From: jim.speirs@canrem.com (Jim Speirs) To: dannys@iis.ee.ethz.ch (Danny Schwendener) Subject: Ideas for Fun and Funds Summary: March and early April are not much more than promises of good days to come, and most of your activity is likely to be indoors. Here are two indoor ideas to help you over this muddy period. Article #R159. ============== Ideas for Fun and Funds David Goss The Leader, March 1984 With warmer spring days on their way, your boys may be eager to get out and about. But, let's face it, March and early April are not much more than promises of good days to come, and most of your activity is likely to be indoors. Here are two indoor ideas to help you over this muddy period. A Fair 'n Fun Day is not a new idea by any means, but it is such a good idea and offers so many possibilities that it is worth repeating. Our second suggestion is a Hobby Show through which you can put Scouting on display in your area. Both ideas can be adapted to all sections by adding to or taking from the suggestions to suit the age range of the group. Fair 'n Fun Day This project takes considerable preparation but it offers a good opportunity to involve parents as booth builders, booth supervisors, money changers, food concession personnel, and so on. A Fair 'n Fun event is a scaled down version of the midway at your local fair, but the games of chance are weighted in favour of the players rather than the fairground owner. As well as games, you can offer rides (all terrain vehicles, bicycle skill tests, small motorcycles), balancing boards, climbing walls, mud balls, parachutes and other activities to take part of your program outdoors if you like. Indoors, festoon the hall with garlands of paper, tissue flowers and balloons. The game and concession booths must be sturdy and immovable. Flip-down tables braced against the wall with scrap 2 X 2s will do the trick. Decorate the tables as well. If you want to be really fancy, wire 2 X 2s up the table sides and tape to them banners or cardboard signs which explain the activity. The booths should feature activities of varying degrees of difficulty. Here are some suggestions. Ring Toss--Try to toss rubber rings from preserving jars over cup hooks screwed into a board. Elephant Peanut Toss-- Construct a papier mache elephant head with a hollow upward-pointing trunk. Players try to toss peanuts into the tip of the trunk. Dart Throw -- Line a board with small balloons and allow three tosses of the darts. Milk Carton Bowling--Partially fill a dozen milk cartons with sand, reseal and place in standard bowling pin pattern. Players bowl croquet balls at the cartons. For younger children, put only 25 mm (1") of sand in each carton, and bowl with a larger play ball. Golf Challenge--Construct a miniature golf course with several obstacles such as sand, water, inclines, holes to shoot through and gaps to shoot over. Pellet Gun Shoot --If you have a safe location--a basement is ideal- and competent adult supervision, you might be able to hold a target shoot with pellet guns. Sponge Throw--Make a board with a hole just large enough to let a well-known figure insert his head. Provide wet sponges for players to throw at the protruding head. Tin Can Ball Toss--Fasten various sizes of tin cans to a 4 x 4 plywood panel. Set on the floor at a slight incline toward the front of the booth. Players toss tennis balls into the cans scoring points for each ball which stays in a can. Test of Strength --A push-broom seems like an easy thing to lift but, under some circumstances, it is not. Tape an eight foot chart to the wall. At one foot intervals mark it: Pathetic; Nearly Pathetic; Some Sign of Muscle; Almost a Muscle: A Real Muscle There; Some Strong!; and Whew! Players stand a broom length away from the wall, hold the end of the handle and try to raise the bristle end of the broom parallel to the chart and as high as possible. For the games, give small prizes of wrapped candy or coupons worth a free treat from one of the concessions. For some things, like sponge toss or pellet gun shooting, the fun is in the activity rather than winning and prizes aren't necessary. Avoid handling money at the booths. Set up a single booth or table for selling tickets. If you run your Fair 'n Fun Day as a money-maker, your prices will probably be about 10 tickets for $1. You can set canteen prices so that a soft drink is five tickets, or whatever is appropriate. The main thing to remember is that the day should be a lot of fun for your boys to set up and operate, and for the people who play. Don't get carried away by the idea of big profits. Remember also that such an activity must be properly promoted to be successful. Use all the channels available: school bulletin boards, church bulletins; community and shopping centre notice boards; Cable TV listings; and newspaper public service announcement columns. Hobby Show Promotion is even more important for a Hobby Show open to the public. If it is just open to your group or a few groups in your area, communication is much easier. At the same time it must be quite specific in order to ensure you get the right entries in the right categories, and avoid disputes. Space limitations prevent detailed information here, and I suggest you do some further reading on the topic. Look to your local library for fundraising ideas in the financial advice section, and other ideas in the games and activities section. The book Omnibus of Fun by Helen and Larry Eisenberg contains a full chapter on hobbies. It lists almost every category you might include but, if you can't locate that book, here is a listing to give you a start. Class #l--Models made from kits Divisions: (a) Aircraft (b) Ships (c) Automobiles (d) Space Craft (e) All others Class #2--Art--any subject Divisions: (a) Pencil drawing -not copied (b) Pencil drawing-copied (c) Water colour -- not copied (d) Water colour--copied (e) Coloured pens --not copied (f) Coloured pens -- copied (g) Cartoon or crest or logo -- not copied (h) Paint by number (i) Painting on rocks, wood, etc. (j) Poster--any subject (k) mobile --any subject Class #3--Collections Divisions: (a) Stamps, mounted -under 500 (b) Stamps, mounted-over 500 (c) Stickers in album(s)-under 500 (d) Stickers in album(s) --over 500 (e) Scrap book--any subject (f) Scrap book -- Canadian (g) Coin collection (h) Card collection Class #4--Toys Divisions: (a) Dolls (b) Puppets (c) Wooden toys (d) Doll furniture Class #5--Cooking Divisions: (a) Cakes (b) Cookies (c) Candy (d) Breads Class #6--Crafts Divisions: (a) Popsicle or clothes-pin articles (b) Hooked articles (c) Flowers (d) Leather work (e) Sewn articles (f) Furniture (g) Carved articles (h) Pottery piece (i) Ceramic piece (j) Jewellery (k) Photography colour prints Class #7--Scout Crafts Divisions: (a) Bird houses--Feed stations (b) Pioneering models (c) Scout knot board --at least six knots (d) Plaster casting--at least three specimens (e) A neighbourhood map with all services marked (f) Emergency First Aid Kit (g) Emergency Survival Kit (h) Any camp gadget of natural materials (i) Any natural collection--leaf, bark, wood (j) Woggle Rules: Entries must be clearly marked by class and section (e.g. 7-C) and age. Names must be on all entries, located where they will not be seen while the entry is being judged. Entry fee of $... per item is applicable to all entries. (The fee you set will depend on how much money you want to make, or what prizes you want to give. ) Prizes: Ribbons will be awarded to all classes for first, second and third prize in each division. All work must be substantially that of the entrant. There will be two age sections in each class and division: 7-10 and 11-14. The decision of the judges is final. Arrange your show so that all entries are into the display hall on the evening before so they can be put on display. Hold judging on the day of the show, say a Saturday morning, and then open up to the public for a couple of hours in the afternoon. If your group is church sponsored, you might leave up the display until Sunday morning so that the church congregation can enjoy it. If it is the first time you are trying such an event, keep it small. Be sure to have extra ribbons for "merit" awards and, if you like, a small cash prize for Best in Show. You may offer several prizes, perhaps donated by local merchants. The Leader will gladly publish pictures of any hobby show or Fair 'n Fun Day held this spring. Send along your photos for consideration.