The Bears took on the adventure of Furs, Feathers and Ferns Monday night. The scouts were able to plant their own herbs or vegetables, their choice of the seeds available. They should keep the plant in sunlight, and the soil moist. Most of the seeds will begin to form seedlings in 5-12 days, depending on what they chose. When the plant grows even more, they can transfer the starter pot to a larger planter. The scouts talked about wildlife they’ve seen before, as well as composting. We discussed some of the benefits of composting and the scouts can look in their Bear handbook for more information, and how to start it at home, if they desire.
To finish this adventure, the scouts will be going on a weather permitting one-mile hike during their meeting next week. In preparation for this, the scouts went over the six essentials. Please ensure the scouts bring a flashlight and water bottle next week, as well as proper clothing, stay tuned on the weather. The route will be shared with everyone before we depart. Put on those walking shoes and see you all next week!
Last night our wolves put their creativity and engineering skills to the test. Each scout decided upon a paper airplane design to make and see how well and far it would fly. We conducted our first experiment based on the original design, then made adjustments we felt would make them fly more efficiently and then again. Each change helped them learn and demonstrate aerodynamics and problem solve how to fix what’s not working and how to improve what is- all great skills necessary in every endeavor in life, and a super fun way to learn! Next week we take our flight to a new level and build a paper plane catapult to soar even higher – or so we hope – we will find out!
OK, so we are not racing YET! But how can we if we don’t have our cars??? That’s what this Sunday is for!! You see, we will have stations set up prepared to cut and shape your block of wood into the car of your dreams. Once we are done, all you need to do is paint it, decorate it and add the wheels. Full directions, guidelines and weight requirements will be provided by us on Sunday and can also be found inside your Derby Car box.
To us Wolves, we may as well rename Monday ‘FUNDAY”! Our kids are constantly collecting things and getting more interested in hobbies, so we want to know just what it is that makes your little cub tick! This Funday, we are asking wolves to bring in something they collect. Maybe it’s Pokemon cards, or beyblades. Maybe it’s rocks, fossils or dinosaurs; sports stuff or comic books. If your child is anything like mine, it’s probably all of the above and more. So, have your little Wolf select one of his collections and bring it in for our version of Show and Tell. Scouts are welcome to bring whatever they wish (with parental approval, of course), but we recommend if the items are fragile or valuable, maybe those should be left at home, Please understand the leaders will of course be doing our best to ensure all items are properly handled and taken care of, but we cannot 100% guarantee anything. I know I am really excited to hear all about my Wolves’ interests and collections – I hope they are just as excited to share!
Over the past two weeks, wolves have worked on various required and elective adventures related to hiking, camping and being prepared. Our program is designed to teach safety, as represented by the buddy system, what to do in an emergency, how to handle different weather conditions and natural disasters, signaling for help, what items to have on hand, and more. We also learned about the outdoor code and general principles on how to treat the land and wildlife. Our cubs built first aid kits and learned a new knot. All in all, this is all prep for the fun hiking and camping activities that we have scheduled for the warmer days ahead. The best part is: these skills are not only useful for hiking and camping – they are life skills that can and should be applied to any outing, school trip, vacations and experiences. So, parents, we encourage you to review our six essentials and other preparedness measures with your child at every opportunity. Really all it requires is common sense and repetition on your part. All of our guidelines and lists may be found on the BSA website, on scoutbook and in the wolf manual! So, just remember – outings are fun, but a lot more so when we know our child is safe and prepared!
Monday the Bears worked on the Paws for Action Adventure. To start off, they challenged themselves by naming as many of the 50 states that they could. Through this adventure, they learned what each aspect of the American flag stands for, and practiced drawing one of their own. The scouts were able to learn and practice how to properly fold the US flag, and learned how to display it. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance, going into the meaning of each line. We named some famous Americans, past and present and talked about why some of them are famous.
While we wait for the cold rainy days to pass and the sun to shine again, all dens began to prepare for the outdoor adventures that lie ahead!
The scouts learned what first aid is all about, the importance of first aid while in the outdoors, and what makes up a first aid kit. They then proceeded to put together a simple pocket first aid kit that they should bring hiking and camping or keep with them at all times. They even learned what they can add to their kits to make them better and took a look into a bigger first aid kit made for larger groups. Finally they learned how to take care of a minor injury, including the important steps and what to use for each step while the Webelos got to touch on the basics of slings and splints.
