Fun program ideas for Scouts and other youth groups - Pioneering

You'll need to be able to tie a few lashings - typically square, shear and diagonal (or their bamboo equivalents, which are far easier). There are various books out that will help if you don't know what to do. If someone can draw the main lashings then I'll scan them in and add to these pages.

Don't worry if your first attempt collapses. Normally this just means that one or more lashings weren't tied tightly enough.

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Ballistas

Time: 45 - 60 minutes
Equipment: Pioneering poles
Rope
Cheap plastic food bags or paper water bombs
What to do: Split into 2 or more groups
Each group makes a ballista: build a tripod frame (sorry - no picture yet), attach a 'firing arm' (another pole) to the top and devise a method to hold the plastic bag on one end while the other is jerked hard to fire the plastic bag (filled with water, naturally) at the opposing team
Hints: A tub or other small container nailed to one end of the firing arm holds the plastic bag quite well
The cheapest plastic food bags burst best on impact
The faster teams get more time firing at the slower teams

Pillow Fight

Time: 20 - 60 minutes
Equipment: Pioneering poles
Rope
Sacks, filled with foam, straw or whatever
Mat or something else soft to land on
What to do:Split into 2 or more groups
Each group makes a tripod frame (sorry - no picture yet)
Tie a long pole between the two tripods
Pair the teams off
Each pair mounts the long pole and the two team members get given a sack each
The first one to get hit off the pole loses
Hints: It helps to have couple of leaders (one either side) to catch the loser
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Trevor Dumbleton
Phone 01242 575744
E-Mail: trevor@trevordumbleton.com

Copyright © 1996 - 2008, Trevor Dumbleton