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Last night we did 3 challenges - nuclear fuel rods (tent pegs in billy to be removed from a distances and placed in anoher container), entry alarm (sound alarm =knock tins over, when door opens with no contact between door and tins) and electric fence (get over it using staves and string). We chose to do this as a PL-image boosting exercise, and at last weeks PLC we told the PLs about the challenges, gave them time to think about solutions, and then gave hints to those where needed. All in all it worked pretty well, I think. The PLs had instructions to let their patrols work at it for 5 mins, before they took over. The PLs were pleased as punch to be able to solve the unsolvable, and I think the _object_ was achieved. It was like Dave Mayalls meeting, except the coffee had run out! Our PLC has voted for a programme with 1 week per month down to adult leaders setting stunts of some sort, before anyone accuses me of not practising what I preach!

Hi Bill If you are interested checkout my Venture pages at http://www.advsys.co.uk/homepages/ggledhill/team.htm This might give you a few more ideas which you could use. My Venture Unit has used them quite successfully at a 'Team Building' night

and electric fence (get over it using staves and string). Make ladder, but make sure the stretchers taper together towards the top. A triangle, lashed at top with sheer lashing is best.  The taper means that the rungs don't slip quite as easly with less-than-tight square lashings. Hold ladder top over fence (two scouts) keeping holders feet against ladder feet to prevent slipping. First scout must be agile enough to jump down unaided, but he can then help others later. If you make the fence quite low -high enough to prvent jumping over! - the scouts who have got over it can hold the top of the ladder for the last scout to get over. We gave 20 mins per obstacle, to include clearing up. As noted, we let the PLs in on things the week before at a PLC, and showed them these solutions where they needed it. We let the Patrols try unaided, with PL not advising for 5 mins, then the PL took over. The complexity of the later two meant they took more time, and it would have been better to add something to the first to make weight - or to have extra sets of gear for the latter two, to avoid waitng time.

Thanks very much for the time you have taken to provide the answers.  We will try them out.  Our scouts seem to like these exercises but our attempts so far have been fairly basic e.g.. getting the patrol a certain height off the ground with limited equipment,  bridging gaps with limited equipment, although we always throw in stuff which is not required to increase the apparent complexity.