Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Scout Life

Ah, we’ve reached December. This happens to be the month of my favorite holiday. Yup, it’s … Letter Writing Day on Dec. 7! Now, let’s get to some of your letters. You have been putting out very good work lately. You do a very good job at keeping it entertaining yet informative. I particularly enjoy reading the heroic stories of Scouts similar to me. That inspires me and, understandably, many others around me.— Lincoln F., Ventura, California THANK YOU! I’ve been working my tail feathers off, so it feels good when my coworkers and I get a little recognition. But, really, it’s very fun work for us at Scout Life. Thanks for the kind words, Lincoln. I REALLY ENJOYED YOUR ARTICLE on backcountry communication devices. My parents were thinking about…

Getting lost in the woods can be frightening. Now, imagine you’re lost and also standing ankle-deep in the snow as temperatures plummet below freezing. That’s downright terrifying, right? Not if you know what to do. For nearly a month, boys and girls troops 427 of Wausau, Wisconsin, studied winter wilderness survival skills. Then they headed out for an overnight outing in the snow. They wouldn’t really be lost, but they would practice using skills that would come in handy in case they ever were. Surviving in February, they discovered, comes with challenges they wouldn’t have to consider in warmer temperatures. “It’s a lot different when it’s 20 degrees outside,” says Andrew Hackel, 12, a Tenderfoot Scout. Be Prepared to survive Whenever you go camping, you don’t expect to get into…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR HOMEMADE JIG: Four 4-by-4-inch cardboard pieces Craft glue (optional: rubber bands) 4 chopsticks or pencils Tape Small screw (optional) WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR MONKEY PAW: 10-foot paracord in a holiday color (4 millimeters thick) Pingpong ball Clothespin WHAT YOU’LL DO: STEP 1. MAKE A HOMEMADE JIG. Visit go.scoutlife.org/jig for step-by-step video instructions. This will help with making the monkey paw ornament. STEP 2. CLIP ABOUT 3 INCHES OF ROPE to one of the jig legs using a clothespin. This is your starting point. STEP 3. NEXT, WRAP THE LONGER END OF THE ROPE clockwise around the outside of the jig legs six times. STEP 4. TAKE THE ROPE’S WORKING END and cross it over the top of the pingpong ball going toward you. Next, thread the…

Laughing and shouting, Scouts sprint up a snowy hill, some with snow sleds tucked under their arms. With a rope in each hand, Alec Ware, a 14-year-old Life Scout, steadily drags two pulk sleds filled with more snow sleds behind the group. It’s a long hill. The group’s sprinting soon slows to Alec’s pace. Halfway up, they stop and turn around. They’re high enough for a fun slide down. Everyone grabs a sled and the laughing and shouting resume. “I like sledding. It’s really fun,” says Tenderfoot Scout Henry Ring, 13. “It’s fun to hang out with my friends.” Troop 214 in Helena, Montana, spent a day sledding last December — the highlight of a winter campout in the mountains. HeAD FOR THe HILL Every winter, Troop 214 goes on…

go.scoutlife.org/scoutingaround HANDBOOK HELP How to Be Trustworthy and Loyal The Scout Law is a guide on how to live. Start putting that guide into practice by understanding the first point: A Scout is trustworthy. That word describes someone who can be relied on to be honest. If you’re honest, others begin to trust you. Would you trust someone who frequently lies or breaks their commitments? No. Tell the truth and keep your promises. That doesn’t mean you must be perfect. But if you make a mistake, it does mean admitting it and trying to make it right. How does that point differ from a Scout is loyal? Loyal means you are devoted to something, like another person, duty or ideal. You show loyalty by your actions. If you’re a…

THE BUDDHIST SCOUTING AWARDS give Scouts practical guidance to find their path to enlightenment (truth) following the Scout Oath and Scout Law by developing views and actions that stem from Buddhist teachings. A Scout does not have to be a member of a temple but must have an instructor (clergy or lay) who is approved by the National Buddhist Committee on Scouting. The Metta Award is designed to help Cub Scouts of the Buddhist faith to further their understanding and practice of Buddhism. This program also provides an opportunity for Cub Scouts to relate closely with parents and ministers on the subject of their faith. A participant must be a registered Scout for at least three months before starting the program. (Lion and Tiger Scouts are not eligible.) The program…

Snowflakes are formed when water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere freezes into tiny ice crystals. The world record for the largest snowball is 9 feet 3 inches tall. It was made by students at Michigan Technological University in 2013. It’s a myth that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. It just happens very rarely. Snowflakes are colorless. Snow appears to be white because it reflects all light wavelengths (colors) equally. 125 inches The average amount of snowfall each year in Syracuse, New York. That is the most among major U.S. cities. 95 feet The record for the largest snowfall in one season was at Washington’s Mount Baker in 1998-1999. 180 billion The number of water molecules in the average snowflake. 15 inches The width of the biggest snowflake ever recorded. All…

We don’t usually think of plants as predators, but some plants do eat insects and other small creatures. Since they can’t chase prey, these carnivorous (meat-eating) plants have developed some clever strategies to capture their food. Of the hundreds of thousands of plant species, there are only about 800 that are carnivorous. They typically grow in wetlands or forests where soils are wet for at least part of the year. These soils are often poor in nutrients, so plants that get much of their energy from sunlight through photosynthesis need to supplement their diet with insects and other prey. VENUS FLYTRAPS The Venus flytrap is probably the most famous carnivorous plant. Native only to a small area in coastal North and South Carolina, it has been established elsewhere in…

Canoeing Some Ideas For Your Next Merit Badge Adventure go.scoutlife.org/meritbadge Forestry Increase your ability to identify trees by starting a collection of leaves. Coin Collecting Signs, Signals and Codes Morse code is a method of communicating with a series of sounds or lights that can be understood only by someone who knows the code.…