KISMIF.org – Awesome Cub Scouting

Jeremy Zweiacker is a KISMIF.org guest blogger from Oklahoma.  He is a Tiger Cub Den Leader, an Eagle Scout, and a long time Scouter.

Winter time is a great time to do Scouting activities with your own children. Today (as I write this on January 29), I am at home with my children because the snow keeps falling. I am starting to think about what we will do when we go outside, and we will go outside! We are Scouts after all.

My son, a Tiger Cub, has a lot of options when it comes to being outside in the snow and working out of his Tiger Cub handbook. Here are a couple of ideas I have tossed around…

1F. Family Activity – Think of one chore you can do with your adult partner. Complete it together.

Shoveling the snow on the driveway comes to mind. Head outside with a pair of shovels and start digging. With that extra snow that you shovel, you can make a great snow fort or it can be made into an awesomely large snowman!

5F. Family Activity - Go outside and watch the weather.

Snowy days give you a great opportunity to head outside and talk about the weather with your Scout. You can talk about how no two snowflakes are the same, and you can even try to keep one with these great tips from Boys Life.

It is also a great time to talk about the Character Connection for Faith since the sun might not be out.

There are many electives that Tigers can work on as well.

E10 – Helping Hands: Along with your adult partner, help an elderly or shut-in person with a chore.

There are a couple ideas that you can do. Ask your neighbor if you can get their mail for them, saving them a walk to the mailbox. Maybe they need their driveway or walk shoveled? Maybe they need help taking the trash to the curb or from the inside to the garbage container. All you have to do is ask, and they are sure to let you help.

E15 – Our Colorful World: Mix the primary colors to make orange, green, and purple.

Head outside and mix primary colors in the snow. If you have enough materials, make the snowman you just created from shoveling your driveway into a multicolored snowman. Wouldn’t your snowman look funky with an orange head and a purple belly?

E22 – Picnic Fun: With your family or with your den, have a picnic–outdoors or indoors.

It sounds a little crazy, but if you are going outside you might as well take a thermos of hot chocolate along with you and roast a few marshmallows or hot dogs. While you are drinking your hot chocolate, why not collect some snow to make snow ice cream? Now you have your drink, meal and desert!

E32 – Feed the Birds: Make a bird feeder and then hang it outdoors.

Our flying friends are always looking for a place to dine. After you finish drinking that gallon of milk in the fridge, don’t through away the plastic jug, make it into a bird feeder. Hang it outside and watch the birds flock to your feeder, and as a bonus, you are leaving the world a little greener by reusing plastic products.

E-35 – Fun Outdoors: Play a game outdoors with your family or den.

Paint some golf balls black or take the football outside to toss it around. Grab some cardboard (Scouts are thrifty) and make sledding into a sport and see who can go down the hill the farthest. Many summer games can be played outside during the winter.

E-37 – Take a Bicycle Ride: Take a bicycle ride with your adult partner.

I loved riding my bike in the snow when I was younger. It was a great workout and great fun! Younger Scouts may not be strong enough yet to hit the snow trails, but peddling around on the driveway in the snow can be a great way to get outside and burn off some of that cabin fever!

There are options for Cub Scouts of all ranks with the Cub Scout Academic and Sports Program. If you are looking to start a belt loop, the Weather belt loop would be fun to start during the winter. Depending on where you live, Ice Skating and the Snow Ski and Board Sports belt loops are available as well.

I think that it is time for me to head outside with the kids. What kind of winter Scouting activities do you do with your Scout?