January Week 1
Beaver Scout Meeting Schedule
Theme: Circus Times
(See detail planning sheets)
Time
Activity
Additional Information
Run by
6:15 pm
Gathering
The Monkey’s Tail
All
6:20 pm
Opening
See the Beaver Scout Leader Handbook
6:30 pm
Game
Ring-Master Game
6:40 pm
Activity
The Big Top Show
7:00 pm
Game
Lions & Tigers
7:15 pm
Closing
Riverbanks & Dam formation
Good night and busy building tomorrow
Meeting Notes:
Every circus needs clowns. Maybe senior Scouts or Cub Scouts could come to the meeting dressed as
clowns. Perhaps there are youth that are jugglers or magicians.
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JUMPSTART—BEAVER SCOUTS: Circus Times 1
Gathering
Activity
The Monkey’s Tail
The Big Top Show
Before the Beaver Scouts arrive, set up a player with
some Circus music playing. Place a large cut-out of a
monkey in the middle of the room, with enough strings
for each child attached to it. You may want to fasten it
to a chair for stability. The strings should be criss-crossed
over and under each other on their way to the monkey.
Acrobats and trapeze artists are other circus entertainers
your Beaver Scouts will enjoy imitating. Spread some
mats around the room and divide into lodges. Each
lodge will learn a few tricks, and then perform for the
colony. Suggested tricks include:
As the Beaver Scouts arrive, give each one a string.
They need to wind up the string to reach the monkey.
Obviously this will result in much confusion and tangled
string as the Beaver Scouts co-operate with each other
to become untangled.
Game
Ring-master Game
Every circus needs a ring-master. This gives a leader or
older Scout a chance to don a top hat and step into the
ring.
Tumbling – teach the Beaver Scouts how to do
somersaults, leap-frog and handstands.
Balance – set up a low balance beam, or even a board
on the floor. Show the Beaver Scouts some tricks such as
heel-to-toe walking, backward arches, and other balance
tricks.
Juggling – provide soft balls and show the Beaver Scouts
how to toss them or keep them up in the air while
everyone calls out the count.
Lion Taming – prepare a skit where some Beaver Scouts
are lions and one is a lion tamer.
If any older youth can juggle or perform magic acts,
invite them to perform too.
Form the colony into a large circle. The ring-master
calls out the name of a circus animal and gives an
action demonstration. For example, he could call out
elephants, and parade around the room bent over with
an arm swinging like a trunk. Or say prance like ponies,
lope like lions and roar. The Beaver Scouts practice these
actions and move around the circle.
These activities and more will provide an entertaining
Big Top Show indeed.
Once everyone has had a chance to experiment the
actions, the ring-master proclaims, “ Let the circus
parade begin.” Each Beaver Scout then chooses a circus
animal and joins a parade around the room, while circus
music plays and leaders cheer. This is also the cue for the
clowns to join in.
Provide lots of yellow (lions) and orange (tigers)
balloons on the floor, enough that each Beaver Scout
will have three or four.
Game
Lions and Tigers
Tell the Beaver Scouts that they must chase the lions
and tigers up trees. To do this, they need to create
static electricity on the balloons and stick them to the
walls. Show them how to build a charge by rubbing the
balloons on their hair or shirt.
When the meeting is over, the Beaver Scouts can take
home the balloons.
2
JUMPSTART—BEAVER SCOUTS: Circus Times
Closing
Thank those who assisted in making the Circus fun for
everyone.
Good night and busy building tomorrow.
JUMPSTART—BEAVER SCOUTS: Circus Times 3