Make a Lion King inspired Pride Rock

You’ll need

Paint (non-toxic if you are going to put them outside)
Paint brushes
Permanent markers
Smooth rocks (make sure you don't take these from a beach, you can get them from your garden, a DIY store, craft store or garden centre)
Coverings for the tables

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Planning and setting up this activity

You may want to make an example ahead of time to show the group.
Make sure you have plenty of space to run this activity and are in using a space that can get messy. For example, you could do this activity outside.

Introducing The Lion King (1994)

Gather everyone together and ask if anyone’s seen The Lion King. See if anyone knows what happens and the characters in it.
Ask if anyone can remember what happened at the start of the film. All the animals meet around a rock, called Pride Rock. It’s called Pride Rock, as a group of lions is called a pride and the rock is where the Lions look out from over all the animals the savanna. Lions are often seen as the kings of the animal world. In the film, this is where we first meet Simba, as Rafiki holds him up on top of Pride Rock for the whole kingdom to see.
If you’re able to, you may wish to show everyone clips of The Circle of Life song/scene from the film via Disney+ or YouTube. You could ask questions about what people saw, what animals were there and how it made people feel.

Making the craft

Give each member of the group a rock and explain that you’re all going to make your own Pride Rock.
On one side of the rock, you’re going to paint your favourite animal or plant inspired by The Lion King.
On the other side you are going to write a word that best describes you and it should be a quality that you’re proud of.
You may wish to go round in a circle and ask people to say their word if they want to. You could also encourage people to say positive words about each other too if anyone’s struggling to think of one.
Some examples of words the young people could put on their rocks are:
1. Brave – like Simba
2. Courageous – like Mufasa
3. Smart – like Zazu
4. Happy – like Rafiki
5. Adventurous – like Nala
6. Kind – like Pumba
7. Funny – like Timone
You may wish to give out pencils and paper for people to sketch out and design their rock on before they start painting.
When everyone’s ready, hand out the paints and craft materials to everyone.
Once everyone knows what they want to paint on their rock, they can begin.
Each side may take a while to dry, so everyone could play a quick game while you wait for it to dry such as What's the time Zazu, you could hold it carefully to paint both sides or you could do this activity over two weeks.
You may also wish to PVA glue toys, such as lions figures, to the rock. You could also add stickers or other craft materials to it too, so let everyone be as creative as they wish.
When everyone’s finished, gather back together in a circle. You could ask if anyone wants to share their Pride Rock to the group. You could ask them why they chose that word and why they think that word best describes them. Are they like any of the characters in the Lion King?
If your venue has any outdoor space, you may want to consider putting the rocks there. Alternatively, you may want to hide them throughout your local community for others to find, being mindful of other people’s property and private access.

Rafiki’s Reflection

This activity was all about learning what makes us unique and the qualities we should be proud of. If you haven’t already, take some time to look at all the rocks together to see all the great qualities your group has.

Ask everyone what happens when we all come together in a group, just like lions do in a pride. We bring all our brilliant qualities together too and we get to be a fantastic team. We can share our skills, and we can celebrate and help each other.

What were some similarities and differences you found in what people chose to paint on their rocks? Did anyone else use the same word as you? How can this show how we are unique, but also the same?

Living as an animal in the African Savannah can be a little like Scouts. We all come from different backgrounds, but we come together at Scouts to help play our part. What can you do as a group to continue to help play your part, whether its within Scouts or your wider community?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Craft: Unusual substances: Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using unusual substances, such as powdered paint, ash or dirt. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by what’s being used. Make sure you follow all relevant safety guidance or manufacturers guidelines, where available. Make sure you dispose of it appropriately too, in line with safety guidance.
Gardening and nature: Everyone must wash their hands after the activity has finished. Wear gloves if needed. Explain how to safely use equipment and set clear boundaries so everyone knows what’s allowed.