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How to Make Awards for Heroes

my hero plaque

While the Hometown Heroes and Build My Own Hero adventures have been retired, having heroes is still important for kids.

In fact, some experts believe that heroes can help with character development. Some of the values that heroes exhibit are courage, honesty, civility, perseverance, loyalty, self-restraint, compassion, tolerance, fairness, respect for individuals, and responsibility. This is a good opportunity to discuss why those traits are important.

If you need a fun activity to use when you talk about what makes a hero, try making a hero “sandwich.”

A great activity for your Cub Scout would be to interview their hero. Wouldn't it be great for the boys to present an award to their hero during the interview?

Our boys made awards by decorating simple wooden plaques with supplies that I had on hand.

Supplies You'll Need for My Hero Awards

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How to Make

The first thing I did was email parents and asking them to bring a hot glue gun and to plan on staying to operate it. These kids are 5th graders, but I didn't want to risk it.

Check the plaques to see if you need to sand the edges a bit. I only sanded the spots that looked like a splinter could come off.

Spray paint the plaques. Note to self: Try to paint stuff before the day you need it!

painted hero award plaques
My hero award plaques

At the meeting, the boys decorated their plaques any way they wanted to! Some of them were very creative.       

The Cub Scout who decorated this plaque added two brads to construct a trophy–the kind that has the handles on either side. Very clever!

my hero plaque

Mr. Caballero got three plaques!  Later that week, I stopped by the principal's office to tell her about Mr. C (as he's called). I wanted her to know what an impact he is having on the kids in our community. We're grateful that we have heroes like Mr. C.

What kinds of awards have your Cub Scouts presented to their heroes?

Yours in Scouting,
Sherry

P.S. I ran across this cool book, 50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Know. Looks like it would be a great read for our boys.

Cub Scout Adventure: How to Build My Own Hero "Sandwich" | Cub Scout Ideas

Saturday 20th of April 2019

[…] different ways:  1) As a Cub Scout gathering activity for the meeting where the boys will be making hero plaques, 2) As an individual activity, or 3) As a group guided activity where you talk through it with […]

Cub Scout Adventure: How to Build My Own Hero "Sandwich" | Cub Scout Ideas

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

[…] a few different ways:  1) As a Cub Scout gathering activity for the meeting where the boys will be making hero plaques, 2) As an individual activity, or 3) As a group guided activity where you talk through it with […]