Activities for Low-Readers

Several of my Webelos Scouts either cannot read at all or struggle, so I developed some activities to help them.  They have worked well so far!  They have been fun for the low-readers as well as the Scouts that read fine.  It levels the playing field for all the Scouts.  (Click title links of each to download.)

First-Class Scout Badge Puzzle:
This can help Scouts practice to learn the parts and meaning of the First-Class Scout badge.  (This is an Arrow of Light requirement.)

Pack for Camping Game: (file 1 and file 2)
We used this to discuss what and how to pack for an overnight camp (Outdoorsman Activity Badge requirement).

Meal Planning:
This can be used for the meal planning requirement of the Fitness Activity Badge.

Uniform Game:
Use this to learn or practice the Webelos Badge requirement (learning the parts of the Webelos uniform) and the Arrow of Light requirement (learning parts of the Boy Scout uniform).

Bridging Ceremony and Bridge Plans

We decided to build our Webelos to Boy Scout bridge as part of the Craftsman activity badge.  The Scouts really seemed to enjoy helping to build the bridge and had a sense of pride and ownership in it.  In fact, they all got out their cell phones and took pictures of themselves on it when we were finished building it!

My husband looked at several different bridge plans online and came up with his own plan.  It worked well and turned out looking great!  He built the frame of the bridge ahead of time and then during our den meeting, the Scouts attached the planks.  The Scouts also inserted the ropes into the posts (my husband predrilled the holes since Webelos cannot use power tools).

We have not done it yet, but we are planning to paint the twelve points of the Scout Law on the top planks.  We are also allowing each Scout to sign his name on a side plank after he bridges over.  Here is what the bridge looks like:

You can view the plans as a PDF or download Google SketchUp (free download) to view the .skp file.  In SketchUp, you can view the plans as a 3D model and look at it from every angle.

For the ceremony we used, see this blog post.

Ceremonies

Ceremonies are (and should be!) an important part of Cub Scouting.  These are some ceremonies that have worked well for our den and pack.  Some I found any hybridized, others I created:

Denner Installation Ceremony

Denner InstallationCeremony (simple, with flag)

Flag Ceremony (for hoisting flag outdoors)

Bridging from Webelos to Boy Scouts Ceremony

Other things that may help with your ceremonies:

For den meetings, I have the Scouts take turns leading the opening ceremony.  When the Scout comes in, I give him one of these worksheets (when you print, you will have two worksheets on each page).  The Scout chooses which options he wants (i.e. using the Cub Scout or Boy Scout salute while pledging allegiance), and then he leads the ceremony.

Another thing I love originally came from Gloria Fox of the High Uintah Council of the Utah National Parks Council.  This file is a flag ceremony card.  Print and assemble the card, and you will have a card to give to Scouts to lead flag ceremonies.  It tells them exactly what to say, and what will happen.  I have found it very useful!

Forester Activity Badge

When we did the Forester activity badge, we combined it with several other requirements!  It worked great.

We planned a longer den meeting.  We drove up to the mountains near where we live, to a place where we could see enough species of trees and other plants to pass off those requirements.  While we were out, we went on our hike (Arrow of Light requirement) to look at what we needed to see.  We also did our conservation project (Outdoorsman requirement) while we were there—we picked up litter in the parking area and also along the trail.  We were able to complete the entire Forester activity badge in one den meeting, as well as the hike and conservation project.  We will be doing it the same way again!  The only thing we would do differently is to schedule a half-day instead of several hours.

Postcards

Communication with parents is very important.  There are several ways that you can keep in touch.  If you and the parents are tech savvy, you could possibly send email reminders or text messages to parents.  You can also call parents with reminders.  My favorite method, however, is to send a weekly postcard to parents and Scouts, and to send one letter per month to parents.  The Scouts can hang up the postcards their refrigerator or calendar at home.  They have worked well in our den.

Here are copies of the postcards I send.  I am attaching a PDF and a MS Word file so you can print them as-is or modify them.  I like to type in the information about where and when we are meeting, what we are doing (i.e. the Readyman Activity Badge), as well as contact information.  I also typed the names and addresses into my personal file so I do not have to write them in each time.

Print the files on cardstock, and cut into quarters.  This will make them the appropriate size and weight for postcards to be mailed by the US Postal Service.

Webelos Den Meeting Postcard—Word or PDF

Pack Meeting Postcard—Word or PDF

I also like to send a letter to parents each month.  In this letter, I give the parent an update on how the Scout is doing, how close he is to the next advancement, and upcoming activities in the den and pack.  This has been a good way to keep parents informed on den plans and activities, as well as to have them part of the advancement process.

Exciting Changes

Have you heard about this?  Cub Scouting has some exciting changes on the horizon!  (Sorry I am posting this really late!)   http://blog.utahscouts.org/scouting-how-tos/better-activities-simplified-advancement-coming-cub-scouting-2015/

Moon Day Space Derby

We celebrated “Moon Day” (July 20, the anniversary of man landing on the moon) by having a Space Derby.  It was great!  We asked each Scout to build a space derby kit and bring it to our den meeting.  Parents and families were also invited to attend.

We had “Astronaut Registration” set up in the foyer of the building where we meet.  There, each Scout received his name badge, as well as a Space Derby patch.  They turned in their rockets so they could be checked and prepped for the derby.  They were given a straw rocket kit to play with as a preopening activity, while they waited for us to start.

We started by moving the Scouts into the gym, where we were holding the derby.  We had a section set up as an “Astronaut Orientation and Training” station.  Here, we played a video of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren placing the flag on the moon for our flag ceremony.  (The video was projected on a large screen.  The video we used can be found here.)  We discussed some space trivia, like products that were developed for the space program (such as Velcro and juice boxes), as well as some astronauts that have been Cub Scouts (I found a list by searching online).  We also gave each Scout a space encyclopedia book that I found at the dollar store.

After this, we moved on to the derby.  We had the track set up at the “Launch Site.”  (We blocked off the track with chairs and signs that said “Authorized Personnel Only.”)  We had several races for speed and for distance.  We also set up balloons partway down the track with a pin in a card right before it, to see which rocket(s) could pop the balloon.  One thing we learned was that it took a long time to set up the rockets between each race.  It was nice to have the straw rockets for them to play with, but it would have been better to have more games and activities.  We also decided that we needed to have a winding mechanism to help make the process faster.  You can find the instructions for using a drill to wind the rockets several places online.  We also found that we needed extra rubber bands because several broke right away.  We found some the same size as those in the kits at Staples.

After the races, we gave out awards to the Scouts for completing their “missions.”  We had one “medal” (paper cutout that looked like a medal) for each “mission” (race).  Each Scout received a medal for all the “missions” they completed, whether they were the winner or not.  They also each received an astronaut ice cream.

We also had a “Refueling Station” of snacks for everyone.  We had juice boxes, Tang, and Moon Pies.

It was a lot of fun!  I think we are going to make this an annual event.

Here are some files you can use to do your own space derby:

Authorized PersonnelOnly poster (we printed on yellow cardstock)

Authorized Personnel Only mini-signs (we printed on yellow cardstock)

Other Signs (printed on cardstock)

Astronaut Name Badges 

Vision and Leadership Plan

At Wood Badge, we learned that a vision is a picture of what success looks like.  We also learned about the stages of team development.  When I attended Wood Badge, our pack was newly reorganized, so we were in the Forming stage.  We were not working very effectively together, but I knew we could do better.  One of my ticket items was to plan and give a short presentation in our Pack Planning Meeting, in which I explained the stages of team development and offered a proposed vision statement and leadership plan.  The meeting went well, and after good discussion, the vision and plan were accepted for the pack.  I also proposed that we follow up each month with a Start, Stop, Continue assessment each month to make sure we are staying on track with where we want to be.  We have done the assessments each month, and I believe having a common vision and plan, as well as regular evaluation, has helped us have a much better Cub Scout program.

Here is our vision and plan:

Pack 789 Vision and Leadership Plan

Vision:

Every Scout will keep his baptismal covenants and serve others.  Every Scout will be prepared to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and will be confident and capable of exercising the priesthood.

Leadership Plan

To prepare each Scout to do these things, we, as leaders, will:

·         Encourage and help each Scout have meaningful experiences as he works through Scouting achievements and advancements. 

·         Give each Scout opportunities for leadership and growth. 

·         Train and trust each Scout to fulfill meaningful assignments. 

·         Focus on the Faith in God program. 

·         Provide a consistent program for Scouts from beginning to end. 

·         Lead by example in regards to uniforms and values. 

·         Encourage Scouts to build relationships with other Scouts, as well as with their parents and leaders. 

·         Work towards developing within each Scout habits and attitudes of leadership and citizenship.

The Start, Stop, Continue evaluation worksheet can be downloaded here.

Engineer Activity Badge

When we did the Engineer activity badge, we invited an engineer to come talk to us about engineering.  He did a great job and covered many of our requirements with the Scouts.  We built bridges out of paper and blocks as is suggested in the book and tested them with toy cars.  The Scouts thought that was fun and seemed to grasp the concept well.  One Scout was even talking about it months later.  We had each Scout draw a floor plan of his home as is required, and then I held onto the drawings until we did the Readyman activity badge; we simply added onto them for the fire escape plan.  We also built wooden catapults using kits from the Scout store.  We used our catapults to have a miniature marshmallow war!  I made a castle out of foam board with the windows and doors cut out, then covered in tissue paper strips.  The Scouts tried to shoot out the tissue paper with the marshmallows.  They had a great time!  We also made an electric circuit differently than is suggested in the book because flashlights are not made the same way anymore.  We used a board, nails, wire, and a small metal strip as a switch.  We had the nails in the boards, and the Scouts assembled by putting in the battery, bulb, and attaching the wires.  Here is a photo of what the circuit looked like:

Scientist Activity Badge

One of the most fun ways we have shared in Pack Meeting was with the Scientist Activity Badge.  After completing the Scientist activity badge, we arranged to have a science magic show at Pack Meeting.  The Scouts can perform “amazing” science tricks for their families and the younger Scouts like the egg in a bottle, coin tricks, determining if an egg is raw or boiled, etc.  We used the suggested activities in the handbook.

I also prepared a scientific method worksheet that we had the Scouts fill out as we worked on the activity badge.  It can be downloaded by clicking here.

Citizen Activity Badge

The Cub Scout Den and Resource Guide suggests that you play Jeopardy to pass off some of the requirements for the Citizen activity badge.  This worked well for us.  I used their suggested plan as a starting point and modified it some.  I found that while they were okay, some of their questions did not really work towards the requirements, and there were others that were not included that I thought could be.  I created the game on JeopardyLabs, so we were able to play from my tablet during den meeting.  Here is the link to the game I put together: jeopardylabs.com/play/webelos-citizen-jeopardy24 (click to follow link).  You can play from that website or use it as a starting point for your own game. 

Playing this game (mine, available here) fulfills these requirements for the Citizen activity badge:

#2

#3—partial

#4—partial

#6

This is a fun way to quickly get through a good chunk of the information.  If you want to print (or quickly view) the list of questions, you can use this file.

The only problem we ran into was that some of our Scouts don't read well.  I read all the questions aloud, so none had to read them to answer, but the problem came in answering.  We allowed them to refer to their handbooks for help if needed, but not all of them were able to do so.

Readyman Activity Badge

After a failed attempt at a lecture-style presentation of the Readyman activity badge, we tried something completely different the next time.  I made a matching game that the Scouts played instead.  I printed the problems (i.e. shock, first-degree burn) on one color of cardstock, and the treatment on another color of cardstock.  I also laminated the cards so we can use them again.  We put all the cards face-down on a table.  We put all the problems together and all the treatments together, but I suppose you could mix them up if you wanted.  The Scouts took turns choosing one problem card and one treatment card and tried to find the match.  When they did find a match, we discussed the problem and treatment, and then we practiced the skill.

This worked well and the Scouts thought it was a lot of fun!  They seemed to grasp it better than the lecture and had a lot more fun.  I am including the file for the memory game, as well as a file for flashcards.

If you play the game (and practice all these skills along with it), you will pass off most of the requirements for the Readyman activity badge.  You will still need to:

-Complete the Courage Character Connection

-Have each Scout complete my Safety Notebook (click link to open file).  This Safety Notebook will complete several requirements for the Readyman activity badge as well as most of the Fitness activity badge (see this post for more information).

-Requirement #2 (explain how to get help in an emergency and make a “ help list”)

-Requirement #8 (safe swim)

Fitness Activity Badge and Safety Notebook

The Fitness activity badge is best completed at home.  In fact, most must be done with a parent.  To facilitate this, I have sent home a packet with each Scout that has all the information they need to do it.  The packet includes:

-A letter to the parent explaining the requirements

-A copy of this Safety Notebook (see explanation below)

-Charts for meal planning, tracking, and evaluation (these came from our council’s Pow-Wow book, and they’ve worked pretty well)

I put together this safety notebook.  It will pass off quite a few requirements for both the Fitness and Readyman activity badges if a parent goes over each section with the Scout and they complete the necessary parts together (like the safety rule and emergency contact lists).  I print the file double-sided, and I usually print the first sheet on cardstock so it has a sort of a cover.  Fold the book in half and staple it.  (The pages seem out of order in the file but will work correctly once it’s put together.)

Alternately, you can have your Scouts do the meal planning requirement as a den activity using this file.  This activity does not require reading.

Why this blog?

I created this blog to help fulfill one of my Wood Badge ticket items--to put together and share some ideas that have worked well in my Webelos den.  I hope some of these ideas might be useful for other people, too!

I will be sharing some activities that will be labeled "low-reading."  I have several Scouts in my den that do not read well (or at all), so these "low-reading" activities are ones were designed with them in mind.  These activities require either little or no reading ability.