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)

Cause the drugs don't work...

... mind you the vodka does!

Friday night was a success.

We started everything off (after flag break etc) with a quick game of Poison Ivy just to get some energy out of them before moving onto the main activity. Minty got them gathered round the white board and asked them to start listing the drugs that they knew of...

sprog: "Coca Cola"
*scribble*
sprog: "Tea, coffee"
*scribble*
sprog: "cocaine" quickly followed by "that's not my favourite" by one of the others!

Stacey and I stayed at the back of the group and tried to only step in when some of the sproggage started to act up (that and so that we could have a wee giggle and drugs convo of our own... mind you I think that scared Stacey, what with my knowledge from school in Glasgow)

They made up three lists in total, and they had to guess why they were grouped together. Several of them were convinced that it was in drugs classification (A, B, C etc)- which would have made coca cola a class A drug. In reality it was in the effect that it had.... Uppers, Downers and All arounders. Minty then went into some of the drugs that they had listed, showing them some example (fake of course) from the police case and covered some of the physical and social side effects

Including a photo tour of a prison: kind of like a slide show of someones holiday

*in frail wee aunt Edna's voice*:"And here is the bus we were on. And there is the view from our seat on the bus, then this is us arriving at the door, ooh and look, here's us at reception...

....

... and here's the hotel room, and here's another one of the room, but the other side...."

I joke, but it actually worked really well to show that prison isn't the PS2 and SkyTV its cracks up to be (cracked up... get it!)

Minty then brought out something sure to put them off smoking for life. First of a healthy set of REAL pigs lungs and a set of lungs that have been treated with cigarette smoke.
Sprog: "How did you get the smoked lungs if they're from a pig"
Minty: "Well you get the trotter and you attach a cigarette..."
Scotland: "It's tricky at first, but once you have them addicted then its dead easy"
The lungs really were rather disgusting, I think Stacey was happy that she quit recently!

We then moved on to the effects of alcohol... now remember alcohol is BAD, isn't it...

... what do you mean you don't believe me...

...we all know its bad and should never touch it, its evil evil stuff...
*POKE*
oops sorry for prodding you with my telescopic nose!

We got the kids to do a walk the line test with some wonky glasses on that would simulate whats its like when drunken. The kids found it rather funny to see each other staggering around... I just found it well needed practice for later that night (went straight to a works BBQ after scouts)

And with that we wrapped up the night, all in all I think that the kids enjoyed it and that they learned something, but hopefully nothing too 'practical'

First Week Back

Well I should be starting back tonight with a bang.... or should that be a crack?

My first night back at scouts is going to be a drugs awareness night (hence the bad pun). Minty, our newest assistant leader (who also happens to be Scottish weirdly enough), works for the Police and does these drugs awareness talks in schools. So when he suggested that he does it for us at the scout hall we quickly agreed.

Now don't worry, we won't be teaching the sprogs how to take how to shoot up, giving out any free samples or getting them to do some E-learning... but we should be able to dispel any of the myths and rumors that they may have heard on TV or in the playground. We have sent a notice out to the parents tho, just in case they have any objections.

To be honest am not sure exactly what is going to happen tonight, Minty is organising it all and I am more than happy to leave it in his capable hands! I'll report back on how it goes tho over the weekend (prob not tomorrow tho... have got a party after scouts tonight and another party tomorrow night, nothing scout related tho)

now to get the rest of these puns out of my head...
I'll cook up something for you to throw into the pot at your next planning meeting, where you should deal out some jellies, brownies and coke... as long as your not a dope and make a hash of it all should be fine

phew... that's better!- but did you spot them all?