For those interested in starting a pioneering program in their unit, it’s often suggested that one of the first things to procure is a supply of Scout Staves. The BSA Supply Division’s …
For our Troops lock-in this year, we wanted to do something different. Escape rooms have been popping up in our area so the idea of making one around Boy Scouts started to form. For ones who do not know what an escape room is, it is an interactive adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles using clues, hints and strategy to complete the objective of the game within a set time limit. I spent months planning an escape "room" centered around camping and the Boy Scout Law. I wanted each Law point to match a puzzle in the game. I also wanted several points to be easy but most hard enough to take several minutes to work out. Some puzzles must be solved in order for the next puzzle to start. But a few puzzles can be worked out on their own which allows for the players to break into different groups in order to solve the complete puzzle. Below is a step by step instruction on everything you will need, how to set it up and tips I learned while watching the players solve each puzzle. Before you start the game, you will need to gather several items. Below is a list of all the items I used for our escape room. If you are a camper, you will most likely already have a lot of these items. The most challenging part for me was finding boxes with latches that would allow me to lock up. I ended up using some old boxes I already had and adding latches I purchased from Lowe's. The first thing I did when I bought the key locks was to use different color paint to mark the locks and matching keys. After the paint dried, I covered it with clear nail polish to make sure it wouldn't chip off. Most locks come with 2 keys, so I took one and put it on a master key ring that I kept with me just in case anything was to happen to the other key and to make it easier to reset the game between teams. Combination locks have the numbers on a sticker on the back. I did not remove these until I had each puzzle worked out and then added the combination on a master list with the scout point that went with that puzzle. This makes it easier in the long run and saves you time. After I set up the escape room, I took a picture and then added it to my master notes with the number of what lock it went with. You will understand this better later on, but for now, I am putting my example here. The Story: The Scoutmaster takes the players on a backpacking trip but has fallen ill and needs the players to call for help. The emergency cell phone has been safely locked away and the players must find it before the sun sets in one hour. You can find these Master Lock Lockout Tagout Hasp on Amazon for around $5 each. The Rules: Everything you need to solve the game is within the area. You are allowed three clues if you get stuck but the group must all agree to use the clues. Do not use the scissors to cut anything BUT zip ties. DO NOT EAT anything. The Game: Place The Scout Law Poster out in the open. If the scouts are pretty smart, they will figure out that there is 12 locks on the main box for the 12 Scout Law points. Each key/combo follows the Scout Law and can be found on an item that goes along with each point. When they find the key/combo, there will be a description of what the point means. You will use that description to look at the Scout Law poster to find what picture is beside it. There will be a lock with that picture on it attached to the main box. With each key/combination, there will be one of the points of the Scout Law. The player will use this point (ex. Loyal) to see what picture is listed beside it. Once you have that picture (dogs print), you find the lock with the same picture. Once the player figures this code out, it will save time figuring out which lock goes with what clue. Have a notebook and pens laying around for the players to use as they work out each puzzle. The Scout Law Poster (1) Trustworthy To start the game, a small diary key is hidden on the end of a fishing pole. The diary was hidden inside the tent under the sleeping bag. Once it is opened, you will find a secret decoder. I printed this free secret decoder from dabbles and babbles to use. I had to change the numbers to match with the letters (L-A-W) that I needed for the combination lock. To keep the paper from ripping, I used box tape to cover both sides. I cut out a prong in an old folder that I had to use as the spinner. The diary will also have a Morse Code Cipher (which you can find doing any internet search). This is a needed clue for (3) HELPFUL. It took the players a long time to figure out that there was a Scout Point found on an object that held the key and that they could use The Scout Law sheet to figure out which lock to open by matching the point with the picture. Also my test run found that the L-A-W code was overlooked until almost the end of the game. Most thought that the decoder went with the morse code. I ended up highlighting the missing numbers under L-A-W on the poster but the players still had issues figuring it out and wanted to use the numbers under T-H-E. (2) Loyal What is more loyal then mans best friend? I attached the three number combo to the back side of a dog collar and place it around a stuffed animal. I also hung a key from the dogs collar which will be needed to open a box for (8) CHEERFUL. Once the players found the key, they did not look any further and this combination was overlooked until later in the game. (3) Helpful The diary found in (1) TRUSTWORTHY will also have the morse codes the players will need for this clue. The players must first find a key hidden in the wallet (also needed for (9) THRIFTY) inside a jacket. This key will open a locked box which the players will find a recorder and locked scissors (needed for (4) FRIENDLY and (6) KIND). They will also need to find two batteries (hidden inside a cup and empty mini M&M tube). They can now listen to a prerecorded morse code message which they will need to use to figure out the next combination. This is where the blank notebook and pens comes in handy. I used a free app to record the morse code and have it repeated five times on the tape. Between each break I would say "repeat again" and after five times I said "rewind if needed". This clue took the players a lot of time to figure out. After a trial run, it was decided that adding a hint to let the players know they may want to listen to the full message, while writing down the code, and go back to figure out the numbers after. I added this hint on a piece of paper and wrapped it around the recorder. This was also the most entertaining as some teenagers do not know how to work an old school tape player. "How does this thing work?" "How do you get it to reset?" This will have me laughing for many years. (4) Friendly The players must first work out the puzzle on the maze box to get to the key inside. I found this cool maze box around Christmas time for $5. If you can not find this type of box for cheap, you can always just hide the key somewhere else in the camp. Buy the forth game, the maze box was broke so we ended up just hiding the key in the fake fire pit. The key will unlock the scissors which was found in the same box as the recorder in (3) HELPFUL. Use the scissors to cut the zip tie on the double zip bag that will hide the dominoes pieces. I found three double zip bags in the travel section of the local store for around $9. I also had an old doublemint gum tin that I used to hold all the dominoes game pieces which I found at the Dollar Store for $1. The players will need to sort through all the dominoes pieces to find the ones marked with 1-2-3 on the back. The 1-2-3 will tell them what order to use the numbers in and the dots will tell you what the number is. (ex. my combination is 32-4-26 so I used the dominoes in the picture below.) Leave the loop big enough to allow the scissors in to cut. Players also had a hard time figuring this one out. They wanted to add or times the dots instead of just reading it as 32-4-26. (5) Courteous Some of the puzzles are pretty easy. I used a command wall hook and attached the key to the inside of a tissue box. I then filled the box with tissues to hide it. (6) Kind The players must use the scissors to cut the zip ties off of the first aid kit found hidden inside the backpack. Inside they will find a key mixed in with Band-Aids. The players will also find a Boy Scout Board Game which I printed from nma.gov.au while searching the internet. This will be needed for (12) REVERENT. (7) Obedient This clue is so simple, yet took the players forever to figure out! I used an old Scouting magazine and just circled the page numbers to match the combination lock. (8) Cheerful The players must first use the key hidden on the dog collar to open a box hidden inside the backpack. Once open, they will find a large dice with smiling and sad faces. On the back side of the smiling faces, the players will find the combination numbers. On the other side, the noses are marked 1-2-3 which shows the order the numbers should be in. I used box tape on both sides of the faces so it would not tear. I then used double stick tape to attach the faces to the cube. This allows for easy removing. DO NOT use glue dots because they will not let you remove the picture. I found the dice at the Dollar Store for $1. I had the old wooden box from taking my kiddo to Lowe's many years ago. I found the latches at Lowes for a few dollars as well. (9) Thrifty The players must find a wallet hidden inside a jacket. Inside the wallet is fake money with flag signals. Three of the bills will be marked in order of the combo (1-2-3) and the players must use the flag cipher (hidden inside a cooler) to figure out the numbers. I found both the flag signals and money template by doing an internet search and combined them to match the combination I needed. I tossed in a few others with no numbers on them to mix the game up some. (10) Brave The players must first find the tub of worms hidden inside the cooler. They then must dig inside the worms to find the hidden key. A few wanted to dump the worms on the floor but I would not allow that. I did, however, let them use the table. I found the tin after valentines day marked down pretty cheap and grabbed a few bags of $1 gummy worms. Make sure to write DO NOT EAT on the tin and watch to make sure nobody does since many hands will be digging around in these worms. (11) Clean The players will find this key pretty easy if they care to search. It is hidden inside a roll of paper towels and the player will just need to unroll the paper to find it. To make sure that the paper towels did not break apart, I used box tape on the seams for extra protection. (12) Reverent For the final combo, the players must complete several steps. They first need to use the Boy Scout Board Game piece found in the First Aid Kit to open the combination lock on the toolbox. I marked the three numbers on the Board Game to match the combination lock and then covered the paper with box tape on both sides so it would not tear. Inside the toolbox, the player will find a screwdriver. They will then use the screwdriver to unscrew the screws hiding the Forty Knots sign with coded numbers on it. The players will also need to locate a Knot Display which will show several different types of knots. Three of these knots will be marked with 1-2-3. Players will need to match the knots from the Forty Knots sign and the Knot Display in order to find the last combination. Example: If the combination lock is 38-19-5 then... the Knot Display would show...(1) Taut-line - (2) Square Knot - (3) Bowline and the Forty Knots would be (38) Taut-line - (19) Square Knot - (5) Bowline Game over! Inside the chest the players will find the cell phone and treasures. In our case, the treasure was boy scout patches donated from our local Boy Scout Shop. All our scouts/adults were able to figure out the puzzles with one only minutes left. I used the below checklist to mark off each clue found and hints used for each team. It came in handy having the combinations and key color on one pages for when they asked for a clue. This was such a fun project and I hope you have as much fun as we did in your own Boy Scout Escape Room!
Knots and Boy Scouts go together like campfires and cobbler. Here’s how to tie three of the knots required to reach First Class, plus four more that can be very useful.
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Knots and Boy Scouts go together like campfires and cobbler. Here’s how to tie three of the knots required to reach First Class, plus four more that can be very useful.
These great ideas for scout crafts for your troop are all quick and easy. They are great for scouts or any group of kids that need craft ideas!
Here are some signs I made to use in Cub Scouts. Feel free to use them if you'd like. PDF of Cub Scout Info Sign Since I am a teacher by nature, I always try to think of little tricks to remember things. When I participated in Board of Review nights with Boy Scouts, I noticed that the boys looked panicked when I asked them to recite the Scout Oath or Scout Law. It wasn't because they didn't have them memorized; it was because they forgot what they are called. So I came up with this little trick to help them. PDF of Boy Scout Law PDF of Boy Scout Oath
Contests and competitions that Cub Scouts enjoy the most are often surprisingly uncomplicated, with inexpensive materials, rules taking less than a minute to explain, and minimal setup.
Een tipi tent is op het moment hartstikke hip voor in de kinderkamer! De kids kunnen hier lekker ...
should you do if you find yourself lost without a GPS device?
Ten useful knots you need to know. Ten useful knots you need to know.
After I did an article on using the Spar Hitch to tie fenders a friend Lee told me about a similar knot that he uses for fenders and storing lines on a boat. This is similar to what Ashley calls a …
Even tiny hands can make these adorable Halloween crafts—with supervision from Mom or Dad, of course.
Het was de afgelopen weken erg stil. Tenminste... op mijn blog. In huis was het zeker niet stil, want eenmaal oorontsteking en twee maal wat...
I have to get these Awesome Minute To Win It Games that are Great for Kids, Teens and Adults – For Your Family Parties published, so you can get prepared for Holiday Party Crazy Fun! Just in the nick of time…we have tested out some more fun Minute To Win It Games and picked our “just …
In a blink of an eye my son Jasper is 9. Our adventure seeking boy really loves hiking and exploring, so it seemed fitting for him to have a hiking themed party and I'm so excited to share all the details with you. First off, I like to keep my parties simple and easy to style. Although I own A Little Confetti, I don't consider myself a party stylist and I promise that this party is one you can easily make look great in a small amount of time. Beside a typical birthday table set up, we also set up a snack/treat table and in the living room where the kids would play games we set up two tents from our sister company A Little Campout. We placed the treat table against a wall in our living room that already contains an 'on theme' mountain shelf. We added a rustic handmade tree (by my father) for a little outdoorsy decor. I found a tutorial on how to make a similar tree, just click here. I kept it simple for treats. We tried to think of food that we would take on a hike and thought about doing a
Employee Appreciation Gifts • "Thank You" Tag & Silver Compass Keychain by JewelryEveryday w/ "We'd be lost with out you!" Card Compass keychain as a gift for an employee, teacher, volunteer or parent. Keychain packaged on a card that says "We'd be lost without you!" Metal: zinc alloy; Color: Silver tone with black accents. Size: The compass piece is about 1 inch in size. Net Weight: About 20 g. Hand Made Item A compass charm keychain to give to an employee, teacher, volunteer or parent. Keychain packaged on a card that says "We'd be lost without you!". The compass piece is about 1 inch in size.
Wednesday was my wedding anniversary. To start off the day on a positive we went to boot camp! Way to start! Boy does it seem to be darker e...
Instant hand warmers are great--just shake 'em up, and you've got spontaneous warmth to thaw your hands during the cold winter months. But they're awfully expensive, and not because they're complicated to manufacture. In fact, you can make them yourself in a few very easy steps.
This beginner string art kids craft is heart-shaped for Valentine's Day! But any shape could be used. So fun for kids to get to use hammer and nails!
reflect on the last year and remember your child's memories with this time capsule questionnaire.
Spring flowers: Red Poppy Felt Craft – A Remembrance, Armistice or Veteran’s day activity. Easy step by step tutorial for kids to make using felt & buttons.
My husband is an avid hunter, and his birthday is tomorrow! (OK, you asked...he's 44) I was going to make one of those 3D deer head mount cakes, but I was a little pressed for time and I was trying to do this all on the sly while he was out. So, I made my very first FBCT cake! (Frozen Butter Cream Transfer for those who want to know...it took me forever to figure out what that meant on the cake sites) If you're wondering, it's an Elk to commemorate his first successful elk hunt this year. For my first FBCT attempt, I think it turned out pretty good. He requested a black forest cake, but I wanted to dress it up a bit more...! So I made this 3-layer German sour cream chocolate cake with Kirsch liquor-soaked cherries between each layer. Yum! The white part is real whipped cream, (Stabilized with gelatin and icing sugar so it doesn't go all runny). Can't tell what's under all that frosting, but I think he'll be surprised when he cuts into it! Now I just have to keep him out of the pantry fridge until tomorrow...I want it to be a surprise. The kids made a "Dad, Keep Out" sign for it :) Rich Chocolate Frosting (All I want for my birthday is a bowl of this frosting. Yes, it's THAT good!) Ingredients: 1 cup butter (no substitutes!), softened 4 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted 1 1/4 cups baking cocoa, sifted 1 tsp real vanilla 1 tbsp Kahlua Liquor (I use 2 tbsp and reduce the cream :) 1/2 cup (give or take) cream or evaporated milk Directions: In a large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer) cream butter until fluffy, add vanilla and Kahlua. Gradually add icing sugar and cocoa until all mixed in. (will be dry and stiff). Gradually add cream (may need more or less) until it reaches soft spreading consistency. This isn't the best chocolate frosting for decorators, but it holds basic borders and decorations quite well, and it's so yummy no one will care if the decorations aren't perfectly smooth. Keep iced cake in the fridge, but warm it to room temp before serving. There is no lower calorie version of this. It's frosting, it's supposed to be bad for you. Have another glass of wine with it and you won't care. Enjoy! And...I just had to make a hunting-themed card to go with it. This card was inspired/CASEd (Copy And Share Everything in SCS lingo) by a card I found on SCS by labullard, I've had it in my faves forever to make one for my husband. All card supplies (except for the deer stamp, it's from SU, I've had it for a while:) are from CTMH. The images were stamped in Cocoa ink, colored with chalks and watercolor pencils. The main image was stamped, cut in a circle, the rifle scope lines were done with a fine black marker, then the image was popped up with a 3D foam square. I tied hemp along the bottom for some "guy ribbon", then mounted it to a camo pattern background. He'll love this! If you're curious, his gift is from Cabelas, of course. My 8 yr old son random stamped deer and bear images all over plain brown paper gift wrap. He had fun, and wants to "scrapbook" again with me. I tried to tell him we were stamping, not scrapbooking, but he didn't care. According to him,"If it happens in the scrapbook room, then it's all scrapbooking!" Yeah, he's a little smart ass. An inky one :) I think it's time to send him hunting with Dad... Thanks for checking out my blog!
I've just returned from another year of Girl's Camp where my friend, Lisa, and I are the "Crafty Ladies." It can be a lot of work, but als...
Explore Jonnie Andersen’s 5,263 photos on Flickr!
Because you refuse to hear the b-word.
Because you refuse to hear the b-word.
