The Turtle Races

Turtle Races are not well known these days in Cub Scouts but they are something that is a lot of fun for the boys. It teaches the boys that they need to be patient, work at a steady pace, and sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

You can find scraps of wood from construction sites or even going to Home Depot and looking in their scrap departments. I think I got three sheets of wood for $3.00 and I used a jigsaw and cut out 35 turtles.

After you cut out the turtle then the boys can have decorate their turtle. You can add duct tape to the feet or sometimes you can use big, thick rubber bands. This helps on a hard wood floor. Then find a 2X4 and tie your rope/twine to it. I use duct tape to tape down the board to the floor so that it doesn't move. Make a hole at the top of your turtle and then string the twine through. Then the boy needs to get at the end of the string and kneel down, using up and down movements he can then move the turtle from the starting point (which is close down to the 2X4) to the finishing line. You can make your twine as long as you want the boys to race to.