Challenge Day

Each year our older cubs join others in early October from across the County for a Challenge Day; a day of fun and exciting challenges. Each year the list of activities is slightly different, but the focus on good fun, excitement and challenge stays the same.

This activity day is often oversubscribed (despite expanding to be repeated on consecutive days) and so numbers are restricted. All of our cubs should hopefully get a chance at some point in their time as a member of our pack.

In 2010 eighteen of our cubs were over the required minimum age of nine years old. There were eight activities: archery, pioneering, canoeing, team challenge, climbing, orienteering, fire lighting and woodworking:

Archery The cubs had a go at archery with pretty impressive results. There were a few golds and even one or two centre-golds Our cubs listened well to the safety briefing and clearly enjoyed shooting their quivers of arrows
	Pioneering Using two large poles and two small ones, cubs had to tie four square lashings to make a 'litter' on which to carry a fifth cub Square lashings start and end with a clove hitch, and have lots or round-and-round wrappings and frappings
Team Challenge Teams of pirate crewmembers had to heave-ho on the mainsheet to raise a water-carrier over the yard-arm. Achieving this earned a roll of the dice to get their ship home with all its treasure across a map of the seven seas, which they had to manage before the other team.
	Kayaking Lots of fun pretending to the helicopters and torpedo-boats, as well as grabbing and thowing the floating toys and playing games The sun was kind to us, and we didn't lose any cubs into the water (although other packs did) but everyone was very much warmer once they'd changed into their dry clothes in one of the changing tents
Fire Lighting Making and lighting your own fire is something everyone should have a go at. It is very satisfying when it lights, and practice helps as there are a few things to get right before it works Preparing and then cooking a banana-and-chocolate wrapped up in tin-foil is almost as much fun as eating it afterwards
	Woodworking Someone very organised sorted out some fantastic pre-cut and drilled pieces of plywood ready to make a bird-box each Hammers and nails a-flying, first the sides went on, then the roof, and finally the base was slotted in. The finished article was then ready to take home and hung up in a garden or a tree
Orienteering Using a map and compass, cubs had to track down red-and-white markers and find the letters written on them Putting those ten together gave the two-word anagram of a well-know scouting figure
	Climbing Harnesses and safety ropes are all well and good but climbing can still be a scary thing to contemplate Everyone had a go, with each encouraged to go a little further than they were comfortable with. Some cubs even managed to reach the top