A Cub Scout’s Thanksgiving Prayer Opening

O Heavenly Father, we ask for your blessing

For loved ones and friends that are near.

We thank you for food and for love and for life

And the spirit of Scouting that’s here.

We thank you for leaders who care about boys,

Who give us their time – that’s better than toys!

We thank you for dads who help us learn right,

For moms who sew on our badges at night.

For all this, thank you, dear Lord up above,

Give Thanks Opening

Have ten Cub Scouts with signs with the letters G I V E  T H A N K S on each front. On the back, write out their speaking parts.

Cub 1:  G is for the Glorious autumn the Pilgrims knew so well.

Cub 2:  I is for the Indian Summer that cast a magic spell.

Cub 3:  V is for the Valiant men of old who crossed the stormy sea.

Cub 4:  E is for the Endless labors performed so faithfully.

Cub 5:  T is for the Trackless wasteland where red men hunted food.

Cub 6:  H is for the Homes the Pilgrims from nearby forest hewed.

Cub 7:  A is for the wild Animals lurking so dangerously at hand.

Cub 8:  N is for the Nuts and fruits that helped to feed the little band.

Cub 9:  K is for the Keenness and vision of those who this land first trod.

Cub 10: S is for the Spirit that kept them strong, with eternal faith in God.

Thanksgiving Closing Ceremony

Scene: Pilgrims are sitting around a table.

Leader:  We have a lot be thankful for at this time of the year.  We work and for this we see all the good things that come of it.  Let us all share something good with each other at this time.

Cub 1:    Do the very best you can and leave the rest to God.

Cub 2:    Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch, life is a cinch.

Cub 3:    A clean conscience is a soft pillow.

Cub 4:    We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough.

Cub 5:    There is no failure except to give up.

Cub 6:    Our country, right or wrong.  When right, to be kept right.  When wrong, to be made right.

Tom-Tom Closing

Turkey Contest

Plymouth Rock Encounter Skit

Scene: Cut out a ship from cardboard; make a large rock and put a label "Plymouth Rock." In front of it; have party hats, noisemakers, musical instruments and 4 or more Indians.  Have the ship just visible by the audience and the Indians are by the rock looking at it.

 Indian 1:            Ugh!  I see ship coming our way.

Indian 2:          Shall we scare them away with war party?

Indian 1:            No!

Indian 3:            Shall we hide so they do not see us?

Indian 1:            No!

(continue banter for each Indian)

Indian 4:          Then what we do?  Tell quick, they come fast!

Indian 1:          (whispers to other Indian; they all leave the stage and come back with party hats on, noisemakers and horns, dancing around in circles)

Cub #1: What do you get if you cross a wolf and a rooster?

Cub #1: Why do dogs scratch themselves?

Cub #1:  What kind of bow can’t be tied?

Cub #1:  Why did the Pilgrims want to sail to America in the spring?

Cub #1:  What do you call a nervous gobbler?

Cub #2:  A jerky turkey!

Cub #1:  Why do turkeys always go, "gobble, gobble"?

Cub #1:  Why was the turkey the drummer in the band?

Cub #1:  Knock, Knock

Cub #2:  Who's there?

Cub #1:  Waddle

Cub #2:  Waddle who?

Pilgrims Came

(tune: Yankee Doodle)

The Pilgrims came across the sea,

From England, far away

And now we always think of them

When it's Thanksgiving day!

The Mayflower was their sailing ship,

Across the waves and foam,

They landed here on Plymouth Rock,

And this was their new home.

The bitter wind was so very hard,

That many Pilgrims died,

By spring they had some growing crops,

And Indian friends beside.

When harvest time came, they were glad,

They had learned many things.

The Indians joined them in their feast,

Their very first Thanksgiving.

Some folks think that they were sad,

I think that they were glad.

We thank the Pilgrims every one,

Turkey Song

(tune: Bring Back My Bonnie)

My turkey went walking one morning,

The November weather to see.

A man with a hatchet approached her,

Oh bring back my turkey to me.

Chorus:

Bring back, bring back,

Oh bring back my turkey to me, to me!

Bring back, bring back,

Oh bring back my turkey to me!

I went down the sidewalks a shopping,

The sights in shop windows to see.

And everywhere hung great fat gobblers,

Oh bring back my turkey to me.

Chorus

I went out to dinner and ordered,

The best things they had I could see.

They brought it all roasted and sizzling,

They brought back my turkey to me.

Final Chorus:

Brought back, brought back,

They brought back my turkey to me, to me!

Brought back, brought back,

The Legend of the Five Kernels Opening Ceremony

CUB SCOUT 1: The first winter the Pilgrims spent in their new home was very cold. Food was in short supply.

CUB SCOUT 2: Some days they had only enough food for each new person to have five kernels of corn for the day.

CUB SCOUT 3: Finally spring came. They planted food and it grew. All the pilgrims did not die.

CUB SCOUT 4: From then on, when a time of Thanksgiving came around, the pilgrims put five kernels of corn on each plate to remind themselves of their blessings. Let us also remember:

CUB SCOUT 5: The first kernel reminds us of the autumn.

CUB SCOUT 6: The second kernel reminds us of our love for each other.

CUB SCOUT 7: The third kernel reminds us of Gods love and care for us.

CUB SCOUT 8: The fourth kernel reminds us of our friends, especially our Native American brothers.

CUB SCOUT 9: The fifth kernel reminds us that we are a free people.

Poem: Thanksgiving Day

The following verses could be used as an opening ceremony

or sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

The Pilgrims came across the sea

From England far away.

And now we always think of them

When it's Thanksgiving Day.

The Mayflower was their sailing ship

Across the waves of foam.

They landed here on Plymouth Rock

And this was their new home.

The bitter winter was so hard

That many Pilgrims died.

By spring they had some growing crops

And native friends besides.

When harvest came they were so glad

They'd learned so many things.

The natives joined them in a feast

For the first Thanksgiving.

So many things they had to learn

All along the way,

We thank the pilgrims, every one,

Thanksgiving Song

Tune: Are You Sleeping?

Let's all gather round the table,

And join hands to give thanks,

For our friends and family, for this feast and country,

Capture the Turkey Relay

Materials: Light-colored round balloons, markers, cardboard boxes, badminton racquets or table tennis paddles.

Blow up the balloons. Use markers to draw a turkey face and colored tail feathers. Line dens up relay style. Place a box or crate at the opposite end of the room for each team to use as a turkey pen. The first boy in each team is given a racquet or paddle and a balloon. The object is to use the racquet or paddle to guide—not hit—the turkey into its pen. If the turkey is hit, it will go up into the air and fly away, so boys have to guide him and keep him close to the ground. Only the paddle can be used to touch the turkey—no body part may be used to help.

Academics and Sports Proclamation Awards Ceremony

Personnel: Cubmaster dressed as a pilgrim, proclamation reader dressed as a pilgrim, Cub Scouts

Materials: Candle, large quill pen, awards, award proclama­tions—one per award to be presented. Use two dowels with heavy white paper, crumpled and then ironed. Char edges lightly to show age. Attach the paper to the dowels and roll both ends together toward the middle. Tie with ribbons. Leave room for the boys to sign below the written award summation.

Giving Thanks Closing Ceremony

CUB SCOUT 1: In 1621, after the Plymouth colonists completed the first harvest, Governor James Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer.

CUB SCOUT 2: During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress suggested a yearly day of national thanksgiving. In 1817, New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century, many other states did the same.

CUB SCOUT 3: In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving and since then each presi­dent has issued a Thanksgiving proclamation, generally des­ignating the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday.

CUB SCOUT 4: We, as Americans, have much to be thank­ful for—especially our country's many freedoms. We have more freedom than any country in the world. Yet how many of us think of Thanksgiving Day as a day to give thanks and not just a holiday?

Woven Place Mats

Materials: Colored construction paper, glue, scissors, fall leaves, clear contact paper

Acorn Napkin Rings

Paper Plate Pilgrim Costume Designs

Materials: Paper plates, crayons, yarn, pipe cleaners, paper napkins, construction paper, glue

Hat. Glue a cardboard container, such as from salt, in the center of an inverted plate. Cover with construc­tion paper or paint. Add a paper band, a buckle, and yarn ties.

Collar. Cut out the center of a paper plate, cut through at one point, and round off the corners.

Boots.   For the  sole,  glue  or staple two small plates together edge-to-edge  along one  side.  For the top, wrap construction paper around each leg; tape to hold. Add a paper buckle and fold down the top of the boot for a cuff. Tie the sole of the boot to the foot with yarn. Wear socks that are the same color as the construction paper.

Bonnet. Fold two large plates in half and glue or staple the plates together, overlapping at center, as pictured. Gather and glue a paper napkin or sheet of tissue paper along the straight edge at the back. Add yarn ties.

Plymouth Rock Neckerchief Slide

Materials: Small rock (clean and dry), marker, felt, glue

Mayflower Ship

Materials: Large cardboard boxes (appliance box if possible; otherwise put as many boxes together as needed to accom­modate the pilgrims), poles or dowels, cloth or paper for sails.

Webelos Scientist Activity

Air Pressure Experiment #1                       

Bottle Barometer  

Sailors use barometers to indicate weather changes. Your Webelos Scouts can construct this simple barometer.

Stretch a piece of rubber balloon over the mouth of a jar. (Seal air in the jar by smearing the outside edge of the jar rim with rubber cement before attaching the balloon with a rubber band.) Then cement a broom straw to the center; attach a matchstick between the straw and the rim of the jar. As illustrated, mount an index card indicating high and low on the wall next to the jar.  

As the air pressure rises in good weather, the rubber will be pressed inward and the pointer will rise. When air pressure falls during bad weather, the pointer will rise. NOTE: Temperature changes will also cause the air in the bottle to expand. Keep the bottle out of direct sunlight.

Webelos Scientist Activity

Air Pressure Experiment #2

Scientist Siphon

This contraption, based on the scientific principles of air pressure, could have been used by the Pilgrims to remove water from the hull of their ships.

Materials: Two jars, aquarium tubing or other small plastic hose.                 Place an empty jar on a table. Place a jar of the same size on a box adjacent to and above it and fill it with water. Fill the rubber tube with water; holding the water in place by cover­ing the ends of the tube. Place one end of the tube in each jar of water and watch what happens! Air pressure pushes water uphill through the tube from the full jar to the empty one.