Game Six Essentials

Supplies for the Cub Scout Six Essentials Game

Here is the supply list for the Six Essentials activity.

1. Plastic gallon bag with a zipper top. You can buy these almost anywhere from Amazon to your grocery store.

2. Sharpie for writing kids' names onto bags. You can write their names on the bags before the meeting.

3. First aid kit supplies. For a simple kit, use 1 large bandage, 2 small bandages, 1 alcohol wipe and 1 travel packet of antibiotic ointment. If you want a container, use an empty pill bottle or a travel soap dish.

4. Whistles. You can get these at local party supply stores, or you can order them online from companies such as Shindigz.

5. Bottled water for each kid.

6. Sun protection. These single-use sunscreen packets are great for this activity. A locally owned drug store might give free lip balm with SPF, so check that out as well.

7. Flashlights. You can find promotional flashlights that a company's give away. You can also order these flashlight keychains from Shindigz.

8. Trail food. The Scouts can make trail mix, or you can purchase individual serving packs.

You've probably realized that some of the items mentioned earlier are not adequate for a hike–especially a long one. You can explain this to the Scouts as you're talking about them.

If you want to make a Cub Scout Six Essentials kit that is a bit more functional than this one, consider having each parent bring the supplies for their child so that the den doesn't have to spend too much money.

Instructions for Cub Scout Six Essentials Game

Briefly discuss the Cub Scout Six Essentials and what each would be used for. The Scouts can look at pictures of the essentials that are in their books. Explain sun protection could mean a hat or sunscreen. Tell them that the lip balm they are getting for their Six Essentials kit has sunscreen in it.

Here are the handbook page numbers where the Scouts can find the list of the Six Essentials.

Tiger Handbook – Tigers in the Wild page 95 (2015 & 2018 printing)

Wolf Handbook – Call of the Wild page 33 (2015 printing) or page 27 (2018 printing)

Bear Handbook – Fur, Feathers, and Ferns page 75 (2015 printing) or page 91 (2018 printing)

Each kid receives a gallon storage bag with the slider on the top, which are easier for them to open. Don't forget to write their names on them!

Note: Although they aren't called the “six essentials,” the Lion rank requirements for the Mountain Lion adventure have the Scouts learning about the items needed on an outdoor adventure.

Trail Food

Make simple trail mix or purchase some that each scout can put a bit into a zip lock bag.

Then the fun really starts!

Set up five stations and ask a parent to man each one. At the station, the Scouts will to do something in exchange for an item on the Cub Scout Six Essentials list. They split up and rotate through them.

First Aid Kit

Here, the Cub Scouts play a game loosely based on Simon Says. The parent calls out either “Scout Sign” or “Scout Salute.” They have to demonstrate which one was called out. If everyone is correct, the Scouts get an item for their first aid kits.  

They play four rounds until they receive all the items for the first aid kit. Here's what was handed out to them.

• 1 large adhesive bandage

• 2 small adhesive bandage

• 1 travel packet of antibiotic cream

• 1 alcohol wipe

Have the Scouts place everything into their storage bag. If you want to have a self-contained first aid kit, you could put the supplies in a smaller zipper bag, an empty pill bottle or even in a travel soap container.

Whistles

At the whistle station, the Scouts demonstrate the Cub Scout Handshake and talk about what it meant. In exchange, they get their whistle! The Cub Scouts learn that the whistle is ONLY to be used in an emergency, but they should get to practice blowing it a couple of times. It then goes into the storage bag.

Sun Protection

Here, all of the Scouts (including the Bears) work on requirement 5 of the Wolf adventure, Running with the Pack. They need to do two of the following:  frog leap, inchworm walk, kangaroo hop or crab walk.

The Cub Scouts inchworm walk or kangaroo hop their way from a starting point to an adult. When they get there, they tell the adult what the Scout Sign means. Then they crab walk or frog leap back to the starting point where they get their lip balm to put in their bag!

Water Bottle

To get their water bottles, the kids complete requirement 2 of the Wolf Running with the Pack Adventure and explain what the Scout Salute means.

The Scouts demonstrate how they can keep their balance while walking forward toward a point. Without turning around, they walk backward back to the adult and explain what the Scout Salute means. Finally, they walk sideways to another adult who gives them their bottle of water.

Flashlight

To complete requirement 3 of the Running with the Pack adventure, the Cub Scouts need to do a front roll, a back roll and a frog stand.

Started the activity by attempting to model a frog stand. It is very hard to do. It didn't matter if they can't do the frog stand as long as they "do their best". As each scout tried, ask, “Did you do your best?”

After the frog stand, the Scouts do their front and back rolls and repeat the Cub Scout Motto. They get their flashlights and added them to their Cub Scout Six Essentials bag.

This station embodies the spirit of the Cub Scout Motto. The Scouts are not only told that doing their best is most important, but they see it being modeled as well. A leader may not be able to do the frog stand, but they did their best. And that is OK.

This makes a great meeting. The scouts learn about the Cub Scout Six Essentials, they review the Bobcat requirements and they are active while they do it! And they have fun.