Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Cub Scout Camping

Since 1930, the BSA has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting.  Cub Scouting (including Tiger Cubs) is a year-round family oriented part of the BSA program designed for boys who are in first through fifth grades (or are 7, 8, 9 and 10 years old).  Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the 10 purposes of Cub Scouting:
  • Character development
  • Spiritual growth
  • Good citizenship
  • Sportsmanship and fitness
  • Family understanding
  • Respectful relationships
  • Personal achievement
  • Friendly service
  • Fun and adventure
  • Preparation for Boy Scouts

Philosophy of Scout Camping 

A common thread of purpose and method runs through every part of the Scout camping program.  Our aim is to clearly define that thread in each part of our camping program so that the purposes of Scouting will be made clear and the common methods that are followed will unify our units as teams dedicated to the highest ideals of camping and service.

Organized camping is a creative, educational experience in cooperative group living in the outdoors.  It uses the natural surroundings to contribute significantly to physical, mental, spiritual, and social growth.
  • Camping contributes to good health through supervised activity, sufficient rest, good fun, and wholesome companionship.
  • Camping helps develop self-reliance and resourcefulness by providing learning experiences in which campers acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes essential to their well-being.
  • Camping enhances spiritual growth by helping campers recognize and appreciate nature and the handiwork of God in nature.
  • Camping contributes to social development by providing experiences in which campers learn to deal practically and effectively with living situations.
  • Camping is an experience in citizenship training, providing campers with the medium for democratic participation in making decisions, planning, and carrying out activities at their own level, while improving understanding within the family.
  • Camping at the Cub Scout level introduces boys to and helps them develop skills to be applied and learned more thoroughly as a Boy Scout.


Character Development

Since its origin, the program of the Boy Scouts of America has been an educational experience concerned with values.  In 1910, the first Scouting activities were designed to build character, physical fitness, practical skills, and service.  These elements were a part of the original Cub Scout program and continue to be part of Cub Scouting today.

Just as character development should extend into every aspect of a boy's life, so character development should extend into every aspect of Cub Scouting.  Cub Scout leaders should strive to use Cub Scouting's 12 core values throughout all elements of the program, including resident camp.


Cub Scouting's 12 Core Values

Citizenship

Compassion

Cooperation

Courage

Faith

Health and fitness

Honesty

Perseverance

Positive attitude

Resourcefulness

Respect

Responsibility

Leave No Trace Guidelines for Cub Scouts


 
 
As more people use parks and recreation facilities, LEAVE NO TRACE® guidelines become even more important for outdoor visitors.
Leave No Trace is a plan that helps people to be more concerned about their environment and to help them protect it for future generations. Leave No Trace applies in a backyard or local park (frontcountry) as much as it does in the wilderness (backcountry).
We should practice Leave No Trace in our attitude and actions--wherever we go. Understanding nature strengthens our respect toward the environment. One person with thoughtless behavior or one shortcut on a trail can spoil the outdoor experience for others.
Help protect the environment by remembering that while you are there, you are a visitor. When you visit the outdoors, take special care of the area. Leave everything just as you find it.
Hiking and camping without a trace are signs of a considerate outdoorsman who cares for the environment. Travel lightly on the land.

Watch for hazards and follow all the rules of the park or outdoor facility. Remember proper clothing, sunscreen, hats, first aid kits, and plenty of drinking water. Use the buddy system. Make sure you carry your family's name, phone number, and address.
Stay on marked trails whenever possible. Short-cutting trails causes the soil to wear away or to be packed, which eventually kills trees and other vegetation. Trampled wildflowers and vegetation take years to recover. Stick to trails!
Managing your pet will keep people, dogs, livestock, and wildlife from feeling threatened. Make sure your pet is on a leash or controlled at all times. Do not let your pet approach or chase wildlife. When animals are chased or disturbed, they change eating patterns and use more energy that may result in poor health or death.
Take care of your pet's waste. Take a small shovel or scoop and a pick-up bag to pick up your pet's waste— wherever it's left. Place the waste bags in a trash can for disposal.
When visiting any outdoor area, try to leave it the same as you find it. The less impact we each make, the longer we will enjoy what we have. Even picking flowers denies others the opportunity to see them and reduces seeds, which means fewer plants next year.
Use established restrooms. Graffiti and vandalism have no place anywhere, and they spoil the experience for others. Leave your mark by doing an approved conservation project.
Expect to meet other visitors. Be courteous and make room for others. Control your speed when biking or running. Pass with care and let others know before you pass. Avoid disturbing others by making noise or playing loud music.
Respect "No Trespassing" signs. If property boundaries are unclear, do not enter the area.
Make sure all trash is put in a bag or trash receptacle. Trash is unsightly and ruins everyone's outdoor experience. Your trash can kill wildlife. Even materials, such as orange peels, apple cores and food scraps, take years to break down and may attract unwanted pests that could become a problem.


1.      Discuss with your den's Cub Scouts or your pack's leaders the importance of the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines.
 
2.    On three separate outings demonstrate and practice the frontcountry guidelines of Leave No Trace.
 
3.    Participate in presenting a den, pack, district, or council awareness session on Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines.
 
4.    Participate in a Leave No Trace-related service project.
 
5.    Commit yourself to the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines by signing the Cub Scout Leave No Trace Pledge.
 
6.    Assist at least three boys in earning Cub Scouting's Leave No Trace Awareness Award.
 
Patches (catalog number 08797) are available through your local council.

You can take the pledge to practice the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines wherever you go. Just review the guidelines and promise to practice them in your frontcountry outings.
I promise to practice the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines wherever I go:
1.       Plan ahead.
2.       Stick to trails.
3.       Manage your pet.
4.       Leave what you find.
5.       Respect other visitors.
6.       Trash your trash.
Leave No Trace Award Application :
http://www.scouting.org/filestore/cubscouts/pdf/512-012_wb.pdf

Handyman Events


Nail Driving
Items Needed:
  • Sawhorse
  • Hammer (If using more than one, they must be identical; 10-ounce is suggested.)
  • 16-penny common nails (approximately 12 per pound)
  • 2-by-4-inch board (nailed to sawhorse
  • Safety glasses
  • Colored marker and a watch
Procedure:
The adult supervising this event starts about six nails into the two-by-four nailed to the sawhorse.  The Cub Scout is given the command to start and has to drive in one nail completely.  If it bends, he can move on to another one, and so on, until he nails one in or reaches the maximum time of 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.
Safety Notes:
  1. Adults work with one Cub Scout at a time.
  2. The Cub Scout must
    • keep both hands on the hammer, or
    • keep one hand on the hammer and the other hand behind his back, and
    • wear safety glasses

Handsawing
Items Needed:
  • A vise bolted to a 1-by-6-inch board, 12 inches long
  • Two "C" clamps (to clamp the vise to a heavy table)
  • Sufficient quantity of 3/4-by-1-inch wood to be cut (approximately2 inches to cut off plus 12 inches to be held by the vise)
  • Handsaw
  • Safety glasses
  • Colored marker and a watch
Procedure:
Leave a few inches of wood protruding from the side of the vise.  Give the Cub Scout the command to start, and time him as he cuts completely through the wood.  Maximum time is 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.
Safety Notes:
  1. The adult might have to sit on the table or rest a foot on it while the Cub Scout is sawing to limit movement.
  2. The Cub Scout keeps either
    • both hands on the saw, or
    • one had on the saw and the other hand behind his back (saws tend to bind and jump out of the saw kerf.)

Drilling
Items Needed:
  • Drilling brace and bit (3/4-inch bit suggested)
  • Piece of 1/4-inch plywood, approximately 2 by 3 feet
  • Backer board of 3/4-inch plywood, approximately 2 by 3 feet (backer board is placed under 1/4-inch plywood to protect damage to bit)
  • Safety glasses 
  • Colored marker and a watch
Procedure:
Place 1/4-inch plywood on 3/4-inch plywood, which is set on floor.  Give the Cub Scout the command to start.  He must drill only one hole through the 1/4-inch plywood.  (The 1/4-inch plywood will lift up approximately 1 to 2 inches when the bit is through.)  He is timed until completely finished. Maximum time is 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.
Safety Notes:
An adult must advise the Cub Scout to stabilize the boards and himself with his foot or feet if he desires.

Shingle Pulling
Items Needed:
  • Plastic sled
  • Bundle shingles (approximately 40 pounds weight)
  • Rope approximately 10 feet long to pull sled
  • Colored marker
  • Watch
Procedure:
The adult supervising this event marks off a specific course.  (A straight line of about 15 feet is a good distance.)  The Cub Scout receives the command to start and must pull the weighted sled from start to finish as fast as possible.  If the sled dumps shingles, the Cub Scout must replace them in the sled and continue to the finish line. Maximum time is 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.
Safety Notes:
  1. Keep away from downhill runs.
  2. Watch for a fallen boy getting hit by a runaway sled.
Nuts-Bolts-Washers
Items Needed:
  • Five different sizes of nuts, bolts, and washers
  • Board, drilled to accept bolts (attach a bolt to the board with one of the nuts)
  • Colored marker
  • Watch
Procedure:
Place the board on a table (or on the floor).  (Washers and nuts should be placed in line, but randomly, on the board and their shape outlined with a colored marker so that every Cub Scout starts with items placed in the same location.)  When the Cub Scout is given the command to start, he must first place the washers on the appropriate bolts.  Next he must put the proper nuts on the bolts and start threading.  It is not necessary to thread very far, but nuts must not be just set on.  The Cub Scout is timed until finished or until he reaches the maximum time is 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.

Light the Match
Items Needed:
  • Stool, board, or log with many holes
  • Hatchet
  • Wooden matches (approximately three per Cub Scout plus extras0
  • Safety glasses
  • Colored marker and a watch
Procedure:
The adult places about 12 matches in various holes in top of the stool.  When the Cub Scout receives the command to start, he must light an one match in a chop-type motion with the hatchet.  If he breaks one or decides one won't light, he moves to another until he lights one or until reaches the maximum time of 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds).  The adult marks the boy's time in seconds on his score sheet with a specific colored marker and initials it.  The Cub Scout takes back his sheet, moves to the next event of his choice, and presents his sheet to that event.
Safety Notes:
  1. Adult works with one Cub Scout at a time.
  2. The Cub Scout must keep both hands on the hatchet or he is disqualified. Safety glasses must be worn.
  3. The hatchet must not be swung.  It is used only in a slight chopping motion.


Scoring and Awards
After the Cub Scout finishes all six events, he turns in his score sheet, with all events scored by an adult.  (Be sure he has his name on the sheet.)  Adults add up the total time used.  The winner overall is the Cub Scout who used the least amount of time.  Winners can be decided for each event, or you can just have overall winners.  Scouting can also be by age groups 7-8-9, and 10-11.  If you determine three winners in each event from the different age groups, one in each event for all ages groups, plus an overall winner, you can have 25 different winners.
The entire procedure goes quickly, as boys can select or be directed to events that are not over-crowded.  Each Cub Scout must complete each event.  (Otherwise, the Cub Scout receives the maximum time allowed.)  Scouring can be done as Cub Scouts finish, so the total results will be known about five minutes after the conclusion of all events.  The event can take place indoors or outdoors.  Prizes should be in the Handyman theme.  Some suggestions include:
  • Flashlight
  • Tape measure
  • Screwdriver
  • Ruler or yardstick
  • Certificate

Scoring and Awards
An additional event to keep Cub Scouts and family members busy before or after the competition is guessing the number of nails in a large pickle jar (about 1/2 gallon).  Any person so desiring can fill out one guess slip on the number of nails in the jar.  One adult counts and records the quantity on paper and attaches it to the lid inside the jar before the event.  Guess slips can be given out to all at the same time as score sheets are given to the Cub Scouts.  Use a coffee can with a slot in its plastic lid to contain guesses.  Items needed include:
  • Guess sheet
  • Pencils to record guesses
  • Coffee can
  • Jar
  • Nails
  • Tables and chairs (optional)
  • Prizes (optional)
How about other games, such as
  1. Guessing the distance in inches between points
  2. Guessing the size of a nail: 6-penny? 10-penny?
  3. Showing a chart of screws and determining which has a round, flat, or oval head
  4. Identifying tools




Hiking

Hiking

Hiking is a terrific way to keep your body and mind in top shape, both now and for a lifetime.  Walking packs power into your legs and makes your heart and lungs healthy and strong.  Exploring the outdoors challenges you with discoveries and new ideas.  Your senses will improve as you use your eyes and ears to gather information along the way.
Hikes can become more meaningful to Cub Scouts if they hike with a specific purpose in mind.  Following are a few suggestions for memorable hikes.  Remind boys that they are observing nature - not disturbing it; for instance, if they touch a baby animal or its home, the parents may abandon it.
Home Hike  - Look for homes of different insects and animals, such as spider webs, nests, holes, and cocoons.
Tracks or Signs - Look for any signs that animals have been in the area.
Baby Hike - Gather or list all babies seen (birds, ferns, leaves, snails, etc.)
String Hike - Follow a string along the trail.  Scattered along the way are objects to identify.
Mud Puddle Hike - As long as boys have proper rain gear if needed, go ahead and hike in wet weather.  Note how animals and insects take cover.
Color Hike - List all objects of a selected color - who can find the most?
Snoop Hike - Explore, be aware, notice unusual things, be snoopy.  Look for both natural and manmade things.  Pick up litter.
Craft Hike - Hike to gather specific nature items to use in crafts projects.
Listening Hike - Hike quietly and listen for the sounds of nature - wind, rustling leaves, birds, crickets, etc.


Academics and Sports Program
The Academics and Sports program gives Cub Scouts extra recognition activities to earn. In Academics subjects and Sports, Cub Scouts learn new skills, become better scholars, learn sportsmanship, and have fun. You can get to know a sport or an academic subject that's new to you --maybe astronomy, chess, computers, science; golf, hiking, tennis, or skateboarding to name a few in the program.
Belt loops and pins are a great way to help fulfill the aims of Scouting—build character, develop citizenship, and encourage mental and physical fitness.  Through a variety of subjects, you can stretch your mind and abilities by exploring the wonders of science, learning about the world, and expanding skills in new areas.
This is a chance to try something new, do your best, and earn recognition all at the same time.



Hiking Belt Loop and Pin
Requirements

Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. Tiger Cubs must work with their parents or adult partners. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:
 
  1. Explain the hiking safety rules to your den leader or adult partner. Practice these rules while on a hike.
     
    • Hiking Safety
    • Always tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
    • Never hike alone or at night; use the buddy system.
    • Dress properly for the weather and environment.
    • Wear sun and insect protection
    • Take an extra pair of socks in case you need to change.
    • Obey traffic signs and signals.
    • Avoid hiking along roadways.
    • Stay on the trail.
    • Be alert to your surroundings.
    • Don't litter as you hike.
    • Be alert to dangerous animals, insects, and plants. Never touch a wild animal.
    • Take 1 pint of water for each hour you will be hiking. Never drink untreated water.
    • Understand how "The Sweet Sixteen of BSA Safety" would apply to the hiking situation.
       
  1. Demonstrate proper hiking attire and equipment.
  2. Hike at least 30 minutes with your adult partner, family, or den.
Sports Pin

Earn the Hiking belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
 
1.    Make a chart and record at least five hours of hiking.
2.    Help plan a den, pack, or family hike.
3.    Earn Cub Scouting’s Leave No Trace Awareness Award.
4.    Earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award.
5.    Learn seven trail signs and tell your den leader or adult partner what they are.
6.    Be able to identify five different trees and five different birds on your hike. (These can be of the same species if multiple species are hard to find.)
7.    Using pictures or photographs, identify three poisonous plants. (Examples are poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak; oleander, etc.). Watch for these plants while on a hike.
8.    Take two different hikes for different purposes, for example, a nature hike, neighborhood hike, historical hike, city hike, stop-look-and-listen hike, and so on.
9.    Explain to your den leader or adult partner what a compass is and show how to use one on a hike.
10. Explain to your den leader or adult partner what a global positioning system is and demonstrate how to use one on a hike.
11. With visuals such as pictures or maps, report about one of your hikes to your den. Tell about how you prepared for your hike, who went with you, and what you saw.

Games - Part II

Blob
The blob begins innocently enough as a mere game of tag.  As soon as a boy catches someone, they join hands.  Now the second boy is part of the blob, and they set out, hand-in-hand, in search of victims.  Everyone the blob catches (only the outside hand on either end of the blob can snatch players) joins hands with it and becomes part of the lengthening protoplasmic chain.  An so the insidious blob keeps growing.
Unlike your run-of-the-mill mad scientist-created blobs, this one is not content merely to ooze along, seeking its prey.  It gallops around the field, cornering stray runners and forcing them to join up.  (You'll have to agree on boundaries for this game; some people will go to any lengths to avoid being caught.)
Moreover (horrors!), the blob can split itself into parts and, with its superior communal intelligence, organize raiding parties on the lone few who have managed to escape.  The thrilling climax occurs when only one player is left to put up a heroic last-ditch stand on behalf of humanity.  But alas, there is no defense against the blob, and humanity succumbs.  (If that seems unfair, well, that's the plot.)
If time permits, you can have the last person caught start the blob for the next game.
Caterpillar
Get everyone lying on their stomachs, side-to-side.  Be sure you're packed closely together and have any little people squeeze between two big ones.  Now, have the person the end of the line roll over onto his neighbor and keep rolling down the corduroy road of bodies.  When he gets to the end of the line, he lies on his stomach, and the next person at the other end starts rolling.
Once the momentum is going, there'll be no stopping the human caterpillar as it advances over meadows and hills.  How about assembling two caterpillars for a cross-country race?
Hunter Hawser
This game is sure to prove that "the bigger they are, the harder they fall."  If you like one-on-one competition, here it is - along with a real surprise as to what can knock you off your pedestal.
Pedestals are about 6 inches high and small enough so that players can't move their feet without losing balance.  (A good mount might be a block of wood or plastic foam, a tree stump, or an overturned cooking, flower, or chimney pot.)
Players hunker down on their platforms, which are set about 6 feet apart, each holding one end of a rope about 1 inch in diameter and at least 15 feet long.  The excess rope lies coiled between the players - but not for long.
On a signal, the players begin reeling the ropes.  The object is to cause your opponent to lose balance by tightening or slackening the rope.  Sound simple?  "oh, I'll just give a good pull and . . ."  Suddenly your opponent relaxes his hold, and over you go in a spectacular backward somersault - defeated by your own energy.  In fact, the more aggressive you become, the more vulnerable you are.  The whole idea of how to win becomes a topsy-turvy in this game as the pot on which you're standing.
Knots
Knots is a game that gets people together by pulling them apart.  About a dozen players can "tie on" a good one.
To form the knot, stand in a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder, and place your hands in the center.  Now, everyone grabs a couple of hands.  If you ever want to get out of this, be sure that no one holds both hands with the same person or holds the hand of a person right next to him.  It might take a bit of switching around to get the knot tied correctly.  (If you have too much trouble tying the knot, you might want to quit before you try untying it!)
Now comes the true test.  You'll probably notice that there are two basic approaches to untangling the knot.  Some dive right into the problem - under, over, and through their teammates - hoping they'll hit upon the solution.  Others might well hit upon the solution firmly rooted, hands locked in a dignified tableau, carefully surveying the situation before instructing each player precisely where to move and in what order.
Because you're all in the same tangle together, you'll have to come to some agreement as to which approach to follow.  (Note:  Pivoting on your handholds without actually breaking your grip will make it smoother and eliminate the need for a chiropractor.)  When at last the knot is unraveled (hurrah!), you will find yourselves in one large circle or, occasionally, two interconnecting ones.
Every once in a while, someone will discover the one tangle that prevents the knot from resolving itself.  At this pint, no other remedy being possible, it may be necessary to administer emergency "knot-aid" (a momentary break in hands) so that you can get on to the next game.

Cub Scout Games - Part 1





Three-Legged Soccer
Set up for a regular game of soccer:  teams, goals, boundaries, etc.  You might want to make the field a bit smaller, though, and have about 20 players on each side.  The only modification to regular soccer rules is that the players on each team must pair up and tie their ankles together in three-legged race fashion.  Players can kick the ball with either their free feet or the "big foot".
The goalie might be two people tied back-to back at the waist.
To add another dash of random craziness, use a rubber football from a variety store.  Why not have two balls - one for each team - going simultaneously?  Three teams?  One goal in the center?  Try anything!
Catch the Dragon's Tail
It's one thing when a puppy chases its tail - and quite another when a dragon tries it.  The difference you'll find in these "tails" is more than just size.
You'll need a good-sized area for this game, clear of holes in the ground and trees.  About eight to ten people line up, one behind the other.  Everyone puts his arms around the waist of the person in front of them.  (You can't be ticklish around dragons.)  The last person in the line tucks a handkerchief in the back of his belt.  To work up steam, the dragon might let out a few roars.
On a signal, the dragon begins chasing its own tail, the object being for the person at the head of the line to snatch the handkerchief.  The tricky part of this struggle is that the people at the front and the people at the end are clearly competing - but the folks in the middle aren't sure which way to go.  When the head finally captures the tail, who's defeated and who's the victor?  Everyone!  The head dons the handkerchief and becomes the new tail, and the second from the front becomes the new head.
Two dragons trying to catch each other's tails can be formidable - and also a great game.  How about a whole field full of tail chasing dragons?
Standup
Sit on the ground, back-to-back with a partner, knees bent and elbows linked.  Now, simply stand-up together.  With a bit of cooperation and practice, this shouldn't be to hard.
After you have this mastered, add a third person.  Have him join you on the ground, and all three of you try to stand up.  Now, add a forth person.  Four people standing up together might be a tremendous accomplishment.
By this time, you should realize that there's more struggling, stumbling, and giggling each time you add another person.  This game guarantees lots of spectators ready to join in the fun and help you get off the ground.
A gracefully executed mass standup (any number greater than five) is like a blossoming flower - but a more rare event.  To achieve it, start by sitting close and firmly packed.  The all stand up quickly and at precisely the same time.
Standoff
This one-on-one battle for balance can be played almost anywhere and anytime, and the only equipment need is you!  To play the game, two players stand face-to-face on a level surface at arm's length.  (If one player's arms are shorter or longer than the other's, split the difference.)  Each player's feet must be side-by-side, together.  The players present their hands with palms facing their partners.  The object of Standoff is to cause your partner to lose balance, making contact with your hands only.
If your partner moves one or both feet while you retain your stance, you get one point.  If he lunges forward and wraps himself around you in an impromptu "abrazzo", that's also a point for you.  If both of you lose balance, no one gets a point.  The game is won by the player who scores two out of three points.
It is permissible to dodge and feint with your hands, but at no time during the game may players make contact with any part of their partner's body other than the hands.  If such contact is made, no penalties are imposed, but the offending player should reflect upon the real point of the game.
Another version of standoff is inspired by the graceful martial art of Aikido.  The players start with their palms together and keep them in contact through each round.  The object is still to make your partner lose balance, but sudden moves are not permissible.  Played this way, the game becomes a beautiful slow-motion act that looks far more like a dance than a contest.
Note:  A long session of standoff can make your arms sore and leaden.  Remember, you can always stop playing.

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award


Tiger Cubs, Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts have the opportunity to earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award. Boys may earn the award in each of the program years as long as the requirements are completed each year. The first time the award is earned, the boy will receive the pocket flap award, which is to be worn on the right pocket flap of the uniform shirt. Each successive time the award is earned, a wolf track pin may be added to the flap. Leaders should encourage boys to build on skills and experiences from previous years when working on the award for a successive year.

Requirements


All Ranks

Attend Cub Scout day camp or Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camp.

Rank-Specific

Tiger Cubs
Complete one requirement in Achievement 5, "Let's Go Outdoors" (Tiger Cub Handbook) and complete three of the outdoor activities listed below.
Wolf Cub Scouts
Assemble the "Six Essentials for Going Outdoors" (Wolf Handbook, Elective 23b) and discuss their purpose, and complete four of the outdoor activities listed below.
Bear Cub Scouts
Earn the Cub Scout Leave No Trace Award (Bear Handbook, Elective 25h) and compete five of the outdoor activities listed below.
Webelos Scouts
Earn the Outdoorsman Activity Badge (Webelos Handbook) and complete six of the outdoor activities listed below.

Outdoor Activities



With your den, pack, or family:
  1. Participate in a nature hike in your local area. This can be on an organized, marked trail, or just a hike to observe nature in your area.
  2. Participate in an outdoor activity such as a picnic or park fun day.
  3. Explain the buddy system and tell what to do if lost. Explain the importance of cooperation.
  4. Attend a pack overnighter. Be responsible by being prepared for the event.
  5. Complete an outdoor service project in your community.
  6. Complete a nature/conservation project in your area. This project should involve improving, beautifying, or supporting natural habitats. Discuss how this project helped you to respect nature.
  7. Earn the Summertime Pack Award.
  8. Participate in a nature observation activity. Describe or illustrate and display your observations at a den or pack meeting.
  9. Participate in an outdoor aquatic activity. This can be an organized swim meet or just a den or pack swim.
  10. Participate in an outdoor campfire program. Perform in a skit, sing a song, or take part in a ceremony.
  11. Participate in an outdoor sporting event.
  12. Participate in an outdoor Scout's Own or other worship service.
  13. Explore a local city, county, state, or national park. Discuss with your den how a good citizen obeys the park rules.
The award requirements are detailed in the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award brochure, No. 13-228.