Baloo's Bugle

May 2008 Cub Scout Roundtable Issue

Volume 14, Issue 10
June 2008 Theme

Theme: Go For The Gold
Webelos: Traveler & Handyman
Tiger Cub Activities


Utah National Parks Council

Divide audience into three parts.  Assign each part an action to do when their phrase is heard.

  • Jumping Jack: Stand up and jump once, say “Boing” and sit back down.
  • Running Ralph: Stand up, run in place, stomp feet 3 times and say “Zip!” Sit back down.
  • Computer Charlie: Stand up, swing arms back and forth (like the robot from “Lost in Space”) and say, “It Computes, It Computes.” Sit back down.

This is the story about a boy named  JUMPING JACK, and another boy named RUNNING RALPH, and still another boy named COMPUTER CHARLIE. These three boys were close friends and they went everywhere together.

 JUMPING JACK got his name because everywhere he went he was always jumping over things for no apparent reason except that he liked to jump. You could see all three boys walking around town with  JUMPING JACK jumping over benches, curbs, bushes, fences and almost anything that wasn’t too high.

As you may have guessed, RUNNING RALPH got his name because he was always running. Maybe his legs were shorter than his two friends and he had to run to always keep up, or maybe he just liked to run.

COMPUTER CHARLIE got his name because he was a very intelligent boy who excelled at mental skills. Everyone teased COMPUTER CHARLIE because COMPUTER CHARLIE wasn’t very good at sports or as strong as  JUMPING JACK and RUNNING RALPH. But this never seemed to bother the three friends because they stuck together no matter what.

One day,  JUMPING JACK, COMPUTER CHARLIE, and RUNNING RALPH were on their way to the store when they saw a local bank being robbed. The robber was making his getaway.  JUMPING JACK jumped over the bushes and a fence to get to a  house to call the police. RUNNING RALPH was right behind him. But COMPUTER CHARLIE just stood there, watching the whole thing. Thanks to  JUMPING JACK’s jumping and RUNNING RALPH’s running, the police arrived at the scene in no time at all. They started to ask questions, but JUMPING JACK and RUNNING RALPH didn’t know what to say because they had been too busy running and jumping to see what had really happened.  But COMPUTER CHARLIE began telling the police everything they needed to know. He knew the model and color of the getaway car, the license plate number, the direction the robber went, and a description of his clothes and size. His mental skills were a great help to the police.

After reading about the theft in the newspaper, all of the children were so proud of COMPUTER CHARLIE. They never teased him again about his mental skills. They came to realize that COMPUTER CHARLIE was just as important as  JUMPING JACK and RUNNING RALPH. Together, by pooling their talents, they were able to accomplish many great things.

A Genius Is This & That
Grand Teton Council


Before he tells the story, the narrator divides the audience into 5 groups and assigns each a “part” - a sound and action each group makes at the mention of a certain word. The narrator pauses after each capitalized word. The words and their responses are:


Norman - Say “Oh, my!” and raise both hands

Right - Say “This!” and raise right hand

Left - Say “That!” and raise left hand

This - Say “Right!” and raise Right hand

That - Say “Left!” and raise Left hand

Genius - All clap and Cheer!

Well, now that everyone is entirely confused, let’s begin!

THISis the story of NORMAN, a boy who wanted very much to be a GENIUS. But, no matter how hard he tried, it just didn’t work out. You see, NORMANhad a problem - he could not tell RIGHTfrom LEFT.

At school, the teacher would say, “When you know the answer, raise your RIGHThand.” By the time NORMANfigured which hand was which, it was too late! At home it was the same thing. It was, “NORMAN, you have your LEFTshoe on your RIGHTfoot.”

Things weren’t any better outside. In football, they would send him in at LEFTend and he would be RIGHT. In baseball, they’d yell, “NORMAN, ‘move to your LEFT!” He’d move RIGHT.

Poor NORMAN! No matter what he did, it wasn’t RIGHT! or LEFT! But NORMANwas determined! Finally, he figured out what to do. He’d call it THISand THAT. THISfor RIGHTand THATfor LEFT. Somehow, it all seemed easier. And in no time, he had it down pat.

One day, while NORMANwas home alone, a burglar forced his way in. NORMANwas fRIGHTened! The burglar asked where his mother’s jewels and furs were. NORMANsaid, “In the closet.” But when the burglar said, “Which way is THAT, NORMAN, of course answered, “LEFT.” The burglar followed these instructions and found himself in the kitchen! Being a smart burglar he said, “THISisn’t RIGHT!” and NORMANsaid, “Oh, yes it is - but your asked for THAT!”

The burglar became angry and said, “Now listen, I asked where the closet is, do you understand THAT?” And NORMANanswered, “Oh, yes, THATis LEFT!” The burglar said, “THISis enough!” And NORMANsaid, “Oh, no, THISis RIGHT!” Exasperated, the burglar said, “Oh, forget it! Just tell me where the closet is!” And NORMANsaid, “Turn THIS.” But naturally, the burglar misunderstood and turned the knob on the door in front of him, and plunged headlong down the basement stairs.

Just then, NORMAN’s parents came home, and when he told them what had happened, his father said the words he’d been waiting so very long to hear, “NORMAN, you’re a GENIUS

Fur-Bearing Trout
Great Salt Lake Council

Now it happened that there was a mining camp in Colorado where more than an average number of the miners were bald. An enterprising hair tonic salesman from Kentucky decided to take advantage of this golden opportunity, so he made the trip north. It was a rainy summer evening.

The salesman was headed towards the mining camp with four bottles of hair tonic under his arm.  As he was crossing one of the trout streams, which lead to the Arkansas River, the salesman slipped and dropped two bottles of hair tonic into the water. The bottles broke, and the hair tonic spilled into the stream.

Not too long after this incident, the fishermen along the Arkansas developed a new method for catching trout.  They’d head to the bank of the river carrying a red and white barber pole and some scissors. Then they would set up the barber pole and call out: “Get your free shave and a hair cut here.”

All the trout whose fur had grown too long or who needed their beards trimmed would hop right out of the water and be picked up by the fishermen. 

It wasn’t until the mills began muddying the waters so much that the fish couldn’t see the barber poles that the practice died out.