Let's get Quizzical!

Monday 10th November saw the annual 'Minds of Medvale' Cub Quiz competition take place.

This year we had two teams in the competition. Unfortunately due to Seb's last minute illness one of the teams were one short - but that did not put them off! 

Over 4 rounds and an A to Z round (words not questions based on the popular map books!) the 11 teams battled it out and at the end of the evening the winners were announced...

Can almost hear the brains whirring!

... it wasn't us! One of our teams came in 3rd - just 3 points off the lead - and the other team came in 6th. Which in a field of 11 teams is no mean feat!

Our teams with their 'Taking Part' certificate

So well done to our teams - Team 1: Amy Tapper, Matthew Hall, Ben Hardman; and Team 2: Maddie Doyle; Charlie Fowler. You did your best and that's all we can ask.

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

As-salamu alaykum...

...is what the cubs were taught is the Arabic greeting used by Muslims around the world. It translates to 'Peace be upon you' - and what better greeting could there be!

On a coldish night in November, our cubs were invited to Madina Mosque in Oldham. We were met by Mohammed Zahid (who had organised the whole trip) and introduced to the rest of the team, Azmat Khan and Qamar Shazad, who were going to be doing our presentation and tour.

After removing our shoes, the cubs sat upon the floor awaiting the presentation. During this time they learnt about the history of this particular mosque and saw pictures of other mosques both in this country and around the world including the Al-Masjid Al-Haram, which is in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and surrounds one of Islams most holiest of places, the Kaaba. It is this that all Muslims face when praying. The cubs also learnt about the Five Pillars of Islam which are the foundation of Muslim life and include: Belief; Prayer; Charity; Fasting; Pilgrimage.

Joe and Luke in typical Muslim dress.

And then we heard the call of the Imam, calling everybody to prayer. And we were invited to watch, which was a great honour for the cubs who sat at the back of the room and were quiet and respectful as we always expect of them. Back at the presentation we were shown the items of dress - and some even got to try them on.

Then our tour around the masjid began with a visit to the ablution room. All muslims are required to wash their bodies prior to prayers and in this room the cubs were shown how they wash. And then it was the cubs turn! With almost all of them having a go, they went through the full procedure and were probably cleaner than they had ever been before!

Now it was time to visit the main room upstairs where the cubs were shown the different times of prayer and a discussion as to the whereabouts of Mecca and which direction they would face to pray. 'Diagonal!" said Daniel... thanks Daniel, but South East is the answer. Then time to look at the inside of the Mosque's big green dome and its beautiful artwork whilst completing a quick quiz and word search.

Crisps and a drink - always a good end for Cubs!

Finally, it was back to the room where we began, where we found a mat laid out for us with a drink and a packet of crisps, and where discussions and questions took place. And then it was time for home.

From what I could see all the cubs enjoyed the tour immensely and I felt they got a lot out of the trip - I know I certainly did! Thanks to Mohammed, Azmat, Qamar and also to Zaffer Hussain (part of the management of the Mosque who made all the arrangements for the tour) and the Mosque for their hospitality and presentation.

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

Art for Arts Sake!

Sang 10CC way back in the prehistoric 1970's - but I doubt they were referring to a French slogan from the early 19th century, ''l'art pour l'art'', which expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only "true" art, is divorced from any didactic, moral or utilitarian function! Probably not...

But art was what the cubs were involved in last Saturday (11th October) as they visited Gallery Oldham to take part in an Art Day. The Gallery would run the day and at the end of the day the Cubs would have gained not only their Artist badge but also an Arts Award!!

Joe enjoying his art!

After meeting up with the day organisers, Dee and Glenys, the Cubs were off for their first activity of the day - a visit to the actual Gallery area. With their log books in hand the cubs were sent off around the gallery to find various bits of information on different types of art. With plenty of areas to explore it was maybe a bit surprising to find that most of them seemed to congregate in the Computer Games exhibition - in particular around the Space Invaders game!!! Or maybe not that surprising... But with a little coercion they all went off to fill in their books.

The girls getting down with early 20th Century hats!

  

Dee demonstrating the block printing

After an hour or so in the gallery, the cubs had lunch followed by a ten minute run about outside! Then it was on to the next activity - Block Printing. After a run through from Dee, the cubs were off coming up with their own designs, some based on the computer games exhibition they had seen in the morning or anything else they liked. After the designs had been transferred to their blocks , it was time to print! 

A block design 'selfie'!

 After covering the blocks with ink they were placed on a sheet of material and pressure applied. Re-inking and printing on the material over and over until the pattern they wanted was all done - then it was time for brushing oils on. Various colours were available and some used them sparingly whilst others did not! Once done, it was time to put them on the dryer and then on to the next activity.

Even Mike had a go!

Alex enjoyed the oil!!

Dry point printing was up next and the cubs were given a silver foil 'plate' with which to draw their design/picture on. This was then taken over to the inking area where they were covered with a colour, and then working ink in to the lines and also removing some ink with various methods like paper towels, scrim and screwed up bits of Yellow Pages. Now it was time to go over to the printing press! Placing the 'plate' on the bottom and with a piece of paper on the top the cubs then worked the machine to pass their designs through the press. Once outside the other side, there were some great results!! Some had time to do other colours, or to tweak their designs and others chose to blow up their protective gloves into balloons!!

Inking the plates...

Time to remove excess ink...

Time for the press!

And then that was the end of the day. After completing their log books and passing to Dee it was time for the cubs to go home and for the leaders to have a well earned rest!


The cubs and the leaders would like to thank Dee and Glenys for their time and enthusiasm throughout the day. When asking the cubs, they all replied that they had enjoyed the day. And that's all that mattered - despite the awarding of badges or awards. And i presume the cafe in the gallery also enjoyed the day as cub after cub went in to buy an ice cream!!

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting....

So said Carl Douglas way back in the 70's when even I was a small boy!!

But the cubs werent Kung Fu Fighting.... they were taking part in a Karate taster session. The style of karate in question was Tang Soo Do which is a Korean Martial Art that has roots in various styles of martial arts, including Shotokan Karate, Taekkyeon and in some schools Shaolin Kung Fu.

I can't get my leg that high up!

Through various stretches, twists, turns, kicks and punches the cubs were put through their paces by Chief Instructor Nick. With various degrees of success I must add - some did end up on the floor when they tried a high kick!!

Nearly....

 
Nicks classes aim to introduce children to physical exercise and learning in a friendly, structured enviroment while introducing them to Tang Soo Do Karate with the emphasis on teaching basic skills and positive reinforcement. These skills include: Balance and Coordination; Self Confidence; Self Esteem; Following Instructions; Self Discipline; Respect for others and themselves; Energy Release; Learn Healthy Habits; Manners ; Train hard and have Fun.

Wouldn't want to be on the end of that kick!

Even though some of them already attend some form of karate class - everybody acquitted themselves well and everybody seemed to enjoy it. Which of course is the most important thing! And some of them who hadn't done karate before did show some real ability and skill which maybe they could take up?

The cubs would like to offer Nick a big thank you for donating his time and energies to this session which has helped the cubs move further on in their Fitness Challenge badge. If anybody would like to contact Nick in relation to his classes, you can call him on 07852439779 or visit his website http://karateclubs.webs.com/.

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

 

Do you have a gun?

This is always the first question any Cub will ask a police officer when they meet. And our Cubs were no different!

On a fine sunny evening in July, the Cub pack were treated to a visit from two members of our local police force. PC Kevin Rawcliffe  and PC Nick Coen gave up some of their time to visit and talk about their job as a police officer. They were greeted by the first question as above, and the next question was... Have you ever killed anybody? (Thanks Harry!).

The police officers and their kit

After questions and answers about their time in the police and how they help fight crime it was time for the cubs to look at equipment. First up were the walkie talkies with one group at one side of the field and the rest at the other side. But they werent very talkative - we just had Max asking May what she had for her tea!!

I dont think smiling is the usual response to being handcuffed!

Next were the handcuffs. I wouldnt particularly want to be handcuffed but all the cubs did! One by one they were cuffed either front or back. And let's hope that is the only time they ever get handcuffed!

Nee-Narrr Nee-Narr Nee-Narr!

After showing the cubs the crime kits the police carry around in the car - including incident tape and bags - it was time for the fun bit! Time to wake up the neighbours! On with the sirens and the flashing lights!!! 

And then it was time for home - with big thanks to Kevin and Nick for their time.

Phil

Animal Carers

One of the badges that the Cubs can gain is the Animal Carer badge.

It can be quite a difficult badge to attain - but thanks to Pets at Home we can attempt to get Cubs passing this badge.
 
So off we went to our local Pets at Home store (thats the one in Oldham and not the one at Snipe Retail Park - as Im sure some people thought ... or even went to!). We were met by the assistant manager Nathan who gathered us round ready to begin the night.

Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!

We began with talks and questions about Rabbits and we were treated to a visit by one of the rabbitts that they had available for adoption. Obviously a white fluffy thing with big floppy ears is always a hit with Cubs!

Owner of the Death Stare!

 Next up was the guinea pig who proceeded to have a staring competition with all the cubs - and won every time!! He was at an advantage seeing as guinea pigs dont blink because they have no eyelids.

Salad only... no burgers here!

 After a session of pet feeding next up on the animal agenda was a dragon!!!! A real fire breathing dragon!!!!!

Its a dragon!!!

 Not really - it was only a bearded dragon lizard, but it was pretty impressive none the less and was a hit with the cubs. I dont think the lizards food was quite as popular! Live grasshoppers obviously not pet material amongst cubs!

They were all very brave!

After all the cubs had managed to hold the dragon in some way our time was up. After thanking Nathan for his time and expertise all the cubs went off with their parents, no doubt asking for a vast array of pets! Sorry!

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

Carnivala!

Smiley happy faces - delighted to serve!

It's that time of year again when the carnival rolls into town.

And as usual - we had a Stall on the field. After the success of last years jumble jar tombola, we had to go with the same thing again ("we know" I can hear you all cry... "You badgered us for months for jars!!!").

As I said last years event proved very successful for us but as Carl and I set up the stall on the morning of the carnival we doubted that we would get anywhere near what we had last year. As the rain teemed down - it looked set for a  very miserable day indeed. But we had hope! According to the BBC weather app it should stop raining at 12 and start to brighten up.

You can't see the rain pouring through the roof!

And lo and behold... it was right!! Come midday, the grey clouds began to part and the rain started to stop! And by the time the parade started the sun was out. And with the sun comes customers... So all the cubs and scouts who had come to help over the day were kept very busy by a steady flow of customers. We even had a visit from the Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham!!

Carl with local royalty

 
A successful day was had and most of that was down to the cubs, scouts and parents who filled empty jars with a whole array of different things. There are too many cubs and scouts who turned up on the day to give everybody a mention but special mentions go to Matthew Hall who arrived nice and early (in the rain!) and helped Carl and myself set up the stall, and also a special mention to Maddie Doyle who stayed until the very end - despite her dad trying to take her away about 5 times!!! Im sure he did but she kept coming back!

But thank you to you all. Your help and support is always appreciated.

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

 

A resident of Wimbledon Common

Underground, Overground, Wombling Free
The Wombles of Wimbledon Common Are We...

One for the older ones of you out there...
Although, we are not really Wombles. Nor do we live on Wimbledon Common! So the second line should say "The Cubs of Failsworth town are we..."

"Why on earth are you warbling on about the Wombles??!!" I can hear you all saying....

Last night the cubs took to the streets of Failsworth to take part in Scout Community Week for this year. To do our bit for our own community we went out picking up litter from the streets around our Church. Hence the wombles link (they used to pick up the litter on Wimbledon Common - though they used to make good use of the things that they found... we just put it all in bin bags!).

"Ive Got Some! Open the Bag!"

Armed with bin bags, gloves, litter pickers and hi vis jackets - the cubs set off around the streets eagerly picking up every bit of litter they could see. It did not matter how big or small the litter was, nor did it seem to matter that it was in peoples gardens!! Any litter was picked up.

We were ably assisted in this task by PCSO Martin Jones - one of our local community Police Officers. As well as holding bags and making sure everybody was safe PCSO Jones was subjected to a barrage of questions from Cubs probably keen to find out what he did as a policeman, has he ever arrested anybody and (more than likely) does he have a gun? I know cubs - and know what they want to know!!

The evening was rounded off with a visit to Westminster Gardens park where more litter was picked up, and refreshments taken before Maddie and Johnny entertained us with their 'Litter Pickers Dance'.

The Litter Pickers Dance

Thanks need to go out to all the Cubs for their enthusiasm in picking up litter and also to PCSO Jones for accompanying us. And it was noted that there was not actually that much litter along the streets - so maybe thanks need to go out to the people of Failsworth.

The wombles... sorry.. the Cubs out litter picking!

And for your info - my favourite Womble was always Orinoco...

Altogether now...
Underground, overground, wombling free
The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we
Making good use of the things that we find
Things that the everyday folks leave behind...
 
Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.....

Well... not chestnuts, but Marshmallows!

Last night (22 May) the Cubs were treated to a demonstration of fire making by Mike and Carl. As well as being shown how to light and build a fire, the Cubs were also told of how to be safe around a campfire (including around the woodpile), what tools they could expect to use in starting a fire (Axe, Bow Saw, Knife etc) and they also learnt the valuable lesson in not standing downwind of the fire... Smoke!

Some of them looked like this!

A bonus of having the open fire was the opportunity for the Cubs to toast Marshmallows over the fire. As well as being a delicious (but sticky) treat this also completed part of their backwoods cooking badge. Most of the marshmallows were toasty brown and gooey in the middle, some were more charcoal black on the outside! But everybody enjoyed it and went home with bits of sticky marshmallow stuck to faces, hands and clothes (sorry parents!). 

Unfortunately I did not manage to get any photographs of the night - which was a shame. But I at least have the memory of one Cub (who shall remain nameless) telling me that it was the best Cub night ever! When I asked why, the answer was "Because I like FIRE!". 
 
Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

A Cub has spoken!

When i started this Blog the intention was to involve the Cubs and Scouts as well. To get them writing reports and the like...

Ive had my first response! Luke Oliver (Cub) has drawn a picture to illustrate his Cub Camp weekend.

To view the drawing click here

Thanks Luke!

Phil
Assistant Cub Leader

Let's Cook!

February brings around the Cubs district cooking competition, so it was time to prepare.

We asked our professional Chef, Tina, to come up with our menu in line with the competition theme which this year was 'Commonwealth'. Choosing between two options - India and Scotland - we chose the curry option (after not being sure whether the cubs would be prepared to try Haggis!!).

Its preparation night!

A couple of weeks before the competition, the church hall was readied for a large group of cubs to cook a menu consisting of Chicken Korma, Pilaf Rice, Chapatti and Mango Lassi. It could have been a disaster! It wasn't. As usual all the cubs excelled themselves with their application and eagerness to prepare and cook and join in. And by the end of the night we had 4 lots of Chicken Korma to taste! And they were all very tasty... not all perfect, but all perfectly eatable! But then came the hard part - choosing our team to represent the group in the competition.

The team cooking at the competition

The team were chosen - May Davenport, Luke Oliver, Alex Gould and Amy Tapper - and off they went along with Carl and myself on the 10th February to the 306th Scout Hut in Blackley to begin the competition. 

They had one hour to prepare and cook the meal and then to present it on a table ready for the judges. And off they went.... chopping, frying, kneading, pulping and seasoning! Amidst all this activity we had two peeling accidents with both Amy and Alex deciding to peel their fingers rather than the Mango!

The Team - Alex, Luke, May and Amy.

Then it was judgement time! The table looked perfect.... now it was just up to what the judges thought. After lots of tasting and deliberation the results were out... 224th were in 5th position. The winners (for the second year in a row) were 306th. 

The judges (Boooooo!)

The team had no need to be disheartened though. They had cooked well (Carl and myself tasted the food and we are both still here to tell the story!) and most importantly they had worked as a team and represented the group in the best possible way.

Well done team.


Phil
Assistant Cub Leader