Measuring a Pole Skit
This Skit is meant for Boy Scouts.
Decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your younger scouts or not.
2 Life or Eagle Scouts
1 Scout or Tenderfoot
2 long poles or branches
(2 senior scouts enter stage with pole. They stand the pole up on end.)
Scout #1:OK, Jimmy, let's figure out how tall these poles are so we know how tall our flagpole will be when we lash them together.
Scout #2: (does rough stick method measurement) Right! Now, using the stick method, it looks like its about 18 feet tall.
Scout #1: What?!? No way! It can't be that tall. (compares pole's shadow to shadow of Scout #2) Here, measuring its shadow in comparison to another object of a known height - How tall are you? Then, finding the ratio, and multiplying that back, let's see... I get 12 feet tall!
(Tenderfoot strolls onstage and watches the two Eagles discuss the situation, something like ...)
Scout #2: I don't think so! You must have miscalculated. The pole makes a right triangle with the ground so we can use the distance to the object and the angle with the ground.
Scout #1: That's too much work. The stick method is always right.
Tenderfoot: Watcha guys doin'?
Scout #1: Oh, Hi Billy. We're measuring how tall this pole is.
Scout #2: Yeah, it's hard work, but we'll figure it out.
Tenderfoot: Why don't you just lay it on the ground and measure its length?
Scout #1: Ha! Tenderfoot scouts!
Scout #2: Really! (to tenderfoot) Look, we need to know how tall it is, not how long it is!