Send in the Clowns

... err excuse me... your balls have dropped...

what? ewww, how could you think that, don't be so dirty minded. Here was me just innocently telling you that you dropped your juggling balls.

*mental soap*

Not that long ago I was asked if I would run a circus skills activity session for the cubs, which resulted in me heading down to the hall on a Sunday night... balls in hand. Actually I had a bit more than balls.
The skills on offer: Juggling (scarves, balls and clubs), Poi (weights on the end of chains that you swing about, or balls in long socks), Staff Spinning, Diabolo, Plate Spinning and the odd random activity from them to do themselves
I got the cubs leaders to come down early so that I could teach them the basics of how to do it, so that they would be able to show the kids some stuff... I can't be everywhere at the one time

The evening started off with their usual grand howl and inspection (turns out that the leaders have been taking some notes from my new structure in the scouts!), then we did a little warm up session. We got the group to do some group juggling. It's not a complicated as it sounds:
get them in a circle. Give the ball to one of the kids and tell them that they are only allowed to throw it to one person (who can't be right beside them) and it goes round the group until everyone has had the ball and it gets back to the first person. I usually get the kids to sit down once they have had the ball to help show who still needs to get it. Once the ball for the ball has been created, it doesn't change. Start off with just one ball and do a couple of rounds without stopping, then add more and more balls. The kids seamed to enjoy it... although some of them were a bit pants at catching!

After a safety talk; where they were warned that ANY messing around would end up with them going home early and I was asked by a sprog if the staff was for pole dancing; the group was split into two for the activities.

All in all they enjoyed the activities and the random challenges that I would set them (always handy to have when they start getting bored with the fact that they can't do any of the tricks)