Maker Lab

Flag break, Grand Howl, and introduction to the Maker Lab trail. Explain: "Over four nights you'll build, wire, code and launch. Engineers solve real problems — and tonight you're bridge engineers."

Each patrol gets 20 plastic cups and 60 seconds to build the tallest tower. When the leader says "stop," measure the towers. Discuss what made some towers stable and others wobbly. Quick, competitive, and introduces structural thinking.

Show photos of three bridge types: beam, arch, and truss. For each: what shape is it? Where does the weight go? Demonstrate with a single sheet of paper (flat = floppy; folded into a concertina = strong). Key concept: triangles are the strongest shape in engineering. Cubs will use these ideas in their build.

Each patrol receives: 30 sheets of newspaper, 2 metres of masking tape, and nothing else. The bridge must span a 40 cm gap between two tables and hold a brick for 10 seconds. Patrols have 25 minutes to design and build. Encourage rolling newspaper into tight tubes (stronger than flat sheets) and using triangular bracing.

Each patrol places their bridge across the gap. Leader ceremonially places the brick. Count to 10. Celebrate bridges that hold; analyse ones that collapse ("Where did it fail? Why?"). Discuss: "What would you do differently?" Award points for creativity, strength, and teamwork.

Preview Night 2 (simple circuits). Close with the Cub Scout Promise.

Flag break, Grand Howl, and recap of Night 1 bridge building. Ask: "What was the strongest shape?" (Triangle!) Tonight Cubs move from structures to electricity.

Cubs stand in a circle holding hands. One leader is the "battery" and squeezes the hand of the Cub to their right. That Cub passes the squeeze around the circle. Time how fast the "current" gets back to the battery. Now try it with eyes closed. Discuss: "What happened when the circuit was broken?" (Someone let go.)

Draw a simple circuit diagram on the whiteboard: battery → wire → LED → wire → battery. Explain: current flows in a loop; if the loop is broken, nothing works. Show the parts: AA battery, battery holder, insulated wire with stripped ends, LED (long leg = positive). Demonstrate lighting an LED. Then test materials as conductors/insulators: paperclip (conductor), rubber band (insulator), coin, pencil lead, plastic spoon.

Each Cub builds a simple circuit: battery holder → wire → LED → wire → battery holder. Once the LED lights up, they mount it in a cardboard tube to make a simple torch. Cut a hole in the tube end for the LED. Decorate with tape or markers. Extension challenge: wire two LEDs in parallel for a brighter torch.

Patrols use their circuits to test 10 mystery items: is it a conductor or insulator? Record predictions and results in a table. Discuss surprises. Ask: "Why is the wire covered in plastic?" (Insulation for safety.)

Cubs test their torches in a darkened room — turn off the lights for a "torch parade." Preview Night 3 (coding unplugged). Close with the Cub Scout Promise.

Flag break, Grand Howl, and recap of Night 2 circuits. Ask: "Did your torch work at home?" Tonight Cubs learn to think like a computer — with no screens.

Like Simon Says, but instructions must be precise: "Robot, take 3 steps forward. Robot, turn 90 degrees right. Robot, pick up the cone." If the instruction is ambiguous (e.g. "go over there"), the robot cannot execute it. Builds the idea that computers follow exact instructions.

Set up a simple maze with chairs and cones on the hall floor. One Cub is the "robot" (blindfolded), the other is the "programmer" giving verbal instructions (forward, left, right, stop). The programmer cannot touch the robot. Swap roles. Debrief: "What happened when instructions were unclear? That's what a bug is in coding."

Teach binary counting using cards: 5 Cubs each hold a card showing 16, 8, 4, 2, 1. Cards face up = 1, face down = 0. Leader calls a number (e.g. 13) and Cubs flip cards to show it (16 down, 8 up, 4 up, 2 down, 1 up = 01101). Practise several numbers. Then encode simple words using A=1, B=2 etc. in binary. Decode a secret message the leader prepared.

Tape a sorting network on the floor (6 nodes, following the CS Unplugged pattern). Two Cubs enter at a time carrying number cards. At each node they compare numbers — smaller goes left, larger goes right. After all Cubs have gone through, the numbers emerge sorted. Run it several times, getting faster. Discuss: "The network always works — that's an algorithm."

Hand out a simple logic puzzle sheet for Cubs to solve in pairs (e.g. "If A, then B. B is not true. What do we know about A?"). Solve one together, then let pairs try two more. Collect sheets. Preview Night 4 (catapults!). Close with the Cub Scout Promise.

Flag break, Grand Howl, and introduction to the final Maker Lab night. Tonight Cubs design, build and test catapults — the grand finale of four weeks of engineering.

Place buckets at 2 m, 4 m and 6 m. Cubs take turns tossing ping-pong balls underarm into the buckets. Score 1, 2 or 3 points. Quick competition to set the scene for range and accuracy testing later.

Brief lesson on how a catapult works: stored energy in a bent lever is released to launch a projectile. Show a diagram. Demonstrate the simplest version: stack 5 craft sticks, rubber-band the ends, wedge a single stick through the stack, glue a bottle cap on the end as the basket. The further back you pull, the more energy is stored. Discuss: arm length, angle, and counterweight affect range.

Each Cub builds a catapult using craft sticks, rubber bands, a plastic spoon or bottle cap as the basket, and glue dots. Patrols can experiment with different arm lengths and stack sizes. Leaders circulate to help with construction and encourage hypothesis-testing: "What do you think will happen if you add more sticks to the stack?"

Set up a test range outdoors with distance markers at 1 m intervals. Each Cub launches 3 pom-poms and records their best distance. Then test accuracy: place a target hoop at 3 m and count how many out of 5 shots land inside. Celebrate the longest launch and the most accurate catapult. Ask: "What design choices made the difference?"

Circle up. Recap all four Maker Lab nights: bridges, circuits, coding, catapults. Each Cub shares their favourite build and one thing they learned about how engineers solve problems. Leader connects back to the Plan–Do–Review cycle: "Every build tonight went through the same loop." Hand out trail completion certificates. Final Grand Howl and Cub Scout Promise.

Congratulate Cubs on completing the STEM & Innovation SIA trail. Encourage them to keep building, testing and inventing. Close with the Cub Scout Promise.