are defiled by noxious debris. Pollutants from cities and industries kill the fish in our streams. Many waterways are covered with oil slicks and contain growths of algae that destroy productive life and make the water unfit for recreation. Lyndon B. Johnson
• No one has the right to us America's rivers and America's Waterways that belong to all the people as a sewer. The banks of a river belong to one man or one industry or one State, but the waters which flow between the banks should belong to all the people. Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965 Clean Water Act.
• My soul is full of longing For the secret of the Sea.
  And the heart of the great ocean
  Sends a thrilling pulse through me. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book – a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day. Mark Twain
• A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself. Laura Gilpin.
• Let the rain kiss you.
  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
  The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk, The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
  The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night – And I love the rain. Langston Hughes
• Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. John Updike.
• The seashore is a sort of neutral ground, a most advantageious point from which to contemplate the end of the world... There is naked Nature, inhumanly sincere, wasting no thought on man, nibbling at the cliffy shore where gulls wheel amid the spray. Henry David Thoreau
• Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll! Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain; Man marks the earth with ruin – his control Stops with the shore. Lord Byron
• The frog does not drink up the pond in which they live. American Indian proverb.
   

Cubmaster Minute: Candle

Throughout our meeting this evening, this candle, which represents the spirit of Cub Scouting, has burned. Look steadily at it for a moment.  (Pause)  Now close your eyes.  The image remains with you.  Now open your eyes.  We will blow out the light. As the image of the light remained in our memory, so will the spirit of Cub Scouting stay with us. The evening of fun and good Cub Scouting will not soon be forgotten.

Cubmaster Minute: Captain of All Scouts

Now may the great Captain of all Scouts
Who created the seas and all things that live therein
And Who gave us dominion over them
Be with us till we meet again.

Cubmaster Minute: Hawaiian Themed: Hui Hou

Why do I say A hui hou to the Cub Scouts in the pack?
It’s a salutation and a way to say goodbye in a positive way. A hui hou. Let’s all say it together. (Pause while everyone says it.)
And what does it mean? ‘Till we meet again. A hui hou, Cub Scouts. I like saying good night this way because I look forward to seeing you all next time.

Cubmaster Minute: Life is Like a River

As we go through life, let us be ever reminded that life is like a river rushing to the sea, flowing sometimes slow, sometimes fast and yet able to go in different directions. As the water flows, it may stumble but yet continue to flow until it eventually finds its way again. The water may run clear and clean or dark and dirty. And so it is in life, except you are given the choice to choose which direction you will go. Choose wisely.

Cubmaster Minute: Make a Few Waves

When fog prevents a small-boat sailor from seeing the buoy marking the course they want, they turn their boat rapidly in small circles, knowing that the waves they make will rock the buoy in the vicinity. Then they stop, listen and repeat the procedure until they hear the buoy clang. By making waves, they find where their course lies. Often the price of finding these guides is a willingness to take a few risks, to “make a few waves.” A boat which always stays in the harbor never encounters danger, but it also never gets anywhere. I challenge each of you to make waves and diligently seek your goals in life. Set your sails for new and exciting horizons.

Cubmaster Minute: Mutiny

Mutiny is a word we hear connected with pirates on the waterways. It is the act of insurrection or a refusal to obey the authority of the captain of the ship. It is often the cause of a disastrous end to all involved.

As Cub Scouts, our promise to obey the Scout Oath and Scout Law can only lead to a better life as a good citizen of this great country of ours. Let us not be mutineers, but strong supporters of Scouting.

Cubmaster Minute: Remember to be Grateful

In this area, everything we do affects the Galveston Bay and its wildlife. We should remember that we have a lot to be grateful for. Not only Texas’ natural resources, but also our families, friends, and neighbors. Please remember this as we leave here tonight and we'll all be in a better world.

Cubmaster Minute: Togetherness Closing Thought

Summer is a good time for the family to do many thing together and enjoy the beauty about them. A family that shares a lot of experiences is one that will always be a "together" family, even in later years when you are miles apart. Think about it! There's no better feeling than that of belonging. I am happy to see so many here tonight taking advantage of this summer pack meeting. Good night and see you next month.

Cubmaster Minute: Water

"We've had plenty of fun with water tonight, but as we leave, let's take a moment to remember what a precious resource water is, especially in the heat of the summer. We play in it, we bathe in it, and we drink it. We eat the fish that live in it. We use water to irrigate our crops and our lawns. Without water, our earth would be as lifeless as the moon. Let's all do our best this month to help conserve this great natural resource. 

Cubmaster Minute: Wave Upon Wave

We all know that it’s lots of fun to play in the waves. But we have also learned that there is a lot of energy in every wave – and that energy can be destructive. Cub Scouts are like that too! So, this next month, remember that each of us has a lot of energy. And lots of power is available to us, especially when we band together as families or Scouts. Let’s commit now to use our energy and power to be constructive – to Make Waves in a positive Way.

Cubmaster Minute: Work While You Work

Tonight, we’ve had a lot of fun at our “H2Ohhhh!” pack meeting. Here’s a thought to take home with you. Work while you work, play while you play; One thing at a time, that is the way. All that you do, do with all your might; Things done halfway are not done right. Now Cub Scouts, go out and do your best!

Cubmaster Minute: Traditional Blue and Gold

Equipment: One candle for each den’s table
Arrangement: Have the single candle on each den table lit and all house lights out.

Cubmaster:	Cub Scouting is a part of family life in sixty countries around the world. In all these free countries, on an evening such as this, Cub Scouts are joining in a grand howl and repeating the Cub Scout motto. What is the Cub Scout motto?
Cub Scouts:	Do your best!
Cubmaster:	As we face each other around our blue and gold tables, let us look at the candle’s flame and silently thank God for the Cub Scout friendships we are privileged to enjoy. Now, join me in rededicating ourselves to our Scout Oath. (All make the Cub Scout sign and repeat the Scout Oath.) I would like to thank everyone for their assistance and participation tonight. And now, may the Greater Master of all Scouts be with you until we meet again.

 

​

Den & Pack Activities:

 

Games: Bailing Out the Ship

Divide den into two teams. Each team has a container of water at the starting line, one spoon, and an empty cup. The cup has a line marked about one-inch from the bottom. Place it about 20 feet away. Each player takes turns carrying a spoonful of water

Games: Bait Casting

Use a fishing pole with reel and a two-inch piece of dowel or broomstick at the end of the line as a lure. Mark four or five targets, each about three feet in diameter and about 10 feet apart. Give each player two casts per target. Score one point for each hit.

Games: Balloon Bombs

Players stand in a circle, an arm’s length apart. Start passing water balloons quickly around the circle (You may have to toss them). If a balloon breaks, the last person who touched it has to sit down, and pay continues over their head. The last person standing wins.

Games: Balloon Toss

Have everyone stand around a sheet and hold onto the edge. A bunch of water balloons in the center of the sheet are repeatedly tossed up and then caught in the sheet. The object of the game is to see how long you can keep them bouncing before they all break or fall on the ground.

Games: Balloon Bust Relay

Divide the group into an appropriate number of relay teams. A member of each team runs to a chair, puts a water balloon on it, and sits on the balloon until it breaks. Then they run back to their team and the next one in line goes.

Games: Beachless Beach Party

You may want to combine this with a Raingutter Regatta and/or family picnic.
Preparation: Have two or more beaches, depending on the size of your group. For the pack meeting, each den can have a beach – part of the decorations can be done at the den meetings. If this beach party is for the den only, each family can have a beach, or combine families. Name the beaches like Palm Beach, Santa Cruz Beach, Waikiki Beach, etc.
Have each den decorate its beach – they should use their imaginations. They could choose a theme for their beach, such as palm leaves for Palm Beach. Arrange some chairs, umbrellas. If the meeting is held outside, add benches and picnic tables.
At your planning meeting have dens and leaders and whoever wants) pick games to run on the day of the event. Some ideas for games for a Beachless Beach Party are –

• Swimming Race: One player from each beach. Each player should have before him a deep pie pan filled to the brim with water, with four or five Lifesavers at the bottom. They must get these candy pieces out with their mouth. Their hands must be behind them.
• High Dive: One player from each beach. Each is provided with a pitcher of water. On the floor at their feet is an empty tumbler. The player has to stand and try to fill the tumbler. The player who gets the most water into the tumbler wins. In case of a tie, time is taken into consideration.
• A Clam Dig: This is a team game. A box of sand will be necessary. Hide 10 small clams (or other) shells or peanuts in the sand for each team. Give each team a spoon and a bowl. Give a signal to go, first player runs across the room to the sand pile, digs out one clam (or peanut), puts it in their team’s bowl, and returns. The next player does the same. Keep going until all ten are found.
• Sailboat Race: Stretch as many strings across the room as you have teams. On each string, place a paper cone. Each player is to blow their boat from one end of the string to the other end. They then push the cone back with their hand to the starting point for the next player. The game proceeds in a relay fashion.
• Snorkel Race: You will need a pair of old swimming flippers for each team. If you can’t find them, use pairs of large size shoes and limit the race to children. Set a turning point at a short distance for each team. Run the course in a relay fashion.
• Backyard Water Frolic: Have a den backyard water day. Include parents and siblings. Make sure children bring swimsuits or changes of clothes, and towels. Set up one area in the backyard for a water war, one for sprinklers and hoses, and one for a water slide. For the water war, you’ll need squirt guns, basters, squirt bottles, plastic pails, and sponges. Set up the hose and sprinkler in another area. If possible, poke holes in an old garden hose so there are lots of sprays to run through. Make a slippery water slide by cutting several large plastic garbage bags open to form long rectangles and taping them together with waterproof tape. Place the “slide” on the lawn, preferably on a gentle incline. Set a hose at one end to create a rush of water. Let the kids start off with a water war. Divide them into teams. At the signal “Go!” they can squirt the water guns, throw the sponges, or even haul around the pails full of water to get their opponents soaking wet. Include parents–Children will love soaking adults. (Of course you soak them too.) Caution children to avoid squirting in the face. Let the kids give the water slide a try. To prevent long lines at the slide, divide the kids into teams and have one team play in the sprinkler and the other on the slide. Switch after a time. For a snack, serve watermelon. Can they guess how many seeds are in it? Have a watermelon seed spitting contest–see who can spit the furthest or most accurately. By the end of the snack, kids will be sticky–they can run through the sprinkler again.

Games: Beat It Ball

Gather as many softballs as you can to play this wild game. Divide into 2 teams. Make a line down the middle of a swimming pool with a rope or string of floats. Put half the balls on each side of the line. Choose a timekeeper.  On “Go!” players throw as many balls as they can to the other side. After three minutes the timekeeper yes “Stop!” Whichever team has the fewest number of balls on their side wins.

Games: Blub, Blub, Blub

Cub Scouts sit in a circle or semi-circle. The leader walks in front of the players and suddenly points at one of them and says, “blub. blub, blub.” The person pointed to must say, “blub,” before the leader has finished the third  “blub.” If they fail, a point is counted against him. If the leader points but doesn’t say anything, the Cub Scout must not say anything either. If they do say, “blub,” a point is counted against them. The Cub Scout with the fewest points against them at the end of the allotted time is the winner.
Maybe you could play this with a Cub Scout doing the pointing, then after a set period of time, the Cub Scout with the fewest points becomes the next pointer.

Games: Boat Race

With a stick for each team, relay teams push an object around two markers and back home. The harder the object is to control, the better. Use spoons, balls, balloons, or lemons or potatoes (they don’t roll straight). As a variation, pretend you are the wind and blow the boat around the course.

Games: Candle Race

This is a fun game for swimmers and non-swimmers. Play in chest-deep water. Players line up side-by-side in the water about an arm’s length apart, all facing the goal line. Adult leaders (only) will hand each player a small, lit candle. On signal, all swim or walk at once toward the goal, carrying the lighted candle. The object of the game is to complete the race first and keep the candle lit. The player is disqualified if their candle becomes extinguished, except if another player splashes it and extinguishes it, in which case that player is out. Leaders should apply drip guards at the base of each candle to avoid getting wax drippings onto hands or into the water. Afterward, leaders safely handle and extinguish the candles.

Games: Catch or Splash

Fill a bunch of water balloons and choose someone to be the tosser. The tosser stands about 10 feet in front of the rest of the players. They toss a balloon to the players and shouts out a number between 1 and 5. The player who catches the balloon wins that many points. If a player breaks the balloon, they lose that many points. The first player to 10 wins.

Games: Caught by the Wave

This is a variation on Tag – and one person is “It” The “Wave” is a wet sponge, which must be used to tag the other players. There won’t be any doubt about who got “caught by the wave” – they’ll have a big, wet spot!

Games: Clap and Splat

Toss a water balloon straight up, and see how many times you can clap before catching it. Take turns. If you drop the balloon and it doesn’t break, you get to go again. If the balloon breaks, you’re out. The person who can clap the most times and make a successful catch wins.

Games: Colors

Determine the boundaries. Begin at one end, where the player who is “It” stands. The safe zone is at the other end. “It” stands facing away from the water, on the shore. The other players stand in the water or tread water in a line close to “It.” Each of the players in the water thinks of a color and whispers it to a neighbor who is on the honor system and keeps it secret. Don’t let “It” hear the color. “It” starts by calling out colors: “Red, blue, turquoise...” Those in the water listen for their colors, and when they hear theirs, they have to swim quickly out to the safe zone. As soon as “It” hears someone move in the water, they turn around, jumps in and tries to catch the fleeing player or players. If a player is caught before reaching the safe zone, that player becomes “It.” Instead of colors, try cars, baseball teams, animals, etc.

Games: Crab Race

This activity requires a hula-hoop for each group of four Cub Scouts. Have each group of four climb inside a hula-hoop, back to back. The teams must then race to a finish line. The Cub Scouts must keep their hands outside the hula-hoop while they race, holding it up only with their bodies.

Games: Crossing the River

With stones or stakes, mark out a ‘river’ 10 ft. wide. Divide the den into two teams and have both teams on one side of the river. The den leader or den chief puts the ball in play by throwing it high into the air. Whoever catches it before it touches the ground shares its magic properties and is able to walk across the river. From the other side, they throw the ball over to one of their own team while the others try to intercept the ball and gain passage across the river. Anyone stepping into the river in the excitement of the game loses a life. When they have lost three lives, they are considered drowned and is out of the game. The team that gets its members safely across first is the winning team.

Games: Dodge Ball

Play in waist to chest-deep water. Divide players into two teams. One team forms a large circle, and the other team gets inside. The circle players try to hit their opponents with a beach ball or soft foam or rubber ball. Score one point for each hit. The inside players are allowed to swim in any direction or go under water to avoid being hit, but cannot leave the circle. Outside players cannot advance forward to hit a player. At the end of a specified time, teams change places.

Games: Dribble, Dribble, Drench…

This is a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose. “It” goes around the outside of the circle with a plastic cup or pitcher of water. Whenever they say “Dribble,” they just dribble a little water on the head of the other player. But when they say “Drench” – well, you know what happens!

Games: A Drop at a Time

Equipment: Two buckets or tubs and a turkey baster for each team.
Directions: Each team starts with a full bucket of water and an empty bucket at the finish line. Each person in the team takes a turn sucking water out of the full bucket, racing to the finish line, and transferring as much water as they can out of the turkey baster. The winning team is the one that empties their bucket first. You can also use those “Water bombs” or sponges instead of a baster.

Drowning River Object: To be the player that stays out of the stream. Materials: 2 sticks to mark the banks of the stream
How to play: Position the sticks about a foot apart. These become the banks of  the “Drowning River.” Players agree beforehand whether or not to allow running jumps. Each player then takes a turn leaping over “the stream.” Eliminate players who do not successfully make the jump and fall into the stream.

After all the players jump, move the sticks farther apart to widen the banks. Again, any players who fail in their jumps are out. Continue to widen the banks after each round of jumps – the winning player stays out of the stream.

Games: Duck, Duck, Squirt

All the players sit in a circle, except for the one who is “it.” They must walk around the circle tapping players and saying “Duck, Duck, Duck...” Instead of saying “Goose,” they squirt a water gun at a sitting player, who then jumps up and begins the chase. The wet player chases the “it” and tries to tag him before they get to the wet player’s place. Alternatively,” it” can drip water from a sponge, and say “Drip, drip, drop.”

Games: Duck Tag

This tag game is fun for even the non-swimmers because it does not require special skills and can help them feel comfortable in the water. Play in water no higher than waist deep and in an area with a level bottom. Play like regular tag, except that a player is safe if they duck completely underwater when “it” tries to tag him. A player does not have to stay underwater more than two seconds, and then can safely come up without being tagged. “It” must go after someone else when their quarry ducks underwater.

Games: Earth, Water, Air and Fire

Equipment: 1 bean bag
Formation: circle
The pack or den sits in a circle with one Cub Scout in the center holding the bean bag.
The Cub Scout in the center throws the bag at someone and shouts ‘Earth!’, ‘Water!’, ‘Air!’ or ‘Fire!’.
If it is ‘Earth’, the chosen Cub Scout must reply with the name of an animal, before the center Cub Scout counts to ten. If it is ‘Water!’, they must think of a fish. If ‘Air!’ – a bird and if ‘Fire’ – whistle for the Fire Engine.

Note: Once a creature has been named, it may not be called again. If the Cub Scout cannot reply in time, they change places with the thrower.

Games: Eel Race

Choose teams of four. Everyone gets down on hands and knees and the teams line up behind their leader. The second member grasps the leader by their ankles, and the player behind him grabs hold of their ankles, etc. When the starting signal is given the eel’s race across the room, turn around and return to the starting point without breaking the hand and ankle hold.

Games: “Fifty Yard” Swim

Each Cub Scout hops on one foot carrying a paper cup of water. First one over the finish line with the most water in their cup wins. Use a distance that fits your den.

Games: Fireman’s Game

String a 1-gallon milk jug between trees.
Cub Scouts use garden hoses to try to move jug to opponent’s trees.

Games: Fish Gobbler

You will need a big area where all the children can spread out. When the caller (known as the Fish Gobbler) shouts, “Ship,” all the children run towards the wall to which they point. On the shout “Shore,” they quickly change directions and run toward the opposite wall. On the signal “Fish Gobbler,” the kids quickly drop to the floor on their stomachs and link arms, legs, or bodies together with one or more friends. The Fish Gobbler moves around the room with arms outstretched like a big bird swimming toward the other players not touching them. The children are all “safe” as long as they are all physically linked together. Once the Fish Gobbler sees that everyone is linked to someone else, the signal “Rescue” is called. At this moment all the children jump to their feet, joining hands, and yell “Yah,” raising their joined hands over their heads. The game ends when the children are ready to move on to another game. Other calls could be added, such as “Sardines” (everyone runs to a central point to make the tightest group possible by either lying on the floor or forming a giant standing hug); “Fishermen All” (everyone sits on someone else’s knee or knees).

This game can be adopted for playing in a swimming pool. Instead of running to the wall, they can swim to the wall, and join hands and legs while trying to float on the water.

Games: Fishing Derby

You will need magnet on a string, metal washers of different sizes and colors for different values. Draw a large circle on the floor. In this circle scatter metal washers. Divide players into equal-sized teams – two or more. One player from each team wears a blindfold, is given a magnet on a string and directed by their team. On signal, the blindfolded players are directed into the circle by their team who try to get them to “catch” one of the more highly valued washers. They return to their team with the washer. Another player is blindfolded and takes their turn. This continues until all have had a turn. The winner is the team with the highest point count as determined by the washers they “caught.”

Games: Fishing Game

This is probably too simple to be called a craft, but the game is fun. Make a lot of fish and have your fishing derby.
You will need: Fishing Pole: Tie yarn or string to a dowel or stick. Bend a paper clip for a fishing hook. To make fish, it’s better to use stiff paper. Fold the paper in half. Draw a fish. Cut a hole close to the head end of the fish.
Play game: Scatter fish on the floor. Go fishing.

Games: Foot Races (kukini)

Ancient Hawaiians used to hold foot races to see which warrior was the fastest. You can hold single person races, three-legged races, and backward running races.

Games: Frogs In The Sea

This is a good game that can be played at a den meeting or in shallow water. Players form a circle around one or more players who sit with their feet crossed. The players in the circle skip (if on land) or walk (if in water) close to the frogs and try to tap them on the head as they repeat the words, “Frog in the sea can’t catch me.” The frogs try to tag the players without rising or uncrossing their feet. If a player is tagged, they change places with the frog that tagged him.

Games: Gold Rush

Scatter pennies or iron washers painted gold in water between knee and waist depth. On signal, players try to get as many “gold nuggets” as they can within a specified time.

Games: Go Fish

Trace six to ten fish on construction paper and cut out. Attach a paper clip to the top of each fish. Draw eyes, mouth, and fins with a marker. Tie a magnet to a 15- foot length of string. Tie the other end of the string to a stick. Place the fish in a box. (An old fish tank is even more fun.) To make the game harder, put the fish in a metal coffee can (the magnet sticks to the sides and the fish drop off). See how many fish you can catch by having the magnet catch on the fish paper clips.
Whoever catches the most fish in a given time limit wins.

Games: Grab the Fish Tail

Cub Scouts and their partners line up in a single file, holding each other around the waist. The first Cub Scout is the fish’s head; the last person is the tail. When all are ready the leader says, “Go.” The head tries to catch the tail. The tail tries to avoid being caught. The Cub Scouts must keep hold on each other. The longer you can make this fish, the more fun you will have!

Games: The Great Foot Freeze

Here’s a silly group icebreaker that will cool players off in a hurry.
Materials: Wading Pool, Water, Ice Cubes, Plastic Bowls
How to Play:

• Fill up the pool and dump in several trays, or a bag, of ice cubes.
• Players then sit around the edge of the wading pool with their feet poised over the water.
• At the word “Go,” players race to move the cubes out of the water and into their bowls within a designated time period. The catch is, they can only use their feet.
• The winner by a foot, of course, is the person who has the most ice cubes in their bowl when the time is up.
• Alternatively, players can collect marbles with their feet, instead of ice cubes.

Games: Here Come the Waves!

Equipment: Sprinkler and Hose; swimsuits for everyone; a hot day
Directions: Hook up your sprinkler, but don’t turn it on. Challenge the Cub Scouts to strike funny poses of what they might be doing at the beach. Explain that they must freeze in place when you yell “Here come the waves!” Then quickly turn on the water – who got “caught by the wave?”

Games: Hidden Object

Maybe after playing this they will be more able to find pollution (litter) and pick it up on hikes and camping trips.
Equipment: 1 thimble, ring or coin
Formation: Scatter
Send Cub Scouts out of the room. Take a thimble, ring or coin and place it where it is perfectly visible but in a spot where it is not likely to be noticed. Let the Cub Scouts come in and look for it. When one of them sees it, they should quietly sit down without indicating to the others where it is. After awhile, if no one else has found it, have him point it out to the group to make sure they really saw it.

Games: Hop Relay

Each team starts with a full cup of water. Each player, in turn, hops to the end and runs back holding the cup of water. The winner is the team with the most water left in the cup.

Games: Hot Coconut

Play as you would “hot potato”, using a whole coconut. Pass the coconut around the circle from person to person quickly, while music is playing. When the music stops, the person holding the coconut sits in the middle or controls the music for one round.

Games: In the Sea

Arrange partners around in a circle. Have the leader, call out “in the sea”. When this is done all players are to jump into the circle. When they call “on the beach” all player then jump back out of the circle. Anyone making a mistake is out of the game. The last player is the winner.

Games: Kid Classic: Spray-bottle Capture the Flag

Teams must defend water balloon “flags,” while trying to stomp the oppositions!
Materials: Two water-filled balloons, One spray bottle per player, 4 players (or more) divided into two teams
How to Play:

• Divide everyone into two teams.
• Each team must defend a flag (a water balloon) while trying to capture (and stomp on) the opposing team’s.
• Instead of tagging opposing players to “freeze” them, you squirt them with a spray bottle.
• To release teammates from a freeze, you have to squirt them again.

Games: Kimo Says Hula Game (Hawaii)

Pick someone to be the move caller- Kimo. This game is played like “Simon Says”. When the caller calls out “Kimo says” and a hula move with a description then everyone should do the hula move. If the caller does not say “Kimo says” before the move then anyone who does the move must sit out until the next game. The game continues until only one person remains.

Games: Basic Hula Steps

• Ami: Right – rotate hips counterclockwise, one rotation for each count.
• Ami Left – rotate hips clockwise. Bent knees make the ‘ami easier.
• Hela: Point right foot forward, bring back, then point left foot forward, then bring back.
• Huli: Rotate around while swaying the hips
• Kaholo: A kaholo is more of a sliding step, rather than lifting the foot as you move. It is used to step side-to-side, front to back, and diagonally.
• Ka’o: Sway hips by shifting weight to the right side and lift left heel. Then shift weight to the left side and lift right heel.
• Lele: Step right, then left, either forward or back.
• Ocean Hand Movement: hands gently beat up and down showing the rhythm of the waves.
• Rainbow Hand Movement: palms of the hands meet at the left... right hand lifts and shapes an arching rainbow
• Rising Sun Hand Movement: start at the knees, both hands part and rise above the head to shape the sun
• Singing or Story Telling Hand Movement: hand gracefully gesturing at mouth for song • Swaying Palms Hand Movement: left arm becomes the land, right arm and fingers sway showing a waving palm.
• Swirling Winds Hand Movement: left hand forward while right hand circles twice over head
• Tide roll Hand Movement: hands continually roll over each other to show the rolling sea

Games: Konane (Hawaiian Checkers)

Materials: Stiff cardboard with 8-by-8-in. grid drawn on it, 32 white game pieces, 32 black game pieces
Directions:

• Fill the squares on the board with game pieces, alternating colors.
• Remove one white and one black piece from the center of the board.
• Decide who will play white and who will play black.
• Black goes first, jumping a white piece and removing it from the board.
• Players take turns jumping and removing pieces.
• Each jump must be made over only one stone at a time.
• A player may capture more than one stone at a turn.
• Players may jump forward or backward, left or right, but not diagonally.
• They cannot change direction in any given turn.
• The game is over when neither player can move.
• The winner of the game can be either the player who made the last move or the one who captures the most pieces.

Games: Kula’i Wāwae (Foot Pushing) Hawaii

This old Hawaiian games tests the strength of your leg muscles.
Materials: Pairs of players, A referee for each pair.

• Each player sits facing their partner. They sit far enough apart so that their knees are slightly bent. The toes and balls of their feet should touch each other.
• Their hands should be flat behind them. Their arms should be straight. This will hold their bodies in position.
• The referee calls, “Get ready!“
• The referee calls, “Begin!“
• Each player pushes their feet against the other player’s feet. A player can push straight ahead so that the other player is moved backward. Or they can try to push the other player’s feet to the right or left side.

Scoring: A player wins if they move their partner away from them or out of their sitting position.

Games: Leaking Relay

Materials: Bucket of water, Two cups with holes in the bottom and sides (equally), and two containers about half gallon size.

Divide into two teams. The first player on each team fills their cup with water from the bucket, then places the leaking cup over their head and runs around a previously marked course. When they get back to the beginning they pour into the empty container, whatever water is left in their cup then hands the empty cup to the next player. The team that fills their container first wins.

Games: Lemon Derby

Besides the built-in excitement of this timed event, this quirky race comes with a twist. Each Scout must use a stick to roll a lemon to the finish line. Unlike a ball, which rolls true, this fruit has a tendency to wobble and weave. So the key to winning may be simply staying the course.

Games: Little Squirts

Supplies: a slopped sidewalk or driveway for this game. Draw start and finish lines with sidewalk chalk. On ‘Go’ each player places an ice cube on the start line and squirts the cube with a water squirter to help it cross the finish line.

Games: Lou-Lou (Pulling Hooked Fingers) Hawaii

Hawaiians of long ago played this game to develop strong hand and finger muscles.
Materials: Pairs of players, a referee for each pair.
How to Play:

1. The referee calls, “ho’o-mākaukau.” (get ready)
2. Each player steps up to their partner. The right little toe of one player’s foot is placed next to their partner’s right little toe. During the game the left foot may move, but the right foot must stay in this position.
3. Each player holds out their right hand with the index finger straight out. Their thumb should be flat on the palm. Their other three fingers hold down the thumb.
4. His index finger is then curved around the other player’s like a hook.
5. Players could also use other fingers of their right hands. They must be sure that the rest of the fingers are flat against the palm of the hand.
6. The referee calls, ”‘oia.” (begin)
7. Each player pulls their hooked finger back slowly. Players are not allowed to jerk suddenly.
8. The referee should encourage the contestants by calling, “Huki! Huki!” (pull! Pull!) as the players strain for victory.

How to score:

1. The one who can make the other player’s finger straighten wins a point.
2. If a player moves their right foot out of position, they lose.
3. This game can also be played so that the winner is the person who first makes ten points.

Games: Make some Waves!

Equipment: Parachute or large sheet; a different colored ball, kick sack or even a rolled-up sock for each player.
Directions: Hold your parachute or sheet from the edges at waist height. Add all the “balls” in the middle. Now make “waves” by shaking the parachute or sheet. Everyone shakes the fabric, trying to make the balls or socks fall off. The winner is the one whose ball or sock is left on the sheet.

Games: Marathon Melt

Divide into pairs. Everyone has to keep one hand behind their back. Each pair gets one ice cube. See which pair can find a way to melt the ice cube first!

Games: Musical Beach Towels or Mats

Materials needed: Beach towels or mats for each player minus one (carpet squares could be used instead as the beach towels could be too slippery), music to play (preferably Hawaiian).

Directions:

1. Lay out one less beach towel/mat than you have players/beach walkers.
2. Have the beach walkers walk in a circle around the towels/mats when the music plays.
3. When the music is turned off the beach walkers must stand on a towel/mat.
4. The beach walker who does not make it to a towel/mat is out until the next game.
5. Remove another towel/mat and start the music again.
6. Keep repeating this until there is only one beach walker left.

Games: No’a (Finding a Pebble under a Cloth) Hawaii

Both children and adults played this game in old Hawaii. Good players learn to watch faces and motions very carefully.
What you Need:

1. A no’a or stone, about the size of a quarter.
2. A mile, or stick, to use for pointing. You can tie a piece of appa or a piece of ti leaf to the end of a stick. This will make it look like the pointing stick the Hawaiians used.
3. Pieces of appa or cloth the size of a large handkerchief. If ten people are going to play, you will need five pieces of cloth. You need the same number of pieces of cloth as there are players on one team.

How to Play:

1. Form two teams. The people on one team sit across from the people on the other team, facing each other, about three feet apart.
2. Put the five pieces of cloth on the floor between the two teams.
3. The person to hide the stone holds it in their hand so that no me can see it. Then they lift the edge of one of the pieces of cloth and puts theirs hand under it. They do this with each piece of cloth. They drop the stone under one of the pieces of cloth, but they try hard not to let the people on the other team know which cloth has the stone under it.
4. The team that is watching will guess which cloth has the stone under it. When the members of that team have decided which cloth the stone is under, they point to that cloth with the pointing stick.
5. The watching team watches very carefully. That team might look at the face of the person who is hiding the stone, or watch their arm, or watch for other clues that might tell where the stone is. The person who is hiding the stone tries to fool the other team and not let those players know where the stone is.
6. Each team takes turns hiding the stone until one team has found it ten times.

How to Score:

1. Every time a team guesses where the stone is, that team gets a point. The first team to get ten points wins.
2. Another way to win is to get a point every time a team points to a cloth without the stone under it. The first team to get ten points wins the game.

Games: Over the River Game

Materials: A hose with a water source
Directions: One person holds the stream of water very low to the ground and everyone lines up and skips over it. Then the stream gets higher, little by little, as everyone skips over it. When a person touches the stream of water, they are out. Last person wins.

Games: Over and Under Relay

The first person in line passes a water balloon over their head to the second person who passes it through their legs, etc.
This pattern keeps repeating until the balloon reaches the last person in line. The last person in line brings the balloon to the front and starts over.

Games: Over and Under the Waves

Divide teams equally and line up in relay formation. The first Cub Scout on each team is given a large ball. On signal, they pass the ball overhead to the second, player who passes it between their legs to the third, who passes it overhead, and so on to the end of the line. The last player runs to the head of the line and passes it as before. The first, team back in its original order wins.

Games: Paddlewheel Push

To play this water game you will need at least one foam or plastic kickboard but more boards will allow more Cub Scouts to play at the same time. Pair off, trying to match basic size and strength of the Cub Scouts. Play in waist-deep water.
Opponents grasp opposite ends of a kickboard. On signal, both Cub Scouts start kicking, trying to force the opponent backward. Cub Scouts should not stand and shove the board, but should swim and kick legs to move forward.

Games: Pass the Coconut

Materials: one coconut, music preferably Hawaiian
Directions: Players sit in a circle with one player holding the coconut. The music begins and the coconut is passed around the circle until the music is stopped. The player holding the coconut when the music is stopped is out. The music begins again and the play continues until there is only one player left.

Games: PFD Switch

Teams arrange themselves with half their players facing the other half at opposite ends of the pool or swim area. The first racer wears a PFD (Personal Flotation Device). On signal, the Cub Scout and their mate from the other end of the pool race towards each other to meet in the middle where the “dressed” swimmer removes the PFD and their teammate puts it on.

Games: Pin a Coconut on a Palm Tree

Materials: Brown construction paper, green construction paper, brown felt, scissors, tape
Directions:

• Draw a palm tree about 4 ft. tall on the brown paper.
• Use green construction paper or poster board to make palm leaves.
• Use brown felt circles for coconuts.
• Blindfold each Cub Scout and see whose coconut makes it to the tree!

Games: Quarter Drop

Have the Scouts form 2 teams. For each team, place a gallon jar 2 to 3 feet in front of the line. Fill each jar with water and place a smaller glass jar in the bottom of the gallon jar. Have each Cub Scout try to toss a quarter or iron washer into the jar and into the smaller jar. The team with the most quarters in the smaller jar wins.

Games: Rainy Relay

Try to pour water from your paper cup to a partner’s. The trick? They both have to hold the cups on their head!

Games: Raft Race

Line up the dens for a relay race. The first Cub Scout in each line is the “skipper.” They stand with each foot on a large pad of newspapers. The second Cub Scout is the “passenger” and they stand on the same papers with their skipper. On signal, the skipper bends over and grasps the papers with each hand. By shifting their weight and sliding the papers forward, the two Cub Scouts maneuver themselves to the goal line without stepping off of the pads. On reaching the goal line, the passenger runs back to their team with the newspapers and brings the next Cub Scout across the river. The first team to cross the river wins.

Games: Rolling Stones (‘Ulumaika) Hawaii

This ancient Hawaiian game is played similar to horseshoes. Set up a small stick post in the ground. Each person chooses a stone and tosses it at the post. The player whose stone stops closest to the stick wins!

Games: Save Me

This is a practice game for the “throw” rescue method. Divide into 2 teams. Teams select their strongest swimmer, and with leader approval these Cub Scouts represent their teams by competing against each other. In chest-deep water about 25 feet from the edge, weight and sink an over-size tee shirt (one for each team). Give each team a 30-foot rope. On signal, each team’s best swimmer swims to the shirt, retrieves it from the bottom, and puts it on. They then call to teammates, “Save me!” whereupon the other den members cast their coiled rope to him. The swimmer must act like a non-swimmer, and not swim or walk to reach it. The team must keep trying to cast the rope directly within reach of the swimmer. When they grab the rope, the other team members pull them to shore. First team to “save” its “victim” wins.

Games: Save the Soda

Each player gets 3 sponges and an empty 2- liter soda bottle. Set up the bottles on the ground. Each player tries to protect their own bottle while trying to knock down the other players’ bottles with the sponges. The player with the last standing bottle wins!

Games: Scrambled Water

When you unscramble the following words, you will know eight kinds of bodies of water.
KEAL    NECOA    YOUBA      DROJF    FULG    GOANOL     NOPD    VERIR
Answers: lake, ocean, bayou, fjord, gulf, lagoon, pond, river

Games: Sharks and Whales

Play in waist to chest-deep water. Divide group into two teams, the “sharks” and the “whales.” The teams line up facing each other about 10 feet apart. Behind each other is its home base – the side of the pool or a rope tied to buoys, or other designated area. When the leader calls “sharks” they swim or run after the whales, trying to tag them before they reach their base. If a whale is caught, they must join the sharks for the next round. Leaders should alternate the calls of “sharks” and “whales”. The team with the most players after a specified time is the winner.

Games: Sink the Boat

Provide a bucket filled with water and float a small pie plate on it. Have Cub Scouts stand back about 5 feet and give them 5 small balls made of aluminum foil. (Foil is easy to retrieve because it floats.) Cub Scouts take turns throwing 5 balls. Give points for each ball that lands in the pie plate and stays there when thrown from the starting line.

Games: Sink the Ship

Have a large bowl full of water set on a table in the room. In the bowl place a small plastic boat. If you don’t have a boat, a Styrofoam bowl or other suitable container can be used. Next to the large bowl have a smaller bowl full of marbles. You could also use small rocks, or other suitable small heavy objects. The object is to guess how many marbles (rocks, etc.) it will take to sink the ship. Have pieces of paper and pencils available for people to record their guesses. After everyone has had a chance to guess, gather everyone around and put the marbles into the ship one at a time. Keep count and determine how many it took to sink the ship. Determine whose guess was the closest and award an appropriate prize.

Games: Soapy Toes

Fill a kiddie pool with soapy water. Dump in a bunch of marbles. Set up chairs around the pool and dip in your feet. See who can fish out the most marbles with their toes!

Games: Spear Throwing

See which “warriors” can toss their spear or darts and hit a watermelon target. Materials: Pool noodles and hula hoops
Directions: Warriors have contests to see how many spears (pool noodles) each can toss into the pool of fish (hula hoop) accurately. Obviously the warrior with the most hits wins.

Games: Sponge Relay Race

Materials: 2 sponges, 2 buckets, 2 bowls and water.
Have Cub Scouts line up in two teams and the Cub Scouts at the front of each row hold a bucket of water with the sponges in it and the Cub Scouts at the end of each row hold a bowl. The first Cub Scout takes a wet sponge out of the bucket and hand it to the next Cub Scout and so on till it reaches the last Cub Scout in their row who squeezes the water out of the sponge and into bowl. They then race it back to the front and puts it back into the bucket starts over again. Play continues until the water is gone or a certain time is up. The team, who has the most water in the bowl at the end, wins the game.

Games: Sponge Ball Wars

Fill two five-gallon buckets with water. Place 30 sponges – the number of sponges is up to the pack – in each bucket. Divide the Cub Scouts and adults into two teams. Mark a dividing line between the teams. Put one bucket of sponges on each side of the line about five to six feet back. When you yell “Sponge Wars!” the teams begin throwing the wet sponges across the line onto the other teams territory.
Rules:

• You can only throw one sponge at a time.
• The object is to get as many sponges as possible on the other team’s side.
• You may pick up sponges that have been thrown on your side and throw them back as long as you only throw one at a time.
• At the end of one minute, the leader yells peace and all sponge throwing stops.
• The team that has the fewest sponges on their side wins.

Games: Sponge Relay Race

Materials: 2 sponges, 2 buckets, 2 bowls and water.
Have Cub Scouts line up in two teams and the Cub Scouts at the front of each row hold a bucket of water with the sponges in it and the Cub Scouts at the end of each row hold a bowl. The first Cub Scout takes a wet sponge out of the bucket and hand it to the next Cub Scout and so on till it reaches the last Cub Scout in their row who squeezes the water out of the sponge and into bowl. They then race it back to the front and puts it back into the bucket starts over again. Play continues until the water is gone or a certain time is up. The team, who has the most water in the bowl at the end, wins the game.

Games: Squirt

This is an indoor water game. Players sit in a large circle; “it” stands in the middle of the circle with a squirt bottle of water. “It” chooses a category and writes one choice from that category on a piece of paper (not seen by the other players). “It” goes around the circle, pointing the squirt bottle at each player, who in turn makes a guess from the chosen category. The person who guesses the right one gets a squirt in the face and becomes the new “it”.
Sample categories: Kinds of soup, colors, kinds of pie, kinds of cars, sports teams, Cub Scouts’ names, girls’ names, states in the U.S., countries in the world, vegetables, fruits, T.V. shows, sports celebrities, kinds of ice cream, etc.

Games: Squirt Relay

Materials: 2 garden hoses or 2 water guns.
The first player in each line squirts a balloon (or light ball) to a line several feet away and then brings the equipment back to the next player.

Games: Squirt-Tac-Toe

Make a tic-tac-toe board on the sidewalk with sticks or chalk. Each player usesa water to make the X’s and O’s. Work quickly, because when an X or O dries up, it doesn’t count! The hotter the day, the quicker you have to be.

Games: Statues on the Wall

This is a fun backyard game. Have the Scouts stand against a brick wall (the side of a house or building). Spray water from a water hose on them and all around them. When they move away from the wall, it will have the outlines of their bodies on it. Stand back and try to guess what the shapes look like. Make up a story to go along with the shapes.

Games: Steal the Turtle

Play in waist-deep water. Divide Cub Scouts into two equal teams that line up facing each other 20 feet apart. Each team member is given a number. A leader tosses a large rubber ball in the middle of the play area and calls out a number. The opposing players with that number race for the ball. The player who gets it and returns to their place without being tagged by the opposing player scores one point. When both Cub Scouts are back at their places, the leader calls out another number. For a real scramble, call all numbers at once.

Games: Submarine Dive

Draw ahead of time a number of 18” circles with sidewalk chalk. These are submarines. There should be one less submarine than the number of the Cub Scouts. The Cub Scouts hop, walk or run around the play area according to the directions given by the leader. When they call “Submarine Dive,” each Cub Scout tries to get into a submarine. The one Cub Scout who is left out stays on a submarine for the next game and so gradually, the submarines become occupied. The winner is the one who gains the last vacant submarine.

Games: Tacky Tourist Relay Race

Materials: Two Grass skirts, 2 pairs of Bermuda shorts, 2 pairs sunglasses, 2 Straw Hats, 2 lei necklaces, 2 Beach bags, 2 Beach chairs
Directions: Divide the group into two teams. Each team lines up in a row. Place chairs a reasonable running distance in front of each team or any distance your space will allow. The objects listed above are placed into the beach bags and located with each team. The first player on each team, puts on ALL of the items, runs to the chair, then returns to their team, removes the items, and passes the bag to the next player. The next players continue until the entire team has had a turn.

Games: Throw and Catch

Divide the group into pairs with each set having a water balloon. Start throwing and catching close together. Move a step back each time. The winners are the partners that made it the farthest apart before their balloon broke.

Games: Touch

Divide group into two equal teams and line them up in parallel lines about 6’ apart. The leader calls out the name of an object that is the same distance from both teams–a ball, diving board, edge of the pool, etc. In a relay fashion, all players swim or run to touch the object and return to their places. First team back gets one point.

Games: T-Shirt Relay

Divide the group into two teams. Have a large T-shirt for each team. Each team member must put on the shirt before swimming their lap in a relay race. It doesn’t matter if the shirt is on inside out.

Games: Tug-of-War

Play in water that is chest deep for Cub Scouts. If playing with adults, divide them equally between the teams. Use a sturdy rope, with a colored ribbon tied to the center of the rope. Anchor a float or other permanent marker to show the center of the play area. Play like standard tug-of-war with the winner being the team that pulls the other team past the center float.

Games: Volleyball

Two players stand one each side of a volleyball net, holding a towel between them. Serve a water balloon to the other side by placing it in the towel and launching it over the net. The players on the other side must catch the balloon in their towel and then launch it back. If the balloon breaks on your side, the other team gets a point. If a team launches the ball out-of-bounds, the other team gets a point. Play to 10 points.

Games: Water Balloon Bounce

You will need a tarp, sheet or blanket for each team, or teams can take turns. Players hold the tarp at the edges. 3 water balloons are placed in the center of the tarp. By quickly snapping the edges of the tarp outward the balloons are tossed into the air. A point is scored each time the balloons are successfully tossed and re-caught. Balloons must go up at least 8 feet in order to score a point. The game ends when a balloon breaks or is dropped. The team that makes the greatest number of successful tosses is the winner.

Games: Water Balloon Jai Lai

This is a simple variation using plastic milk cartons. Just cut the bottom off the carton, turn it upside down, and you have your “catcher.” Now, to make this a “cool” possibly WET game, blow up a water balloon to use as your ball! Want even more fun? Fill a lot of water balloons, and have them going all at once! Someone is sure to get wet!

Games: Water Balloon Volley Ball

Play volleyball except use a water balloon for the ball and have the teams use a bath towel to catch and throw the balloon. Have two Cub Scouts to a towel. Play outside!!!

Games: WATER CARNIVAL GAMES

• Floating Target – Float a pie plate in a tub of water. Give each player ten beans. In turn, the players try to toss their beans into the plate from a distance of about five feet. Score 10 points for each bean that stays on the plate.
• Penny Drop – Pour water about six inches deep in a bucket and drop in a dime. Each player is given six pennies. In turn, players drop their pennies in the water, trying to cover the dime with the penny. The successful player wins the dime.
• Water Balloon Race – Give each player a balloon filled with water and a 30-inch- long string. The players tie one end of the string to the neck of their balloon and the other end to one ankle. On a signal, all players move toward the finish line 20 feet away, dragging their balloons behind them. A player whose balloon breaks must step out of the game. The winner is the first person whose intact balloon crosses the finish line.
• Sand Castles – Locate a nice sandy area and bring lots of water, molds (cans, buckets, etc) and modeling tools (rakes, spoons, shovels, etc) and spend some time making sand creations. Have each Den or each family create something.
• Water Balloon Relay – Form two lines about 8 – 10 feet apart, facing each other. Let’s call one line A, B, C, D, ...and the other is 1, 2, 3, 4, ... “A” takes a water balloon and tosses it to “1” who tosses is to “B” who tosses it to “2”, then “C” and so on to the last person who tosses it in a basket. The goal is to see how many can be passed unbroken in a set time limit.
• Mini-Firefighter’s Tug-o-War – Perhaps you’ve seen those battles where teams of firefighters try to push a barrel on a cable using the powerful streams from the fire hoses. It’s easy to do this on a smaller scale by punching two holes in the middle of two foam plates. Fasten the plates together back to back, then string a thick cord through them and tie it about 5 – 6 feet off the ground, as tight as you can. Mark the center, or two “end zones”. Arm the Scouts with squirt guns or bottles (have quick refill barrels ready). Divide into two teams and set the teams to push the plate with water pressure alone. The team who pushes past the centerline or into the other team’s end zone is the winner.
• Water Balloon Toss – Form two lines standing 4 – 5 feet apart with Scouts facing toward each other. Each pair of Scouts is given a water balloon. Scouts toss the balloon back and forth from one side to the other. Once the balloon has been tossed from one side to the other and back, the Scouts take one step backward. When the balloon is dropped to the ground or bursts, that team is to sit down. The winner is the team left standing the longest.
• Biathlon – Instead of skiing and shooting, or biking and swimming, this biathlon involves running and squirting! Using squares of paper towels, draw a number or letter per Scout on each paper towel. (Use water-based markers – it’s fun to watch them run!) Stick the paper towels up around the yard or park. Each Scout starts on a signal, running the course and squirting their number only on the towels. Scour by total time, minus a second for each missed towel.

Games: Water Jug Relay

Equipment: 2 – 6-oz or 12-oz bottles; 2 – 1-gallon plastic jugs; 2 – large water buckets filled with water; 2 – small funnels; 2 – paper, plastic or tin cups.
Directions:

• Form two parallel teams.
• In front of each team about 25 or 30 feet away is the full water bucket, funnel and cup.
• First Cub Scout on each team is handed an empty bottle. On the word “go” they run down to the water bucket, puts the funnel in the bottle and proceeds to fill their bottle with cups of water.
• When bottle is filled, Cub Scout runs back and pours water from bottle into plastic jug, gives the empty bottle to next Cub Scout in line.
• This continues in the same manner until one of the teams has filled their jug.

Games: Water Kickball

The rules are the same as regular kickball, but use a small wading pool at each base and a “Slip n’ Slide” from third base to home plate.
Baseball Variation: Batter uses a Nerf bat and the pitcher uses sponges dipped in a bucket of water.

Games: Water Slides

Make a simple backyard water slide by laying a sheet of plastic down a gentle slope. Use giant staples made from hangers or stiff wire to fasten the edges, and make sure there is a safe way to stop at the end (bumpers of hay or a big, level grassy area). Run a sprinkler at the top, get it good and wet, and you are ready to slide! For safety sake, only slide lying down feet first.
Variation: Do this on level ground and do running slides, or play tug-o-war!

Games: Water Yo-Yo

Cut a large rubber band in half. Tie one end to a filled water balloon. Hold the other end and yo!

Games: Wet Ball

Using a spray bottle, squirt water at a balloon moving it upwards through the air and into a trash can.
Equipment: Container with three inflated balloons, 39-gallon trash can, high power spray bottle filled with water (plus a backup)
Directions:

1. Prior to game start, contestant picks up a balloon in one hand and a spray bottle in the other, then stands in designated start zone.
2. Once game begins, contestant may release the balloon into the air and start spraying water at the balloon, propelling it towards the trash can.
3. If the balloon hits the ground, it’s out of play. Contestant may pick up this balloon and reuse it, or pick up a new balloon on another attempt from the start zone.
4. If contestant’s body or the water bottle touches an airborne balloon after its release, the attempt will not count.
5. Contestant must get one balloon into the trash can from the designated start zone.
6. Contestant may not cross starting line before releasing the balloon or the attempt will not count.
7. Balloon must remain in trash can to score. If a balloon bursts inside the trash can, the balloon will still count as a score.
8. To complete the game, contestant must move one balloon through the air and into the trash can using only the water from the spray bottle within the allotted 60 seconds.
9. Any balloon that breaks the plane of the top of the trash can within the 60- second time limit may count toward completion of game.

Games: Wet Potato

Pass around a bucket of water while music plays. When the music stops, whoever has the bucket dumps it on their head!

Games: Whale on the Beach

Object: To get your whale across the finish line alive.
Materials: Teams of 4 to 8 Cub Scouts, one adult “whale” for each team, a blanket or tarp for each team, a spray bottle for each team, water, markers for start and finish lines
How to play: Explain that in order to keep their whale alive, the Cub Scouts must  be gentle and quick. They must place the whale on the blanket or tarp, leaving its hands and ankles over the edge, wetting those areas with the spray bottle to keep the whale moist. When moving the whale they must keep it only 4 to 6 inches off the ground, (in order to reduce injury if dropped). Remind them that the faster  they go, the more apt they are to injure the whale.

When the signal is given, the whales should become limp, not helping the Cub Scouts move him. It is up to the individual whale to decide if it survived based upon the Cub Scout’s actions.

Games: Who Are You?

Some riddles: I have dense, oily fur and build a home of sticks with an underwater entrance. I can travel without water 10 times longer than a human can. I have spongy skin and accordion-like stems to hold great volumes of water, and spines to protect it. I have six wax-coated feet and can be found on still water. I wear a matted feather coat to keep out wind and water, and use my wings for flippers. I live in water, and create a limestone house out of materials I filter from the water – when my limestone doors close, I can stay out of water for many hours. My leaves have a wax-like coating to limit water loss, and my buds have a chemical and protective layer to keep them from freezing. I must swim constantly to stay in one place, and I take oxygen from the water with gills.

Answers: Beaver Camel Cactus Pond Skater or Water Strider Penguin Barnacles Pine tree Trout

Beach Word Searches         Placemats 

Gathering Activity: Fishing in the Tropics

Place a dishpan with many plastic or rubber items in the bottom, on the floor in the middle of the room. Provide a fishing pole consisting of a stick about two feet long, on one end of which is fastened a string with a hook. Velcro works great. Be sure you put Velcro on the items in the sea. As they arrive, give each Cub Scout three minutes to snag as many “fish” as they can, and award a small prize when finished.

Gathering Activity: Fishy Applause

Have each person reach into a large tub covered with Blue saran wrap (slit cut in middle for hand to go in) and catch one fish. Write the names of several different fish on the back of the fish cutouts “ bass, swordfish, tuna, catfish, trout, flounder, squid, rockfish, salmon. Tell everyone to find other "fish" of the same kind. Have each "school" create an applause about their fish, to be performed at appropriate times during the pack meeting.

Gathering Activity: Float the Needle

Have a bowl of water and a needle and challenge Cub Scouts to try to make the needle float. After they have tried and failed, place a small piece of tissue on water and the needle on top of that. As the tissue gets wet, it will sink to the bottom. The surface tension of the water will allow the needle to remain afloat.

Gathering Activity: Guess the Fish Eggs

As they enter, have participants guess the number of "fish eggs" (small jelly beans) in a jar. The winner is awarded the jar during the closing ceremony.

Gathering Activity: Have an H2O Olympics

Use teams made up of dens or families. Have the following “events” set up around the room, and have a “judge” keep track of each team’s scores:

• Pole Vaulting – Over the Top – Fill a clear plastic cup with water to the brim. Add pennies one at a time till the water spills over the top.
• Balance Beam – Using an eyedropper, add drops of water to a penny’s surface. Continue till the water spills over or the drop collapses.
• Sculling Contest: Bubble Power – Cut out two boat shapes from a piece of cardboard (see pattern); Cut a small notch in the center rear of each boat and place a soap chip there. Boat shape can be altered by the team with scissors. Put boats in a tray filled with water and on signal, each team lets their boat    go to see which one goes fastest.
• Backstroke Competition – See which team can suspend the most paper clips on the surface of the water. (Hint: Lay the paper clip on the tines of a fork  and lower clip into the water) Use a magnifying glass to get a better idea of what’s happening on the surface of the water.

Gathering Activity: School of Fish

Pin pictures of fish on people as they arrive. Have cutouts of swordfish, tuna, trout, catfish, etc. On a signal, they are to see which “school of fish” can assemble first.

Gathering Activity: Squirt Ball

Using a squirt gun, try to squirt a ping pong ball off the top of a water bottle. Cub Scout with fewest squirts wins.

Gathering Activity: Water Fun Games

If your pack or den is meeting at a park or swim center, plan for all kinds of water fun. Check the Games section of Baloo or the Program Helps ideas. Or just set out all buckets, sponges, hula hoops, containers, spoons, cups and bowls and have a contest to see who invents the best game!

Gathering Activity: Water Showdown

As the folks arrive, pair them off for the great showdown. Take them outside where you have enough water pistols handy to run water pistol duels. Each person gets up to five squirts at the "bad guy."

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Invocation

“Help us to become better stewards in our outdoor adventures and to guide and protect us as we do our best to protect the environment. May we always remember that to show true courage is to do what is right regardless of its difficulty or its consequences.”

Adult Recognition

 

Opening Ceremony: Cub Scout Fish Opening

Personnel: 8 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Eight poster or cards that when held together show a long fish with C-U-B-S-C-O-U-T printed on each card (C on the head and T on the tail) and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	C is the part we build on. It stands for COURTESY in Cub Scouting and all through life.
#2:	U is next. This part stands for UNITY, because united we are strong.
#3:	B is the next added. That stands for BRAVERY in all our thoughts and all our deeds.
#4:	S is next and that stands for SAFETY. We learn it and use it.
#5:	C adds some more and it stands for CHURCH--the one of your choice.
#6:	O is building it stronger, and it stands for OUTDOOR life, which is full of fun and adventure.
#7:	U is near the finish and it stands for UNDERSTANDING, something that all our families have.
#8:	T is the tail that guides us. It stands for TRUTH in all things.
All:	Will everyone rise and please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Opening Ceremony: Erupting Volcano Opening

Personnel: Cubmaster
Equipment: Modeling clay or paper-mache volcano
Prepare volcano beforehand so that it will erupt when you are ready for it. Base is a sheet of plywood about 2 feet square. Using modeling clay of various colors, build a small "mountain" in the center; make it about 8 inches in diameter and 4 or 5 inches high. Make a crate on top with a hole large enough to insert a small metal can. In the can put a few crystals of ammonium dichromate (available at drug stores and hobby shops.) Mix in a few match heads with the chemical and drop in a burning match. When the dichromate burns, it forms a dark green ash which tumbles over the cone in the same way as lava flows in a real volcano. Note: MUST be performed outdoors in fire-safe area (see below) or use baking soda and vinegar volcano. See pack and den Activities for instructions on a model volcano using baking soda and vinegar.

Cubmaster: You see before you a volcano. Volcanoes are among the oldest and most powerful forces known to man. This one is small, but even the world’s largest volcanoes began as small hills or mounds of earth, and grew larger over long periods of time until they erupted!

In the beginning, volcanoes helped to shape and form the surface of the earth, and were a force for good. There are probably many mountains in the world today that conceal volcanoes beneath their surfaces. Someday they will surprise the nearby inhabitants, like Mount St. Helens did in the State of Washington, and explode with forces greater than the strongest hurricanes and earthquakes.

As Cub Scouts, you started small like this volcano, and are growing into mature adults. Beneath your surfaces lie many powerful forces. The purpose of the Cub Scout program is to shape you and help you learn how to understand and control those powers within you so that you will be a force for good in the world as the early volcanoes were, instead of for destruction as the volcanoes of today. Many of you will become leaders of your fellow men, successful businessmen, and men with great influence in the world.

Remember the volcano, and the skills and the teachings of this great Scouting program you are learning. Be a mountain of strength, instead of a volcano of destruction.” (Ignite the volcano---watch until the reaction ceases.)

Opening Ceremony: Ocean

Personnel: 5 Cub Scouts, Cubmaster or leader
Equipment: Eight poster or cards with O-C-E-A-N printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	O is for Old Glory that we wave with pride.
#2:	C is for colors we see each night with joy.
#3:	E is for evenings that give us pleasant thoughts.
#4:	A is for awareness of the beauties of the sea.
#5:	N is for Neptune, the mythical God of the sea, who rules his kingdom with love.
CM:	Put it all together, it is OCEAN; it borders our land and gives us much to be thankful for.

Opening Ceremony: Octopus Cubs Opening

Personnel: 6 or 7 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Printed script for each Cub Scout. Octopus puppet for each Scout. Make the puppet out of gray or black poster board with eyes and mouth cut out of white construction paper and glued to face. Place tentacles made of braided yarn on the bottom of the octopus and glue or tape a strip of poster board on back with enough room for the Cub Scout to place their hand and hold up the octopus.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. As they speak, each Cub Scout stands and wiggles their octopus puppet. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	In tying knots, I am a champ, With the bowline or clove hitch. But when my eight arms get in the way, I can't tell which is which.
#2:	Being an octopus, I like to hike over underwater hills. But, when I "left" and "right" with two lefts; Six others give me spills.
#3:	I'm patriotic and salute the flag of America, that I'll fight for. But since we must salute with our right hand, I can't tell which are my "right" four.
#4:	Now, in rowing a boat, I'm a speedy one, With eight arms to move me fast. For, no matter how hard the others use their oars, They'll row into shore - tired, and last.
#5:	I have two arms to gather firewood, two arms to start the fire's flame. Have two arms to cook my tasty meal, With two arms left to shoot fresh game.
#6:	I can pass all swimming tests, The dog-paddle, breast stroke, or crawl. 'Cause when we octopuses get in the water. We really have ourselves a ball!
All or #7:	We may be Cub Octopuses now, But soon, it will surely be neat. 'Cause we'll  be special Tenderfoot Scouts, As we octopuses have eight tender feet.

Opening Ceremony: Raingutter Regatta Opening

Set Up - Have the boatswain (a good whistler) give a long, drawn-out note, dropping to a lower tone near the end, to welcome the Skipper (Cubmaster) aboard.

Cubmaster then calls for each ship’s crew section (den) to give its den yell. The entire crew (pack) then stands, pledges allegiance to the flag.

Opening Ceremony: Safe Swim Opening

Personnel: 8 or 9 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Eight poster or cards with S-A-F-E-S-W-I-M printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back. Water toys for each Scout (e.g., inner tube, beach ball, snorkeling mask)
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

#1:	S is for Scouts, we have fun.
#2:	A is for Activities, out in the sun.
#3:	F is for Friends, your buddies in the pool.
#4:	E is for Excitement, but keep your cool.
#5:	S is for Safety, that must come first.
#6:	W is for Water, not only for thirst.
#7:	I is for Instructions we follow with care.
#8:	M is for Merriment we all love to share.
All or #9:	Put them all together and we have SAFE SWIM. Let’s be safe and we will all win.

Opening Ceremony: Spirit of Scouting

Personnel: Cubmaster
Equipment: candle and match or battery-operated candle

CM:	(light candle) This candle represents the spirit of Cub Scouting. It is going to burn throughout our meeting, representing the fun and friendship we have enjoyed together here. Let’s all stand and give the Pledge of Allegiance.

Closing Ceremony: Ship Shape Closing Ceremony

Personnel: Adult acting as a boatswain, 2+ Cub Scouts for flag closing ceremony
Materials: Flag closing ceremony script, slide whistle, pennywhistle, or just someone that can whistle loudly. Attention whistle: starting note, up three notes, then back down to the first note. Optional ship hat.

Boatswain:	(attention whistle) All hands on deck! All hands on deck!	(Cub Scouts assemble in front of the Boatswain)
Boatswain:	Prepare to retire the colors!	(Cub Scouts line up for flag closing ceremony)
Boatswain:	(reads flag closing ceremony)	(Cub Scouts conduct flag closing ceremony)
Boatswain:	All hands, dismissed

Opening Ceremony: The Six “Ships” of Scouting

Personnel: 6 Cub Scouts
Equipment: large cardboard cutouts of ships with the following words: SCHOLAR-SHIP; FELLOW-SHIP; FRIEND-SHIP; SPORTSMAN-SHIP; WORKMAN-SHIP; STATESMAN-SHIP on the front and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

CM:	Tonight, Den __ would like to tell you about the Six Ships of Scouting. These are ships that were launched to sail strong and mighty... ships that will last forever.
#1:	SCHOLAR-SHIP. This ship is very important on the Sea of Education. On her deck stand such officers as Ambition, Determination, Intelligence and Application. Her flag bears symbols of the letter “A” and the plus sign.
#2:	FELLOW-SHIP. This ship stands for good spirit, fine cooperation and never-failing unity. Its flag floats high - the flag of Scouting.
#3:	FRIEND-SHIP. This is the most handsome ship of all. It is true blue and its flag is golden - since friendship itself is golden.
#4:	SPORTSMAN-SHIP. This is the ship that’s fair and square. It never veers from its course. Its flag is never at half-mast.
#5:	WORKMAN-SHIP. This ship’s every line, every part, every mast, represents the best that a person can give. Its flag wears a laurel wreath.
#6:	STATESMAN-SHIP. This ship represents wise guidance, constant counsel, unselfish interest and sincere endeavor. Its flag is white for purity.
CM:	And there you have six strong and sturdy ships to brave the waterways of the USA. Three cheers for the Scouting ships!

Opening Ceremony: Spyglass Flags Opening

Personnel: Den of Cub Scouts, Cubmaster
Equipment: Cub Scouts dressed in pirate costumes, container with a sign that says “seawater waves” to indicate they are out at sea, spyglasses, pirate flag
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room.

One Cub Scout is carrying a spyglass and one Cub is carrying a pirate flag. The pirate flag is held high to show that they are proud of it. The Cub Scout with the spyglass points it toward the audience and looks around. At the rear of the room, a color guard is waiting to present the American and pack flags. The Cub Scout gets a look of surprise on their face as they look through the spyglass and sees the color guard. They excitedly shows some of the other pirates and they take turns passing around the spyglass.

#1:	Did you see that? They have TWO flags, and they’re REALLY beautiful flags, too!
#2:	(Cub Scouts all look down at the little pirate flag in disgust. The Cub Scout holding the pirate flag tosses it into the “sea.” All the pirates run off as the Cubmaster comes walking out.)
CM:	Please stand for the presentation of the colors and join in the Pledge of Allegiance while Den         presents the great flag of our country and the pack flag.

Opening Ceremony: Swim Party Opening

Personnel: Cubmaster, assistant Cubmaster

This opening is for use if you are having your pack event at a swimming facility. Have all the Cub Scouts stand around the edge of the shallow end of the pool or the side of the beach.

On signal, they are to jump or wade into the water and make a circle in the pool.

CM:	Now that we are all together, please repeat the following pledge after me: "As a Cub Scout, I promise to be careful in the water. I will observe water safety rules at all times. When I am with a group around water I will encourage others to do the same.
CA:	Please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Opening Ceremony: W-A-T-E-R Opening

Personnel: 5 Cub Scouts
Equipment: Eight poster or cards with W-A-T-E-R printed on each card and the script printed in large font on the back.
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

If you have more than five Cub Scouts, you might have the rest stand at the end of the line, one could hold up a big glass of water for drinking, one might hold up a water balloon, one might have a spray bottle and mist the audience, all are showing how water refreshes us.)

#1:	W is for wet and wild.
#2:	A is for always around in winter.
#3:	T is for there's never enough in summer.
#4:	E is for its part in the environment.
#5:	R is for the refreshing relief it brings us.

Opening Ceremony: Water Fun Opening

Personnel: 8 Cub Scouts
Equipment: 1 small wading pool filled with water, plastic letters cut from milk containers to spell out Water Fun and 1 small fishing pole with an over-sized hook attached.
Setting: Have each Cub Scout come up and hook letter, then proceed to get in order to spell out "Water Fun."

Cub Scouts say in unison:

Now that special time of year is here.
What we want to do is very clear!
Cub Scout games out in the sun,
Cub Scout Day Camp should be fun!
But you could make our day so fine.
Just give us little water and lots of time!

Opening Ceremony: Water Fun College 101

Personnel: Cubmaster and committee chair or leader
Equipment: lab coat, clipboard, phone or calendar, briefcase with beach items inside (e.g., beach towel, snorkel, fins, sandals or flip flops, beach hat), beach shirt
Instructions: Each Cub Scout reads one or more lines. Practice ahead of time and make sure each Scout is comfortable reading the words. Teach the Scouts how to talk with their head up and project their voice to the people in the back of the room. 

CM:	(Enters in a long laboratory coat and beach shirt, holding a clipboard, and carrying a briefcase looking like a professor.) Welcome to our Water 101 college pack meeting. I am Professor Cubmaster _____ and I hope that you are all prepared to listen closely and take notes. We are here today to learn about a very important substance, H2O, otherwise known as water. Now the first thing we will study is the molecular structure.
CC:	(runs in to interrupt CM) Excuse me, Professor Cubmaster_____, but tonight's pack meeting is Water Fun, not Water 101.
CM:	Oh, but I'm sure my secretary told me about a Water 101 lecture I was to give today. (consults pocket calendar.) How embarrassing. That's next week. Luckily, every good Scouter comes prepared for nearly everything. Excuse me a moment. (Cubmaster turns around, opens their briefcase, sheds their lab coat and revealing beach shirt. Pulls a beach towel, snorkel and fins from the briefcase. Steps into sandals or flip flops.) Tonight Water Fun, and we are going to have fun! Who's ready to join me in that???

 

Skits       Run-ons      Jokes

Skit: Enlarging Machine

Characters: Professor, 2 people holding up the sheet, Person hiding behind the sheet.
Props: Blanket (held up by two people) small rock, large rock, small spoon, large spoon, stick, other big and small versions of the same object as needed, bucket of water.
Set Up: Set up a sheet as a backdrop, and hide a Scout behind it with the large objects, and a bucket of water(or crumpled paper. sponges, or other non-harmful substance. The Professor will be in front of the sheet with the small objects. The Professor walks out and announces that he has developed a wonderful Enlarging Machine that will make anything - anything - bigger. As the Scout behind the machine makes 'machine' noises, he explains that simply tossing an object over the sheet operates the machine. The machine will then return the object in a much larger form. The Professor will demonstrate his fantastic invention, but he needs volunteers to help. One by one, the volunteers come forward. The Professor hands them an object which they throw over the sheet. The machine then makes noises, and the larger object is tossed back. Each time, the Professor exclaims about the value and capability of the machine. At this point the accomplice stands up and claims the machine is a fake and proceeds to pretend to spit over the machine. He is instantly drenched by a bucket of water. The person who gets wet needs to know that this will happen in advance. This person is part of the skit and no one is embarrassed.

Skit: Facts of Water

Characters: 6 Cub Scouts
Props: Buckets of water the Scouts can hold while speaking.

#1:	Did you know that watermelon isn’t called that for nothing? It’s 97% water.
#2:	Did you know that during a lifetime, you will drink about 16,000 gallons of water?
#3:	Did you know if all the valleys and mountains on land and on sea were leveled, water would cover the entire earth two miles deep?
#4:	Did you know that water power is no idle phrase? Water flowing at 10 miles an hour can move a rock 10 feet thick.
#5:	Did you know that water helps regulate climate: It absorbs heat in summer and releases it in the winter.
#6:	Did you know that a birch tree releases about 70 gallons of water into the atmosphere each day, almost the amount person uses in their home each day?

Skit: The Fisherman

Characters: Customer and merchant
Setting: A fish market

Customer:	I want you to do me a favor.
Merchant:	What is it Mr. Bigwig?
Customer:	I just got back from a fishing trip.
Merchant:	Did you catch anything?
Customer:	No, and that’s the catch. My wife said I wouldn’t and I’m in the doghouse. I said I would catch 6 fish.
Merchant:	Well, how can I help you?
Customer:	Let me have six of those medium-size trout there.
Merchant:	Wrap ‘em up?
Customer:	No, don’t make a liar out of me. Pitch ‘em to me one at a time.
Merchant:	Well, I don’t understand but here goes. (tosses the fish to the customer) What was that for?
Customer:	Very simple. I caught them, didn’t I?
Merchant:	(grinning) You’re right Mr. Bigwig. Good Luck. (customer leaves)

Skit: Fishing

Characters: 2 Cub Scouts
Setting: Two Cub Scouts are rowing an imaginary boat

#1:	Whew! It sure is a long way out here.
#2:	Yep, (puts hand to eyes) I can't see the shore anymore. Ready to start fishing?
#1:	I think so. Looks like a good spot to me. (both Scouts have imaginary rods, reels, hooks, worms, etc. and start fishing. Immediately they both start to catch fish, recast and catch more. Continue for several casts)
#2:	I told you this would be a good spot.
#1:	Sure is, the boat's full. Guess we have our limit, better get back.
#2:	OK. (Gets oars ready)
#1:	Did you use a map to get here?
#2:	How are we ever gonna find our way back'?
#1:	Oh. that's easy. I'll just mark the spot with a big X right here on the side of the boat! (makes mark, both row away quickly)

Skit: The Fishin’ Trip

Characters: 4 to 8 Cub Scouts.
Props: Fishing gear, a small rowboat or cardboard silhouette of a boat, and a sign that says “boat dock”.
Setting: The scene starts with the boat about 10 feet away from the boat dock. The Cub Scouts and their den chief are on their way to go fishing. The first Cub Scout stops at the dock then walks out across the water and gets in the boat.
  

#1:	Hey, wait for me! (walks out to the boat)
Den Chief:	Oh well, (steps into the water and pretends to fall in and drags himself back to shore)
#2:	Hey, wait up. Here I come (walks out to the boat)
	(The den chief tries and fails again. The sequence continues until all the Cub Scouts are in the boat and only the den chief remains on shore.)
#3:	Should we tell him where the rocks are?

Skit: Gone Fishin'

Characters: Dad, Mom, Jimmy, Johnny and Jerry.
Props: A large box containing: fishing gear, tackle box, waders, etc.

Dad:	(coming in from work) Oh boy! My new fishing gear is here! Did I get everything I ordered?
Mom:	I think so, but you’d better check and make sure.
Dad:	Let’s see, my new waders, my new casting rod and reel. And my new lures, 500 assorted lures. I now own the most advanced technology for catching fish that money can buy! (Jimmy and Johnny enter)
Jimmy:	You got your new fishing gear! When are you going fishing Dad?
Dad:	Just as soon as I put on my jeans and my new fishing sweater.
Johnny:	Can we go, Dad? Can we?
Dad:	Why sure, boys. I can teach you fellahs all about fishing in the great outdoors. By the way, where’s your brother?
Mom:	I haven’t seen him in awhile. (Jerry enters carrying an extremely long string of cardboard fish)
Jerry:	Dad! Look what I caught!
Dad:	Where did you get those?
Jerry:	Fishing.
Dad:	With what?
Jerry:	With a stick and a bent safety pin for hook.
Dad:	A safety pin? (Looks at their pile of equipment.) Get me a stick! I’m going fishing with you!

Skit: How Did You Get Here?

Characters: The skit is introduced by saying, that “many different kinds of ships were used by the people that helped settle America. Any number of Cub Scouts can be used for this skit either by dividing the lines accordingly or creating new ones.

#1:	If the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower how did the #s get here?
#2:	I don’t know? How?
#1:	On handy crafts. (As they say this, a Scout comes on stage with a sample of the handicraft project and a sign identifying it)
#1:	If Pilgrims came on the Mayflower and the Cub Scouts came on handy crafts, how did the doctors get here?
#2:	I don’t know. How?
#1:	On blood vessels. (dressed as a doctor enters) How did the students get here?
#2:	On scholarships (carrying books)
#1:	How did all the ordinary people get here?
#2:	On citizenship. (carrying sign that says, “Don’t forget to vote”) I know how the barbers got here.
#1:	How?
#2:	On clipper ships. (Cub dressed as a barber)
#1:	How did all the movie stars get here?
#2:	On a showboat. (Cub Scout wearing fancy clothes and sunglasses)
#2:	I’ll bet you can’t guess how all the hotheads got here?
#1:	That’s easy, they all came over on a steamship.

Skit: Man Fishing

Characters:

A man was fishing and catching fish like crazy. Two men were watching him and wondering what their secret was. They asked him what their secret is and he, just mumbles. They keep watching him reel in the fish and they again ask him what his secret is and he just mumbles. They ask a third time. He spits something into their hand and answers "Keep the worms warm."

Skit: New Canoe

Characters: teacher, 2+students
Materials: chalkboard, chalk

Teacher:	(steps up to the chalkboard and writes N-E-W in big letters.) What does that spell?
Students:	(several students sitting in chairs raise their hands.)
Teacher:	Okay, Johnny.
Johnny:	New
Teacher:	Very good. (next the teacher takes the chalk and puts the letter K in front of the N.) Now, what does it spell?
Students:	(raise hands and wave arms trying to get the teacher's attention except for Billy).
Teacher:	Okay, Billy.
Billy:	(smiles and says) Canoe!

Skit: Peanuts

Characters: policeman; police chief, 3 Cub Scouts;
Props: 2 police costumes

Police:	(policeman hustles scuffed looking up to the police chief.)
Chief:	Okay, constable. I’ll deal with this. (dismisses officer, turns sternly to #1) Well, now. Why are you here?
# 1:	(embarrassed) I threw peanuts into the lake.
Chief:	(chief looks puzzled; says sternly to #2) And why, then, were you brought in?
# 2:	(defensively) I threw peanuts into the lake.
Chief:	(chief scowls angrily; bellows at #3) And you! What have you got to say for yourself?
# 3:	I’m Peanuts, sir! (exit all)

Skit: A Ship Like This

Characters: 3 Cub Scouts (Mr. Niffy, Mr. Tiffy, Steward)
Scene: Aboard an ocean liner. A small table with a chair on each side. Mr. Niffy, who is very unhappy, sits in the right-hand chair. He picks up a book, signs, puts down the book. Looks around. Taps the table with their finger tips. Tries to read again. Mr. Tiffy enters left.

Mr. Tiffy:	Good Morning, Mr. Niffy. How are you, today?
Mr. Niffy:	Oh, oh, I just don’t know.
Mr. Tiffy:	May I sit down?
Mr. Nifty:	Of course! Of course! Do whatever you wish. Anything you do is all right with me.
Mr. Tifty:	Did you sleep well last night?
Mr. Niffy:	No, no, not a wink!
Mr. Tiffy:	Were you seasick?
Mr. Nifty:	No, no, I wasn’t seasick.
Mr. Tiffy:	Well, what’s your problem?
Mr. Nifty:	I’m afraid.
Mr. Tiffy:	Afraid of what?
Mr. Nifty:	I’m afraid this ship will sink.
Mr. Tiffy:	Oh, come on. That’s a silly fear. A ship this size doesn’t sink!
Mr. Nifty:	Oh, I read about a ship that sank.
Mr. Tiffy:	Here comes the Steward. Let’s talk to him.
Mr. Niffy:	All right.
Mr. Tiffy:	Pardon me, Steward.
Steward:	Good Morning, gentlemen! May I help you?
Mr. Tiffy:	I hope so. We have a question. Maybe you can answer it and put our minds to rest.
Steward:	I’ll answer if I can.
Mr. Tiffy:	Does a ship like this sink very often?
Steward:	Oh, No! (Men smile happily.) A ship like this sinks only once!

Skit: Ships That Pass in the Night

Characters: 5 Cub Scouts
Props: Handicraft sign, doctor outfit, graduation cap and gown, "get out to vote" sign, barber outfit, showboat dancer outfit

#1:	If the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower, how did Cub Scouts get here?
#2:	I don’t know. How?
#1:	On handy crafts (Cub Scout enters with sign reading “Handicraft”.)
#2:	If the Pilgrims came on the Mayflower and Cub Scouts came on handy crafts, how did doctor's get here?
#1:	How?
#2:	On blood vessels. (Cub Scout dressed as doctor enters.)
#1:	How did students get here?
#2:	I don’t know. How?
#3:	On scholarships (Cub Scout enters wearing academic cap and gown.)
#4:	How did all the ordinary people get here?
#5:	I’m stumped. How?
#4:	On citizen ships, of course. (Cub Scout enters carrying get-out-the-vote sign.)
#5:	And how did the barbers get here?
#4:	I know! They came on clipper ships. (Cub Scout dressed as barber enters.)
#5:	How about movie stars?
#3:	How?
#4:	On the showboat. Some came on dreamboats, of course. (Cub Scout dressed as song and dance man enters.)
#3:	And finally, how did all the hot heads get here?
All:	On steamships, naturally. (All face audience and bow.)

Skit: Water Safety Seals

Characters: ringmaster and six seals
Props: A cardboard ring, about 2 – 4 feet in diameter, large enough for seals to stand inside. Paint it to resemble a pool.
Scene: As the curtain opens, all seals are in the pool, flapping their arms.

Ringmaster: Ladies and gentlemen, we are now presenting those barking aquanauts, those super swimmers of the deep, our very own,
“Safety Seals!”

Seals:
(Tune of Clementine)
In the ocean, in a home pool, In a lake or in a tub;
Where there’s water, there is danger Even in a shower scrub.

If you plunge down to the bottom, Of the ocean, cool and green,
You must take some swimming lessons, For you’re not a submarine!

Seal #1: (Flapping flippers) Arf! Arf! Arf! You’ll get a glad hand from us seals if you’ll only swim where there is a lifeguard on duty.
Seal #2: Arf! Arf! Arf! We’ll applaud you if you always swim with a buddy. Never swim alone! (Claps flippers)
Seal #3: Arf! Arf! Arf! Encore! Encore! Learn to swim well, then learn some simple reaching rescues. Learn to give rescue breathing. You don’t have to be a Webelos Scouts to be a ready man.
Seal #4: We seals say, by all means enjoy your swim!
Seal #5: But be a smart seal! Stay away and out of the water during thunderstorms!
Seal #6: Avoid heavy meals before going into the water. Save the grub for after your swim!
All:    When you’re in trouble, call for help, but only if you really need it.
(Seals flap arms and sing)

If you plunge down to the bottom Of the Ocean, cool and green,
You must take some swimming lessons, For you’re not a submarine!

Skit: Waterways

Characters: 7 Cub Scouts
Props: Pictures (lake, sailboat, barge on Mississipi, Niagara Falls, whitewater rapids, cruise ship, barge on canal) with script on back in large font.

#1:	(holds up picture of a lake) A waterway is any navigable body of water. These include rivers, lakes, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:
#2:	(holds up picture of a sailboat with a big keel) The waterway must be deep enough to allow the draft depth of the vessels using it;
#3:	(picture of boat pushing barges on the Mississippi) The waterway must be wide enough to allow passage for the beam width of the vessels using it;
#4:	(picture of Niagara Falls) The waterway must be free of barriers to navigation such as waterfalls and rapids, or have a way around them, such as canal locks;
#5:	(picture of whitewater rapids) The current of the waterway must be mild enough to allow vessels to make headway.
#6:	(picture of a cruise ship) Vessels using waterways vary from small animal-drawn barges to immense ocean tankers and ocean liners, such as cruise ships.
#7:	(picture of barge on canal) At one time, canals were built mostly for small wooden barges drawn by horses or other draft animals. Today, major canals are built to allow passage of large ocean-going vessels.

Skit: What Can You See?

Characters: 5 Cub Scouts
Props: (Cub Scouts enter wearing different paraphernalia (big glasses, binoculars, magnifying glass, goggles) to wear as they climb into a boat.

#1:	(wearing big glasses)  My big glasses help me to see, The world is a wonderful place to be!
#2:	(with binoculars) That speck that is so far away, My binoculars make it plain as day.
#3:	(looking over the side of boat with a magnifying glass) Do bugs really live in the sea’? There’s a purple bug looking back at me!
#4:	(wearing goggles, looks over side of boat) There’s lots of strange things in the sea (lifts goggles off eyes) Is that a mermaid I see?
#5:	What is that that I can see? A submarine coming to rescue me!

Skit: Who Am I

Characters:
Set Up: This is a spin off from Family Feud. The teams play the game for real. Respond to answer for the MC means for him to say something witty about the response. The Master of Ceremonies (MC) enters first.
MC: Welcome to our show. Tonight our two teams are back stage, ready and anxious to begin. So lets bring out the first team… The CUBBIES! (Cub Scouts run out and take their place on one side of stage. As they run out the Master of Ceremony's assistant holds up a sign that says “CHEER”; This sign is to be held up each time the audience is to participate with a cheer).

Now, let’s bring out the second team… The C. P.’s – The Cubbies ' Parents. (Cheer) The captain of each team has a bell, if you know the answer to the question – ring the bell. The team to get the most correct answers of course is the winner. Now, if you are ready we will begin. (Teams both answer “READY”)

We have celebrities here to ask the questions. Do not ring your bell until the entire question has been asked. First Celebrity, please step forward. By the way, just a little clue, each of the Celebrities has something to do with water.

1st Celebrity: (Wearing a hat to depicting Columbus) I sailed the ocean blue in 1492
. . . Who am I?

MC: (Respond to answer) Now for the second Celebrity.

2nd Celebrity: (Wearing hat to depict John Paul Jones) On many ships I did sail, in battle I must not fail! I fought hard through the night. You can quote my words, “I’ve just begun to fight.”

MC: (Respond to answer) Will the third Celebrity please come out?

3rd Celebrity: (Wearing hat to depict Popeye) I love to sail, it is true. To make me strong I eat my spinach too!…Who am I?

MC: (Respond to answer) As our next celebrity comes out, listen very carefully as they whistle a tune to tell you who they are.

4th Celebrity: (Wearing hat to depict Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island) Enters whistling Gilligan’s theme song.

MC: (Respond to answer)

MC: Both teams have done your best, however, the winner is (name team). (Cheer) (To the losers) You have tried hard, and you are a winner, too. So, here’s a refresher for you, (assistant runs out with a bucket and it looks like they are going to throw water on the losers. (Ham this up) But when they finally go to throw the contents only some confetti (or another gag item) comes out.
 

Allergic

#1: What do you call someone who is allergic to water?
#2: I give up. What?
#1: Dirty.

Baby Whale

#1: What do you call a baby whale?
#2: A little squirt.

Beef

#1: I’ve eaten beef all my life and now I’m as strong as an ox.
#2: That’s funny. I’ve eaten fish all my life and I can’t swim a stroke.

Bird Imitations

#1: My mother does bird imitations.
#2: Really? How does she do that?
#1: She watches me like a hawk.

Cantaloupe

#1: Why did the cantaloupe jump into the water?
#2: Why?
#1: It wanted to be a watermelon.

Elephants

#1: Why can’t you get two elephants into a pool at the same time?
#2: They only have one pair of trunks.

Fisherman

#1: What is the first thing the fisherman caught after running to the river?
#2: His breath!

Fisherman

Child: How many fish have you caught?
Fisherman: None yet. But I've only been fishing for an hour.
Child: That's better than the man who was fishing here yesterday.
Fisherman: How's it better?
Child: It took him five hours to do what you've done in just one!

“H” TO “O”

Teacher: What is the formula for water?
Student: H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
Teacher: Whoever told you that?
Student: You did! You said it was H to O

Ox

Scout #1: I’ve eaten beef all my life and now I’m as strong as an ox.
Scout #2: That’s funny. I’ve eaten fish all my life and I can’t swim a stroke.

Partnership

#1: What ship is always managed by more than one person?
#2: A partnership

Rivers

#1: Where do rivers keep their money?
#2: In their banks!

Running River

#1: What is the first thing the fisherman caught after running to the river?
#2: His breath!

Sea Monsters

#1: Do you know what sea monsters eat?
#2: Sure. Submarine sandwiches!

Ship

#1: What ship is always managed by more than one person?
#2: A partnership

Spring

Leader: Where did you take your bath?
Scout: In the spring!
Leader: I didn’t ask you when . . . I asked you where!!!

Swimmers

#1: Are there any athletes in your family?
#2: My brother has been swimming for five years.
#1: He must be pretty tired.

Swimming

#1: Why do you keep doing the backstroke?
#2: I just had lunch and I don’t want to swim on a full stomach.

#1: They say that swimming is one of the best exercises for keeping the body slim and trim.
#2: Yeah. Right!

#1: Why do you say that?
#2: Well, did you ever see a whale?

CUB SCOUT 1: Do you know what time it is when 12 sharks chase one tuna? CUB SCOUT 2: No, what time is it? CUB SCOUT 1: Why, it is 12 after 1 of course. CUB SCOUT 1: Do you know what you get when you cross an electric eel and a sponge? CUB SCOUT 2: No, what do you get when you cross an electric eel and a sponge? CUB SCOUT 1: Why, a shock absorber of course. CUB SCOUT 1: Do you know what fish lights up the sky? CUB SCOUT 2: No, what fish lights up the sky? CUB SCOUT 1: A STARfish. CUB SCOUT 1: Do you know which bus crossed the ocean? CUB SCOUT 2: No, which bus crossed the ocean? CUB SCOUT 1: Why, Christopher ColumBUS of course

Test Scores

Parent: How are your test scores?
Child: Underwater.

Parent: What do you mean, underwater?
Child:   You know, below C level.

Daffy Definitions by a Sailor

• Current – Tidal flow that carries a boat away from where you’re aiming, OR toward a hazard.
• Tides - The rise and fall of ocean waters. There are two tides of interest to mariners: Low tide always comes when you want to enter port and there’s only mud or High Tide when you want to leave port and the water pushes you back.
• Grounding - The embarrassing situation in which a sailor returns to shore without leaving their boat.

Run On: Water! Water!

• A Cub Scout, crawling across the stage: "Water, water!!"
• Someone walks by, and the crawling Cub Scout tugs on their pant leg. "Water, Water!"
• Cub Scout walking by: "Sorry." He continues walking.
• Another Cub Scout walks by, the crawling Cub Scout tugs on their pant leg: "Water, Water!"
• Cub Scout walking by: "All I've got is this beef jerky, sorry." They keep walking.
• Another Cub Scout walk by, the crawling Cub Scout tugs on their pant leg: "Water, Water!"
• Cub Scout walking by: "No, I don't have any." They keep walking.
• The crawling Cub Scout sees a cup of water at the other end of the stage. "Water!!"
• They painfully crawl over there. "Water! Water!"
• When they reach the water, they quickly stands up, dunks their comb in it, and uses it to comb their hair.

Run On: Rowing

Several people sneak up behind the speaker and set chairs down so that "the speaker can't see them."

They then begin to go through the motions of casting a line and reeling it in.

After a while the audience is watching what the group is doing and then the "speaker" looks over and asks, "What are you doing?"

"We're fishing!" is the reply of the fishermen after which they go back to their motions and the speaker resumes talking.

After a short time the speaker looks over and says - "But you can't fish here!" "Why not?" asks another fisherman.

"Because there's no water here!" (speaker)

"Oh, well, they weren't biting anyway!" (fisherman)

The fishermen then turn their chairs so that they are lined up in a single line, facing in the same direction. They go through the motions of putting their gear away, and then, acting as if they are rowing a boat, slide their chairs backwards across the stage.

Did you hear about the pelican that switched from sardines to herring? The smaller fish just didn’t fill the bill.

Why do fish live in saltwater? Because pepper makes them sneeze!

What does not get any wetter no matter how much it rains? A lake.

What do sea monsters have for dinner? Fish and ships.

What do sharks like to eat with peanut butter sandwiches? Jellyfish

What do you call a thing that sits on the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck.

What fish can play in a band? Drumfish

What fish is the best fish of all? Angelfish

What fish might chase a mouse? Catfish

What fish may be found on a boat? Sailfish

What fish might say, 'Bow wow"? Dogfish

What fish should wear a crown? Kingfish

What fish would an actor like to be? Starfish

What gets wetter the more it dries? A towel.

What kind of cat lives in the ocean? An octopus

What kind of lights did Noah’s ark have? Floodlights.

What fish helps musicians? A tuna fish

What part of a fish weighs the most? The scales

What stays in bed most of the day and sometimes goes to the bank? A stream.

What’s a shark’s favorite food? A submarine sandwich.

When is a ship like snow? When it’s a-drift.

Where do ships go when they are ill? To the docks

Where can you find an ocean without water? On a map.

Where is the ocean the deepest? On the bottom.

Which vegetable would you never want in your boat? That’s easy – a leek!

Why didn’t the man swim on an empty stomach? Because it is easier to swim in water.

Riddles

Q:  I am found in the sea and on land but I do not walk or swim. I travel by foot but I am toe-less. I'm never far from home. What am I?
A: A snail

Q: I run but never walk. I have a mouth but never talk. I have a bed but never lie. What am I?
A: A river

Q: I am a river 1000 times bigger than the Mississippi, but I have no banks. Ships use me to increase their speed. I change the climate in England. What am I?
A: The Gulf Stream Current

Q: I travel the ocean, but don’t need a boat. I am often found by the beach. I give milk but don’t eat grain. What am I?
A: A coconut

 

 

 

Theme Related: Beach Safety

Protect your skin: Sunlight contains two kinds of UV rays -- UVA increases the risk of skin cancer, skin aging, and other skin diseases. UVB causes sunburn and can lead to skin cancer. Limit the amount of direct sunlight you receive between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and wear a sunscreen with a sun protection factor containing a high rating such as 15.

Drink plenty of water regularly and often even if you do not feel thirsty. Your body needs water to keep cool. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They can make you feel good briefly but make the heat's effects on your body worse. This is especially true with beer, which dehydrates the body.

Watch for signs of heat stroke: Heat stroke is life threatening. The victim's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly. Signals include hot, red, and dry skin; changes in consciousness, rapid, weak pulse, and rapid, shallow breathing. Call 9-1- 1 or your local EMS number. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body by wrapping wet sheets around the body and fan it. If you have ice packs or cold packs, place them on each of the victim's wrists and ankles, in the armpits and on the neck to cool the large blood vessels. Watch for signals of breathing problems and make sure the airway is clear. Keep the person lying down.
Wear eye protection: Sunglasses are like sunscreen for your eyes and protect against damage that can occur from UV rays. Be sure to wear sunglasses with labels that indicate that they absorb at least 90 percent of UV sunlight.
Wear foot protection: Many times, people's feet can get burned from the sand or cut from glass in the sand.

Theme Related: Fun Facts About Currents, Tides & Waves

• The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. At some times of the year the difference between high and low tide is taller than a three-story building.
• The Kuroshio Current, off the shores of Japan, is the largest current. It can travel between 40-121 km/day at 1.6-4.8 kph, and extends some 1,006 m deep.
• The Gulf Stream is a well-known current of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean. It moves 100 times as much water each day as all the rivers on earth, and flows 300 times faster than the Amazon River, the world’s largest river.
• The density of sea water becomes more dense as it becomes colder, right down to its freezing point of Funlike freshwater which is most dense well above its freezing point of 32 degrees.
• River and stream currents carry about 44% of the toxic contaminants that end up in the ocean.
• More than 90% of the world’s trade travels on currents, carried by ships.
• Ocean energy is renewable, and uses tides, waves, winds, currents and thermal heat and temperature differences in the water to generate the energy.
• One of the world’s most suitable tidal energy sites is the estuary of the river Rance, in western France, where the difference between high and low tides averages 8.17 metres, peaking at 13.5 metres during the equinoxes.
• Ocean tides would be a clean and inexhaustible energy source, and always constant and predictable.
• Ocean energy has been recognized in the Energy Bill of the United States.
• Ocean energy has the potential to deliver ten million terra-watt hours of electricity per year.
• The ocean can produce two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun's heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves.
• The speed of sound in water is 1,435 m/sec - nearly five times faster than the speed of sound in air.
• The world's first commercial wave farm using waves for energy opened in 2008 at the Aguçadora Wave Park in Portugal.
• There are currently two commercial-sized tidal energy sites operating in the world - one located in La Rance, France; the other in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada. There is a third experimental 400 kW tidal energy “barrage” (a kind of dam) operating in Kislaya Guba, Russia
• Energy using the difference in water temperature from solar heating on the surface compared to colder deep water temperatures is also a potential energy source. The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system must have a temperature difference of at least 77°F to operate, limiting its use to tropical regions. There is an experimental plant in Kona Hawaii, but technology needs to be developed to make it more efficient.
• Without the Gulf Stream, a warm current of water, England and other places in Europe would be much colder than they are.

Theme Related: Fun Facts About Water

• Water, either liquid or frozen, covers about 75% of the earth’s surface.
• About 30% of the earth’s fresh water is in groundwater and 70% is in ice (including ice caps, glaciers, permanent snow, ground ice, and permafrost)
• They don’t call it watermelon for nothing – its 97% water!
• The human body is 70% water!
• A birch tree can release about 70 gallons of water into the atmosphere each day.
• Water flowing at 10 miles an hour can move rocks 10 feet thick.
• In Northern Chile, years go by without a drop of rain.
• In parts of India, they get more than 400 inches a year of rain.
• If all the land on the earth and under the sea were leveled out, water would cover the entire earth two miles deep!
• Water has polar properties – a positive and a negative, while oil has no polar properties, which is why “Water & Oil don’t mix.”
• One third of the earth’s annual precipitation runs off into the ocean.
• It takes at least 600 gallons of water to make a hamburger – water for the cow to drink, water to grow what they eat, water to process the meat. Add to that the following things you eat with your burger:
  Bag of hamburger buns – 150 gallons
  Head of lettuce – 6 gallons
  Tomatoes – 3 gallons
  French Fries – 6 gallons
• Here are some more products and the amazing amounts of water it takes to produce a serving:
  Almonds:    12 gallons
  Orange:    14 gallons
  Milk:    65 gallons
  Rice :    35 gallons
  Watermelon:    100 gallons
  1 Egg:    120 gallons
  Loaf of bread:    150 gallons
  1 Car:    39,000 gallons

Theme Related: Safety in, on and around the Water

Maintain constant supervision. Watch children around any water environment (pool, stream, lake, tub, toilet, and bucket of water), no matter what skills your child has acquired and no matter how shallow the water.

Don't rely on substitutes. The use of flotation devices and inflatable toys cannot replace parental supervision. Such devices could suddenly shift position, lose air, or slip out from underneath, leaving the child in a dangerous situation.
Enroll children in a water safety course or Learn to Swim program. Your decision to provide your child with an early aquatic experience is a gift that will have infinite rewards. These courses encourage safe practices. You can also purchase a Community Water Safety manual at your local Red Cross.

Parents should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and you will expand your capabilities in providing care for your child.

Home Pool: Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim--this includes adults and children. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability.

• Never leave a child unobserved around water. Your eyes must be on the child at all times. Adult supervision is recommended.
• Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
• Learn Red Cross CPR and insist that babysitters, grandparents, and others who care for your child know CPR.
• Post CPR instructions and 9-1-1 or your local emergency number in the pool area.
• Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide. If the house is part of the barrier, the doors leading from the house to the pool should remain locked and be protected with an alarm that produces sounds when the door is unexpectedly opened.
• Never leave furniture near the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Always keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. Pole, rope, and personal flotation devices (PFDs) are recommended.
• Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
• Pool covers should always be completely removed prior to pool use.
• To learn more about home pool safety, you can purchase the video. It Only Takes a Minute from your local Red Cross chapter.
• If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.

Lakes and Rivers: Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim--this includes adults and children. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. Select a supervised area. A trained lifeguard who can help in an emergency is the best safety factor. Even good swimmers can have an unexpected medical emergency in the water. Never swim alone.

• Select an area that is clean and well maintained. A clean bathhouse, clean restrooms, and a litter-free environment show the management’s concern for your health and safety.
• Select an area that has good water quality and safe natural conditions. Murky water, hidden underwater objects, unexpected drop-offs, and aquatic plant life are hazards. Water pollution can cause health problems for swimmers. Strong tides, big waves, and currents can turn an event that began as fun into a tragedy.
• Make sure the water is deep enough before entering headfirst. Too many swimmers are seriously injured every year by entering headfirst into water that is too shallow. A feet first entry is much safer than diving.
• Be sure rafts and docks are in good condition. A well-run open-water facility maintains its rafts and docks in good condition, with no loose boards or exposed nails. Never swim under a raft or dock. Always look before jumping off a dock or raft to be sure no one is in the way.
• Avoid drainage ditches and arroyos. Drainage ditches and arroyos for water run- off are not good places for swimming or playing in the water. After heavy rains, they can quickly change into raging rivers that can easily take a human life. Even the strongest swimmers are no match for the power of the water. Fast water and debris in the current make ditches and arroyos very dangerous.

Ocean Safety: Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim--this includes adults and children. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability.

• Stay within the designated swimming area, ideally within the visibility of a lifeguard.
• Never swim alone.
• Check the surf conditions before you enter the water. Check to see if a warning flag is up or check with a lifeguard for water conditions, beach conditions, or any potential hazards.
• Stay away from piers, pilings, and diving platforms when in the water.
• Keep a lookout for aquatic life. Water plants and animals may be dangerous. Avoid patches of plants. Leave animals alone.
• Make sure you always have enough energy to swim back to shore.
• Don’t try to swim against a current if caught in one. Swim gradually out of the current, by swimming across it.

Water Parks: Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim--this includes adults and children. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability.

• Be sure the area is well supervised by lifeguards before you or others in your group enter the water.
• Read all posted signs. Follow the rules and directions given by lifeguards. Ask questions if you are not sure about a correct procedure.
• When you go from one attraction to another, note that the water depth may be different and that the attraction should be used in a different way.
• Before you start down a water slide, get in the correct position -- face up and feet first.
• Some facilities provide life jackets at no charge. If you cannot swim, wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Check others in your group as well.

Saving Water in the House

• Replace older toilets with high efficiency models – Check with local water utility for possible rebates.
• Toilet Devices are a less expensive alternative – They reduce the amount of water needed by filling up space in the tank.
• Shower heads - Install a water efficient shower head that uses no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. (Half what a normal shower head uses)
• Aerators - Low-flow aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets are easy to install and reduce water
• use and splashing . Your water company may provide them free!
• Clothes washers – Newer models typically use about 30% less water and between 40 to 70% less energy – and rebates may be available!

Saving Water in the Yard

• Water less frequently but more deeply. Think of your soil as a reservoir that holds water for your plants.
• Adjust your water controller according to the seasons.
• Reduce runoff caused by long water application times. Three five-minute applications with an hour in between will allow the soil to absorb more of the applied water that one 15-minute application, and prevent runoff.
• Exchange your irrigation controller for a Water-Smart Irrigation Controller. You may be eligible for a rebate from your local water district!
• Routinely check your irrigation system for leaks, broken or misdirected heads.
• Choose drip irrigation. Drip irrigation systems apply water at gallons per hour instead of minutes!
• Select plants that are adapted to your climate. Plants native to your area will need no water once established. Check with a local nursery or master gardener..
• Group plants according to their high, medium, or low water needs.
• Apply mulch to your garden – use at least 3 inches to maintain moisture, suppress weeds, protect the irrigation system and give a finished look to the garden. Never apply mulch right up against the main stem or trunk of a plant.

Water Sayings:

Here’s a list of some water sayings from around the world. See how many you have heard and how many you can explain.

• Even if you sit on the bottom of the sea, you cannot be a fish. (Africa)
• Have an umbrella ready before you get wet.
• A drop in the bucket
• Blood is thicker than water
• Break the ice
• Down the drain
• Finding your sea legs
• Having a ripple effect
• If a crocodile deserts the water, they will find themself on a spear (Africa)
• It’s all water under the bridge
• Like water off a duck’s back
• Make a big splash
• Somebody is all wet
• Steamed up..
• Still waters run deep
• The stone in the water knows nothing of the hill which lies parched in the sun (Africa)
• The well’s run dry
• Treading water
• Wet behind the ears
• When it rains it pours
• Watered down…How many more can you think of?

Water Waste Prevention

• Fix running toilets - A "running" toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute. A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons of water per month. To find silent leaks, put food coloring in the tank. Do not flush. Check the toilet bowl ten minutes later. If you see color in the bowl, the tank has a silent leak. Also, teach every member of your family where to shut off water at the toilet when making repairs or in case of a clog. Let your Scout help fix the leak for credit in advancement or electives. Ask a home store or hardware store for instruction.
• Fix leaking faucets - a slow steady drip (100 drops per minute) - wastes 350 gallons per month. A small stream wastes 2,000 to 2,700 gallons of water per month. Replacing worn washers in your faucets will usually stop leaks.
• Look for hidden leaks. Turn off all running water in the house.. Don't use any water for 30 minutes, then read the water meter. If it shows water used, you have a hidden leak that needs repair.
• Save the water when running a faucet to get hot or cold temperature - put a gallon jug under the faucet. You can then use this water for other things around the house.
• Insulate hot water pipes and your water heater where possible to minimize water waste while waiting for hot water.
• While brushing your teeth, turn off the tap. Use a cup for water; run the tap only to rinse the toothbrush.
• When showering and washing hands, wet your body. Turn off the water, apply soap, and then turn on the water to rinse.
• When washing dishes by hand, instead of running water to rinse dishes, fill the kitchen sink and dip dishes in water to rinse. Automatic dishwashers are more efficient than hand washing dishes, but wash only full loads.
• Fill the sink or a bowl with water to wash fruits and vegetables.
• Keep a container of water in the refrigerator rather than running tap water for a cool drink.
• Operate the disposal only when necessary. Consider composting food waste in your garden.

Did You Know this about Hawaii?

ALOHA! This word has many meanings: love, affection, kindness, hello, and good- bye are just a few. Right now, Hello and welcome to our luau!! Hawaii is a state of many islands where the weather is warm and volcanoes rise above beautiful beaches. How exciting to be exploring our 50th state, its peoples and culture. Now let’s capture that “Aloha spirit!!”

Hawaii, Our Fiftieth State

Capital:	Honolulu
State Abbreviation:	HI
State Bird:	Nene, an Hawaiian goose
Nickname:	Aloha State Hawaii

State Flower: Pua Aloalo , Hibiscus brackenridgei

The hibiscus, all colors and varieties, was the official Territorial Flower, adopted in the early 1920s. At statehood in 1959, the first state legislature adopted many of Hawaii's symbols as part of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS, state laws). It wasn't until 1988, however, that the yellow hibiscus which is native to the islands was selected to represent Hawaii. For this reason, you will see many older photos and postcards with the red hibiscus, or any other color for that matter, as the state flower. These were correct at the time.

Hawaiian Flag

Hawaii was once an independent kingdom. (1810 - 1893) The flag was designed at the request of King Kamehameha I. It has eight stripes of white, red and blue that represent the eight main islands. The flag of Great Britain is emblazoned in the upper left corner to honor Hawaii's friendship with
the British. The combination of the stripes of the United States flag and the Union Jack of Great Britain is said to have pleased the merchant shippers of both nations. Flag adopted for official state use in 1959.

• The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii.
• Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
• Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee.
• More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.
• There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
       ⇒ Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
       ⇒ Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
• From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.
• The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain range in the world.
• Honolulu's zenith star, (the star that rises directly above it) is Arcturus. The Hawaiians called it Hokule'a. (Hoe koo lay uh.)
• Under-sea volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago formed the islands of Hawaii.
• The Hawaiian Archipelago consists of over 130 scattered points of land stretching some 1,600 miles in length from the Kure Atoll in the north to the Island of Hawaii in the south.
• The first Asian American in the United States Senate was Hawaii's Hiram Fong. Descended from Chinese immigrants, Fong was elected to the Senate in 1959.
• Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20th, 1959.
• Island flowers and colors used to represent each island.
       ⇒ Niihau - Pupu Shell - White
       ⇒ Kauai - Mokihana (Green Berry) - Purple
       ⇒ Oahu - Ilima -Yellow
       ⇒ Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) - Pink
       ⇒ Molokai - White Kukui Blossom - Green
       ⇒ Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow & Orange Air Plant) - Orange
       ⇒ Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) - Grey
       ⇒ Big Island of Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red
• Hawaii has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time.) There is no daylight savings time.) The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
• The wind blows east to west in Hawaii. The highest recorded temperature is 96' F (Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92' F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature (under 3000 feet altitude) is 56' F. Temperatures under 60' F may occur but rarely more than once a year. Average daytime temp. (July) is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F.
• There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawaii. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians (Haoles) constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities.
• The Big Island is Hawaii's largest at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands combined.
• Kilauea volcano is the world's most active.

For more facts and trivia, visit www.50states.com