OFFICE EQUIPMENTEvery day some of us go off to work at the office. Have you ever looked around to see what programs you could create with the equipment in your work place? Who invented sticky tape, hole punches, paper clips, rubbish tins, note pads, felt pens, erasers, shredded paper? Have you thought of other used for them?

Paper clipsArrange coloured paper clips, large or small, onto cardboard to create a picture or shape – a flower, animal, tree, pyramid etc. Glue them into place with PVA glue. This could also be done by arranging your design onto the sticky side of contact. Have the contact a bit larger that the cardboard so there is some to turn under. When completed place cardboard on top and turn over. Press down to make sure the contact is stuck to the cardboard and fold contact around the edges

StampsMake your own stamp. Glue paper clips onto a piece of wood or cardboard and let dry. Stamp your design using a stamp pad or bright paints.

Paper clip magnetsMake a fridge magnet by gluing paper clips onto a magnet or onto a piece of cardboard with a magnet glued to the back. A nice gift for Mum or Dad. The fridge is always big enough to hold one more magnet.

Circle of friendshipA pile of paper clips in the centre of the room. Joey Scouts in a circle. Joey Scouts, one by one, go to the pile and select a paper clip and return to place. When the second Joey Scout returns they join their paper clip on to the first paper clip. The last person joins theirs onto the first paper clip. Here we have a circle of friendship.

FishingSet up the room with a pool (blanket, large box or tarp) at one end of the room. Joey Scouts in teams. One fishing pole per team. On the end of a fixed length of line or string secure a magnet. Joey Scouts in turn run to the pool, catch a fish and take it back to their team. Pass the line to next Joey Scout, place fish carefully into the bucket and go to the end of the team line. The next person in the team has their turn when the fishing line is passed to them.

Colour relayPile of large coloured paper clips at one end of the room. Joey Scouts in teams. In turn, each person runs to the pile and picks up a coloured clip and returns to the end of their team. Continue until all clips have gone. Each time the Joey Scout picks up the same coloured clip. When their colour has run out they join all their clips together and then join all their team mates’ clips. Which colours made the longest string? Which team has the longest string?

Splatter printsArrange clips on to paper in whatever design Joey Scouts choose. Splatter print over the clips using thin paints in squirter bottles, or by using the toothbrush method. Carefully remove the clips to leave print design.

Pass the paperclipOne large paperclip per team, one straw per person. Joey Scouts line up in equal teams. A paperclip is placed on the straw of the first person. On ‘go’ this person passes the clip onto the straw of the next person, who then passes it on to the next person etc. until it reaches the end of the line. Now pass it back again. The straws are held in the hand.

Camouflage treasure huntBefore your meeting starts, hide coloured paper clips around the room or outside. Match the clip to the background colour i.e. green on leaves or green bench top, blue on blue picture on notice board etc. Joey Scouts are to find all the clips when you come to that part of your program. It takes a little bit longer because they are harder to spot.

Magnetic clipsYou will need to have lots of metal clips for this activity. A magnet and two containers for each group. Empty clips into container and place the container at other end of room with empty container about 1 metre away. Joey Scouts use the magnet to transfer magnets to empty container. They will need to remove clips from magnets by hand and pass the magnet to next player.

Paperclip chainYou will need several of each colour of the large paperclips depending on your number of Joey Scouts. Each person is given a clip from the mixture. Ask them not to show which colour they have.On ‘Go’ Joey Scouts are to find someone else with the same coloured clip and introduce themselves saying “My name is …”, give the Left Handshake and a Salute. They then join their clips and together find some more and repeat the process so that they both meet, shake hands and salute the new person before joining the new clip into their string. When all of the same colours are joined, join them all together to form a big circle chain.

Other uses for paperclipsUse paperclips to hang up paintingsInstead of blue tacMake a word with themAttach your hidden articles

StoryUsing the circle or continuous story method, give the ending of a story, i.e. “and that’s how I came to find the tin of rusty paperclips in my Grandma’s drawer”. Joey Scouts start the story, each adding a sentence or two until they all have a turn and end with your ending.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Rubber bandsCollect rubber bands from newspaper deliveries, mail etc. or they are available in assorted sizes and colours.

Band artYou will need: pieces of timber off cuts; small nails or tacks and rubber bands of different colours.Present to each small group of Joey Scouts a board, with nails already driven in to leave one centimetre of nail standing. The nails should be spaced around the board or in the outline of a shape or figure. This activity is like string art.Joey Scouts stretch rubber band from one nail across to one opposite. Fill in the picture with bands from nail to nail until the picture is completed.

Rubber band passYou will need string and a large thick rubber band.Make a circle with the string, large enough for all the Joey Scouts to hold on to. Slide the rubber band onto the string before tying off.

Select one Joey Scout to be “it”. Others stand around the string circle and hold the string with both hands. One person has the rubber band under one hand. With a shuffling motion move hands back and forth on the string. While doing this the rubber band is passed from one Joey Scout to another in either direction.

Joey Scout who is “it” tries to pick where the rubber band is. If successful they change places with that person.

Make an envelopeMake an envelope from coloured paper. There are several types of envelopes. Pull an envelope to pieces and cut your template.Joey Scouts can practise printing their name and address in the one they make. Save old large envelopes and staple several together at the closed end or side. These make a file for templates, notices and small bits and pieces.

Waste paper binsDecorate large juice tins with paper, stickers, paints, or material scraps for waste paper bins.Small cartons could be used for bins too. Decorate, draw or paint them. Decoupage the cartons using old magazine pictures and watered down PVA glue.

Bin targetLine up a few paper bins that you have just made and using paper balls from your games box, Joey Scouts toss the balls into the bins from a given distance. Gradually increase the distance from the bins.

Tennis ball tossFill a bucket sized bin with tennis balls. One Joey Scout is selected to be the tosser. Others around the designated area. The tosser empties the balls from the bin as fast as he/she can, tossing them anywhere.The purpose is for the tosser to empty the bin faster than the others can fill it. Yes, it can be done.

Old lettersSave old letters or printed material. Joey Scouts draw a zig zag line across the page between the printed lines, before the letters go into the bin.

Hole punchWhen using a hole punch, be aware of the distance that it punches in from the edge. The scissor type single hole punch will punch a hole up to 2 cm in from the edge.

A frameYou will need a piece of cardboard, lengths of coloured wool or string, a hole punch and a favourite photo.Joey Scouts punch holes about 2 cm apart around the edge of the cardboard. A second row can be punched further in and in between the outside row of holes.Lace the wool through each row of holes and from row to row.Glue photo into the middle.

Disappearing shapesCardboard or paper shapes; hole punches. {Punch holes into the shapes until all have disappeared. Save all the punch outs and glue them into another shape on a sheet of paper.

Message hang upYou will need cardboard, string, words of the Promise and Law or a greeting message. Cut cardboard into pieces large enough to write one word on each. Punch two holes in the top edge. Thread string through the holes and hang up. This activity can be used as a relay game. Each team run to the pile of word cards and selects one. As the cards are brought back to the team arrange them in the correct order and thread onto the string. Hang up in the den.

Pictures

Draw a picture on a sheet of card or paper. Punch out the picture. This may need to be folded in places so that the punch will reach.

Transfer the ‘hole’‘Holes’ in a container with another container about a metre away. Joey Scouts pick up ‘hole’ and transfer it to the other container on their finger.

‘Holes’ …… (punched out pieces) are good for eyes, buttons, spots, flower centres on your craft work.

Magic legsThe strip from the side of tractor fed printers makes good jumpy legs for any animal. Thread these strips onto a knitting needle or kebab stick and squeeze up tight. Remove needle and you have legs for animals and insects, decorations, tree trunks, leaves etc. You may like to paint them first.

Note padYou will need: Stiff cardboard, thin strips of vinyl, small bright coloured post-it notes; string. Draw around each Joey Scout’s hand and cut it out. Punch a hole in the tip of peter pointer and ruby ring. Tie string through the holes so that it can hang up.Glue a thin vinyl strip around the base of peter pointer. This will hold a pencil. Glue post-it pad to centre of hand.

Sticky tapeBatons or bats

Sticky tape can be used to bind rolled newspapers for batons or bats. Wind the tape full length of the rolled paper. Joey Scouts would love to help make these for their games box.

BallsCrush newspaper into a ball about the size of a tennis ball and bind it with sticky tape. Add to the games box to be used with the bat.

Coloured rollsRoll newspapers as for the bat. Bind with sticky tape with the sticky side out. Place lots of small pieces of coloured paper (you could pretend they are flies) on the table.Joey Scouts roll the sticky roll over the small pieces of paper to cover the sticky surface. You could paint the finished roll with PVA glue to ensure that the coloured scraps so not come off. Make a game of this activity; relay formation.Joey Scouts in turn run and have one hit at the coloured scraps with their sticky roll. Continue until the roll is covered.

Glitter fingersPlace a strip of sticky tape sticky side out onto the end of the Joey Scouts finger, a centimetre or two past the end of the finger. Spread glitter onto trays or large sheets of paper. Joey Scouts collect the glitter onto the sticky end by dabbing it onto the glitter.

Ping pong stopPlace a strip of wide sticky tape across the end of a table, sticky side up.

Dress upDress up for going to the office. Have a collection of ties, shirts, shoes, brief cases, hats, glasses, mobile phones, clipboards, etc.This game can be worked as a round relay. Clothes are set in bases, eg, shirt base, shoe base, hat base, etc.Joey Scouts in turn proceed from one heap to the other until fully dressed. They then return to shirt base and take shirt off. Proceed until undressed and back to team for next players turn. If your supply of old clothes is big enough, start the second persons off as the shirt base is vacated. This will speed things at the office. Four or five items of clothing would be enough.

Joey Scouts are given a ping pong ball that they roll from the other end of the table with just enough pace for it to stop on the tape.

De-stick the noseAttach a large sheet of paper to the wall. On each Joey Scouts nose stick a length of sticky tape, with about half the length protruding.

Joey Scouts line up at one end of the room. On ‘Go’ they run to the wall and detach the tape onto the sheet of paper without using their hands, and run back to their place.

Office Equipment appeared in the July 1998 issue Australian Scout. Compiled by Enid Cole; contributors were Kerri Graf, Kau Franks, Heather Butler, Debbie O’Connor, Enid Cole.

Mail boxSave old envelopes. You will need several per Joey Scout. You will also need small cartons or shoe boxes. Convert the boxes into letter boxes. Give each a Name (business or private), Number and Address. Joey Scouts are given a mixture of mail to deliver. After delivery check the boxes to see if the post person is on the ball.