Innehållsförteckning för May 2024 från Scout Life

Hi! I just finished re-reading a Scout Life issue in which some Scouts went spelunking. A trip like that sounds amazing and memorable, so I began thinking how much must have gone into that and how many meetings it must have taken to plan. I don’t remember seeing articles about planning meetings in your magazine. It would be cool if you gave ideas for meetings to make each one unique. —Ryan M., Medford, New Jersey Thank you for teaching me how to spell “spelunking,” Ryan. And for our readers who don’t know, that just means exploring caves. But you’re right! It takes a lot of work to plan an outing like that. And if you’re looking for our top five tips for planning an exciting outing or meeting, we’ve got…

Go whitewater rafting, and you and your friends will likely hop into a large inflatable raft. These vessels provide a smooth ride over fast-moving water, plus the elasticity to bounce off half-submerged rocks. Rocks might do more damage to a hard-shell kayak, but the smaller kayak would be easier to maneuver in the rapids. What if you were able to combine the two? Like an inflatable kayak? They exist. They’re called “duckies,” and Scouts in Troop 53 of Mountain Brook, Alabama, got to try them out as they headed down North Carolina’s Nantahala River last August. “If we were whitewater rafting, the rafting is super-stable, and you can plow through all the rapids, but in a ducky, you get the safety of a raft with all the fun of a…

go.scoutlife.org/scoutingaround HANDBOOK HELP Being Thrifty and Brave You can live the Scout Law in small ways. You don’t have to save someone’s life while risking your own — though that is brave — or study to be an expert accountant — though that knowledge can help you be thrifty. You can be thrifty simply by saving a few dollars instead of spending them. Managing your money gives you more freedom to spend on what you want or need in the future. Thriftiness also applies to your time and talent. Spend your time wisely. Instead of playing for a couple of hours when you get home from school, complete your chores and other responsibilities first so those tasks are already done. Encourage your unit to be thrifty, too. Shop for deals…

SEE IT Garfield’s reunion with his long-lost father, a street cat, lands him and his best friend Odie in all kinds of crazy hijinks. The Garfield Movie rolls into theaters May 24. (Rated PG.) CALENDAR May is Get Caught Reading Month. Learn about our reading contest on page 6. May 10 is National Clean Up Your Room Day. Don’t forget to check under the bed. May 12 is Mother’s Day. Do something special for her! May 27 is Memorial Day. Take a moment to honor our American heroes. On This Date May 7, 1946: Sony, now a leading manufacturer of electronic products, is founded. May 14, 1804: Lewis and Clark begin their expedition to chart the American West. May 30, 1922: The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is dedicated.…

Getting sick when you’re camping stinks. Treating your water is one of the best ways to stay healthy. SICKNESS-CAUSING MICROORGANISMS IN THE WATER, CALLED “PATHOGENS,” are top reasons hikers bail on a big trip, says Chris Casserly with Outdoor Gear Exchange, an outdoor sports store in Burlington, Vermont. Casserly has conquered New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks in both summer and winter, and has been camping and backpacking in the Northeast for the last 15 years. “Take water treatment seriously,” Casserly says. “Getting sick on the trails is no fun.” Getting diarrhea on the trail is one thing, but some illnesses can linger for months. Most nasty pathogens come from animal poop in the water. In North America, these nasties include parasites, protozoa and bacteria, like giardia, cryptosporidium, e-coli and salmonella. HOW…

Some Ideas For Your Next Merit Badge Adventure 1. With the two cars parked close together, turned off and in park, clamp one end of the red cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Clamp the other end of that same cable to the positive terminal of the good battery. 2. Clamp one end of the black cable to the negative terminal of the good battery. Clamp the other end of that same cable to an unpainted metal surface of the dead engine, such as a bolt or bracket. Use a surface as far away from the battery as possible. 3. Start the car with the good battery and allow it to run for a few minutes. 4. Start the car with the dead battery and let both…

The Anglican Catholic awards acknowledge Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA members and Venturers who, to the best of their ability, have faithfully lived their life in accordance with the church’s law (Ten Commandments) and the Scout Oath and Scout Law, while serving their church as an altar boy or girl, acolyte or choir member. For more information, contact your local council or visit go.scoutlife.org/religiousawards…

ROAR! THE TYRANNOSAURUS REX (T. rex) is the most famous dinosaur. The word “dinosaur” combines the Greek words deinos (meaning “terrible”) and sauros (meaning “lizard”). Dinosaurs lived for about 165 million years. The first dinosaur to be named was the MEGALOSAURUS in 1824. The Argentinosaurus was the largest dinosaur. It was more than 100 feet long and about 50 feet tall. NATIONAL DINOSAUR DAY is celebrated on May 15 (and also June 1). Most dinosaurs were herbivores (vegetarians). The dinosaur with the longest name is the MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS. The smallest dinosaur was the Oculudentavis. It was the size of a bee hummingbird, today’s smallest bird, which measures about 2 ½ inches long.…

  Lurking in the vegetation, a brown feline with dark spots and stripes sits, camouflaged from approaching hikers. It’s early morning, and the bobcat would like to get in another round of hunting before going back to her den for a nap. The loud group passes the unseen cat, never suspecting that such a magnificent mammal is so close, just watching and waiting for them to go by. COMMON BUT SECRETIVE Found from southern Canada to Mexico, including all 48 contiguous states except one (sorry, Delaware!), bobcats (Lynx rufus) are the most common and abundant wild cats in North America. However, many people never see one, as they are quite secretive and are usually more active from dusk to dawn. These small- to medium-sized felines, weighing 10 to…