Blood from a stone

Ask any Scout Leader, or anyone else that works with kids for that matter, and they will tell you that there are certain subjects that are difficult to cover in the hall without the kids slipping into a small coma due to boredom.

For my kids, map work in one such subject, even if it is outdoors it can be a tad difficult to keep them interested in it.

...

guess what we did this week!

The main thing I had the scouts looking at was grid references, and while one of the other leaders distracted the kids with a game, I drew out a large grid on the floor. This was to be my map for the evening (I even marked on some Northings and Eastings)

I would stand in a grid and get them to tell me where I was standing using a standard 4-figure grid reference. This they mananged (rather grudingly) to do, I gather that they had covered it in school. So to scale it up I got some more chalk out and marked out some crosses that they had to give a 6-figure grid reference. This proved more of a challenge, but they got the hang of it.

Using the same grid I decided to have a game with grid references.

GRID REFERENCE MINE SWEEPER:

• Split the group into two teams, each gets a side of the grid to start from.
• The teams are told that they need to find the safe path through the mine field to the other side. There is only one path, so the start of team As route is the end of team Bs.
• They are only allowed to write, or say numbers. (I gave them chalk to write everything on the floor) No pointing to squares is allowed or drawing their own map.
• Only one person in the mine field at a time, once blown up the person must leave the grid and they will start again from the beginning (once the other team have had their turn)

Hopefully you get the idea!

They seamed to enjoy this way of doing grid references, rather than the boring classroom style.

But it was the small, quick team building game that Mim ran afterwards to got me really worried about the scouts. It wasn't that they didn't communicate, to a degree that is to be expected... it was more that they gave up entirely!

... actually quit and walked to sit by the wall

... needless to say,  I wasn't a happy bunny when I left scouts this week