Scouting is a Game with a Purpose

Lord Baden Powell said that "Scouting is a game with a purpose." Once I was teaching a Webelos advancement unit when one of the boys said, "This is just like school." Wow! That didn't sound good. I determined right then and there that from now on I was going to make my "teaching" fun! How could I make everything that I taught into a fun experience or a game? As I started thinking about it, it was easy to make a lesson into a game. Boys love competition and turning memory words into a crossword, a scramble, or the like is really pretty easy. Who can find the answer first? Adding a physical element to the game also makes them much more fun for the boys. Throw a dart at a question, then answer it. Learning knots? See who can tie one the fastest. Memorizing the Cub Scout oath? See who knows the next line. Make it into a game and your boys will love the experience.