Easter Weekend (30th - 31st March)
Fun for all
February
Planning for the weekend started with a meeting of Akela, Hathi and Abi, we had a lot of young Cubs and the traditional night hike was felt to be inappropriate. A sleepover under canvas was de rigueur. We also thought that we would like to do a themed event as we had never done one.
There was a television programme The Krypton Factor which had a series of sections containing general knowledge questions, memory games and finished with an assault course. This was developed into a master plan. We would have six bases, and as it was to run over Easter an eggy theme was to run under everything.
Early March
Bases or nests are they are now called are sorted out, in a moment of madness Hathi suggested dressing up as Sesame Street's Big Bird. Fancy dress for the Leaders was now on the agenda.
Thursday
Hathi was informed that his costume for the week end was ready to be picked up. So he did. Tried it on and it fitted, which was a bit of a shame.
Good Friday
Akela's costume for the week end was ready so he picked his up.
Ground preparation, Akela asked a few Cubs and parents to come along and help prepare the camping area. Ryan N turned up as did Steph 1, Becky 2, Tom H, Ella, Mike and various other brothers or sisters. The task did not take long and after an hour we had finished.
Saturday
This was going to be a very long day for the Leaders. Akela went shopping, (trolley rage) and Hathi had a lie in after cycling to the Scutt from Keynsham yesterday.
The Leaders met at the Scutt late Saturday afternoon to put up the tents, well to put up the main guys ready for the Cubs to complete their erection. The Hall was also prepared for the evening's entertainment. Tables were set up and all the various equipment was taken out of boxes and cupboards. We were just thinking we would have time for a cup of tea and the Cubs started to arrive! Where did the time go?
The Cubs after stacking their roll mats and and sleeping bags were called into their Sixes and the Flag was broken to start the event. While the Cubs went out with Lyn and Abi to finish putting the tents up and while we waited for the parents of Georgia and Becky, who were being enrolled, to arrive the Leaders got into costume. Mrs. Akela was reading through her camp-fire song book to find a topical song about chickens or eggs. Our credibility was to be severely tested, what had seemed a fantastic idea a fortnight ago now seemed ridiculous. Still we had to do it. The parents arrived to see a rooster peering around a door checking on the Cubs.
It went as well as expected the Cubs were bemused and amused by the Leaders, the girls will never forget being enrolled by super-chicken and a large rooster.
After this we started the evening proper. The rules of what was to happen, an eggcruciating intro full of eggstremely funny yolks. The Cubs were split into four 'flocks' Hens, Ducks, Quails and Ostriches. The six bases were to last about twenty minutes each and at the time signal, Hathi blowing a duck-call, the Cubs had to fly to the next nest. Points were to be awarded at each base to encourage the Cubs competitive nature.
The Bases:
| 1. Egg decoration, each Cub had brought a hard boiled egg with them and with the aid of colouring pens had to do a self portrait. |  |
| 2. Two sheets of Logos and Activity Badges were to be recognised. Some easy and some a little tricky. |  |
| 3. Design and prepare a vehicle to transport a raw egg as far as possible so that it did not break on landing. This was to be completed on Sunday in a throwing competition. |  |
There was a break after three bases so that everybody could have a drink and a breather, the Leaders could also get out of costume as the novelty had worn off.
| 4. Kim's Game, Fifty items on a table five minutes to try to remember as many things as possible and fifteen to write as many down as possible. |  |
| 5. Shape puzzles, two large puzzles had to completed against the clock, the quickest got top points. |  |
| 6. Name that tune, twenty songs and artists to be identified. |  |
After the bases Mrs. Akela did her sing song, this got all the Cubs up and singing, exercising and making a lot of happy noise.
Supper of hot-dogs and a drink was next. This was very popular except for those Cubs that didn't like frankfurters, they had to have a sausage from tomorrows breakfast instead. A few minutes rest to let this go down and we had a running around game to settle everyone for bed.
And so to bed, at 23:00 even the older Cubs were starting to fade. The Cubs were escorted to their tents, the waiting then started, at midnight they were informed that it was now 01:00 as the clocks had gone forward to BST. at 02:30 the last Cub went quiet and the Leaders could retire, Abi, Lyn, Akela and Hathi stayed the distance and stayed in the Scutt. Amazingly only two Cubs wandered through to the toilet in the whole evening. In the past there was a constant stream of Cubs backwards and forwards.
Easter Sunday
After the clocks sprang forward there was a certain amount of concern that some of the Parents might use it as an excuse to be late to pick up their little darlings.
But first we had to have breakfast and then the Eggton Factor to complete.
Tracy, a wonderful person and mother to one of our Cubs arrived to help cook breakfast. The Cubs slept late!!! After breakfast, the competition continued.
The egg throwing was first. The four devices were all different and showed that some serious designing had been done. the first round of throws showed that Lyn had been wise to move her car as one of the entries landed on the dry space left by her car.
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Then the final event, the Assault course. Double points were to be awarded so there was everything to play for. Maximum effort was to be eggpected. A cargo net had been pegged down in front of the tents, from this the Cubs had to fly into the hall, travel from one end of the hall to the other on four chairs with time penalties for touching the floor. Then a pyramid of tables, all securely lashed together, had to be climbed and lastly a rope drag to the finish line the quickest team to get the top points.
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While the judge was counting the scores a final treat was in store for the Cubs, an Easter egg hunt. Lots of laminated letters were placed in the compound, all the Cubs had to do was to collect all the letters, rearrange them, and follow the instructions. Simple! The assault course was cleared up, the tents un-pegged and other tidying up done. The instruction was to find out from Katie what the question was. Last year Katie was the only one to decode the message and asked for an Easter egg. The tents were taken down and after flag down were draped over a few table to dry out. The Cubs were then taken home. An hour later everything was packed away and the Leaders could relax. Another successful weekend.
Thanks to Abi, Lyn, Peg, Steven and Tracey for all your help in making it as good as it was. As it was only light rain sorry as the dew was very heavy, Akela's record with the weather remains intact. The Sun had shone on both days.