If you need a fun, quick activity to do after a passive task, energize your Scouts with the Rattlesnake Game!
A milk carton or a paper bag is the rattlesnake. Or if you left the milk carton at home like I did, look in your supply bin and grab something that's about the same size to use.
Put your rattlesnake on the floor, and have the Scouts form a circle around it. Each Scout will grasp their neighbor's hands.
When the game starts, each Scout will try to force their neighbors to touch the rattlesnake while avoiding it themselves.
Whenever a Scout touches it, they get a point. At the end of the game, the Scout with the least number of points is the winner.
If your room is large enough (or your group is small enough), this Cub Scout game can be played indoors. Of course, it is a fabulous outdoor game.
When we played this game, we had parents participate too. The Scouts all wanted their parents to touch the rattlesnake, so there was some fierce competition going on!
The Rattlesnake Game is perfect for Tigers to play to complete a requirement for Tiger Tag.
Tiger Elective Adventure – Tiger Tag 3: Have your den choose a team or relay game that everyone can play, and play it at least twice.
You know, that's one of the things I love about Cub Scouts. I get to interact with my sons in ways that I never would at home. We definitely wouldn't be trying to make each other touch a “rattlesnake” at home.
Yours in Scouting,
Sherry
P.S. If you liked this Cub Scout game, sign up below for more cool activities!
Active & Passive Activities at Cub Scout Den & Pack Meetings
Wednesday 8th of December 2021
[…] Rattlesnake Game […]
Meanna
Tuesday 4th of October 2016
We play a game similar to this. We set a bucket upside down and put a stick on it, that way you can have bigger groups with a bigger stick, or small groups with a smaller stick. If you knock it off, you get pulled out of the game (For larger groups). We would have a side activity (usually a quite one) for those who didn't want to play or got out. The kids could jump over it or step around it, and touching it was fine, so long as it didn't fall. It could get rather violent with Scout aged kids, but I reckon including parents would make for more moderated time, too. We just called it Stick and Bucket, and it was a favourite of mine when I was a scout
Sherry
Monday 10th of October 2016
That sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing!
Active and Passive Activities at Den Meetings « Cub Scout Ideas
Saturday 20th of April 2013
[...] to get a bored with a table activity (such as a worksheet), you can switch to a game such as the rattlesnake game. Or work on advancement by doing the crab, gorilla or kangaroo relay that is required for the [...]