As this is our first post of 2017, let us start by wishing you all a Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great Christmas break, and are now itching to get outside and join in with all of the exciting activities we have planned!
Before I tell you about our Chinese New Year evening, let me tell you about a selection of the activities we have lined up for the Cubs this year;
Saturday 4th February – Sponsored Hike
The annual North Leigh Winter Hike is this weekend – we hope to see lots of you there!
Monday 13th February – Gang Show
It’s half term, and we’re going to see the Oxford Gang Show, which is a variety show performed over 150 by Scouts & Guides, with the aim of giving young people in Scouting and Guiding the opportunity to develop theatre skills and perform on a professional stage.
24th-26th March – PGL
A fun ‘camp’ (we sleep inside!) where the Cubs participate in activities ranging from climbing to abseiling to an obstacle course – there’s plenty of excitement to be had (Please Note: There’s no Cubs on the following Monday, to give everyone a rest).
Sunday 7th May – Incident Hike
A hike where teams encounter challenges and have to work together to complete them (More details to follow).
26th-29th May – OxonJam
Its the big one! This is a county camp, and take place every 4 years. The camp will be held in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, where Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Network from across Oxfordshire will come together at this amazing camp, and participate in a wide range of activities. If that wasn’t enough, this camp is running over the bank holiday weekend, so instead of 2 nights of camping you get 3, as it doesn’t finish until the Monday! I’m so excited, can you tell?..
Saturday 11th June – Duck Race
This takes place along the River Evenlode, and is our main fundraising event of the year, so we hope you can sell as many ducks as you can before the day (the sheets will be handed out nearer the time). This is a great event for the whole family, hope to see you there!
September – Super Cub
Each Cub pack puts forward a team, who participate in fun activities throughout the day, earning points as they go. The aim of the day is to have as much fun as possible, but if they end up near the top, they have a chance of representing West Oxfordshire in the County Super Cub Competition.
Saturday 23rd September – Group Day
Once again, all of the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Young Leaders and Leaders from the North Leigh Scout Group will meet at Youlbury for a fun day of activities. This year, in addition to trying some of the activities that Youlbury has to offer, we are going back to basics and learning some Scouting skills, and then finishing the day with songs around the campfire.
14th-15th October – Sixer and Seconder Camp
A camp for the older Cubs that introduces them to some of the skills they need for Scouts, as well as testing them on what they have learnt throughout Cubs. This gives the Cubs an opportunity to develop their skills and try new things out for themselves, whilst there is a helping hand present.
December – Christmas Sleepover
The Christmas Sleepover is where the Cubs sleep in pop-up tents in the school hall – warm and cosy, away from the outside elements. The Cubs arrive on the Friday evening, and leave before lunch on the Saturday, but don’t be fooled by this short amount of time – the Cubs take part in loads of Christmas themed activities including crafts and games. It’s a great way to get into the Christmassy spirit!
Letters and more information will be given out nearer to the time of the events. In addition to all of these events, there may be more, who knows? And of course, there will also be the usual fun at the Pack meetings on a Monday night too!
Now back to the Chinese New Year Night!
This year, Chinese New Year fell on Saturday 28th January, making this the year of the Rooster, and 2017 marks the year 4715 on the Chinese calendar. The Cubs learnt about China and it’s traditions as part of their Our World Challenge Award. To start the evening, the Cubs learnt some facts about China – see if they can still remember them! (The answers are at the bottom of the page)
- How many people live in China? a) 1 billion b) 1.3 billion c) 1.5 billion
- China’s giant pandas are good at? a) Writing b) Juggling c) Swimming
- The mortar used to bind the Great Wall of China’s stones was made with what? a) Sticky rice b) Cement c) Panda poo
- Other than Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, which of these do people in China celebrate? a) Astronaut Day b) Children’s Day c) Cub Leader Day
- What number is bad luck in Chinese? a) 4 b) 7 c) 13
- Which number is considered to be lucky? a) 8 b) 16 c) 24
- Which of these isn’t a Chinese festival? a) Lantern Festival b) Moon Festival c) Fourtune Cookie Festival
- In Chinese culture, Yin and Yang are the two basic forces that rule all that exists, but what do Yin and Yang symbolise? a) Fire and water b) The stars and the moon c) The sun and the moon
Not only did the Cubs try some Chinese food (prawn crackers – what’s not to love?), they also had go at some crafts. They painted hanging Chinese New Year decorations with a word in Chinese (they could choose between friendship, happiness, peace or luck) and made paper roosters.
The Chinese New Year crafts
Finally, the all important answers are… 1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b, 5-a, 6-a, 7-c, 8-c
Did you get them all right? If so, well done, you are on the way to getting the Our World Challenge Award!