Bear Elective 12f: Rock Identification

    Bears Elective 12f: collect, mount, and identify 10 rocks or minerals. 
    Our Bear Leader wanted something easy to understand and simple to do to teach his Bears how to identify rocks without having to gather them around the computer to look at pictures or for interactive identification.  Something he can print and take outside in the rock's natural setting.
Here is the identification key they used.
   Need: a nail, diluted hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, glass dropper, identification key, and at least one rock
   Preparation: We got softball-size to cantelope-sized rocks from the side of the road, by a lake, construction sites, etc. and broke them with a hammer (before the boys got there) to give each boy a piece. Hint: The boys like the bigger rocks, but they should be small enough pieces to fit in the egg carton section.  (You need to see the newly-broken inside for the test.) We also gave each boy an egg carton for their display.  We used regular, unpolished rocks they see every day on the ground.  After this activity, rocks will mean a lot more to them (and the leaders) and will look different from one another (the rocks).

*Remember, the Cub Scout Motto is: Do Your Best.  They don't have to get it right at 9 years old to pass it off, they just have to give a concentrated effort and Do Their Best. This test for rock i.d. is only as accurate as the judge.  My college son is much more accurate than I am at answering the questions.  Even if I (or a 9-year-old) identify a rock wrong, we have still learned:
   1) how rocks are made
   2) ways rocks are identified  (types, size of grains, hardness, how they break, react heavily to acid or not,etc)
   3) rocks are often different on the inside than on the outside (for instance, they all looked like common gray household rocks to me until we broke them and placed the different rocks in side-by-side sections of an egg carton and saw all the different colors, designs, and sizes of grains)
   4) to better appreciate the rocks, their similarities and differences, that I walk past every day

Getting philosophical:  Maybe in the process, somewhere down deep, they will grow their consciousness by applying these above lessons (maybe unconsciously) to appreciating differences in other things like animals ..... or science ..... or games ..... or people.

Bear Elective 15b: Soil Erosion

                                                               soil erosion picture from www.environmedia.com
 
Bears Elective 15b Explore three kinds of earth by conducting a soil experiment.

As a Bear leader years ago, I saw a soil erosion experiment that combined the following two soil experiments. It had 5 soil sections: the four from the first experiment, then a fifth section which was soil with grass. I was very, very impressed and even though I "knew" these things from reading it in books, watching the effects grass had on erosion had a huge impact on me.

Soil Types

• Experiment with different soils to determine which types will best resist erosion. Place two pounds each of potting soil, sand, clay, and soil from your yard into four separate pans. Prop one end of the potting soil pan on a board. Place the other end in an empty dish. Pour three cups of water into a watering can and sprinkle the water over the soil from the top edge of the pan. Observe what happens. Measure and dump the water gathered in the dish into a clear jar. The darker this water is, the more soil has run off. Repeat this experiment for each soil type. Compare the amount of water collected and the soil present in each dish to draw your conclusions about which soil type withstands erosion best.

Read more: Soil Erosion Experiments | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8219640_soil-erosion-experiments.html#ixzz22sKtXT1I

http://library.thinkquest.org/J003195F/newpage6.htm

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Materials:
    1. a few books
    2. two shallow pans
    3. a deeper pan
    4. soil
    5. soil with grass growing in it
    6. water in a container

Step 1: Gather all your materials listed above. Then prop up the end of the shallow pan on the books. Put the other end of the shallow pan in the deeper pan. Fill the shallow pan with soil up to the rim.
Step 2: Carefully pour the water from the top end of the pan, and let it flow down.
      Did you notice anything? The soil should have been carried from the shallow pan down to the deeper pan. That is how erosion works. The water carries away
       the soil and soon it settles in the water.
Step 3: Take your other shallow pan. Put the soil with plants in it and put it where your other shallow pan was.
Step 4: Pour the water from the top of the pan, as you did before.
       Did you notice anything? The plants and grass helped keep the soil in place

30 Beautiful Trophy Stands for $50

In "This Old House"-style, Grove Rasmusson (Cubmaster) teaches us and shows us exactly how he makes 30 impressive Pinewood Derby trophies, each costing just over $1.50, depending on your available resources. In his own words:

     "Each year I make the awards for the Pinewood derby. The top piece is 5"x 1-1/4". The Middle piece is 5-3/4" high and the Bottom piece is 8" long. The whole thing costs about $50 depending on what you have around the house. 15 minutes long? I know, but I was pretty thorough! :)" Yes, the video is 15 minutes long, and it certainly is thorough. It makes it easy to craft a trophy worthy of displaying the cubs hard work for a lifetime. Click on the Cubmaster's name in the first paragraph to watch this video.

If you involve your den in making these, it can pass off:
Wolf 5 TOOLS FOR FIXING AND BUILDING
Bear 21 BUILD A MODEL  b. build a display for one of your models.
Webelos CRAFTSMAN  (technology) 1. Safe handling of tools. 2. Construct 2 different wooden objects. 3. Make a display stand to be used to display a model.

Worst Case Scenario (Bears Achievement 11)

Clever game to help Bears pass off Achievement 11: Be Ready.  Found at strongarmor.blogspot.com.

This is based off the game from the store, but I made up cards that address the "Be Ready" requirements in the Bear Book for Achievement 11. The correct answers are in bold on the cards and there can be more than one right answer. We used the actual playing pieces, die and game board from the real "Worst Case Scenario Survival Game" but you could make your own simple board.

To play, before you read the card, have the person whose turn it is roll the die. Someone then reads that person the information on the card. If the person guesses the right answer(s) they get to move ahead however many spaces they rolled on the die. Take turns with however many players you have or you can make two team to make it simple.  Click GAME CARDS for the questions.

I could not print the cards large enough and clear enough to read, so I retyped Strong Armor's game questions, which you can download and print from HERE. Have the kids roll a die to determine how many spaces to move when they've answered the question (with hints and help, if necessary).  Use any game board and markers, or draw one up yourself.  Just read the questions in order.

Game for Bear Achievement 4: Tall Tales

This is a Tall Tales Bingo Game that Tomi Ann Hill developed to help pass off Bear Achievement 4: Tall Tales.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Print out the game cards on cardstock (from HERE).  Make sure you choose your printers "shrink to fit" option so the edges don't get cut off.  The last page has just the icons so you can cut them out and put them in a bowl, then draw them out at random.  Give each scout a card (there are 8 different cards in this set) and some kind of markers.  We used goldfish crackers.  As you draw the cards out of the bowl, tell the boys the basic story (as found in the handbook) and let them figure out which name goes with it.  Each card has all the stories on it, so eventually everyone will get a blackout.  We had a little treat for the first 3 boys to get Bingo.

Den Meeting Ceremonies

Surprise! Ceremonies aren't just for pack meetings!

Most of the time, a ceremony during den meeting should be so simple and quick, ('tho dramatically presented) that there is no memorizing, just doing.  5 - 10 seconds. is all it takes to get these boys smiling ear to ear.

Ceremonies To Do in the DEN

How to Fold a USA Flag

While you can find ceremonies that give a meaning to each fold, they are just cool ceremonies.  There is nothing official about the meaning of each fold ... officially, they are just folds.

This is not the only way to store a flag.  You may fold it up into a rectangle, cover it so it will not get soiled, and store it flat (or upright, if it is held firmly in a box).  If it's on a pole, you may wrap it around the pole and secure it with rubber bands or ties and store it upright, leaning against a wall in a closet.

Never salute a flag that is furled (folded, wrapped, or gathered against the pole to keep it from touching the ground).

Please keep in mind:  When displayed, the flag should fall naturally and freely.  It should never touch anything beneath it (like a table or floor), should never be draped (like over chairs or boxes or tables), and should never carry anything or have anything placed on top of it.

Stop the Spread of Germs

Value of Hand Washing

Wolf 3: Taking Care Of Your Body (Bear  9: In the Kitchen)

Let kids discover for themselves how effective their hand-washing habits are in keeping germs from spreading. Here is a 55-min hand-washing experiment for kids. I found Glogerm to be the best price of the germ-glowing agents ($5.50 for 25 applications in a 2 oz bottle) and have included it's link here.

Mini Gel - 2 ounce Code: MG2O Price: $5.50

My Favorite Bike Rodeo

Here is a thorough bike rodeo plan. This article (bike rodeo) explains different situations that children ought to practice, because they are dangerous situations children face every day. Whether your pack does a thorough rodeo as described or just a short one for mostly fun, I think it's well worth reading over this article once before planning your own.

Den Meetings for One Pack-Combined Den

Is your pack small enough that you need to combine all dens (Tiger/Wolf/Bear/Webelos) into ONE COMBINED DEN?  Scouting.com has made available two years' worth of Alternative Cub Scout Lesson Plans with you in mind:  Year A and Year B.

Scout Law Song & Other Ideas to Teach the Scout Law

According to the BSA, we are NOT to implement any part of the new cub scout program until the new cub scout program has been officially launched, May 2015.  This includes teaching and reciting the Scout Law and Oath. 

Having said that, and supporting that policy 100%, I have worried about how to teach these long recitations to my young cubs.  Not to worry, I can prepare to know it myself and get ready to teach the cubs in summer of 2015 with the following ideas:

HERE FROM SCOUTINGMAGAZINE.ORG are some ways to teach Cubs the Scout Law, worth checking out!

I like this catch song; a pleasant way to become familiar with the Scout Law:

"A Scout Is"  

CHORUS:
It doesn't say "could be",
It doesn't say "would be",
It doesn't say "might be",
It doesn't say "someday will be",
It doesn't say "shall be",
It doesn't mean "maybe",
  But notice that it says "A Scout IS"!

A scout is TRUSTWORTHY; a scout always tells the truth.
A scout is LOYAL; to his family, friends, and nation he is true.
A scout is HELPFUL; he helps his neighbors without pay.
A scout is FRIENDLY; to everyone along his way.

A scout is COURTEOUS; a scout is polite to all.
A scout is KIND; he'll help you up when you fall.
A scout is OBEDIENT; he follows rules willingly.
A scout is CHEERFUL; he does his labor cheerfully.

A scout is THRIFTY; a scout will work to pay his way.
A scout is BRAVE; he'll face the danger tho' he's afraid.
A scout is CLEAN; he keeps his mind and body clean.
A scout is REVERENT; he follows God faithfully.

Belt Loop Tracking Sheet

Above is a sample tracking sheet to be able to keep track of where each boy is on requirements towards each academic belt loop.  There are links below to print one for the Academic belt loops, and another for the Sports belt loops.  They are meant to be printed back to back.  I like to do it on cardstock, and I print one for each boy to be kept in my leader binder next to their tracking sheet for Wolf, Bear, or Webelos.  Then I have information on each boy.  It helps to do it this way if you do one requirement one week and a different one other weeks.  Not every boy is there every week.  By doing this, I can always know where each boy is at, and it is all in one place.

• To print the Academic Belt Loops tracking sheet, click HERE
• To print the Sports Belt Loops tracking sheet, click HERE
• To print the 4 page document that shows the requirements for each belt loop,click HERE

If they enjoyed what they've learned and experienced with any of the belt loops, they can go on to become "experts" in that sport or academic and earn their Sports or Academic Pin. 

Bear Musts With Family

Certain BEAR Cub Scout requirements need to be done at home with the family.  Here is a list to give parents of things they do at home with their Cub Scout.  There are certain things in the book that a Cub Scout Leader can not do with their scouts, and it gives parents a place to start when they want to help their son pass off some requirements. Click on the picture above for a printable format.

1 Doc = Cub Meeting Plans + Faith In God

Connecting Faith in God for Boys and Cub Scout requirements. (click HERE)

Connecting Faith in God for Boys and the plans from your Den and Pack Resource Manual (click HERE)