It was a World Olympics year in Los Angeles, and our summer Cub camp fell during the period of the games. That was enough to stimulate our first olympic theme day at camp and it was so successful, we've made it an annual event. We give our Cub olympics a slightly different focus than the official games by stressing the idea of doing your best and basing the program on team rather than individual effort. But, having the real olympic games as a model that first time certainly helped us set the scene.
A theme day like this can involve the Cubs in a wide variety of activities. We start by sending each six to a different area of camp to plan and design their team flag. Every team has the same materials to work with; a large piece of white cloth, a flag pole, four different coloured markers, and a pencil and piece of paper for each Cub. We encourage them to incorporate the maple leaf and Wolf Cub symbol in their designs, and ask them not to use the names or symbols of real countries.
Each Cub in a team first creates his own pencil and paper flag design. The six then votes for their favourite design and all team members help produce a flag based on the winner. While they work, they also put together a team chant for the opening ceremonies.
Finally it's time for the opening. The sixers pick straws to choose the torchbearer who will lead the parade of athletes. Then, to the theme song Rocky blaring from a ghetto blaster, the teams march proudly behind their flags chanting their unique chants as they move through camp to the ceremonies site. After a few speeches from leaders and Cubs, the games begin.
You can choose many different kinds of events, so we'll simply share one of our most successful programs with you. We think it's important to offer events that are challenging, but not so difficult that the youngest or least athletic Cubs get turned off. To avoid situations in which some boys simply stand around, we run all our contests simultaneously and strongly encourage those who are waiting their turn to cheer on their teammates.
We organize an event for each six eight events for eight sixes - and allow eight minutes for the activity with a minute at each end to allow for movement between events and any necessary explanation. To signal rotation times, we toot a car horn. Parents work with leaders to supervise the various contests.
50 Metre Dash: requires two leaders, lime, stop watch, measuring tape, whistle, paper and pencil, clipboard, string.
With lime, mark off a start and finish line encompassing 50 metres on a fairly flat surface. Set up a string at the finish line and position one leader at the start line, the other (with stop watch, whistle and other paraphernalia) at the finish line. On signal, one Cub at a time races from start to finish. The leader records his time and signals on the next racer. The Cubs continue to cycle through the racing until time is up, then the leader adds up the two best times and records the score.
Football Throw: requires two leaders, paper and pencil, football, hoop, rope.
Hang the hoop from a tree limb and pace off a suitable distance for the throwing line. We try to put it just far enough away that successful throws are a challenge but not an impossibility. In turn, the Cubs toss the football through the hoop. Give each boy three tries, and continue until time is up. Record the total number of "baskets".
Running Broad Jump: requires two leaders, paper and pencil, measuring tape, start line, jump line, rake, sandy beach or soft ground.
Perhaps a leader can demonstrate before each team starts. One at a time, Cubs race from the start line and jump from the jump line. A leader measures and records each distance. Continue to cycle through the team until time is up. Record the total of the two best jumps.
Soccer Course: requires two leaders, paper and pencil, stop watch, course markers (buckets, cans, boxes, etc.).
A leader demonstrates the course layout before the contest begins. One at a time, the Cubs kick a soccer ball along the course as quickly as possible. Continue cycling through the team until time is up. Record the total of the two best times.
Long Distance Relay: requires three leaders, paper and pencil, baton (sawed off hockey stick or piece of dowelling), stop watch.
Set up a course with individual Cubs posted at various relay points. On signal, the Cub at the start line races to the next boy who takes the baton and races to the next, etc. Run a second cycle if time allows. Record the best overall time.
Shot Put: requires two leaders, a shot (or another suitable object), tape measure.
Have a leader demonstrate position and method for throwing. Cubs in turn throw the shot and a leader measures the distance of each toss. Continue to cycle through the team until time is up. Record the total of the two best distances.
Obstacle Course: Use the structures and equipment available to you to lay out an imaginative course. Keep safety and the Cubs' capabilities in mind. Two leaders can run the course and record the number of boys who make it through before time is up.
Ball-in-the-Bucket: requires two leaders, three tennis balls, one bucket.
Measure and mark off a suitable throwing distance. Place a bucket at one end and Cubs at the other. In turn, Cubs use an underhand toss to try to put three balls into the bucket. Continue to cycle through the team until time is up. Record the total number of balls that land and stay in the bucket.
To determine an overall winner, our scoring system awards five points for first place in each event, four points for second, three points for third, two points for fourth, and one point for all the other teams. We also award points for the best flags. Parents or leaders who have not been directly involved with the flag-making activity judge the flags and give 10 points for first, eight points for second, six points for third, and four points for all the others.
At the closing ceremony, we announce the final point totals
and make our presentations - gold, silver and bronze medallions
to the sixers of the top three teams respectively, and small
tokens to each member of these winning teams. After the top
team's sixer takes a victory turn around the ceremony site, a
Grand Howl brings the olympics to a close. But the magic lingers
on. We've noticed that, during the remaining days in camp, every
Cub from the leading teams has a chance to wear the medallion
presented to his sixer.
Try an Olympics Day at your camp this summer. I'll bet your Cubs will enjoy it as much as we do.
Scouter Paul Ritchi is Akela of the 7th Thornhill (Mysa) Cub Pack, Thornhill, Ontario.
(Ideas from Scouts-L messages.)
Susan...
In your Cub Scout obstacle course, be sure to leave "skylights" for the escape of those boys who get scared, lost or otherwise decide they no longer care to be "trapped." There was such a tunnel at a Scout Expo here one year, and the entire time my son was standing in line, the leaders were constantly rescuing crying children..
Susan -
We did an obstacle race/marathon event last year for our Bear den and it was such a success it was repeated at a pack meeting. Besides the long curved tunnel (the biggest hit), we did the following:
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l (this is the setup of the stakes)
There may have been a couple other events. None of it was timed. We had an adult at the "start" to make sure that the preceding scout was at least 3 events into the obstacle course before the next one could begin. They did the course at least 4 times before I could get them on to our next activity.
Oh yeah - my scouts are mid-western corn and beef fed so all were quite tall and the slide and tractor were more of a challenge than you might think. They wanted to skip steps climbing the slide ladder and on the tractor - talk about bow-legged! They had a blast!
Good luck with your event!
Some other good obstacles are
Hope you understand the ideas in spite of my poor English.
How about carrying an egg on a spoon in their mouths? OR put down tape, rope, or if you have something that could sub. as a balance beam?