Christmas Campfire Pack Meeting
I've probably mentioned before that I'm the Webelos Den Leader for Peter and his friend Brian. Last summer, both Peter and Brian earned most of the Camper requirements as they were on family vacations. There were, however, just a few requirements that they couldn't complete on their own. One of those was to organize a campfire program for their pack. In LDS scout troops, the Webelos don't go camping as a den, so we had to be a little creative to help them pass off this requirement.
As a result, the Webelos were in charge of pack meeting on Tuesday, and it was a "campfire". Peter and Brian came up with a theme (Christmas), decided on skits, a game, and songs, gave the Bear den assignments to help with a skit, and asked the Cub Master to supply a Cub Master Minute.
Our evening went something like this:
6:30 We swung by the house of our cub committee chairperson to pick up the awards that were to be awarded that evening because she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't make it to the pack meeting.
6:45 We arrive at the church building to set up in the gym, only to discover that another ward is having a Young Women In Excellence Meeting in the other side of the gym. After some quick consultation, we decide to set up in the Relief Society Room instead. They don't want 8-10 year olds screaming or singing at the top of their lungs while they are trying to be spiritual.
The Assistant Webelos Leader brought mini lights (like a net that is used to decorate bushes and stuff) and an electric "campfire", which she sets up. The boys and I arrange the chairs in a large semicircle around the campfire, and I put some tiny battery candles in an arc to mark the edge of the "stage" area. As people arrived, we asked the kids to sit on the floor between the chairs and the small candles, and the adults could sit in the chairs. We turned off the room lights so the only illumination was the candles.
7:05ish The Cub Master opened the meeting by inviting someone to say an opening prayer. Then he turned the time over to Peter and Brian. They started by telling some Christmas jokes, and asking people in the audience for jokes and riddles.
We sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, changing whether we were sitting or standing each time we sang the words: Rudolph, red, nose, reindeer, Santa, Christmas, or sleigh. (That was fun, but a bit exhausting!)
The Bear den performed a reenactment of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" in a very literal way which was very fun. (A boy dressed as a mouse stopped stirring something in a bowl. They had pictures of brains which they rested on pillows. "Santa" had a tiny picture of a sleigh and reindeer, etc.)
(Also, at various moments through the evening the Bear scouts would do run on jokes, which were kind of fun.)
We sang Jingle Bells.
We played a game in which Peter and Brian told the audience, "We are going to the North Pole for Christmas." The they asked, "What will we bring?" They went around the room and had each child tell them something that they could bring to the North Pole. "Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony..." Then they asked a series of different questions, but the children had to always respond with the same answer they had given to the first question.
"What will I eat for Christmas Dinner?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
"What will I wrap my presents in?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
"What will I wear for Christmas?" "What did I hang by the fireplace?" "What pulled Santa's sleigh?" "What did I build out of snow?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
It was kind of crude humor, but the cub scouts loved it.
Peter and Brian performed their skit, which was two boys trying to sleep Christmas Eve, having been threatened that if they get out of their beds, they will get nothing for Christmas, and yet hearing several tantalizing sounds - jingle bells, crackling paper, thumps and crunches and imagining the parts of Santa's visit.
We sang Away in a Manger.
The Cub Master talked about the origins of the song Silent Night, and then we sang it. After this, he presented Peter and Brian with their Camper awards, and the Bears received their "Grin and Bear It" Awards.
Dessert was Golden Graham S'mores which Hannah made.
8:05 We were done. We cleaned up and headed home. The evening was fun and helped us get into the Christmas Spirit. Peter and Brian did a great job with all the planning and the evening went very smoothly. I only wish one thing: that I had brought the camera.
As a result, the Webelos were in charge of pack meeting on Tuesday, and it was a "campfire". Peter and Brian came up with a theme (Christmas), decided on skits, a game, and songs, gave the Bear den assignments to help with a skit, and asked the Cub Master to supply a Cub Master Minute.
Our evening went something like this:
6:30 We swung by the house of our cub committee chairperson to pick up the awards that were to be awarded that evening because she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't make it to the pack meeting.
6:45 We arrive at the church building to set up in the gym, only to discover that another ward is having a Young Women In Excellence Meeting in the other side of the gym. After some quick consultation, we decide to set up in the Relief Society Room instead. They don't want 8-10 year olds screaming or singing at the top of their lungs while they are trying to be spiritual.
The Assistant Webelos Leader brought mini lights (like a net that is used to decorate bushes and stuff) and an electric "campfire", which she sets up. The boys and I arrange the chairs in a large semicircle around the campfire, and I put some tiny battery candles in an arc to mark the edge of the "stage" area. As people arrived, we asked the kids to sit on the floor between the chairs and the small candles, and the adults could sit in the chairs. We turned off the room lights so the only illumination was the candles.
7:05ish The Cub Master opened the meeting by inviting someone to say an opening prayer. Then he turned the time over to Peter and Brian. They started by telling some Christmas jokes, and asking people in the audience for jokes and riddles.
We sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, changing whether we were sitting or standing each time we sang the words: Rudolph, red, nose, reindeer, Santa, Christmas, or sleigh. (That was fun, but a bit exhausting!)
The Bear den performed a reenactment of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" in a very literal way which was very fun. (A boy dressed as a mouse stopped stirring something in a bowl. They had pictures of brains which they rested on pillows. "Santa" had a tiny picture of a sleigh and reindeer, etc.)
(Also, at various moments through the evening the Bear scouts would do run on jokes, which were kind of fun.)
We sang Jingle Bells.
We played a game in which Peter and Brian told the audience, "We are going to the North Pole for Christmas." The they asked, "What will we bring?" They went around the room and had each child tell them something that they could bring to the North Pole. "Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony..." Then they asked a series of different questions, but the children had to always respond with the same answer they had given to the first question.
"What will I eat for Christmas Dinner?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
"What will I wrap my presents in?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
"What will I wear for Christmas?" "What did I hang by the fireplace?" "What pulled Santa's sleigh?" "What did I build out of snow?"
"Water, a toilet, a llama, a sled, hot chocolate, my little sister, a pillow, a pony, etc."
It was kind of crude humor, but the cub scouts loved it.
Peter and Brian performed their skit, which was two boys trying to sleep Christmas Eve, having been threatened that if they get out of their beds, they will get nothing for Christmas, and yet hearing several tantalizing sounds - jingle bells, crackling paper, thumps and crunches and imagining the parts of Santa's visit.
We sang Away in a Manger.
The Cub Master talked about the origins of the song Silent Night, and then we sang it. After this, he presented Peter and Brian with their Camper awards, and the Bears received their "Grin and Bear It" Awards.
Dessert was Golden Graham S'mores which Hannah made.
8:05 We were done. We cleaned up and headed home. The evening was fun and helped us get into the Christmas Spirit. Peter and Brian did a great job with all the planning and the evening went very smoothly. I only wish one thing: that I had brought the camera.
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