Square knot and sheet bend

These two useful knots are related to each other, so if you know how to tie the square knot, the sheet bend is easy to learn.



The square knot, also known as the "joining knot" is used throughout the Cub Scout and Boy Scout requirements. It is used to join two ropes of similar thickness. The sheet bend is used to join two ropes of different thicknesses. If you've ever been on a campout, you've probably run into lots of times when you need a long rope, but all you have is two smaller ones with different thicknesses.

Easy Placemats

This is an easy craft that even a young child can do. All it takes is a couple of pieces of construction paper, scissors, a pencil, and a ruler. A paper cutter will make things go faster, but you can get by with just scissors.



Use the pencil and ruler to mark where to cut slits on the base sheet, then cut the other sheet into strips. Weave the strips into the strips on the first sheet, and you have a placemat! To make a placemat for a certain holiday or event, you can pick colored sheets that match the theme of the event.

My Favorite Skit

Of all the skits my boys have performed over the years, my favorite wasn't really a skit. It was a lip-synced puppet show, set to the Blues Brothers' version of "Soul Man". This was done at one of our pack's annual Blue & Gold banquets.



Nathan and another boy from his den made puppets from four brown lunch bags. Two of them were the singers (the Blues Brothers), while two were the musicians. They even cut out saxophone and trumpet shapes from foam sheets, cut a little slit near the paper bag's "mouth" so they could insert the end, then cut arms from another paper bag and taped them to the instruments so they would stay in place. The biggest challenges during the performance were making sure they had the right puppets up and holding them high enough for the audience to see.

You can tell a skit (or puppet show) has gone well when the audience really gets into it and they are cheering at the end.

Neckerchief Slides (aka "Woggles")

Neckerchief slides, those metal things that keep your neckerchief in place (but tend to fall off of active little boys), are known as "woggles" in other countries. Most people think that you have to wear the specific neckerchief slide for your rank. That's not true. You can make any sort of slide you want. In the accompanying picture, you can see several different slides that I and my sons have made. You can take almost any item and attach it to a small ring cut from a piece of 1/2" PVC piping, which is available in 6' lengths for about $2. At that price, you can easily make this into a pack activity. There are also kits for carving a slide from wood or stamping designs into leather. I have also made some from beads, a slice of wood from a branch, laminated paper, and colored pieces of foam. I will go into specific details of making a neckerchief slide in a future post.

The Bowline Knot

The bowline knot is one of the most important knots you can learn. If you are ever in a situation where rescuers can only reach you with a rope, knowing how to tie this knot can save your life. It is known as the "rescue knot" because it will stay tightly tied no matter how much you pull on it. It will, however, easily come undone when you push on it, so it can also be used to tie something to a rope or tree, like a clothesline when you're camping. Depending on the size of your rope, two half hitches can be a struggle to undo when you're breaking camp.



This can be used as part of Bear Cub Scout Achievement 22b or First Class Boy Scout requirement 8a.