How to Contribute a Great Activity
So your Colony, Pack or Troop has decided to attend a Carleton event. Most Carleton events require attending sections to contribute an activity. But how do you bring a quality activity? A: it starts with Plan-Do-Review!
The development of your section's activity can provide bits of program for your section over several meetings. This is another way for youth can own the program.
Having trouble? Reach out to the Activity Coordinators for your section. See the event Contact List (available only to section reps using their registered email address).
Plan
With younger sections, this stage is likely accomplished over more than one stint or meeting.
A) Form an idea
Before consulting youth, prepared Scouter teams have some sample ideas ready in their back pocket. Generate at least 2 or 3 seed ideas for an activity. If you're really stuck, consult a list of Activity Ideas. Keep in mind that the website ideas are not fully fleshed, just starting points for your youth. You might also want to consult the list of activities that have already been submitted and approved.
Now it's time for the section's youth to brainstorm. What ideas do the section's youth have? If they get nowhere, offer the 2 or 3 seeds to get the conversation started.
B) Flesh out the idea. Youth led, supported by Scouters. Youth can opt to use the Activity Development Trail Card.
Scouters and youth need to determine:
Will it be fun? (#1 priority).
Does it promote teamwork, or build a skill? Can the skill be "gamified"?
Is the activity done individually, in pairs, or in small teams (lodges, lairs, patrols)? Remember, most of the Scouting program is be delivered in small teams, not entire sections.
Does it avoid relays? (relays reduce % of time engaged by individuals)
Is it age-appropriate? Is the level of skill required reasonable?
Will it take the full 20 minutes? Will it be engaging for that long?
Would the activity be staffed by a Scouter?
How can it be made to fit with this year's theme?
Is it easy to describe verbally or via a Trail Card or instructional sheet?
Can it be suspended in 1-2 minutes? (i.e. after the rotation whistle blows)
C) Go beyond brainstorming ideas with your youth
What materials are needed? Will anything need to be built? Who will supply or construction activity materials? In a few cases, Carleton Scouting may have activity equipment you can use.
What should go in the activity instructions?
Are there any hazards? How likely are they to occur? How severe are the consequences? How can they be mitigated?
Scouters: Is this a category 2 activity? If in doubt, ask your Group Commissioner, or the event's Chair.
STOP! Submit Plan Before Continuing
Before the event's submission deadline, submit the activity idea, with the activity description, and lists of hazards and mitigations, using the online submission forms. The event's Activity Coordinators will respond, and let you know if you have submitted a duplicate. If the activity is a duplicate, it may need to be modified or replaced (go back to PLAN stage).
Once you have received approval from your Activity Coordinator, you may move on to the DO stage below.
At Camporee, the Campfire song/skit/cheer is also submitted, and reviewed by your section's Campfire M.C., also looking for duplicates.
DO
Obtain or build the activity's materials. Note that costs for materials are born by the attending section, and materials belong to the section after the event.
Check out the Activity Card Examples of good and poor activities to see how Activity Cards can be written for Beavers / Cubs / Scouts.
Create the Activity Card (instructions) for your activity using the Activity Card Template for Beavers / Cubs / Scouts, which will later be printed and laminated by your Activity Coordinators for however many Patrols/Lairs/Lodges are supported at the station.
Each activity should have a PLAN, DO and REVIEW section. If you're stuck on the 'PLAN' part, just think: "What can (or should) the youth decide before commencing the game or activity?"
IMPORTANT! Inform your Activity Coordinator when you have completed the template. If your instructions don't fit in a single page template, email the additional material to your Activity Coordinator.
Using only the written instructions, test the activity with the section's youth. This is an opportunity for the youth to truly 'own' the activity station, even become experts. In events with competitions, it can be helpful to master an activity!
DO Resources
Activity Card Examples
for Beavers / Cubs / Scouts
Activity Card Template
for Beavers / Cubs / Scouts
Safety
What category is the activity?
See Adventure Category Matrix
Consider Hazards
Gear, People, EnvironmentAssess Risks
Add Safety FactorsREVIEW
After the test, Youth lead the review, supported by Scouters. Youth can use the review section in the Activity Development Trail Card .
Was it fun? How could it be better?
Did the activity last the entire 20 minutes? Would a faster section not require the full 20 minutes? If not, can variations be added? (30 minutes for Scouts)
Did it work as expected? If not, consider making changes.
Were the instructions easy to understand? Should the instructions be altered or augmented?
Are changes to materials needed?
Did the test reveal any safety concerns? If so, how should the activity or the instructions be changed?
Some Carleton Events, like the Klondike Derby, explicitly include a time at the end of each activity for youth to review the activity for items like teamwork, success, feedback. Check the scoring sheet on the event website, and consider reviewing these factors with the section youth during the test.
If significant changes need to be made to the activity, consider testing the activity changes with the youth.
If the activity description is updated, or new hazards are identified, update the activity submission. See (Activity & Campfire Submission).
If the Activity Card previously created needs to be updated, notify the Activity Coordinator after edits are made in the template document.