Welcome

One of the most popular District events in the Forest of Dean is the annual

Water Activities Day in June when all the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts enjoy

the amazing water challenges set out around Mallards Pike. However, this

year, because of the restrictions in place to manage the Covid-19

pandemic, we are unable to put on this brilliant event.

But as we are Scouts, this does not stop us from having a great time, so

here is this year’s Water Activities Day Pack for all our young people across

Gloucestershire to enjoy at home with those they live with. I hope you

enjoy Challenge 12; it is designed to give all our young people a chance to

support others and appreciate how lucky we are to have access to running

water.

So, here we go, get going with this year’s Water Activities Challenge, get

your swimming cossie on, crack open the barbeque and prepare to get wet

and have fun.

Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives,

Gary Law Event Leader

Challenge 1

Egg Rafting Part 1 – Your Egg Scout Invest your Egg as an Egg Scout – make a uniform for it, add a funny face

and a wacky hairdo! Your Egg might need a lifejacket too!

Part 2 – Raft Building Build a raft so your new Egg Scout can go sailing in the bathtub or sink.

You can make it out of wooden pencils, lollypop sticks, plastic spoons or

other water safe craft materials. Use string, rubber bands or sticky tape to

hold it together.

Part 3 – The Launch Now it’s time to lunch the raft with your Egg Scout on board. Don’t forget

to get a photo or video of this great event!

If your Egg Scout survives the journey, then keep it safe as it

might be needed for other challenges!

Challenge 2

Duck Bombs Part 1 – Prepare Your Ammunition This is the tricky bit, but it’s well worth it! Follow the instructions on the

next page to make paper water bombs! Get everyone in your household to

help and you can make lots of them. All you need is paper and time!

Part 2 – Prepare the Ducks! You now need a target to fire your water bombs at. This can be a line of

rubber ducks on a fence, cardboard cut-outs stuck to the table, or Toilet

Duck and toy ducks placed around the garden or patio. You are not

allowed to use real ducks though!

Part 3 – Start the Attack Once the ducks are in place, you need to fill up your water bombs and fire

when ready!

Making paper water bombs All you need is paper cut into squares.

What to do:

Instructions from www.origami.me

Challenge 3

Paddleboating

Part 1 – Make your Vessel You will need:

• An empty pop bottle

• Sticky tape

• Rubber bands

• Two pencils

• Lollypop sticks or wooden/plastic spoons

❶ Stick the two pencils

on to the lower end of

the bottle using the

sticky tape. Make sure

the pencils stick out as

far as possible from the

bottom of the bottle.

❷ Put a couple of

rubber bands over the

ends of the two pencils.

❸ Make a paddle

using the lollypop sticks.

I didn’t have any, so I

used two wooden/plastic

spoons which I cut down

and stuck together with

sticky tape.

❹ Slip your paddle in

between the rubber

bands. I used another

rubber band to hold the

paddle in place.

Wind Up and Go! Now you’ve made your paddleboat, let’s get it in the water and watch

it go. The bathtub or paddling pool would be best. Wind up the

paddle, put it in the water then let go. You can experiment with

winding up the paddle in different directions or adding water to your

bottle, so it sits lower in the bath.

Challenge 4

Wacky Bubbles Part 1 – Build your Bubble Blower We all love bubbles, so this challenge is to see what sorts of bubbles you can

create using everyday objects around the house. Each item needs to have holes

in it so you can dip it in the bubble solution and blow through the other side.

Make sure you check with an adult before you use each thing you find or make.

Here’s a few ideas:

• Colander

• Sieve

• Sticky tape roll

• Toilet roll with a sock over one end

• Playdough cutters

• Plastic bottles with the bottom cut off (make sure the bottles are

washed thoroughly)

• Tin foil shaped into circles, squares, triangles etc (don’t forget to add

a handle)

Part 2 – The Bubble Solution Here’s a recipe for you to make the perfect bubble blowing liquid. Just mix

the ingredients together and pour it in to a wide tray ready for dipping your

bubble blowing contraptions in.

You will need:

• 4 cups of warm water

• ½ cup of sugar

• ½ of washing up liquid

Part 3 – Get Blowing! All you need to do now is get blowing! Dip the bubble contraptions in the

liquid, hold it up and blow. Does it work? Who can make the largest,

smallest, the most bubbles? Who’s got the biggest puff?

Challenge 5

Bridge the Gap Part 1 – Find your materials One of the greatest achievements of mankind is our ability to build things!

So this challenge celebrates that! Your challenge is to build a bridge across

your bathtub or sink using whatever materials you can find in your home.

You could use construction kits such as Meccano or Lego, craft resources,

straws, cardboard and boxes from the recycling bin, whatever you can find

around the home. Just check with an adult before you use it though – just

in case they want it, or it is dangerous near water!

Part 2 – Get Building Now you’ve got your building material, let’s get started and make your

bridge. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want. You may want to

make it strong so that your Egg Scout from Challenge 1 can travel across

it, or under it using the Egg Scout raft.

Part 3 – The Grand Opening Once your bridge is built, hold a grand opening and send a toy boat under

your bridge and a toy car over the bridge! Don’t forget, if your Egg Scout

survived Challenge 1, then it could sail under your bridge!

a bridge made of straws

Challenge 6

Eti-cup Part 1 – Devise a Challenge Course Ladies from the Victorian Era were taught how to walk properly by

balancing books on their head, a form of etiquette. This is a wetter and

funnier version. The aim of this challenge is to balance a cup of water on

your head, then complete a challenge course around your garden. First

things first, decide on your course. You might want to include things to

climb over, duck under or go around. Make sure the course is safe and

everyone joining in knows what do you. You can always do a ‘dry’ run first

with an empty plastic cup!

Part 2 – Prepare your cup Now you need a plastic or paper cup which will sit on your head firmly.

Agree how full the cup should be with water then fill it up and go to the

starting line of your course.

Part 3 – On your marks… Is this a timed event, a race or just for fun – you decide. Once everyone is

ready… On your marks. Get set. GO!

Challenge 7

Scout Graffiti Part 1 – Prepare your Super Soaker Go large with the Scout Logo! Spray fences, walls or patios with water in

the shape of the scout logo. First you will need to decide on your squirter!

Will it be a water gun you keep in your bedroom for emergencies? What

about an old washing up liquid bottle? Old plastic ketchup bottles work

really well! Or maybe a good old-fashioned paint brush.

Part 2 – Get Graffitiing Once you have your squirting device ready, load it up and get graffitiing.

Don’t forget to use just water and get a photo afterwards before it

evaporates.

Challenge 8

Splash of Magic Part 1 – Practise, practise, practise The trick to magic is to practise first so that’s what you need to do! Work

your way through the magic tricks outlined on the following pages then

show them to your audience.

Part 2 – The Performance Now you’ve practised, let’s get the audience in to see your perform. Is it a

live audience or are you using Facetime or similar social media apps? Make

sure they watch carefully and when they applaud, enjoy the moment!

A few tips – always look confident (even if you’re not). Don’t worry if it goes

wrong, have another go. Talk to your audience, it will make them feel part of

the act. Good luck and enjoy!

Trick 1: the perplexing pencil All you need is:

• A sandwich bag which you can seal

• A very sharp pencil

• Water

What to do:

1. Fill the sandwich bag ¾ of the way with water and seal it shut.

2. Hold up the bag with one hand and use the other hand to firmly

push the very sharp end of the pencil through the side of the bag.

Continue pushing it until the point comes out the other side of the

bag.

3. Voila – you are a magician!

Trick 2: defying gravity All you need is:

• A clear cup

• Cardboard square

• Water

What to do:

1. Half fill the glass with water.

2. Tear the cardboard into a square that will cover the top of the glass.

3. Place the cardboard on top of the glass and, holding onto it, turn the

glass over.

4. Remove your hand from the cardboard and watch as it stays in place

and the water does not spill out.

Trick 3: runaway pepper All you need is:

• Water

• Saucer or plate

• Black ground pepper

• Washing up liquid

What to do:

1. Before the trick starts, put a little bit of washing up liquid on one of

your fingers (but do not let anyone know you have done this).

2. Pour water onto the saucer or plate.

3. Shake some pepper onto the water’s surface.

4. With a clean finger (but not the washing up liquid one), dip your

finger in to the pepper and water and nothing much will happen.

5. Now say some magic words such as ‘abracadabra’ then dip the

washing-up liquid finger in the water. The pepper will magically run

away to the side of the plate!

Trick 4: coming to life All you need is:

• Water (which has been boiled then cooled down)

• Drywipe pen

• Plate

What to do:

1. Boil a kettle of water and let it cool down to room temperature.

2. On the plate, draw a simple animal or person. It might be a stick man

or a spider, or the Scout logo.

3. Very slowly, pour the water on to the plate and the drawing will come

alive and move around the plate.

Challenge 9

Soccer Splash Part 1 – Pitch Up To play Soccer Splash you first need a soccer pitch. A large tray will do with

a couple of straws bent into goal posts. Stick the goal posts on to the tray

so they don’t fall off. Now fill the tray with water and put a ping pong ball

(or other ball that floats) on the pitch. Instructions on the next page.

Part 2 – It’s a kick-off! Now you are ready to start the first match. Find an adult or sibling in your

house who is willing to play Soccer Splash. You both need a straw to blow

the ball around the pitch. Once you and your opponent are ready, let

battle commence. Blow the football around the pitch until you get it in to

the goal. Each player earns one point for each goal scored.

How to make a Soccer Splash Pitch

You will need:

• Straws

• Sticky tape

• Tray

• Floating ball (or similar)

❶ Join two straws

together by squeezing

the end of one and

slipping it in to the other.

You need to make two of

these.

❷ Bend the straws in

to a goal shape and stick

them to each end of the

tray to make the goals.

❸ If you want to, you

can use coloured sticky

tape to make pitch

markings on the inside of

the tray.

❹ Find a floating ball,

like a ping pong ball. I

couldn’t find one, so I

used a Christmas bubble.

Come on you Reds! Now you’ve made the pitch, fill it with water, put the ball in and, when

the referee says ‘go’, use straws to blow the ball towards your

opponent’s goal. Don’t forget to keep score!

Challenge 10

Sponge Archery Part 1 – Prepare you Target Archery is about getting as close to the bullseye as possible. You will first

need to prepare a target. This might be chalked on to a wall, drawn on

cardboard or by using a bucket of water for the bullseye and circles of

rope around the bucket for the rest of the target. Once you’ve done that,

get a bucket full of water and add lots of sponges. Put the bucket on the

firing line and you are now ready to begin.

Part 2 – It’s a Bullseye! Before you start, decide how much each part of the target is worth. Then,

take it in turns to throw a wet sponge at the target. Keep a record of who

scores what and if someone gets a bullseye, give them a great round of

applause!

Challenge 11

Rescue Me! Part 1 – Practise Makes Perfect One of the skills of rescuing a downing person is to be able to throw a

safety rope correctly. That’s your next challenge! All you need is a long

piece of rope and someone to save. Have a look at the instructions on the

next page and practice a few times so you feel confident to save your

victim.

Part 2 – The Rescue Now the time has arrived, ask your victim (which might be a parent, adult,

sibling or a teddy bear) to go to the end of your garden and pretend to

start drowning. Encourage them to make lots of gargling noises and wave

their arms in the air. Throw the rope and see if you can get the end to

reach them.

You only have three chances to throw the rope otherwise they could

drown. Good luck!

How to throw a rope Throwing a rope will assist you to rescue someone beyond your reach. He or she can grasp the

rope and be pulled to safety.

If there is one, tie an object that floats on

to one end of the rope. Loosely coil the

rope in your non-throwing hand. Take

your time so that the rope does not get

tangled. Step on the other end of the rope

so that you do not accidentally throw the

rope away.

With an underhand motion, throw the rope

allowing it to uncoil freely from your non-

throwing hand. Aim near the victim, but

not at them! A good goal is to throw the

rope just past the victim, then pull it to him

or her so they can take hold of it.

Pull the victim to shore once he or she has

been reached.

Challenge 12

Scavenger Aid Part 1 – Start Hunting With everyone in your household, have a hunt around the house and find

as many 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p coins you can hiding under the cupboard, in

drawers, down the back of the sofa or in the odd nook or cranny. Once

you’re done, put them in an envelope labelled “WaterAid” and store it

somewhere safe. This may not sound like a water challenge, but it is – read

on and find out!

Part 2 – What do you with your Envelope? When the Coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, bring your envelope to your next

Beaver, Cub or Scout meeting and give it to your leader. They will send it on to a District

Leader who will donate all the coins directly to WaterAid

Part 3 – Why WaterAid? It is difficult to imagine not having a tap in our homes with clean hot and cold running

water which we can use whenever we want, but right now some of the world’s poorest

people, including many scouts, don’t have this luxury. They have no clean water to

drink, no proper toilets to use and no hygienic places to live in.

WaterAid aims to put an end to this water poverty and provide communities with wells,

taps, toilets and clean places to live. So far, they have helped over 27 million people,

and they want to help even more.

WaterAid does not need a lot of money to make a massive difference. Every penny we

find in our Scavenger Aid at home can be used to provide clean water to those who

need it. For more information about WaterAid visit www.wateraid.org/uk