Disability Awareness Pack Meeting Activities

Walk In My Shoes

A disability becomes a handicap, when it limits a person's potential. Many people with disabilities can lead full and active lives, if they are provided with essential support. 

Here are some ideas for a Pack Disabilities Awareness Night. For the full instructions of these activities, refer to the two sites I have included at the top of the page.  

I have tweaked an idea or two to fit the activity as I had experienced it at my local Cub Leader Pow Wow or what my pack has done in the past.  These ideas are to spark your own imagination on how to have the Cubs and Webelos experience a bit and learn compassion for kids in their classes or in their scouting units.  

Follow up with a discussion on specific ideas how to support someone who has an impairment or disability in Cub Scouting/Scouting or at their school/neighborhood.

November Blue & Gold Meal Planning

Planning the Blue and Gold Banquet, which is held in February to celebrate the birthday of BSA, ought to start in November.

February's Core Value is always Resourcefulness.  Remember to use your resources. This could be a talented party coordinator or decorator, a neighborhood comedian or entertainer, or rice or extra lumber. What is already available to your pack for free or a great savings?

It is highly suggested that the Pack Committee chooses a theme and Blue & Gold Banquet Committee, which can be made from cub parents and a Pack Committee member. The Pack Committee gives the Blue & Gold Banquet Committee the date, chosen theme, number of expected guests, expectations for the night, and the budget.

Whether the Pack Committee or a Blue & Gold Committee plans the occasion, here's a handout to assist in meal planning and theme ideas, here is a handout.

 Blue & Gold Meal Planning

Citizenship Quiz Football

Pack 152 Webelos came up with this fun game to combine the sport of the season with the core value of the month! For template, instructions, and questions click PACK 152.
This will take some advanced preparation. Review the questions, and be prepared to update or change some of the answers. For instance, when this was written our current President of the United States was Bill Clinton (you'll have to change that), and in another question it places the name of a local religious leader as a funny choice, but wrong answer.
I think this will be a popular game. The questions support review for the Webelos Citizenship Badge, but can be altered for the pack, or come up with completely new questions for Tiger, Wolf, or Bear den reviews, or even Belt Loop reviews.

Values with Themes

Our focus for Pack Meetings is the Core Value of the month. While we need to be careful the Core Value isn't replaced or lost by a theme, a theme can demonstrate and punctuate a Core Value. Themes can be used for decoration, games, and especially award ceremonies. Here are some ideas, mostly compiled by Charlene Rowley, to help our imaginations get started:

• CITIZENSHIP: Patriotic, Pilgrim, Patriots, Historic Flags, Our Country's (or local) Heritage
• COMPASSION: Pilgrims, Pioneers, Firemen, Medical First Aid, Wizard of Oz, Disability Awareness
• COOPERATION: Carnival, Circus, Rodeo, Mountaineers, Trailblazers, Circle the Wagons, Showbiz, Music Makers, Derbies, Sports Extravaganza, Genius Kits, Communication, Tied Up in Knots
• COURAGE: Wright Brothers, The World of Tomorrow, Vikings, Pirates, Pilgrims, Pioneers, Tall Tales, Legends, Knights, Robin Hood, Wizard of Oz
• FAITH: Patriots, Pilgrims, Pioneers
• HEALTH & FITNESS: Blast Off, Down on the Farm, Knights, Grecians Olympics, Sports Carnival, Fire Detective, Field Day, Survival
• HONESTY: Knights, Derbies, Pilgrims, Pioneers
• PERSEVERANCE: Wright Brothers, Viking, Pirates, Ship builders, Waterways, Discoveries, Patriots,Pilgrims, Our Heritage, Mountaineers, Pioneers, Trail blazers, Winter Olympics, Knights, Field Day, Survival
• POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Wright Brothers, The World of Tomorrow, Neptune Rex, Vaudeville, Magicians, Olympics, Heroes, Derbies, Wizard of Oz
• RESOURCEFULNESS: Sound Props, Trains, Solar System, Jungle, Zoo, Natural Resource Conservation, Recycling, Survival
• RESPECT: Great Events in Scouting, Circle the Wagons, Pioneers, Trailblazers, Wild West Rodeo, Pilgrims, Historic Flags, Akela's Council, It's A Small World
• RESPONSIBILITY: Wright Brothers, The World of Tomorrow, Discoverers, Patriots, Pilgrims, Pioneers, Trailblazers, Fire, Detectives

Responsibility Pack Meeting Ideas

I have a book that puts very nicely what responsibility is, but it has a copyright on it, and I'm a stickler for keeping copyrights, if I know about them. This link, Teaching Responsibility, has some wonderful things to read which will help leaders be better able to explain and guide children into understanding Responsibility.

Demonstrate the importance of doing your part with a 3-legged stool. While it is possible, with extra effort, to sit with only one or two legs, all legs are important for stability.

Activities could include a trust walk or playing a game where each team or person has a responsibility that only he is allowed to perform. For instance, teach the positions of soccer, basketball, baseball, or football. You could build something, but each team builds a part, and then it gets put together. Teach them to take pride in doing their best with the responsibility they have been given, and how good it feels to do one's part in a group.

Ask what's important to them. Peace? Winning a game? Getting their turn? A clean house? Explain that taking responsibility is doing what they can to make these goals come to pass. If they want a turn, they need to let others have a turn. if they want to win a game, they need to practice at home as well as at team practice.

Have everyone bring 3 pieces of small trash. Have them walk around a small yard and nonchalantly drop each piece of trash around the yard. When everyone's finished, have them look at the difference only 3 pieces of trash makes. Then clean up the yard and throw away the trash properly.

Take responsibility for your corner of a clean world. Have each boy weigh the trash in their house for one day, then times it by 356 for a year. Visit a local dump and recycling plant. Talk about how to recycle.

Talk about the responsibility of their teacher or mother or coach or milking a cow. Then discuss what would happen if they did not take their responsibility seriously. Talk about what responsibilities the boys have at school and at home. Talk about the effects of their being responsible or not responsible.