New Year - new program!

Wow, time flies! On Thursday it's time for the first meeting of this year. This Sunday the leaders gathered, had numerous cups of tea and put together the frame for the program of this spring. 13 meetings, 1 sleep-over, 1 camp, 1 cannoeing outing, and 1 district trip to the zoo. We're doing cooking, pioneering, woodcrafting, lots of fun and games. Now we have only need the Cubs themselves to put the finishing touches to the program.
See you Thursday!

Wet and wild

The wet meeting of the autumn went well, and several cubs managed to complete their first swimming badge, and those who didn't make it this time had fun trying and trying water basket ball, water volley ball and practising diving through hoops under water.

As the pool is very busy, it is difficult to get a lane to do the swimming tests in, but we pretended that there had been a ship wreck and the toys and floats and the other people playing were wreckage and had to be avoided. Marie is directing the cubs from the side of the pool

I realised that I must have started this blog about this time last year, as the first post was about the meeting at the pool. Back then the thought hadn't occured to my to take photos, and I hadn't yet found Akela Joy's fantastic blog.

Thanks for reading our blog, and please come back!

Beware the curse of Captain Silky Beard!

There was a first autumn chill in the air, and some of the leaves on the trees are turning. Thick jumpers and coats were out for their first Cub meeting, some hats and gloves too! But riddles, signs and codes kept both children and leaders happy, and the threat of running into an infamous pirate kept everyone on their toes.

This week the hunt for gold and treasure took our Cubs around a good part of the park area around our hut. First, they followed the same kind of signs they learnt last term to find a written clue hidden in the undergrowth. The clue pointed them towards the play area where Susanne and Jessica were waiting with a strange looking message.

While the the others waited for their turn to go on the trail, they played pairs, using objects that they had picked on the ground in front of the hut. 'To the stage' the decoded message read. The cubs were off like lightning, but alert as they were they found and identified the native wild animals on their way: a badger, a bull finch, an hedgehog, a viper and a red fox were hiding along the path.
When they got close to the stage they got careful. A pirate was seemingly asleep on his treasure chest. He had a bottle in his hand and looked quite fears. Would they dare?

Even if you speak another language than Swedish, perhaps you can understand some of the dialog. There were a lot of 'why do you's and 'why have you's, and the pirate was quite forthcoming, as he had problems opening his treasure chest. The letters didn't mean much to him, as he said he couldn't read. But the kids could! And soon some of the loot was theirs.

Yohoooo! Off we go!

First meeting for the season, and I forgot to take any piccies! We were 16 cubs and three leaders. So we have room for some new chums!

We played some steam release games, but it still felt like the boys, because there were only boys there this time, would have needed even more steamed released. Then we made eskimo games from toilet rolls and paper balls. The kids had great fun with them.

Materials: 1 empty toilet roll, one paper ball, 2-3 cm diameter, 1 m household string, paint.
Make a hole through the paper ball with a joist. Let the cubs paint the toilet roll and let it dry. Help them make a hole in the top end of the roll with the joist and ask them to tie the string to the edge with the knot of their choice. Then to thread the other end of the string through the paperball. Now the Eskimo toy is ready. The object is to get the ball into the roll as many times in a row as possible.

Hallandsyxan, District Scout Meeting

After camp, we all felt rather out-scouted and tired, and unfortunately only 6 scouts, minior and junior, had the energy and opportunity to come to Halmstad and compete for the district challenge prize in scouting, an axe securely stuck in a block of wood, or in the Cubs' competition, a lantern.This year's competition was organised by one of the groups in Halmstad, and the trail was layed in the centre of town, mainly along the river. Akela unfortunately got stuck on

For the Cubs (minior and junior) the callenges were among other things to transport as much water as possible into a bucket, using cups, flasks and other vessels stuck to the ground with string, an obsticle course, knotting and various cooperation exercises.

Varberg Scout Group took all the challenge prizes this year (a privilege formely reserved for the Falkenberg group, but what can I say? We have to give someone else a chance sometime ;o))

2008 Group Camp

Every year the Falkenberg Scout Group goes to Tranabo over the Ascension Day weekend. The Scouts, Explorer and Network scouts arrive already on Wedensday evening, as the Thursday is a national holiday. On Thursday morning the Juniors (10-12) arrive and then on Friday morning the Cubs (the Miniors) finally descend on the Tranabo forest. When the Cubs invade you know it! The theme of this years camp was water, but the Thursday's rain had dried fairly well before the Cubs were dropped of by their parents and left in the care of two sea monsters, one crazy fisherman, a diver and the little mermaid.

Well installed in the old military tents, the cubs commenced cooking their lunch on Trangias, with the help of the leaders, helpers and parent-helpers. We were lucky to have two dads joining us on this camp too, a new one and one that we apperantly didn't manage to scare off on the last sleepover. They were great!

On the lunch menu was a pasta dish with a ham sauce, raw carrots and cucumber. All the sixes were happily chopping away, and soon enough chomping away at the results. The Cubs were happy to share their food with the leaders and helpers, and believe you me when I say that they'd done a beautiful job of preparing the food. It was absolutely lovely, and the pride in the children's faces when we praised their cooking skills!

We had our friend Tom from Oxford with us. We accually have three Cubs whose mother tongue is English, but being inquisitive and curious the others weren't stopped by any language barriers either, and Tom was a very popular leader at camp.

After lunch an adventure trail was laid out for all at camp to enjoy। The sixes were mixed with older scouts and among other things the cubs and scouts got to try Ph-measuring, building a pressure driven PET-bottle rocket, panning for gold, target shooting with water guns, getting an egg to float, and shooting off waterfilled baloons with a catapult made out of bamboo sticks. The local paper came and did a piece on the camp.

When the trail was finished it was time to start cooking again! This time the Cubs cooked us a Sausage Stroganof with rice, served with tomatoes and cucumber. Again it was delicious!

In the evening there was a camp fire, where classical songs were sung, jokes said and some traditionally bad acting staged. After Kumbaya everyone walked back to the house for rosehip soup and a bun before bedtime.

The sky was filled with stars and the warm day was followed by a cold night, and some of the Cubs was a bit cold during the night, even if they had put extra night clothes on. But all survived 'til morning and at breakfast it was already warm enough to sit outside with our porridge, sandwiches and the left-over rosehip soup.

After an obsticle course and the packing up of all the equipment, it was time to lower the Swedish flag and the Union Jack that had been flying over camp. We summed up the camp and thanked eachother for making it the best camp ever. Then we sang the scout song and walked back to the road where the parents picked their tired, but happy, children up again.

The Stars are out!

This year's first sleep over and many of the Cubs' first visit to the group's second hut: Tranabo. Tranabo (Crane's nest) is a little, about 80-year-old, homestead in the middle of the woods about 30 km east of Falkenberg. To get there you have to drive, first on a reasonable single lane road, then on a tarmaced country lane, then on a gravel road and to finish you have to go up a bumpy dirt track. The group has had this little cottage for 40 years, and it has got a lot more comfortable during this time. In the olden days, (when I was a cub!) it only had two logfires for heating, a privy in the yard and you had to get drinkingwater from a well in a meadow a little way away. But today the Cubs come to a fairly modern place, with hot and cold running water, electric heating and a building in the yard, where the outhouse used to be, containing WCs, changing rooms, showers and a sauna! Aren't they spoilt!

38 of our Cubs had heeded the call to come. To our great joy also five parents and two young leaders came, so we were well staffed. When the Cubs and parents (almost all also for the first time) came, they sang the Cub Scout song, and had a guided-tour-on-the-line: All held on to a 10-meter rope, and got shown around the premises by the leaders, Cubs and adults alike.
We were very lucky with the weather, as the forcast had shown clouds and possible showers: The sun was shining, the birds singing their little hearts out, and it was also quite warm: 12 degrees Centigrades in the shadow!

The kids cooked on Trangias, under the supervision of the parent helpers. They made the standard beginner's Trangia meal: Hunter's hotpot, Jägargryta, with some modernization (i.e. pasta instead of potatoe)

Hunter's hotpot (Cub's version)
You need:

• Sausage
• Leek
• carrot (could be substituted, or added to, with other root veg.)
• sweet corn (tinned)
• stock cube (veal or vegetable)
• pasta
• tin of passata
• salt and black pepper

1. In the six, make sure everyone has washed their hands thoroughly.
2. Be careful, passing out the chopping boards and knives.
3. Boil some water in the little pot on the Trangia.
4. Chopp the sausage, carrots and leek. Put them in the big pot and start heating up when the water has boiled.
5. Pour some water into the big pot, add the stock cube and bring to the boil.
6. Add the pasta and boil for five minutes.
7. Add the passata.
8. Season and serve!

After lunch, the parents were put in nice, sunny clearings in the woods and the Cubs were sent out on a nice long walk, where they got to practise some skills: At one stop they practised doing a reef knot, in another they played Kim's game, and they did the old life-line throwing.

The spring weather encouraged water-play. In the spring, there is a little stream running just below the yard, from the hill into the little lake. The Cubs really enjoyed playing in it, making dams and getting muddy and wet. Some played hide and seek in the forrest and made themselves aquainted with the surroundings for the spring camp, the May Day weekend.

When it got darker, the Cubs came inside to play games and colour in pictures of star constallations. The parents served out a "African Mince", spicy minced beef with a creamy sauce, served with rice and corn crisps, and then we all went out for a camp fire. Marie and Eva sang lots of songs, some old and some new, most in Swedish, but some in English, and I did "Cecil is a Caterpillar" (in Swedish). Then it was time for bed.
Outhouse and wood shed in the snow
We woke at approx. six o'clock. To our surprise it was snowing! We had sandwiches and oat porridge for breakfast, made some badges and started packing up. It took the kids some time to find all their odd, wet socks, sleeping bag bags, rubberbands, towels etc. By the time we got all the equipment outside and started hiking down to the pickup point (the dirt track is too bad for too many cars) it had started raining. We tried to match found items up with found Cubs, but still we had a whole bag of left-over stuff after the last Cub had been picked up.

Very muddy Cub and Marie at Pick-up point

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, particularly the parent helpers.

No meeting this comming week as we have a Fix-it day at Tranabo next weekend, for all the group-parents and scouts alike.

Cipher and early Shrove Tuesday

As both Akelas had pressing business elsewhere, so Eva and Rasmus ran the meetings this week, together with Jessica, and we had to postpone our star gazing evening. Just as well, because the sky was clouded over, it was windy and wet, not at all nice. Instead the Cubs got to practise their deciphering skills and go on a little treasure hunt around the Scout hut. Following various clues they picked up the implements and ingredienses for the traditional Shrove Tuesday cakes, 'Semla'.

This evening's game was an Elephant tag, where when you get caught have to stand still, holding your nose with one hand and putting the other arm through as an elephant's trunk until someone notices your predicament and comes and shakes trunks with you: Good for motor skills and perception.

Gone for inspiration

We were four Cub scout leaders who went to the Swedish Scout Federations own seat of learning for a weekend of inspiration. The "Akelas", Marie and myself, Eva and our young assistant leader Rasmus. We were picked up in a minibus, by our district comissioner. It was a long ride (500 km) and we picked up a few people on the way. It was late and dark when we arrived at Kjesäters Folkhögskola, but we managed to come in time for the evening sandwich and tea.

We checked in and got allocated matresses in the Stables, the school's arts studios. While us ladies felt slightly tired after the long journey, Rasmus got adopted into a group of keen Geocacheing people, who went out into the dark, slightly wet and cold winter night to try and find "treasure". They came back a couple of hours later, about 1 in the morning, all enthusiastic and glowing. One would have thought that they'd managed to shoot a deer or something!




We got a little bit of a taste for the Geocaching phenomena in the morning, when Links took us on a little hunt before breakfast, as he had located a cache very close to our quaters. And it was great fun, looking around for what turned out to be a Tuppaware box containing little trinklets and a "guestbook" where all of us from Falkenberg signed our name. We also added a card with the adress and phone number for our local book shop. Who knows, it might come in handy for someone.

I had chosen three theoretical classes on the Saturday. First we had a two hour lecture on 'reflective conversation', to be able to better sum up the scout activities at the end of the meetings. My friends were to a workshop in 'knife and axe safety' and 'risk evaluation'. After lunch I went to a lecture on 'visionary leadership' and got thouroughly depressed, as I recognised lots of destructive patterns from my workplace. Some of the others were making lovely jewelery from silver wire, something that they continued after supper, into the night.


I was so filled up with impressions and new knowledge that I had to withdraw. I intended to write in this blog, but I couldn't get into the school's wireless network and then went to sleep. My friends dropped back about half one in the morning from having, respectively, been geocaching and campfire (without the fire) singing.

On the Sunday morning the air was crisp and clear. Snow had fallen during the night and the stars were still out when we went for a brisk morning walk at 7.15. It was absolutely lovely! Marie and Eva made snow angels.
After breakfast we were all booked for a two-hour 'baking outdoors' workshop. Oh, such fun! I got put in a six together with 5 men of varying age. Oh, the banter! I got as good as I gave, and we laughed so hard we could hardly roll out the puff pastry. (It was slighly difficult, as it was frozen, and it was still -1, so we had to try and soften it up by the fire)

We made danish style puff pastry, filled with chopped up dried fruit mixed with runny honey and baked them in reflector owens by the fire. The other groups made Pain au Chocolate on 'Murrikka' and apple pie on Trangias. Then we had coffee, first with the cakes we'd made, and then again in the canteen, to warm ourselves up, before the last workshop that for us was 'Scout methodology in practise'.

We got to 'borrow' som Cubs from the nearest town, Vingåker, that took us on a Pirate treasure hunt around the school grounds. On the way we had to walk the plank through treacherous marsh lands, pick up treasure in the middle of a pool of quicksand and answer terribly difficult pirate trivia, before we could combine all the collected treasure and bake some lovely fruit scones on frying pans over open fire. And then lunch. Oh, my poor tum!


In the car on the way back, we were jolly happy, reeking of log fire smoke and thouroughly inspired. The trip home seemed shorter, or perhaps it was because I nodded off, inspite of the loud singing from the driver's seat. Of course, we all decided on the spot that we had to go again next year!

Chinese sticks and sixes

The meetings on 21st and 22nd of January were dedicated to working together and forming new sixes. We brought in the old bamboo canes and rubber bands, an exercise I learnt in 22nd Oxford Sea Scouts.
The cubs were instructed to make a bridge, after their own fashion, that could take the weight of our pack's ring folder. The bridge should also be high enough for the folder to pass underneath. They were also given the clue "Triangles are good".
The Cubs worked relentlessly and were very concentrated on their task. With just a little bit of coaching all the bridges were able to carry the folder and the sixes proudly presented their work and told the others about the process.