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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Super shaker, music maker

Make your own musical instrument and get out your dancing shoes. What’s your favourite move?
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • A4 paper
  • Cardboard tubes
  • Dried food (for example, pasta, beans, rice)
  • Masking tape
  • Coloured pens or pencils
  • Craft materials (for example, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, stickers)
  • Device to play music

Before you begin

  • Put out all the equipment for making and decorating the music shaker.
  • Set up the music player ready to use later. You might want to test it out to make sure it works.

Story time

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle.
  2. Someone should read The Big Cat Band by Annabel Rose. 
  3. After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.

One very exciting day, the Big Cat Band were getting ready for their first party of the summer. They loved playing music at celebrations to make sure everyone had fun.

There were lots of things to remember for the long journey – they needed their smart outfits, their music books, and plenty of snacks. Once they arrived at the party, they started to get ready.

‘I’m so excited!’ said Tilly the tiger. ‘We’ve been practising all winter and now we can finally share our songs.’

‘I know,’ replied Casper the cheetah. ‘We just need to grab our instruments.’

The animals went to their van and Winne the wildcat opened the doors. But the van was empty.

‘Has someone stolen our instruments?’ Panda the panther asked. ‘Who packed the van?’

The big cats all looked at each other, but no one said anything. They’d all forgotten to bring their instruments! What were they going to do now? Not even Casper the speedy cheetah could rush back to get their instruments in time.

‘I’ll just have to find something else to use as a drum kit,’ said Winnie. ‘I’m sure the chef will be able to help me.’ And she headed towards the kitchen.

Soon she came back carrying a pile of pots and pans and waving a wooden spoon. She started to balance the pots and pans on chairs and tables, and soon she’d made herself a new drum kit.

‘If Winnie can make it work, I’ll ask if I can look in the recycling box for a new trumpet,’ said Panda. He went to find whoever was in charge.

When Panda came back, he was carrying lots of empty bottles, a jug of water, and a tissue box.

‘A friendly elephant helped me wash all of these bottles,’ he explained. ‘If I fill them with water, I’ll be able to make lots of different noises. The tissue box reminded me of your guitar, Casper – if you can find something stretchy, you could make some new strings!’.

Thanks to everyone’s quick thinking, the Big Cat Band soon had three new instruments.

‘What am I going to do?’ asked Tilly. ‘I don’t have my microphone, and my voice isn’t loud enough on its own.’

‘I’ve got an idea!’ said Casper. ‘Why don’t you teach the audience the songs so they can join in too?’ Tilly thought about it, then nodded. They band had a plan.

The guests soon arrived, and the Big Cat Band had lots of fun teaching everyone their songs. They even learned some songs from the audience too!

‘I’m so glad we didn’t give up,’ said Winnie sleepily on the way home. ‘What a great performance.’

By Annabel Rose

 

Shaker maker

  1. The person leading the activity should explain that everyone will be making (and decorating) their own shaker.
  2. Everyone should spend a few minutes decorating their cardboard tube.
  3. Once people finish decorating their tube, they should cover one end with some paper and use some sticky tape to hold the paper in place. They should put a handful of dried beans, peas, or rice in their tube, then cover the other end in paper and use sticky tape to hold it in place.
  1. When everyone has finished, they should sit in a circle with their shakers.
  2. The people leading the activity should put the chairs and tables away so there’s plenty of space for everyone to dance.

Let’s dance!

  1. Everyone should chat about why dancing is a great thing to do.
  1. The person leading the activity should put some music on. Everyone should play their music shakers and dance around the space.
  1. The person leading the activity should give everyone the chance to showcase their dance moves if they want to. Some people might want to teach the rest of the group a dance move.
  2. When everyone’s finished dancing, they should chat about how dancing and playing music made them feel.

Reflection

This activity encouraged everyone to be active and have fun at the same time. During the activity, everyone had the opportunity to learn how to make a musical instrument, dance along to some songs, and learn some new dance moves.

The Big Cat Band

  • How do you think they felt when they realised they'd forgotten their instruments?
  • What helped them solve the problem? People might suggest that they stayed calm, didn't give up, worked as a team and used their imagination.

Shaker maker

  • Being creative gives people the opportunity to make their own decisions and create something that they love. How did people feel as they made their own shaker?
  • Did anyone help someone else to decorate their shaker? Why was that a kind thing to do?

Let’s dance

  • Did everyone take part in dancing and making music? What was the most fun dance move?
  • Can anyone remember some of the dance moves they tried? Will anyone take some dance moves home to show the people they live with?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

To help everyone develop their skills further, you could give everyone the opportunity to work in small teams to come up with a short dance routine and show it to the rest of the group.

  • Make sure the actions in any action songs (and people’s dance moves for others to copy) are accessible for everyone.
  • If someone doesn’t want to show the rest of the group a dance move, give them the opportunity to tell someone else who’s happy to show the group.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Squirrels Get Creative Activity Badge

Encourage young people to take their instruments home, share their experience from today’s meeting, and use their new musical and dancing skills to entertain the people they live with.

Why not have a list of appropriate songs for everyone to choose from before dancing?