Figure 1.-- These English Cubs in the late 1950s are enjoying a game during their Pack meeting. Note the fun that they are having. I'm not sure just what game is involved here.

The weekly pack meetings always had games which were very popular with the boys. There were both inside games and outdoor games. Wide games were especially popular. There are many other popular outdoor games. British bulldog and red rover are popular with American Cubs and I am guessing that they are also played by English Cubs. There are also many indoor games. There are many old standards, but a resourcefull Akela will constantly introduce new games to keep up the Cubs interest. Former Cubs are incouraged to tell us a bit about the games they played.

Handbook

There was an offical handbook about games to play. Many Akelas use the book extensively. Others had their own games that they hd learned. The scouts helping out with Cub packs also had ideas about games.

Game Types

There were both inside games and outdoor games used at Cub meetings. The games were especially popular for Cub-age boys. There are aide range of popular games and the ones used at the first meetings in the 1910s are just as populsar with modern Cubs. Wide games outdoors were especially popular. There are many other popular outdoor games. British bulldog and red rover are popular with American Cubs and I am guessing that they are also played by English Cubs. There are also many indoor games. There are many old standards, but a resourcefull Akela will constantly introduce new games to keep up the Cubs interest. Many were standard party games, rather like the game seen here (figure 1). Others were much more elaorate. Boys of cub age really get into games and the competition involved.

Purpose

The games were great fun, but they often are not isolated activities. Many games were specially selected to that meetings topic or activity. A Scouter rports, "I often devised games that reinforced a teaching point in the arrow and badge work we did. Suppose we were discussing Baden Powell. He was a spy on one occasion. I would use the following game to get across the idea of stealth needed by a 'British 007 type Spy.' A cub was in the circle. He was blind folded. He guarded secret information. A bunch of klinky keys. He sat crossed legged . By him was the bunch of metal klinky keys. The slighest touch and you would hear them clink. So another cub would have to sneak up and grab the keys. To get to the keys the the cub had to quietly walk around the circle. He could be caught out if the cub guard heard his movements and pointed to the direction from which he heard the noise. If the point was to the cub he was out of the game and another cub was chosen. This game could only be played if the excited cubs were quiet. They often were." [Fergusson]

Competitions

Often the games were made part of a pack competition. The cubs are divided up into smaller units so points could be earned by each smaller unit throughout the night. the points were topped up and added to the units total. The unit with the highest total held a trophy for a while until another unit beat their score

Meetings

Games were an integral part of a pack meetings. They helped to maintain interest. A British Scouter tells us, "We started with a noisy game then one that quietend the cubs. Arrow work, game then badge work then a closing game. Then I'd shout 'Pack, Pack' This was the signal for the cubs to gather in the circle. Cubs back in the circle. Notices and closing the meeting." [Fergusson]

Classes

Some games were related to the arrow class the cubs might be studying. There are three classes Bronge, silver and gold. It takes three years to get them all. That was one aspect of the evenings activity.

Badge Work

The cubs spent some time working on the badge scheme. I often allowed the cubs to follow their particular interest. Badges such as sports and swimming and camping were taken when the District organised these activities. The cubs could carry out badge work at home as well as at the cub meetings. If they had a friendly teacher who would let them work on their projects at school it was a good link. Several cubs had such a teachers who killed two birds with one stone. A cub badge activity could be done at the same time as school work. A British Scouter tells us, "The really helpful friendly teacher was of course me. Often the Arrow work was a game that had the teaching incorporated into it. We might be discussing the British Union Flag. A game involving finding the pieces of one of the flags which made up the Union flag was easy to devise. It could be an hide and seek game or a game were a group had to work together to solve riddles and clues to reveal the location of a flag. Then the winning team would be the one who got back to base with their flag and placed it near the Union flag to re-inforce the country which was in the flag. The cubs would then have a question and answer session about what they had found out. Sounds complicated but easier to play. Thank goodness. Didn't we have a wonderful time!" [Frguson]

Reader Comments

Fascinating page. Not only about the cub uniforms and games, but the the page shows the fun the cubs had and illustrates why cubbing was andcontinues to be popular with kids. Would like to see the research in a book form one day." a former cub writes, "Indeed I recall the fun I had in Wolf Cubbing. The games we played were definitely the part I liked best. They were great fun."

Sources

Fergusson, William. E-mail message, December 3, 2003. Bill was a cub Scout leader in England from 1976 to 84 and in Saudi Arabia from 1995 to 1996.