Cub Scouts

One of my favourite things to do each week is help with Cub Scouts, knowing what to do with 18 eight to ten year old boys can sometimes be a panic.. the games have to be fun, tiring and quick to organise. We are lucky enough to have 2 large halls to plan in and an outside green for when the weather is nice. Here are three games that we plan and are a hit with the boys:

Octopus
4 Way Football
Pip, Squeak, Wilfred
Octopus:

1. Set up a rectangle area; we use the halls boundaries but you could definitely play this outside.
2. One person is the octopus and has to catch everyone else, The Octopus is only allowed to run along the line in the middle of the hall to catch 'the fish' as they run from one side to the other.
3. If you get caught you turn into seaweed and you can't move your feet but you can catch other people if they run close to you, the fish that weren't caught can then run back to the other side and this repeats until everyone is caught, you get a 5 second count down if you are too slow at running.
4. The last person not to get caught if the Octopus in the next round.

Tip: If the Octopus is having trouble catching anyone after a few goes consider adding another child to help.

4 Way Football:

Set up your pitch like this

 You will need: 8 goal marker (jumpers would be fine) and 2 footballs.

1. Set 4 of the markers up like normal goals 2 on each side of the pitch. Then add 4 more markers on the sides of the pitch (sort of like making a thick cross shape) divide your group into 4 teams (we tend to do this by height and then number them off down the line so each team gets similar heights) put the teams in there own goals and put the 2 footballs in the middle at the kick off line.
2. The boys have to rush to get the footballs at the blow of the whistle and then score their own ball into their opposite goal to score. (It helps if you have 2 different coloured balls to help identify them). 
3. The game is really just 2 games of football happening on the same pitch, but the fun bit is getting past all the other players with your ball.

Tip: Best played outside but can be done inside too.. Also beware of windows and greenhouses with this one, sometimes the kids can get a bit excited and kick the ball a little too high.

Pip, Squeak, Wilfred:

Photo: http://www.greatwar.co.uk/medals/ww1-campaign-medals.htm

You will need: a small bean bag or something that is easy to grab in a rush.

1. Divide the people in groups of 3s.
2. Name each person in the group Pip, Squeak or Wilfred.
3. Everyone stands in a big circle next to their groups.  
4. The caller calls out Pip, Squeak or Wilfred and that person has to run around the big circle back to their original spot where the 2 other players in their team will have made a bridge for them to run under.
5. They then have to grab the beanbag first for their team to win the point.
6. Repeat so all 3 players have a chance to run around and then ask the children to rename themselves and start again.

 Have fun!!