Our pack had an event called "reindeer games". Each den hosts a game station. (You don't want it to be so complicated that it takes more than two or three boys to manage the station. Think ring toss on "antlers", squirt gun at candles, pin the nose on the reindeer, build marshmallow snowmen.) Boys in the den take turns running their station so that the rest can go around and play the other dens' games.

Prizes are usually pieces of candy. So, one of the stations could be making a prize bag/decorating a "stocking".

This will be our third year of doing sock wars. It fits in well with December b/c we donate the socks to the community closet. But since you don't want to do the same activity--

How about a cake bake-off? Actually just a cake decorating contest. The boys decorate a cake that represents their favorite belt loop theme. They vote for their favorite cakes and you award prizes. Then the cakes are auctioned off and the proceeds go to the local food pantry. Afterward anyone who doesn't want to take the cake they won home donates the cake and you cut them up for a snack. Everyone wins.

If you want documents/plans on that send me a PM and I'll send you our stuff.

OMG! Stick Wars! (aka Duck Wars) Totally awesome and well worth the show.

What you need is a 2' chunk of closet rod for each boy. They square off by whatever, dens, sides, etc. and each boy takes the rod, puts it behind his knees, hunkers down, putting his arms under the rod and clasping hands in front of knees. The object of the game is knock over the opponents without getting knocked over yourself. Once you let your hands go free or get knocked over, you're out. Last man standing wins.

Caution, once the wars start, it is terribly difficult to get the boys back on task once you announce for the 100th time the game is over.

Totally entertaining for the adults to watch. There's a reason why they call it Duck Wars.

Stosh

oooo jblake that sounds entertaining!!!

Brewmeiser: we are trying to provide variety. Our boys are pretty spoiled in terms of entertainment. Sigh... We do a bake off in February along similar lines as part of our birthday celebrations.

Gotta do this quick before it becomes "ancient history"

Need: Big paper shopping bag, or clean 5 Gallon bucket.
stack of 3x5 cards.
Broad tip marker

Write one word on each 3x5 card of the Cub Scout Promise and the Law of the Pack. Put the cards in the bag/bucket and shake'em up.
At the start of the Pack Meeting, just before Johnny Cub is about to lead the Pack in the CSP & LotP, step up and announce "wait a minute Johnny, I know YOU know the Cub Promise but I wonder if the PARENTS remember it. Here" and you walk around offering the bag to all the adults, "pick a card out and then (come on Jack!) let's see if they can line up in the right order, WITHOUT TALKING!! Come on up front, here you go...A-A-A, no talking! ssshhhh quiet now, let's see how they do."
the Cubs love it.
Neat to watch who takes over to arrange the adults in the line-up.

Not bad triple S!!!

Thank you guys!

Some great ideas.

I especially like the sock snowball war. I just took at look at www.AnySolder.com and a lot of guys there are requesting white socks, so could gather them up and ship them over to afganistan for the troops too.

(If you go to http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/ and click on the magnifine glass on top of the left hand list of names and type in white socks you can get a list of units asking for white socks

Well you could walk in a christmas parade, adopt some angel tree kids and then go wrap presents for someplace like the angel tree program.

You could go sing christmas carols at a senior center or hospital--depends on how scared they are of rsv or the flu in your area. could include decorate a tree with them, make cookies and bring(check dietary requirements) or make a craft with them or bring premade crafts.

You could adopt the wing of the hospital, esp children's ward etc. be sure to check what they will allow, but it could involve making and wrapping little crafts/decorations, or just make ornaments and a paper chain to put on a tree you get donated or buy. make every person in the hospital at the holidays a christmas card.

you could take everyone to do clean up after the christmas parade if the street will stay closed long enough to be safe, then go somewhere like a park for a few reindeer games and cocoa.

you could collect in your neighborhoods for the local food bank, then volunteer and go stock the shelves with the stuff you collect--check with them for age requirements.

all sorts of things!

We had a couple winter CubANapolis races. Instead of cars, one year the Scouts made snowmobiles. They added "skis" and windshields instead of wheels to the boxes.

Another year, each den made Santa's sleighs. These were more a cardboard construction they pulled along the floor. Two Scouts were "reindeer", the rest of the den were "elves". Each den had to race from station to station. At the first station they loaded the sleigh with presents, at the second station they had to slide through a "chimney" (a tube of boxes laid on their sides & painted to look like bricks), third station was decorating a tree (sort of pin the ornaments on the tree), at the last station they delivered the presents. All of this was timed with the winning den earning some sort of doodle for their den flag.

Sleigh Racing for the December pack meeting!


During December den meetings, each den makes and decorates it's own sleigh from a large corrugated paper box. A rope is inserted through the box for pulling.

At the pack meeting, it's a relay race. One Scout from each den in the box is pulled around the race course by the other Scouts in the den, and then the boy in the box is switched and the race course run again until all the Scouts have been pulled around the race course.

I usually run the race twice. It's a great picture taking opportunity and parents enjoy it.

No sure where it fits in the whole scheme of Scouting, but how about the Drop Proof Egg Carton contest.

Using some common set of materials, each person contrives a device that will hold 1 raw egg in the shell. The devices are dropped from the top of a 10 ft ladder. A broken egg is disqualified.

If more than one egg survives, you increase the height to 11'...12'.... until one is left.

Messy, but fun.

We have an awards ceremony each December. Our gathering activity will be making an ornament using candy canes and Hershey bars with a ribbon to make a sled. The boys can decorate it and put their names on it. We'll have a tree to hang them on during the meeting. We will also be accepting gift donations under the tree for families of the states national guard stationed overseas.

We have a holiday party following the awards and this year we are considering karaoke to let the kids have fun.