JOEY SCOUTS B-P“BIG PARTY”FOR OUR 18TH BIRTHDAY!

Yes! Joey Scouts turn 18 on 1st July this year, so we all deserve to have a “BP Big Party” right across Australia! Using the following ideas, Joey Mobs are going to have their Parties as close to 1st July as possible.

Invite former Joeys and Leaders; maybe make it a Bring A Friend event. Your RC Joey Scouts will be asking for photos and great reports of the great fun you had together- so get those cameras ready!

GAMES

Big People Stilt Walking: Easy tin can stilts! Save and clean 825g cans (not opened with a MagiCan). You need 2 cans per person. With a bottle opener, prise two openings either side of the can base. Thread through 1.5m of thin rope or twine and tie off. Walk with your foot on the can base, opening side downwards. Hold onto the rope loop in each hand as you go. Be careful if having stilt races- encourage safety before speed!

Battle Pull: a four-way tug-o-war! You need 2 ropes of equal length, at least 8m and tied in the middle to form an X. Use a reef knot or sheetbend for this. Start with the knot over a central mark on the ground. Draw a circle around it to show how far the winners must pull the rope to be declared winners. Swap members of teams to give all a chance of winning.

Ball Passing Games: Circle formation- start passing a ball around the circle, encouraging accuracy and building up speed. Introduce a second and third ball of different sizes/textures.

Try starting one ball going in the opposite direction! Just good fun.

Bonded People: 3-legged races. Old panty hose are the best for loosely tying ankles together.

Bean Picking: crazy food relay where you use new plastic clothes pegs or chopsticks to pick up jelly beans and transfer them from one location to another.

CRAFTS

Balloon People: Blow up a balloon to reasonably good size. Using permanent markers, draw faces, hair etc with the tied off end facing downwards. Cut out the feet from the template and wedge the balloon tie between the heels. You can have silly races to see how many throws your Balloon Person needs to get from one end of the hall to the other.

Birthday Pompom Person: research search for Yarn Bug Piece for directions on how to make great pompoms. Tie a big pompom to the base of an upturned poly cup, add pipe cleaner arms and big cardboard feet, glue on wobbly eyes and red felt lips. Decorate the cup with scraps of materials, buttons and ribbons.

Ball k-Plonk: Make a small hole in the handle of a washing powder scoop and tie off one end of some string 40cm long. At the other end, wind the string around one bit of gravel or small stone and secure with a 10cm square of alfoil. Swing the foil stone and try to catch it in the scoop.

Bits’n’Pieces: the wonderful world of assorted junk comes to the fore to make a Happy Birthday sign, collage or painting to have as the BP Big Party centrepiece.

ACTIVITIES

Butterfly Patrols: cut out 40 cardboard butterfly shapes, each shape from the same A4 template. You can use different colour cardboard if you like. Write HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY SCOUTS using one big letter per butterfly. 17 butterflies will be blank. Hide the butterflies around the defined search area. Joey Scouts go in pairs to find as many butterflies as possible. With Leader help, make up the words. Using the blanks as well, you will be able to make a sign4 rows high x 10 butterflies across to spell out your message. Glue or blutack them to a big sheet of paper or pin to a noticeboard. Decorate. Makes a great backdrop for your publicity photographs.

Bubble Pipes:

1. Film canister version: bore a hole in the side of a film canister, near the base, just big enough to fit a drinking straw. Put in a detergent, glycerine and water mix. Blow down the straw to make bubbles erupt from the canister.

2. Poly cup version: Cut Chux cloth into 10cm squares. You need 2 squares per cup. Place 2 Chux squares over the open end of a poly cup and hold in place with an elastic band. In the middle of the base, bore a hole with a pencil. Have the bubble mix in saucers or open bowls. Dip the Chux end into the bubble mix and blow through via the hole in the base of the cup. Should make long bubble sausages!

Bouncing Parachute: have parachute games with balls, teddy bears or just play running games- a parachute is heaps of fun.

Ball Putting: make your own golf putters from junky bits and design your own mini golf course. A cardboard egg carton pulled apart will give you 12 “holes” which you can place at ground level by digging small holes in the grass. Make flags to indicate the Hole Number. Use plastic golf balls of course.

Buttery Popcorn: follow directions and have good adult supervision to watch the popcorn pop! If you can get a saucepan with a glass lid it is even better.

Banana or Blueberry Pancakes: Make basic pancake recipe and let the Joey Scouts cook their own afternoon tea. The addition of blueberries or sliced bananas makes them an unusual treat.

BBQ Pineapple: Adult supervision required here. Roll pieces of pineapple in brown sugar, put on the end of a skewer and cook over the flame of a tea light candle.

Thanks to the Region Commissioners (Joey Scouts) for their Brainstorming Powers and we hope you all have wonderfully fun Big Parties! Lyn Mann, SCJS, NSW.