====== Welcome to Scouting ======

//If you have a new group of Otters or you scout on a yearly schedule as opposed to a year-round/ongoing schedule, this is a great way to kick off the scouting year!//

  * Opening Ceremony
  * Name Game & Welcome New Scouts
  * Sing Otters on a Cedar Log
  * Demonstrate the Otter salute and sign
  * Talk about what scouting is and where it comes from
    * Who was Robert Baden-Powell?
  * Read a Book About Otters
    * Talk about the difference between sea otters and river otters.
  * Steam Off Game
    * Raft game: the leader calls out "Rafts of [number]" and the otters have to clump together in groups of that number. Any who aren't in a group are out that round.
  * Build a Holt
    * Have the kids collect sticks and build a holt
  * Friends of the Forest and Snack Time
    * Use Friends of the Forest to introduce the Otter Motto, Law, and Promise
    * Ask the kids whether the otters in the story are sea otters or river otters. How do they know?
  * Steam Off Game
    * Red Light/Green Light where when they get caught they are frozen until they say the motto/law/promise.
  * Closing Ceremony

===== Items Needed: =====

  * [[sections:otters:games|Extra Games]]

===== Badge Requirements Covered: =====

=== Investiture Badge ===

  * Learn a little about otters
  * Know a little about the Jones family from Friends of the Forest
  * Learn a little about the history of scouting
  * Say the Otter Law
  * Show the Otter Salute and Sign
  * Say the Otter Promise
  * Participate in an opening and closing ceremony

=== Blue Activity Paw ===

  * Learn the names of every otter in your den

{{tag>meeting:otter ot_investiture:investiture_requirements ot_activity:learn_names }}