WEBELOS

IDEAS FOR WEBELOS ACTIVITIES

Baltimore Area Council

«  Check out all the Pow Wow books for ideas. There are also a number of older Pow Wow books on www.macscouter.com.

«  Make it FUN!

«  Make sure there is a fun element to every outing. For example, after the boys have worked on Aquanaut have free swim time. If you do a service project, make sure you play a game afterwards.

«  Make up games for dry topics

«  Use outside community resources and the parents rather than you leading all of the meetings.

«  Make sure the boys are “doing” rather than “listening”.

«  Many of the Activity Badges will take two or more meetings to complete. They are intended to be done one a month.

«  Any boy who earns all twenty Activity Badges should receive a special recognition. You can create a “Twentier” certificate or maybe a “Heavy Shoulder” award if they do all 20 Activity Badges.

«  Get the boys involved in deciding which items they want to do for each Activity Badge.

«  Have the boys plan and present to the den (And Pack) some of the items from the Activity Badges.

«  The boys should read the complete text in their Webelos Books for each Activity Badge they earn. There is a lot of good information in the book.

«  Fitness and Citizen are required for the Webelos Badge.

«  Readyman and Outdoorsman are required for the Arrow of Light.

«  Webelos is an OUTDOOR PROGRAM!! 

«  Take Outdoor Webelos Leader Training (also known as OWL or WELOT, depending on your District) to learn how to put the outdoor in your program. It will give you lots of great ideas.

«  Take your den to Webelos Resident Camp in the summer. They can attend the summer after they get their Bear rank. Check the Area Scouter or the Council Calendar.

«  Most of the Leave No Trace Awareness Award can be earned while out and about doing the other Activity Badges.

AQUANAUT

PHYSICAL SKILLS GROUP

Baltimore Area Council

Most boys stall when it comes time to get wet in a bathtub. However, at the slightest hint of swimming or boating, be prepared to move to safety-out of the line of the stampede. The aquanaut badge will help Webelos Scouts learn to feel at home in the water while developing respect for the dangers that water holds.

Swimming is one of the best sports that a boy can be involved in. It is one of the few sports in which every muscle in the body is exercised. As Webelos leaders we have the responsibility to develop self-confidence in every boy in our Den. Through learning to swim, each boy will gain a sense of achievement, as well as gaining a skill that may save his life some day.

The Aquanaut requirements are simple. They represent the most important of all Webelos requirements because life depends on them. Swimming is one of the skills that once learned, lasts a lifetime and provides excellent exercise. Some of your boys may know how to swim and others will need help in learning how. Read the pages on this activity in the Webelos Scout Book, then get your boys into the water as often as possible.

To help your boys feel at home in the water, get them to play some water games. If they have any fear of water, obtain the advice of a swimming instructor. The familiarity with water will normally lead to greater proficiency in water sports which is the aim of the requirements for this badge.

The Aquanaut badge is designed for Webelos Scouts that are good swimmers. Any Webelos Scout that is not a good swimmer deserves special attention by someone who can teach beginners. Before attempting to do any games for this badge, it is important that all boys be aware of the safety rules regarding swimming and boating. They should swim in a well-supervised area with permission from their parents.

One of the main points of this badge is to teach safety rules. These rules will be found at every Scout waterfront. The rules may not particularly impress a Webelos Scout this year at the pool where he swims daily, but next year at summer camp, their value will become apparent to him.

To use swimming pools in the cooler, off-season months, check with local YMCAs, YWCAs, and community schools.

Aquanaut Den Activities

Even though Aquanaut implies wet, there are a number of Den activities that can be done in a home or yard, and several requirements that can be accomplished "dry." Of course most of Aquanaut will have to be done in a pool or lake setting, so you should plan on doing it during the summer months, possibly combining it with a Webelos family campout, or a pool party.

·         Basic water rescue methods REACH and THROW can be demonstrated in your own yard. Teach the boys all of the basic water rescue methods demonstrating REACH and THROW in your yard and ROW and GO later at a lake or pool.

·         Have an experienced boater, or member of the Red Cross explain the rules of small boat safely at an indoor Den meeting or show a film.

·         At the pool do the ROW and GO portions of basic water rescue? Best bet for the ROW is an inflatable raft. All underwater requirements are best left to the pool, because of underwater visibility and readily defined boundaries. If it is permissible, water volleyball is a very good game to play in a pool. Ball tag, on the other hand, should be avoided by Scouts because of the temptation to run and slip, as well as retrieving over the fence balls.

·         At a lake do ROW and GO portions of basic water rescue. You can use a beat here for ROW, and can more readily demonstrate row• at handling using a real rowboat and dock. You will have to set up a safe swimming area in a lake, using the safe swim defense. Boys should be rated in ability and given buddies of equal ability if possible.

·         Make a simple buddy board and have buddy tags for all the boys and insist that they be used each time they go swimming. Each boy is responsible for his buddy.

·         Have someone, perhaps a Den Chief who knows how; demonstrate the use of mask, fins, and snorkel. Have boys take turns using the equipment or have them use their own. Start off with the tins and show them the difference in speed with and without them. Have them practice seeing into water with masks and learning to breathe. Next, the boys try the snorkel in shallow water before venturing out into deep water. The instructor should know how to clear the snorkel and mask of water in case it gets inside while underwater.

Pack Meeting

Webelos Demonstrations: Demonstrate basic water rescue methods with props, demonstrate small boat safety with inflatable raft, rescue breathing on a practice dummy.

Aquanaut Games

Life Preserver Throws (use in the yard): Throw a weight attached to a rope. Points are awarded for both distance and accuracy

Rowboat Relay (pool only): Row or paddle across a pool, using an inflatable raft. The only rule is that the boy must be "on" the raft to make progress.

Pool Volleyball (pool only): Stretch a rope across the pool and play volleyball. Use a large beach ball, which slows the game down, allowing players more time to reach the ball.

Rowboat Slalom (lake only): Lay out a slalom course in knee to waist deep water, using homemade floats. The race can be run as a relay, or best time for each boy.

Bobbing for Apples (Pool): Surely you've tried this at Halloween, but it's much more fun in the pool. The only difference is that the boy must grab onto the apple from underneath the water.

Horse and Rider (pool): Pair the boys off. Have the larger boys be the horses and the smaller boys be the riders. While in the pool, the boys that are the riders try to push and pull the others off the backs of their "horses." This can be played in teams.

Field Trips

ü  Scuba demonstrations can be arranged at a local dive shops and outfitters.

ü  Attend a show featuring a Rescue and Recovery Unit.

Cub Scout Sports

Participation for Swimming For requirement 7, the Webelos Scout must earn the Swimming belt loop while he is a Webelos. If a boy has earned the belt loop earlier as a Wolf or Bear, he must earn it again as a Webelos to meet this requirement.

Basic Water Rescue Methods

Simple rescue procedures an adult can carry out or a boy can use to save a person in trouble when no one else is around. The order of methods to choose is:

Reach - Throw - Row - Go

1.       REACH with whatever is available or at hand. Stay onshore and reach out with a branch, a stick, or a pole. Then pull the victim to shore.

2.       THROW a line, a buoy. a floating object to provide support. Takeoff your shirt, kneel down, hold one sleeve and throw out the other sleeve. Or take off your pants and tie one leg to a sleeve if you need a longer "line^."

3.       ROW when the victim is further out, use a boat to save him. In a rowboat, approach the victim with the stern of the boat. In a canoe, pull up so that he can grasp the side. (Kneel in the canoe).

4.       GO if the first 3 steps can't be used as a last resort swim to the victim. Keeping your eyes on the victim, kick off your shoes and disrobe. Jump; do not dive, into the water. Carry your shirt or towel in your teeth. Keep your eyes on the victim. Swim out near enough to extend your towel or shirt to him and tow him in by it. If you have nothing to extend to him. approach him from behind and tow him to safety by his hair.

5.       Don't allow the victim to latch onto you. Don't attempt a rescue beyond your swimming ability.

Let's make every Webelos Scout a swimmer!

PREVENTING ACCIDENTAL
HOME POOL DROWNINGS

Circle Ten Council

1.       FORMULATE AN EMERGENCY PLAN - Base the plan on your home surrounding and then practice various emergency situations.

2.       PROVIDE ADEQUATE FENCING WITH A LATCHING GATE AROUND THE POOL AREA - Fence should be at least 5 feet. high with vertical or solid segments close enough so that children cannot climb over it.

3.       THE GATE SHOULD BE SECURELY LOCKED WHEN POOL IS NOT IN USE!

4.       AN ALARM SYSTEM IN THE POOL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED - Alarm sounds when someone falls in—remember to check the batteries on a regular basis.

5.       TAKE A COURSE IN CPR AND WORK ON IMPROVING YOUR AQUATIC SKILLS

6.       RESCUE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE VISIBLY DISPLAYED ON THE POOL DECK - Keep basic equipment in good condition

7.       POST EMERGENCY INSTRUCTIONS AND PHONE NUMBERS NEAR THE TELEPHONE - Be prepared when calling 911: Who? When? Where? How?  Have victim’s medical records handy if possible Know your family physician’s name and phone number Post parent’s work addresses and phone numbers

8.       APPOINT AN EMERGENCY COVER-DOWN PERSON TO CARE FOR OTHER CHILDREN (two deep leadership)

9.       REVIEW YOUR LIABILITY INSURANCE

GEOLOGIST

OUTDOOR GROUP

Baltimore Area Council

The Geologist activity badge is a fun and exciting time for the boys as they explore the outdoors for that perfect rock sample, explore what happens when you crush rocks or create a miniature volcano. The hands-on activities will encourage the boys to become budding rock hounds and explorers.

Make a Volcano

Materials: A small (one liter) plastic soda bottle, baking pan, dirt, one tablespoon baking soda, one cup of vinegar and red food coloring.

Place the soda bottle in the pan and shape dirt around the bottle to form the volcano, taking care not to get dirt near the bottle's opening.

Pour the tablespoon of baking soda into the bottle. Color the vinegar with the food coloring, pour into the bottle and watch what happens!

Baking soda reacting with the vinegar produces carbon dioxide gas. The gas builds up pressure and forces the liquid out of the top of the bottle, much like hot gases force the lava from a volcano.

Materials: A funnel, a large coffee can as tall as the funnel, and some plastic tubing about one yard long.

Directions:

Fill the can with water and set the funnel spout side up inside the can.

Place the end of the tubing under the rim of the funnel. Gently blow into the other end of the tubing. The air being blown into the funnel forces air bubbles up the stem of the funnel. As the air moves upward. it pushes water out the top.

Geysers are funnel-shaped cracks under the earth's surface. When water in the lower cracks is heated to boiling, bubbles of steam rise to the surface. The geyser erupts when the rising steam bubbles force out the water trapped in the top.

Make an Earthquake

Put mud into a disposable cake pan. Let it dry.

Now flex the pan at opposite sides.

The cracked, shifted, jagged and broken pieces are an example of plate tectonics or the premise behind the formation of the continents.

To demonstrate the strength of an earthquake, fold a full sheet of newspaper seven or eight times. Now try to tear the newspaper apart. It doesn't take much effort to tear one sheet (or one layer of earth), but it takes a tremendous force to tear several layers.

Make Your Own Fossils

The shells and bones of many prehistoric animals have been preserved as casts and molds. To make your own fossil, you will need a small cardboard box, some clay, plaster and a small clam or other seashell.

First cover the bottom of the cardboard box with the modeling clay to the depth of one inch. The clay represents the soft mud found on the ancient sea floor.

Now press the shell firmly into the clay. Lift the shell out carefully so that a clear imprint remains. You now have produced the mold. Next, mix a small amount of plaster with water in a paper cup. Stir it with a wooden stick or spoon. When the plaster is the consistency of thick cream, till the mold. After the plaster has thoroughly hardened, carefully remove it from the mold. You now have a cast of the original shell.

Compare the original shell with the plaster cast. Notice that even some of the most delicate markings on the shell have been preserved in the plaster.

This same technique is used in reconstructing the shells of long-dead animals. In addition, casts are especially useful in working with fossil footprints. When a track is filed with plaster, the resulting cast will clearly show the size and shape of the foot of the animal making the track.

Geology Quiz

True or False'?

1.       The principal ore in the metal Silicon is Quartz.

2.       Mountains are always made by overflowing lava.

3.       Petrified wood is an unusual type of fossil.

4.       A knife blade can easily scratch feldspar.

5.       Sandstone is igneous rock made of cold magma.

6.       Scientists record earthquakes on a Quakograph.

Answers: 1. T        2. F         3. T         4. F         5. F         6. F

Scoring: All 6 - Diamond 5 - Ruby 4 - Emerald 3 - Sapphire 2 - Topaz 1 - Calcite 0 - Zirconium

Hardness Scale for Minerals

Geologists use a 1-10 system called Mohs' scale to estimate rock hardness It works like this: A mineral will scratch anything that is as hard as or softer than itself. The chart below combines Mohs' scale with some around-the-house items that are about equal to the mineral hardness scale. You might want to collect these items for a hardness kit.

King of the Ore

Baltimore Area Council

The boys stand in a circle. The game begins with the first boy naming something in the house that is made of an ore or metal and its use. If he is correct, he becomes King and can stand in the center of the circle. The next boy in the circle then tries to name something in the house made of ore or metal and its use. If he is correct, he can then stand in the center. If he is incorrect, play moves to the next boy in the circle. Play continues until everyone has had a chance to play.

VOLCANOES

Circle Ten Council

Read the definitions, then label the diagram.

ash cloud -    the cloud of ash that forms in the air after some volcanic eruptions

conduit -        a passage through which magma (molten rock) flows in a volcano

crust -             the Earth's outermost, rocky layer

lava -              molten rock; usually comes out of erupting volcanoes

magma chamber -               contains magma (molten rock) deep within the Earth's crust

side vent -      a vent in the side of a volcano

vent -              an opening in the Earth's surface through which volcanic materials erupt

LET’S GO ROCK COLLECTING

Circle Ten Council

Clothes, type of clothes you would wear hiking or hunting.

Collecting bag, a knapsack with pockets is ideal. Lunch size paper bags can be used to put individual specimens in. Also take newspaper to wrap rocks in first.

Field Notebooks and labels, Give each specimen a number and label it before you wrap it. In a small pocket notebook record: Name/ Location/ Date/ collector

Big and little hammers, An 8 x 10 pound sledgehammer and a 1 ½ to 2-pound hammer.

Chisels, One or more steel chisels (Wood chisels chip and dull too quickly)

Goggles and face shields, To protect face and eyes while hammering at rocks

Magnifiers, Hand lens or pocket magnifier

First Aid Kit

Compass

REMEMBER:

ü  Ask for permission before going on private property

ü  Don’t meddle with tools, machinery or domestic animals

ü  Leave gates as you found them

ü  Stay on roads, don’t walk or drive over growing crops

ü  Take only what you will use for yourself or trading, leave something for others after you.

ü  Be courteous and considerate of the rights of others

ü  Listen to the leader.

Found a Geode

A Song for your Webelos Geologists

Baltimore Area Council

Tune: Clementine

Found a geode. found a geode

Found a geode last night.

Last night I found a geode.

Found a geode last night.

Here is a suggested series of verses to follow that one -

It was hollow (etc)

Broke it anyway (etc)

Full of crystals (etc)

Called a geologist (etc)

He examined it (etc)

Sold the geode (etc)

Went exploring (etc)

Started digging (etc)

Found a geode (etc)

and (etc., etc.)