Re: All Cubs, All Packs Events
Carol Breuer (CBreuer@VINES.COLOSTATE.EDU)
Mon, 21 Oct 1996 10:27:50 MDT
Years ago when my son (now 26) was in Cub Scouts, our district did Turtle
Races. What that consisted of was making a plywood cutout in the shape of a
turtle with a 1/4" hole drilled in the head. The pattern was furnished by
the district and fit on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. Subsequent years the pattern was
a frog and a robot, and all sorts of things could be used to have some
variety. The Cubs could paint any way they wanted.
The race was set up by tie one end of a string, probably 8-10 feet long, to
an anchor of some sort at a height of about 12" (?). The free end of the
string is threaded through the hole in the turtle's head and placed lying
flat with the bottom along the starting line. The boy then advanced his
turtle by manueving the string, keeping the bottom edge of the turtle in
contact with the floor, in such a way that the turtle would partially raise
up until the bottom edge advanced, and then lower again along the string
until the finish line was reached.
It allowed for parent involvement in cutting the wood, allowed the boy to be
creative in painting his entry, and challenged them with how best to manuever
their entry along the string. Size was not much advantage, but patience and
persistance certainly helped. Everyone had fun with it, and there was even a
pack champions race that was held at our District Scout Show.
I can't remember now where this idea came from. I think I remember seeing it
in one of activities books that was available at the time. Part of the
popularity was due to the simplicity of the whole thing. One of my fond
memories of my son's Cub Scouting came the year we used the frog pattern. As
we were talking about what he could do to decorate that wood cutout, he
looked at it and told me very seriously that it wasn't a frog at all, but a
toad. Then he proceeded to paint it grey with brown warts all over, and he
had the only toad in the whole pack, and received the prize for the most
original frog, er, toad.
Carol Breuer, Fort Collins, CO
Asst. District Commissioner
. . . I used to be an eagle, NC-155
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
