Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Through the Graveyard!

We love doing this activity with our cubs - and to see their faces is a real treat!
This is what we call a 'sense game' and develops their imagination. All the cubs sit in a circle and we blindfold them. We start off by setting the scene and as a particular gruesome part is read, a particular parcel or item is sent around for the cub to feel. His imagination is working overtime but mean while it is just and everday article - nothing sinister.
This particular story comes from a Cub Camp we did a few years ago with the theme of Tom Sawyer - a true children's adventure!
"Tom and Huck began to creep slowly through the graveyard to have a closer look at the murder taking place. It was pitch dark. There was no moon and it was cloudly. Neither Tom nor Huch could see where they were going so they had to feel their way around the graves. Unfortunately for them the grave-diggers were a lazy lot and they never bothered to dig the graves deep enough and seldom covered them properly.
Tom slid his hand foreward carefully and felt something cold and solft and oval.... but it was only Mr Moss's eye (grape covered in vaseline) that had rolled out of the coffin when he was buried the previous Tuesday.
Tom shivered and moved on. Then, his foot touched something that felt like porridge. When he felt it, he ralized it was Mr Moss's brains ..
(cooked spaghetti)
.. that had dribbled out of his skull. They seemed to gleam wetly. Tom was no coward, but he was beginning to feel scared. he moved away only to touch something hard and rectangular but these were only Mr Moss's teeth that must have been knocked out of his skull. (mielie pips)

Tom, by now, was really terrified! His skin seemed to crawl with fear. He was too scared to go further. He looke up to call out to Huck but Huck was too far ahead and he decided to crawl faster to catch up with him. He'd feel safer then. He slid on his belly as fast as he could. Cold wet hair, wet with blood slid past his face (wet rope)Tom jumped, but crawled dterminded on. the blood dripped off the hair and over his hands (oil dripped over hands)


as he brushed the hair aside. He had to get away. He scrambled on, becoming careless in his haste and he fell into an open grave. It had been dug that morning for old Mrs Mickle but the grave-diggers had managed to dig up oart of another body as well.
Tom's hand touched something wet and spongy, probably some lungs (wet sponge)

Pulling his hand away he put his other hand into a wet, hollow - this must have been the stomach (chamois leather).

Hangin out of the stomach, Tom felt long tubes filled with something soft. The tubes seemed to go on forever! These must have been the intestines (lamb sausage)
Tom searched despirately but instead he touched a heart instead (heart from the butcher)

It felt soft and slimy with tubes coming out of it. He tried climbing out the other side. This time successfully but not before he touched some bones (chicken bones)
He could not decide what part of the body they came from...... can you?
Dropping the bones, Tom stood up and ran towards Huck, no longer caring if he was seen or not and reach Huck safely".
Cubs are then asked to take off their blindfolds and each item they were given to feel, is shown to them.
Till next Time
Keep Cubbing
Akela Joy

2 comments:

  1. Wow!!! This is a perfect activity for our camp later this spring, and I'm sure it will work with the older scouts too. Thank you so much!
    Btw, got going on a cub scout blog, not as good as yours of course, but trying to get there. I have also spread the word about your blog within the Scouting community in Sweden, and everyone is most impressed! I think you'll get some following!
    Lots of love
    LoveCat

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi there - thanks so much for the kind words. I have recently started another "craft" blog for all the craft work we do with the cubs - so check that out as well! www.craftforcreativehands.blogspot.com
    .... hoping to put some cubbing ideas down for all to enjoy.
    YiS
    Akela Joy

    ReplyDelete