Every day and all the time you are surrounded by something that you probably never think about. It doesn’t matter if you are awake or asleep, sitting still or moving around. It’s all around you all the time. You can’t see it, and you usually can’t hear it. But you need it just like all other living things. It affects the things you do and the games you play.
This elective gives you a chance to play with something you probably never thought you could play with: air. The same air you breathe. The same air that lets a baseball pitcher throw a curve ball. The same air that runs some tools. And the same air that you put into your bicycle tires!
Rationale for Adventure
This elective is part of the STEM group and introduces the boys to a way of thinking about something that they have probably not thought about. We start with some basic discoveries about a common, generally overlooked substance, namely air, and proceed to discover ways that the air works for us or things it can do for us.
Requirements
Complete the following requirements.
- Conduct two of the following investigations to see how air affects different objects:
- Make a paper airplane and fly it five times. Try to make it fly farther by altering its shape. Fly it at least five more times to see if your changes were effective.
- Make a balloon-powered sled or a balloon-powered boat. Test your sled or boat with larger and smaller balloons.
- Bounce a basketball that doesn’t have enough air in it. Then bounce it when it has the right amount of air in it. Do each one 10 times. Describe how the ball bounces differently when the amount of air changes.
- Roll a tire or ball that doesn’t have enough air in it, and then roll it again with the right amount of air. Describe differences in how they move.
- Complete two of the following:
- With other members of your den, go outside and record the sounds you hear. Identify which of these sounds is the result of moving air.
- Create a musical wind instrument, and play it as part of a den band.
- With an adult, conduct an investigation on how speed can affect sound.
- Make a kite using household materials. With your den or family, explain the rules for safely flying kites. Fly your kite.
- With your family, den, or pack, participate in a kite derby, space derby, or rain gutter regatta. Explain how air helps the vehicle move.
Takeaways for Cub Scouts
- Experiments
- Easy yet fun activities
- Creativity
- A Scout is obedient
Historical Requirements
2015 Handbook Requirements
Wolf Handbook, page 140
Wolf Den Leader Guide, page 89
- Do the following investigations:
- Conduct an investigation about the weight of air.
- Conduct an investigation about air temperature.
- Conduct at least one of the following investigations to see how air affects different objects:
- Make a paper airplane and fly it five times. Make a change to its shape to help it fly farther. Try it at least five times.
- Make a balloon-powered sled or a balloon-powered boat. Test your sled or boat with larger and smaller balloons.
- Bounce a basketball that doesn’t have enough air in it. Then bounce it when it has the right amount of air in it. Do each one 10 times. Describe how the balls bounce differently when the amount of air changes.
- Roll a tire or ball that doesn’t have enough air in it, and then roll it again with the right amount of air. Describe differences in how they move.
- Do the following:
- With other members of your den, go outside and record the sounds you hear. Identify which of these sounds is the result of moving air.
- Create a musical wind instrument, and play it as part of a den band.
- With an adult, conduct an investigation on how speed can affect sound.
- Do the following:
- Explain the rules for safely flying kites.
- Make a kite using household materials.
- If your den or your pack has a kite derby, space derby, or rain-gutter regatta, participate in the fun. Or build a kite or rain-gutter regatta boat with your family. Explain how air helps the vehicle move.
