Team Challenge

Four nights of cooperative and competitive team games — problem-solving challenges, wide games, cooperative activities, and a Patrol Olympics. Cubs build teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship.

Challenge Area
Outdoor
Award Type
General Skills
Nights
4
Total Duration
5 hr 40 min
Equipment Summary
flag, flag pole, newspaper (20 sheets per patrol), masking tape (1 m per patrol), ruler, half-pipes (one per Cub, cut pool noodles or PVC guttering), marbles, collection cup at the end, blindfolds (optional), poster paper and 30 more

About this trail

This 4-night trail is designed around the Outdoor Challenge Area, making it straightforward to program outdoor-focused nights that contribute to Milestone credit. Each night follows the Scouts Australia Plan > Do > Review cycle and is structured as a mix of indoor and outdoor nights.

The SPICES developmental domains covered by this trail are: Social, Intellectual, Physical, Emotional, Character. Programming across multiple domains in a single trail helps Groups demonstrate balanced youth development in their term plans and annual reports.

You can run the four nights in order for a coherent multi-week program, or pick individual nights to fill gaps in your existing term plan. In Tussock, importing a night from this trail pre-fills the Scout Night wizard: Challenge Area, SPICES domains, OAS requirements, and suggested segments are all set. Customise from there to suit your Section.

Import into Tussock

Import this trail into Tussock to run each night with attendance tracking and automatic OAS requirement awarding built in — no manual requirement lookup needed.

The Four Nights

Each night below is a standalone Scout Night session of approximately 1 hr 25 min and follows the Plan > Do > Review cycle. Run them in order for the full Team Challenge trail, or adapt individual nights for your program.

Night 1: Problem-Solving Games

Human knot, tower building, pipe relay. Cubs work together to solve challenges that require communication and creativity.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Social Intellectual Physical
  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Flag break. Introduce the Team Challenge trail: "The best teams communicate, cooperate, and never give up."

    Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • flag
    • flag pole
  2. Human Knot Game

    Each patrol stands in a circle, reaches across to hold two different people's hands. Without letting go, untangle into a circle. Leader times each patrol.

    Social Physical Intellectual
  3. Tower Building Challenge practice

    Each patrol has 20 sheets of newspaper and 1 metre of tape. Build the tallest freestanding tower in 10 minutes. Measure at the end. Discuss: "What worked? What collapsed? Why?"

    Intellectual Social Physical
    Equipment (3 items)
    • newspaper (20 sheets per patrol)
    • masking tape (1 m per patrol)
    • ruler
  4. Pipe Relay Game

    Each Cub holds a short piece of pipe (half a pool noodle or PVC tube cut in half lengthwise). Pass a marble from one end of the patrol line to the other using only the pipes — no touching the marble. If it falls, start over.

    Social Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (3 items)
    • half-pipes (one per Cub, cut pool noodles or PVC guttering)
    • marbles
    • collection cup at the end
  5. Blind Line-Up Game

    Energiser: Cubs close their eyes (or wear blindfolds). Without speaking, line up in order of birthday (January to December). They can tap, gesture, or hum but not talk. Check the order at the end.

    Social Emotional
    Equipment (1 item)
    • blindfolds (optional)
  6. Teamwork Reflection Reflection

    Circle discussion: "What makes a team work well? What makes a team struggle?" Cubs suggest three rules for great teamwork and write them on a poster.

    Social Intellectual Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • poster paper
    • markers
  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Next week: wide games outdoors. Wear running shoes and dark clothing. Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

Night 2: Capture the Flag Variants

Various wide game formats outdoors. Cubs practise strategy, teamwork, and sportsmanship in active outdoor games.

Outdoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Physical Social Intellectual
  1. Arrival & Safety Brief Ceremony

    Meet at the park. Head count. Buddy up. Boundaries, safety rules, what to do if hurt. Play area check.

    Character
    Equipment (3 items)
    • hi-vis vests for leaders
    • first aid kit
    • whistles
  2. Warm-Up: Sharks & Fish Game

    One Cub is the shark in the middle. Others run from one side to the other. Tagged Cubs become seaweed (stand still, arms out, can tag runners who come close).

    Physical Social
    Equipment (1 item)
    • cones for boundaries
  3. Game 1: Classic Capture the Flag Game

    Two teams. Each hides a flag in their territory. Objective: capture the opposing flag and return it to your base. Tagged in enemy territory = jail (freed by a teammate tagging you). First to capture wins.

    Physical Social Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • two flags or bandanas
    • cones for boundaries and jail zones
  4. Regroup & Water Break discussion

    Quick water break. Discuss strategy: "What worked? What would you change?"

    Social
    Equipment (1 item)
    • water bottles
  5. Game 2: Treasure Hunt Tag Game

    Variation: 6 "treasure" items are hidden in the playing area. Two teams compete to find the most treasure while defending their collection zone. Carrying treasure makes you vulnerable to tagging.

    Physical Social Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • 6 treasure items (bean bags or tennis balls)
    • collection zones (cones)
  6. Sportsmanship Circle Reflection

    Circle up. Discuss: "Did we play fair? Did anyone show great sportsmanship?" Each Cub names one teammate who helped the team.

    Social Character Emotional
  7. Closing Ceremony

    Head count. Pack up. Grand Howl. Parents collect.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

Night 3: Cooperative Challenges

All-in-it-together games — river crossing, group juggle, trust falls. Every Cub must work together; nobody is left out.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Social Physical Emotional Character
  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Flag break. Tonight: "Nobody gets left behind. We succeed together or not at all."

    Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • flag
    • flag pole
  2. River Crossing Game

    The entire patrol must cross a "river" (hall floor between two lines) using only 3 pieces of cardboard (stepping stones). If anyone touches the "water", the whole team starts over. Planks must be touching someone to stay in play.

    Social Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • tape for river boundaries
    • cardboard pieces (3 per patrol)
  3. Group Juggle Game

    Stand in a circle. One ball: throw to someone across the circle (not next to you). Establish a pattern (remember who you throw to). Now add a second ball. Then a third. Can the group keep all balls in the air?

    Social Physical
    Equipment (1 item)
    • 3 soft balls or bean bags
  4. All Aboard Game

    Start with a large tarp. Entire patrol must stand on it. Fold the tarp in half. Stand on it again. Fold again. How small can the tarp get before the patrol cannot all fit?

    Physical Social Emotional
    Equipment (1 item)
    • tarp or large sheet (one per patrol)
  5. Helium Stick Game

    All Cubs place one finger under a lightweight stick (tent pole or pool noodle). They must lower it to the ground together without anyone losing contact. The stick magically "rises" — teamwork and communication are key to lowering it.

    Social Physical Emotional
    Equipment (1 item)
    • lightweight stick or pool noodle (one per patrol)
  6. Cooperative vs. Competitive Discussion Reflection

    Sit in a circle. Discuss: "Were tonight's games harder or easier than competitive games? When is cooperation more important than winning? How do we cooperate in our patrol?"

    Social Emotional Character
  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Next week: Patrol Olympics — the big finale. Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

Night 4: Patrol Olympics

Multiple game stations, scoring, and celebration. The culmination of the Team Challenge trail — friendly competition with medals for all.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Physical Social Character Emotional
  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Flag break. Olympic theme: each patrol enters marching and waving their patrol flag. "Let the Patrol Olympics begin!"

    Character Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • flag
    • flag pole
    • patrol flags
    • speaker for march music (optional)
  2. Event 1: Sack Race Relay Game

    Classic sack race. One Cub from each patrol hops the length of the hall and back, then passes the sack. Fastest patrol wins.

    Physical Social
    Equipment (2 items)
    • hessian sacks (one per patrol)
    • cones
  3. Event 2: Egg and Spoon Relay Game

    Carry a ping-pong ball on a spoon the length of the hall without dropping it. Drop = start the leg over. Fastest patrol wins.

    Physical
    Equipment (2 items)
    • spoons (one per patrol)
    • ping-pong balls
  4. Event 3: Tug of War Game

    Classic tug of war. Round-robin between patrols. Mark a centre line with tape. Both feet must stay planted — no sitting.

    Physical Social
    Equipment (2 items)
    • thick rope
    • tape for centre line
  5. Event 4: Memory Relay Game

    A tray of 15 objects is shown for 30 seconds. Cubs take turns running to a table and writing down one object they remember. Most correct items wins.

    Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • tray with 15 small objects
    • cloth cover
    • paper
    • pencils
  6. Event 5: Team Cheer Game

    Each patrol performs a team cheer or war cry (30 seconds max). Judged on creativity, enthusiasm, and teamwork by the leaders.

    Social Emotional Character
  7. Medal Ceremony & Closing Ceremony

    Tally all event scores. Award gold, silver, bronze to patrols (use chocolate coins or paper medals). Every Cub gets a participation cheer. Reflect: "What made your team strong?" Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character Social Emotional
    Equipment (3 items)
    • score tally sheet
    • medals or chocolate coins
    • trail completion certificates (optional)

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

See also

OAS Framework Reference

Full breakdown of all 9 OAS streams and their stage requirements.

Browse OAS framework →

More General Skills Trails

Find other trails with a similar Outdoor focus.

All Night Ideas →