Apes and Bananas Minute

Don't get stuck in a rut of doing things the same way year to year. Encourage scouts to try new things.

Here's a fun experiment to try at home. :-)

Set up a big cage with stairs in the center leading up to a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling.
Put 5 apes in the cage.
As soon as one of the apes sees the bananas and starts climbing the stairs to reach them, spray ALL the apes with very cold water from a hose.
As soon as another ape starts after the bananas, spray ALL the apes again. Whenever an ape makes an attempt, spray ALL the apes.
In a bit, if an ape starts to climb the stairs, all the other apes will scream at it and pull it off the steps. At this point, turn off the cold water and replace one of the apes with a brand new ape.

This new ape will see the bananas and climb up to them but the other apes will scream and attack him, to pull him off the stairs. He may try this a second time, but he'll learn that if he climbs the stairs he'll be attacked.

Replace another ape with a new one and the same scenario will occur. The other apes will stop him from climbing to the bananas - even the other new ape because he has learned that is how it's done.

Continue replacing apes until none of them in the cage have ever been sprayed with water. They will still prevent any from getting to the bananas and none will even try anymore. Why? Because that's the way it's always been done around here.