Scouting leaders question--help!

[Spartan Tartan]

This is really open to anyone, but I need some suggestions. I am a Cub Scout Den leader for Tiger cubs (first grade). Tonight I want to do one of the den meetings for their tiger ranking requirement. Tonighit's plan is to play the "tell it how it is" game.

This is sometimes called the "telephone game". This is the game where you whisper something into someone's ear. They, in turn whisper it into the next person's ear. This continues until everyone has had a chance. Then you have the last person tell what they were told and enjoy the hilarity of how different the final phrase is from the beginning.

My question: I need some help with a good phrase for the boys. I have 11 tiger cubs (6 year old boys) in my den.

Thanks!

[davidg]

In the UK we call that game something different but it's so long since I had to play it with Scouts I can't remember what the name was

Anyway, it's based on a supposed military incident in, I think, the Boer War. The message "we are going to advance, please send reinforcements" was sent down the line and arrived as "we are going to a dance, please send three and fourpence" (three and fourpence meaning three shillings and four pence, which was the British currency at the time)

You could try using the original message and see what your Tiger Cubs make of it

[Spartan Tartan]

Awesome! I am laughing at the mental image of soldiers getting ready to.advance on the enemy and then being told "we are going to a dance". I can only imagine they were rightfully confused.

Thanks. That's a pretty good idea.

O

[Laird_M]

We've done this a few times with our pack.

Whatever you do - KISS! Keep It Simple Son!
We've only once had the actual message passed properly and the results are generally either damn cinfusing or outright hilarious!.

All I can say is, Good Luck!

Davidg - genaerally called 'Chinese Whispers'.

[davidg]

Davidg - genaerally called 'Chinese Whispers'.

That's it. I think I'm going senile ith:

[Kilted Jeeper]

I am a Wolf Leader (was a Tiger Leader last year) and when we did this activity I used several different phrases. We did it a couple times starting with things they all should have been familiar with like the Cub Scout motto, etc. and moved on to more difficult phrases.

I think the kids understood the concept of the communication breakdown, but it was far more entertaining for the adults than the kids.

[davidg]

Thanks. That's a pretty good idea.

You're welcome. Do let us all know what they turn it into.

[O'Callaghan]

In the UK we call that game something different but it's so long since I had to play it with Scouts I can't remember what the name was

Anyway, it's based on a supposed military incident in, I think, the Boer War. The message "we are going to advance, please send reinforcements" was sent down the line and arrived as "we are going to a dance, please send three and fourpence" (three and fourpence meaning three shillings and four pence, which was the British currency at the time)

You could try using the original message and see what your Tiger Cubs make of it

That's one of those stories that sounds apocryphal. In the version I remember the amount of money was only two and fourpence, so it may be that yours had experienced inflation, LOL! Also, I don't remember what war it was supposed to be, but either amount would have been quite a lot of money going as far back as the Boer War, I would have thought.

Exchange rates were a lot different back then, too, so a US dollar was only worth two and sixpence I think (from my recollection of what my grandad told me when he was alive). IOW, three and fourpence would have been worth something like a dollar and a quarter back then, and we're talking nineteenth century. OTOH, maybe that would be the right amount to pay for the whole regiment to attend a dance ... ? Not a historian, so I don't really know what things used to cost.

Of course, at present rates of exchange a whole pound is only worth about a dollar sixty. There used to be twenty shillings in a pound and twelve pence in a shilling before 1971, for those who don't know, so three and fourpence, if we still used shillings, or about 17p in the 'new' money, would now be worth about a quarter, instead of a dollar and a quarter.

[EagleJCS]

You could try phrases from nursery rhymes, part of the Cub Scout Promise, part of the pledge of allegiance or the "Star Spangled Banner". Start out with something they're probably very familiar with, then make it more challenging.

The novelty/seriousness will probably wear off in about 5 minutes (or less), and then you'll get a couple of wiseacres who will deliberately change the message.

[Really a McQueen]

"All the Waltons", may take an interesting turn. Especially if you have an Order of the Arrow member helping out.