SHELLS
When you think of shells do you think of the beach? Then think
again: what about the shells of turtles or the shells of beetles.
There is such a variety that you could program a whole term on
shells. I hope the following programs will inspire you.
Games
Find the shell
Provide a bucket of sand and hide in the sand either real shells or ones made from plaster. Run as a relay race; Joey Scouts must feel in the sand for a shell to take back to their team.
If you don’t live near a beach to gather your own shells they can be purchased from craft stores. The plaster shells can be made with craft plaster and chocolate moulds. These can be used later in the craft project.
Crab races
Have the Joey Scouts practise moving like a crab, sideways on all fours. It’s not as easy as it looks. They can either have their tummy facing the ground or, even harder, their tummy facing up. When they have mastered the art, run a relay race or play “Crab in the water, out of the water”. Divide the hall into two halves – one half is the water, the other is the sand. Then call out “in the water” or “out of the water” and see how many crabs you can trick.
Pull the barnacle off the rock
This is a tug of war. One team is the barnacle, the other team are fishermen. One tries to stay stuck while the other tries to pull them off. You could try it in pairs as well.
Match the shell shapes
Shells come in a few different shapes, mainly circles and triangles. Have three different sizes of each shape cut out. You will want about four of each size and spread them over the hall flour. Give teams of two Joey Scouts a shape to find. On the word “go”, each team tries to find as many of their shape in the correct size.
Activities
Tongue twisters
“She sells sea shells by the sea shore” or “Seven swans swam swiftly by”. These are hard enough to say anyway. Can the Joey Scouts say them quickly? How many times in a row can they repeat them without getting tongue-tied? Make it really hard and give them a dry biscuit to eat then get them to attempt it again. Don’t forget all the good songs about the sea. How many can the Joey Scouts remember?
Craft
Sand pictures
If you bought washed sand (available from garden centres or soil and rock sellers) keep some aside and colour with food colouring. Sugar or salt may be substituted. Colour about a cup full at a time by putting in an ice cream container with a few drops of food colouring and shake well.
More colouring may be added to get the right colour. Provide cardboard and glue, and let the Joey Scouts draw an outline on their cardboard and then fill in the shapes one at a time with paste and the coloured sand.
You can paint or colour the plaster shells with textas and stick a magnet on the back. If you have enough real shells you could add them to your sand pictures or make a mobile.
Games
Go slow relay
Normal relay race but you go as slow as you can. The last team to finish is the winner.
Find the shell
Joey Scouts in pairs, join hands and make a circle. These are the turtle shells. A Joey Scout is the turtle without a shell and another Joey Scout is the shark, who is chasing him. The turtle runs around and into a shell and stands in front of a Joey Scout who then becomes the turtle and runs away. If the shark captures the turtle they trade places.
Catch the hatching turtles
Leader stands in the middle of the hall waiting to catch the Joey Scouts who are the hatching turtles trying to get from the beach (one end of the hall) to the sea (the other end of the hall). If caught they help the leader. Those who are trying to catch must not move their feet but can stretch as far as they can each way.
Turtle race
Using plastic laundry baskets or pillows for turtle shells, have each Joey Scout crawl on hands and knees with shell on their back.
Craft
Weave the turtle shells
Provide each Joey Scout with a cardboard turtle outline with slits cut in it length ways, and strips of coloured paper to weave through to make a basket weave pattern.
Games
Listen for the cicadas
Joey Scouts sit in a circle with one in the middle blindfolded. Leader points to a Joey Scout who makes a clicking noise. If the Joey Scout in the middle can correctly point to the one who made the noise then they trade places.
Swat the cockroach
Balloons are the cockroaches which are thrown by the leaders into a chalk circle drawn on the floor. They Joey Scouts must keep the cockroaches off the table by swatting them away with their hands.
Hungry birds
Tie a Lifesaver in the middle of a long piece of string (to reach across the hall). At each end tie a craft stick. The Joey Scouts have to wind the string around the stick to see who first reaches the beetle, which they can then eat. Have extra for the hungry birds who are left.
Craft
Rainbow beetle
Using a paper plate or a circle of cardboard cut out simple shapes. Then, using different coloured pieces of cellophane, glue onto the back to cover the cut out shapes. Finish decorating with pipe cleaner feelers and glitter.
Beetle biscuits
Ice plain biscuits and decorate or make truffles and use liquorice for the legs.
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Activity
Beetle dice game
In teams or as one group, each Joey Scout has a piece of paper and a pencil. A die is shaken in a cup and, depending on the number shown, the Joey Scout draws a beetle body part.
Have one already drawn to show the Joey Scouts and remember you can’t start without a body.
Shells appeared in the March 1999 Australian Scout. Compiled by Barbara Tabe.