Citizenship Belt Loop and Pin

The Citizenship Belt Loop and Pin works nicely into the Wolf Den program.

To earn the Citizenship Belt Loop:

• Develop a list of things that you can at home (Wolf Requirement 4E)


• Make a poster of things that you can do to be a good citizen.


• Participate in a service related project. (Pack Food Drive, etc)

To earn the Citizenship Pin:

• Go with parents to vote (November)


• Participate in a parade (Pack activity)


• List ways that you can recycle (Wolf Requirement 7E)


• Conduct a home energy audit (Wolf Requirement 7F)


• Create a collage about America (American ABC's in Feb)

BSA Family Activities 7

This weeks BSA Family Activity is from Section 5 Handling Difficult Situations. The section that we are looking at is Loss of Loved Ones. Choose one for BSA Family credit.

From the BSA Family Workbook: The purpose is to help each family member cope with the pain and confusion of the death of a family member or loved one, and to understand that each person does not deal with grief in the same way.

• Plant a tree or perennial flower in memory of a deceased loved one. Wolf Elective 15B Plant and raise a flower bed, Beautification Scout Award


• Look through old family photographs. Look for pictures of relatives who have died and talk about them. How did they die? How old were they? How were they related to you? What do you remember about them? Heritage Pin


• Learn about Memorial Day. As a family, do an activity to commemorate Memorial Day. Flag Placement Ceremony

FLW Fishing Patch

We just received our FLW Master Angler Patch in the mail. My Wolf Cub was so excited. He can't wait to show it to his Grandfather (the one who took him fishing to earn his patch). Not only is this a fun patch to get and receive, but it also offers an extra bonus of opening up dialog for my Wolf Cub and his Grandfather. Every time he looks at his fishing patch he will remember the time spent "on the boat".

I would encourage you to work on the Master Angler Patch with your Cub Scout.
http://wolfden126.blogspot.com/search/label/Belt%20Loop%20Fishing for the qualifications. FLW has said that if they don't catch a fish that's ok. You can just provide a picture of them trying to fish. After all that's why it's called "Fishing" and not "Catching"!

Weather Belt Loop

The Weather Belt Loop is a very educational and fun Belt Loop for the boys. The three requirements are:

1. Draw a poster that shows and explains the water cycle. There is a great resource on the KidZone website http://www.kidzone.ws/WATER/index.html

2. Set up a simple weather station to record rainfall, temperature, air pressure, or evaporation for one week. Check out the Franklin Institutes web site http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/todo.html for instructions on how to make a weather journal, barometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, weather vane and compass.

3. Watch the weather forecast on your local news.

This was a fun activity for the boys and doing some of the experiments that are on these websites really helped demonstrate the water cycle.

Ice Skating

The great thing about belt loops is that they give your boys an opportunity to try something new. Today, we tried ice skating. I guess what I like best is that the way that the belt loop programs are designed, by the time they earn their belt loop, they have had enough practice to really determine if they like that activity.

Today we worked on the ice skating belt loop and Wolf Elective 20E (Ice Skating safety and skills). At first, my little Wolf Cub didn't care for ice skating, but then we met some boys the same age who wanted to teach my boys how to skate (young hockey players), and by the end of the 3 hour session, we were doing pretty good. So good infact, that they want to go back and do some more ice skating!

We got to see the Zamboni in action and learned what it did. One of our new little hockey player friends told us why the Zamboni was an important piece of equipment and why they have to resurface the ice. All in all, it was a great educational day disquised as fun!

Try something new with your boys this summer. Belt Loops are a great way to introduce new activities and areas of interest.

Osprey Back Pack Contest

Here's a fun little contest for your little hiker. You can win an Osprey Back Pack via a writing contest. The rules and regulations below are taken from the Osprey website.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/OspreyLifestyle/KidsEssayContest/

Osprey Packs Sprint Series Kid's Reading and Writing ContestOsprey is proud to offer our legendary custom fit in packs specifically designed for kids, the Sprint Series. We consider the opportunity to offer great packs to kids much more than a sale; it is an opportunity to foster stewardship of and passion for the wild places left on our planet. With our children's help we can truly save our natural environment for generations to come.

In that spirit, Osprey is seeking great writing that highlights kid's very best adventures with a pack and demonstrates an understanding of the Principles of Leave No Trace - a key component in preserving our wild places. We are a proud partner of Leave No Trace and you'll find their seven principles screened inside all our packs - including the Sprint Series.

READING GUIDELINES
First, visit the Leave No Trace website and read-up on the seven principles of Leave no Trace.http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php

WRITING GUIDELINES
You must be 6 -16 years of age to enter. NO GROWN-UPS! In 250-500 words, tell us about a place you have hiked or backpacked that was especially memorable for you. Why is it special to you? Did you have a special encounter with an animal? Mother Nature? Was the area threatened? Was it well taken care of? Last but NOT least, pick one of the Leave No Trace principles and tell us how you applied it to your adventure. You are also welcome (but not required) to include a photo of yourself.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I WIN?!
Essays will be judged by a panel of wild animals with guidance by your friends at Osprey. All winners will be featured on our website and may be published in future Osprey catalogs.

AHEM - WHAT DO I GET IF I WIN?!
Your choice of any one Osprey backpack from the following series:
Argon & Xenon Series - Backpacking, Men's and Women's Deluxe Custom Fit
Aether & Ariel Series - Backpacking, Men's and Women's Lightweight Custom Fit
Sprint Series - Backpacking, Kid's Deluxe Custom fit
Atmos & Aura Series - Backpacking, Men's and Women's Fit, Ventilated
Kestrel Series - Backpacking and Day Hiking, torso adjustable fit
Stratos Series - Backpacking and Day Hiking, Ventilated

That means you can outfit yourself with a brand new Sprint or if you already have one, get your parents out on the trail with a great fitting Osprey of their own. We'll also throw in a Sprint Series pack towel. Send your entry to sprintcontest@ospreypacks.com with the subject "Reading and Writing".

You'll be notified within 30 days if you are a winner. The contest is open until we get every kid out there hiking and leaving no trace!

Parent Pin Neckbands

One of the Moms in our Pack has one of these, and I just love them. They are great for putting your parent pins on. She wears it only for special occassions. One side is blue and gold for cub scouts and the other is olive and red for boy scouts. You can order them from http://www.mothers-pride.com/ Price is $5.50 each and $2.50 shipping. What a way to show your Cub Scout Pride!

Wolf Elective 10B

Elective 10B is make a musical instrament American Indians used. You can make a rainstick which is a musical instrament. The best way for kids to make a rainstick is to grab an empty Pringles can. Clean it out and fill it 3/4 of the way full with styrofoam peanuts. Then put 1/2-1 cup of uncooked rice in. Put the top on and viola you have a rainstick. Cover the can with construction paper and decorate.

Another variation on this is to use a paper towel roll. Seal both ends with tape. Use straight pins and push them in all over the roll. It takes approx 150-200 straight pins. Then ad rice. Tape over all of the pin heads so that they don't come out and get stepped on. Be sure to cover the outside with construction paper and decorate. Top it off with some yarn ties.

Traditional rainsticks are made from dried cactus and have cactus needles inserted inside the cactus stick. These child friendly rainsticks are a great way to introduce some of the traditions of the Native Americans.

BSA Family Activity 6

This weeks BSA Family Activity is Developing Personal Strengths. These activities come from the Trusting section. If you have chosen one activity from the Duty to God, doing one of these activities will finish the Developing Personal Strengths section.

From the BSA Family Workbook: The purpose of the Trusting activities is to help parents and children understand the importance of others being able to trust them, and discover ways to develop tustworthiness.

1. Set up a simple obsticle course (chairs, tables, boxes, etc.) Wolf Elective 18D. Explain that each child is going to walk through the course while wearing a blindfold. Walk with each child and give directions to guide him throught the course without bumping into anything. "Walk 2 steps forward, take 3 steps to the right." When everyone has finished the course ask "Why did you follow my directions as you went through the obsticle course?" Help children understand that is was because they trusted you. Discuss trust.

2. Play "find the object" game. Have a child leave the room while another family member hides an obeject somewhere in the room. The child come backs and tries to find the object. When the child gets close to it, the family hums, getting louder as the child gets closer, until the object is found. Give everyone a turn to find the object. At the end of the game, make the point that the person looking for the object trusted the people humming to be able to find the object quickly.

3. To illustrate the different ways that children can prove thier trustworthiness, discuss the following situations:

• What if Mom said that you could have one cookie from a whole plate of cookies, and then she left the room. How many would you take?


• What if your friends mom invited you to his surprise birthday party? Would you keep the secret from him? What would happen if you told him?


• What if a neighbor mistakenly gave you a $5 bill instead of a $1 bill as promised for a job you did. What would you do?


• What if a teacher gave you a note to take to the principal during recess, and on the way some friends stopped you and said "we want you on our team. Come and play with us now. We have to hury before recess is over." What would you do?


• What if you accidentally broke a dish and Mom asked "who did it"? What would you do?


• What if Dad gave you money for milk at lunch. You saw a candy machine and wanted to buy a candy bar instead. What would you do?


• What if Dad told you to stay out of his den while he was at work, but you needed to use his pencil sharpener. What would you do?

These are great activities on trusting. Choose one, to complete the Trusting section.

4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to all of our Wolf Den members! I know that you are all celebrating with family and friends with lots of activities planned. Here a few things that you can get Wolf Credit for and are probably already planning on doing them.

1. Watch Fireworks. BSA Family Award

2. With an Adult, help to plan, prepare and cook an outdoor meal. Wolf Requirement 8E

3. Help plan and hold a picnic with your family. Wolf Elective 18A

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

BSA Family Activity 5

This weeks BSA Family Activity is one I am sure you are all partaking in this weekend. This activity comes from the Learning Through Fun and Adventure section and is under the Being Patriotic activities. By choosing one of these activities and if you completed one of the Learning Through Fun and Adventure (Enjoying Family Fun) activities, then you will have satisfied the Learning Through Adventure Section of the BSA Family Award.

From the BSA Family Workbook: The Purpose of Being Patriotic is to to help family members recognize feelings of patriotism and encourage expression of those feelings.

1. Learn a Patriotic song. Wolf Elective 11A or 11B

2. Visit a National Park or Historic site.

3. Learn proper flag ettiquete. Display an American flag at your home on holidays. Wolf Requirement 2C

4. Celebrate a patriotic holiday such as the 4th of July and watch fireworks.

5. Research your family history and why they came to America. Heritage Belt Loop Requirement

6. Talk to someone from a different country and ask why they came to the United States. Language and Culture Belt Loop Requirement

7. Visit a military cemetary and place flags on graves. Flag Placement Ceremony (Memorial Day Pack activity)