My First Knot

Before the meeting: 

1. Learn how to tie a square knot by watching the “How to Tie a Square Knot”  video on Scout Life magazine.  
2. Practice tying the square knot using one red and one blue paracord and keep it tied as an example. 

During the meeting: 

1. Gather Cub Scouts and adult partners and tell them that they are going to learn about knots and rope. 
2. Tell the den that rope is a very useful item.  It can be used for pulling, fastening, attaching, carrying, and lifting. 
3. Inform the den that; “Rope was once a very expensive item to have, it took a lot of materials to make, and it had to be made by hand.  During this time knots were used to not only pull, fasten, attach, carry, or lift things but knots were created to attach rope together to make longer rope or to make rope shorter without cutting it.  Different knots are designed to do different things, but they all have something in common, when they are tied correctly, they are also easy to untie so the rope can be used again and again. One of the most basic needs is to make a longer piece of rope out of shorter pieces of rope.  This is done with a basic knot called the square knot or joining knot.” 
4. Hand out one piece of red and one piece of blue paracord to each Cub Scout and adult partner. 
5. Demonstrate how to tie a square knot then have adult partners work with their Cub Scouts to practice. 
6. When checking to see if a square knot is tied properly you can tell by simply taking the two ends of rope on one side and the two ends of the other side and push them together, when you do this the knot will loosen.