Make a boredom box

• Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  
• Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
• Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers. 

Running this activity

1. Gather everyone together and ask them what they like to do when there are no activities, such as on camp. For example, it might this could be due to downtime time, waiting for lunch, changes due to weather, finishing an activity early or long journeys.
2. Tell them they’re going to create a ‘Boredom Box’. This could be for themselves, a sibling or for a younger Scout section.
3. Ask everyone to get into groups or pairs, or they may wish to work individually.
4. Everyone should think of ideas of what they could put in their box. The kit should include activities, games or puzzles; however, it needs to be tech-free. They should think about what the kit would look like, how it’ll be weather-proof, long-lasting and durable, and what equipment they’d need to make it. You could provide pens, paper and any other materials needed for people to note down their ideas.
5. Some ideas include:
   • Art materials, such as craft set, painting, chalk, colouring sheets or felt tips
   • Friendship bracelets or paracord projects
   • Puzzle books, wooden puzzles or jigsaws
   • Paper aeroplane kit
   • Capture the flag game
   • Paper games
   • Den building equipment
   • Challenges or game instructions
   • Cards games, dominoes, magnetic games, travel games or board games
   • Outdoor equipment, such as bean bags, foam football, skipping rope, frisbee or tennis ball
   • Balloon tennis with paper plates
   • Maps and challenges
   • Origami set and instructions
   • Scavenger hunt sheets
   • Homemade playdough
   • Books, such as stories, novels or quiz books
6. Once the teams have planned their kit, ask them to start making their boredom box. They should consider if the container holds everything needed for the activities, if the items are secure and well organised, and if the activities can be completed with the materials provided and there’s clear instructions.
7. When all the groups have finished, they should swap with another team and test it out.
8. After testing out the boredom box, the groups should then give feedback, such as:
   • if they could follow the instructions
   • if it was simple, clear and easy to understand
   • if it was fun
   • if the box has stayed organised
   • if the box was durable secured
   • if everything was undamaged or if anything broke easily
   • what worked well and what didn’t
   • if it offered a variety of activities to suit different interest
9. The teams should use their feedback to improve their boredom box, then they should create the final box. They should also decorate the outside and label what it is.
10. Once made, the boredom boxes can be kept for the section’s own use, taken home to use, or given to a younger section.