Scouting Games from the 1908 Scouting for Boys Handbook
Second Class Scout Knot Tying,
p. 33. Tie four of the following knots in less than 30 seconds
each knot: Bowline, fisherman's bend, reef knot [square knot],
clove hitch, sheet bend.
Ingonyama Song (The Scout's Chorus), p.
40. To be shouted on the march, or as applause at games, meetings, etc.
Must be sung exactly in time.
Leader: Een gonyama--gonyama
Chorus: Invooboo.
Yah bobo! Yah bo!
Invooboo.
The meaning is--
Leader: He is a lion!
Chorus: Yes! He is better than that; he is a hippopatamus!
Kim's Game, p.
48. Place about twenty or thirty small articles on a tray, or on
the table or floor, such as two or three different kinds of buttons,
pencils, corks, rags, nuts, stones, knives, string, photos -- anything
you can find -- and cover them over with a cloth or coat. Then
uncover the articles for one minute by your watch... Then cover them
over again. The boy who remembers the greatest numbers wins the
game.
Morgan's Game, p.
49. Scouts are ordered to run to a certain hoarding where an
umpire is already posted to time them. They are each allowed to
look at this for one minute, and then to run back to headquarters and
report to the instructor all that was on the hoarding in the way of
advertisements.
Debates, Trials, etc.,
p. 49. A good exercise for a winter's evening in the clubroom is
to hold a debate on any subject of topical interest, the Instructor
acting as chairman. He will see that there is a speaker on one
side prepared before hand to introduce and support one view of the
subject, and that there is another speaker prepared to expound another
view.
Scout's War Dance, p. 50.
Scouts form up in one line with leader in front,
each holding his staff in the right hand, and his left on the next
man's shoulder.
Leader sings the Ingonyama song. Scouts sing
chorus, and advance to their front a few steps at a time, stamping in
unison on the long notes.
At the second time of the singing they step backwards.
At the third, they turn to the left, still holding
each other's shoulders, and move round in a large circle, repeating the
chorus until they have completed the circle.
Thimble Finding (Indoors),
p. 75. Take a thimble, ring, coin, bit of paper, or any small
article, and place it where it is perfectly visible but in a spot where
it is not likely to be noticed. Let the patrol come in and look
for it. When one of them sees it he should go and quietly sit down
without indicating to the others where it is. [Hide multiple
items and have each patrol look for a different item, to prevent
cheating.]
Shop Window (Indoors version),
p. 75. Send each scout in turn into a room for half a minute;
when he comes out take down a list of furniture and articles which he
noticed. The boy who noticed most wins.
Spotting the Spot, p.
75. Show a series of photos or sketches of objects, in the
neighborhood such as would be known to all the scouts if they kept
their eyes open -- such, for instance, as cross-roads, curious window,
gargoyle or weathercock, tree, reflection in the water (guess the
building causing it), and so on. [e.g. picture part of the scout
store, part of the Capitol, a store at the mall, parks, Boise river,
etc.]
Scout's Nose, p.
76. Prepare a number of paper-bags, all alike, and put in each a
different smelling article such as chopped onion in one, tar in
another, rose leaves, leather, aniseed, violet powder, orange-peel,
etc. Put these packets in a row a couple of feet apart and let
each competitor walk down the line and have five seconds' sniff at
each. At the end he has one minute in which to write down or to
state to the umpire the names of the different objects smelled, from
memory, in their correct order.
Track Memory, p.
88. Make a patrol sit with their feet up so that other scouts can
study them. Give the scouts, say, three minutes to study the
boots. Then leaving the scouts in a room or out of sight let one
of the patrol make some foot-marks in a good bit of ground. Call
up the scouts one by one and let them see the track and say who made
it. [Two patrol competition. They each sit and let the
other patrol memorize their shoes. Then each picks one patrol
member to mark the ground. Maybe put up a sheet or have them each
do it on opposite sides of a building or tent.]
Games and Competition in Deduction,
p. 95. Get some people who are strangers to the boys to come
along as passers-by in the street or road, and let the boys separately
notice all about them; and after an interval ask each for a full
description of each of the passers-by as to appearance, peculiar
recognisable points, and what he guesses his business to be; or let
each boy have two minutes' conversation with your friend and try to
find out what he can about him in that time by questioning and
observation.
Plants, p. 123. [Have leaves or parts of many common plants and have patrol identify them.]
Knot tying, p.
129. [Tie the original 7 knots in Scouting for Boys: 1.
Reef Knot, 2. Sheet Bend, 3. Clove Hitch, 4. Two Half-Hitches, 5.
Bowline, 6. Overhead Knot, 7. Middleman's Knot]
Judging Heights and Distances, p. 171. [Judge the height of a tree and distance between two objects. Give points for accuracy.]
Find the North, p.
173. Each scout lays down his staff on the ground pointing to
what he considers the exact north, without using any instrument.
The one who guesses nearest wins.
Signals and Signs, p.
178. [The patrol leader sends his patrol through a minefield or
to find a treasure by directing them with hand signs that follow.]
Hand Signals, which can also be made by patrol leaders with their patrol flags when necessary:
Hand waved several times across the face from side
to side, or flag waved horizontally from side to side opposite the face
means: "No; Never mind; As you were."
Hand or flag held high, and waved very slowly from
side to side at full extent of arm, or whistle a succession of slow
blasts means: "Extend; Go further out; Scatter."
Hand or flag held high and waved quickly from side
to side at full extent of arm, or whistle a succession of short, quick
blasts means: "Close in; Rally; Come here."
Hand or flag pointing in any direction means: "Go in that direction."
Hand or flag held straight up over head, means: "Stop"; "Halt".
Old Spotty-face, p. 192. (To develop eyesight).--Prepare squares of cardboard divided into about a dozen small squares.
Each scout should take one, and should have a pencil and go off a few hundred yards, or, if indoors, as far as space will allow. The umpire then takes a large sheet
of cardboard, with twelve squares ruled on it of about three inch sides if in the open, or one and a half to two inches if indoors. The umpire has a number of black
paper discs (half an inch diameter) and pins ready, and sticks about half a dozen on to his card, dotted about where he likes. He holds up his card so that it can be
seen by the scouts. They then gradually approach, and as they get within sight they mark their cards with the same pattern of spots. The one who does so at the
farthest distance from the umpire wins. Give five points for every spot correctly shown, deduct one point for every two inches nearer than the furthest man. This
teaches long sight.
Quick Sight, p. 193. Quick Sight can also be taught with the same apparatus [see Old Spotty-face above], by allowing
the scouts to come fairly close, and then merely showing your card for five seconds, and let them mark their cards from memory. The one who is most correct wins.
Wrist Pushing, p.
194. Played by two boys half facing each other, each putting out
the wrist nearest to is opponent, at arm's length, pressing it against
the other's wrist and trying to turn him round backwards.
Flinging the Squaler,
p. 253. The squaler is a piece of cane, 19 inches long, loaded at
the butt with 1 3/4 lb. of lead, and having attached to it at the other
end of a life-saving line of six-thread Italian hemp. The target
is a crossbar and head, life-size, representing the head and arms of a
drowning man, planted in the ground twenty yards away. Each
competitor throws in turn from behind a line drawn on the ground; he
may stand or run to make the throw. Whoever throws the furthest
wins, provided that the line falls on some part of the dummy, so that
it could be caught by the drowning man.
Bucket Brigade, p.
253. Practice making two lines of bucket-men, for full and empty
buckets. [See how fast they can fill a tub up, etc.]
Ladders, p. 262. Make ladders out of poles, twine, and cross sticks.
Dragging Race, p.
272. A line of patients of one patrol are laid out at one hundred
yards distance from start. Another patrol, each carrying a rope,
run out, tie ropes to the patients, and drag them in. Time taken
of last in. Patrols change places. The one which completes
in shortest time wins. Knots must be correctly tied, and
patients' coats laid out under their heads.
Shoot Out, p.
287. Two patrols compete. Targets: Bottles or bricks
set up on end to represent the opposing patrol. Both patrols are
drawn up in line at about 20 to 25 yards from the targets. At the
word "fire' they throw stones at the targets. Directly a target
falls the umpire directs the corresponding man of the other patrol to
sit down--killed. The game goes on, if there are plenty of
stones, till the whole of one patrol is killed. Or a certain
number of stones can be given to each patrol, or a certain time limit,
say one minute.
French and English, p. 287. Tug of War -- One patrol against another.
The Storming of Badajoz,
p. 287. One patrol (French) mounts on a very strong
kitchen-table, or bank, and holds it against all comers. The
British attack, and try to gain possession of the fortress by pulling
the defenders off. Defenders may have half their number on the
ground behind the 'rampart'. If the defenders pull a Briton over
the rampart on to the ground behind he is dead. No hitting or
kicking allowed.
Badajoz was a Spanish fortress held by 5,000 French and
Spaniards. It as attacked, and stormed, and taken by the British,
who lost 3,500 in the assault, on March 17th, 1812.
Song: Boom-a-tata, p. 322. Includes complete words and music.
Throwing the Assegai,
p. 324. Target, a thin sack, lightly stuffed with straw, or a
sheet of cardboard, or canvas stretched on a frame. Assegais to
be made of wands, with weighted ends sharpened, or with iron
arrow-heads on them.
[Assegais are javelins, usually with an iron head, used by Zulu and other African tribes]
How to Make a Tent, p.
326. [Lash seven staves together to make the tent frame, throw
tarp over the top, fasten ends to stakes in the ground. See
pictures in book.]
Fire-lighting Race, p. 326. To collect material, lay, and light a fire till the log given by the umpire is alight.
On Trek, p. 330.
[Send groups of scouts to three different distances and compass
directions. They follow directions and report back what they saw
at each location. Plant special items at each location for them
to see. Award points for how many they get right.]
