Time to take stock

If I had got as far as becoming a (Boy) Scout no doubt I would of been involved in more typically outdoor physical activities with other boys as the only time outside school I did thinks like hiking was the odd weekend at home with dad rather than with other teens and an adult in charge.

There would be moments for reflection on what we had achieved not just physically but also in our mental strength, preparedness and the opportunity to sit at a desk and write something about it.

Looking out

The untypical for the season weather has lent itself for exploration walking through woodland where interestingly I did spot a few Ladybirds, together with birds and horses out in neighbouring fields on foot wearing my short sleeved shirt and shorts.

I also observed the farmer muck spreading on his tractor as he's been planting a bit earlier than normal

Cub Scout Photography

One badge you could get awarded that was reintroduced in 2015 was the Cub Scout Photography  and something I did from the angle of Cub Scout in spirit was take a photograph filling the frame with flowers.

This was taken with natural light using a Tamron 90mm Di SP macro lens on a Nikon D3500.

B P's birthday edition

Today we mark the birthday of Robert Baden-Powell born in 1857, the founder of Scouting for boys and through his wife also Girl Guiding too whose experiences during the Boer War have continued to inspire a generations of young people helping to raise good healthy adults too.

The world may well of changed since his death in 1941 in many ways but the principals that unpin scouting are timeless and in so many ways he was ahead of the time in understanding what children and young people actually need to develop.

This Cub Scout in spirit salutes him for what that movements ideals are and the difference it is making to my life

Animal Habitats Badge

The following is actually a part of the American Girl Scout  program but nonetheless does give a good idea of what is required to earn a badge.

Purpose: Once you complete this badge you will know more about animals and how to protect their homes

Requirement 1: Find out about wild animals

Choices:

• Observe a pet or tame animal for at least 15 minutes.  Write three things about how it behaves.  Then watch a show about an animal related to the one you observed.  (If you watched a dog, you might watch a show about wolves.) Which behaviors do the wild and tame animal share? Which are different?
• Make a skit or puppet show about the wild animals at a campground or on the trail. Include what to do if you encounter them so that both you and the animals stay safe!
• List wild animals near your home meeting place, or school. Survey the area with an adult and your Junior friends. Then pick three animals you saw and learn more about each one. Why do they live here? Do they interact with humans?

Requirement 2: Investigate an animal habitat

Choices:

• Visit a zoo or animal sanctuary. When there, choose a particular habitat, like a beach, jungle, or desert. With help from the staff answer these questions for each of five animals that live in that habitat.
• In what country is the animal naturally found?
• How does its fur or skin help the animal live in this habitat?
• How does it stay clean?  
• How does it get around in this habitat?
• What kind of food can it find in this habitat?
• Explore an animal habitat near where you live. It could be part of a park, forest, beach, or desert. Figure out what the animals you see have in common. First, make a list of each one’s features. Circle the things the animals share, then, trade ideas about why they have each feature with your friends. Some features you might list: type of fur or skin, paw, tail, coloring, kinds of legs, mouth, and ears.
• Make a habitat collage. Scientists use habitats to group animals by things they all share. Cut out 15 – 20 pictures of wild animals from old magazines. Group the animal by habitat. Then group them by how they look, how they move, or how they bear their young. Did your groups change? Discuss the groupings with your Junior friends - and make up ways to groups animals.

Requirement 3: Create an animal home

Choices:

• Check out baby-animal habitats. Find out how different animal parents care for their babies and make “homes” for them. You could read about how Emperor penguins hold a chick under a special flap in chilly Antarctic temperatures or how an orangutan mother builds new nests for her and her baby every day. Draw or paint a picture of your favorite animal pair 
• Make your own animal house. Meerkats live in large underground burrows with several entrances. Beavers make dome-shaped homes called lodges with branches and mud – and they usually have an underwater entrance. Research these animal homes and try sketching your own meerkat burrow or building your own beaver lodge from sticks and mud. Share your “home” with others and explain how and why it works.
• Insulate your own “nest.” Many animals use insulation to keep their homes cool in hot temperatures or warm in the cold. They may line a next with feathers or burrow into snow or mud to hold in body heat. Try this experiment: 

1. Mix a package of Jell-O. Before it sets, put part of the liquid into a small container with a lid or sealed top, like a baby food jar or resealable plastic bag. Pour the rest into a mixing bowl. 
2.  Insulate the small container the way an animal might insulate its nest. You could bury the container in leaves and sticks in the yard or use materials in your house, like socks, to burrow it. 
3.  Keep the container in its warm, insulated place while the mixing bowl with the rest of the Jell-O stays out in the air – in the same area as your “nest” container. 
4.  When the bowl of Jell-O has set (gotten firm), uncover and check your “nest.” If it’s still liquid, you’ll know your insulation would have kept the animals inside warm. If it set, try building your animal home again! 
5.  Share what happened with your Junior friends, and talk about the “warmest” nest designs. What made them work well? What materials didn’t work as well? 

Requirement 4: Explore endangered habitats

W: hen the animals no longer have their habitat, they have to adapt to a new place to live. Some animals can’t change, and end up becoming endangered. Answer these questions about one of the endangered animal habitats below. 

• Why is it in danger?
• What is happening to the animals? 
• What are people doing to help the habitat? 
• Are the animals able to adapt? 

Choices: 

• The Arctic Circle
• The Gulf of Mexico
• The Amazon Rainforest

Requirement 5: Help protect animal habitats

Choices:

• Wildlife awareness party. Choose an endangered animal. Dress up like the animal for a party with your Junior friends and tell your story: where you live, why your home is endangered, and how others can help. If there’s an organization that protects your habitat, share its name and mission. It’s a party because it’s positive: The more you know about how to help, the more you can do! 
• Create a background habitat. Get permission from your family to make a habitat in your yard, or ask a school, neighbor or someone who owns land nearby to allow you to create one. Research and then carry out a landscape plan that is best for wildlife in the area. Record the wildlife you attract and their behavior. (The Audubon Society has some good resources to get you started.) 
• Help clean up an animal habitat. Many times trash and litter destroy animal habitats and harm animal. With your Girl Scout sisters ask an expert to recommend an area that needs cleaning – woods, stream, beach, city park. Get permission to spend a few hours making it nicer for our animal friends. 

Source:  The American Girl Scout (on Tumblr)

On top of the world

This is something you'd never see me do simply because my co-ordination is that poor I couldn't stand still on that marker without feeling dizzy but he clearly feels he's on top of the world there.

He clearly has a most remarkable view from that vantage point of his surroundings with open countryside all around him.

For some children and young adults Scouting may be one of only a few opportunities for them to enjoy the countryside.

Packing

While I'm away for a few days exploring no doubt heavy laden it's an opportune moment to talk about what you need to consider about packing because while we ought to have what we need with us to be prepared, you certainly cannot talk everything you might have a use for with you.

That boy has a lot with him but that will be reduced to just he might need to camp or use at a hostel, leaving anything that can be got and used as needed  out  based on knowledge of the area and where he is staying.

If you are staying somewhere where there are local stores or some provided amenities then you can use those and typically I will use complementary towels if I'm anywhere that has them as towels are bulky although essential to hygiene .

It's also a good idea to learn how to pack a backpack properly so carrying is less burdensome and keeps weight off your lower back.

Adults hiking

A different take on hiking from the May 1958 edition of John Bull magazine published by Odhams in Great Britain, the British answer to America's iconic Saturday Evening Post employing similar highly talented illustrators.

What is so good about it is showing the notion of adults continuing in pursuits started in childhood keeping themselves mentally as well as physically fit to which in time 'junior' can join in as a family activity at the time the Clean Air Act of 1956 was cleaning up literally the appalling air of the major towns and cities helping boost longevity

A good point is how the man is wearing an outfit not far removed from that of boys, not least boys in Scouting in shirt sleeves and shorts even if he has no neckerchief or tie on simply because it is a much healthier form of dress for outdoors.

Teggs Nose

 This week we are going back in time to a place I did do some hiking in my earlier years.

That place was Tegg’s Nose Country Park near the town of  Macclesfield where you can experience Cheshire’s wild hill country with rock dominating the landscape. 

Going along the trail, dry stone walls and sturdy barns add to the dramatic character of the steeply sided valleys while many of the hill tops are pitted with old quarries that nature has reclaimed.

You don’t have to go far to enjoy exhilarating views over the Cheshire Plain and on a clear day you can see Liverpool’s cathedrals and Welsh hills beyond.

In those early days in my midteens, I just loved hiking, enjoying the freedom to explore and enjoy the countryside in my sturdy boots and wollen socks.

Taking it all in

Part of being on an adventure involves learning something about the place you are exploring which may mean reading a guide book, a interpretation board or being with a guide who explains things to you.

You pause to take all of this in such as with the boy in this picture resting by a tree and while doing that you may review your intended route and if needs be amend it before resuming because being prepared means taking action not just in the planning but also in the field as needed. 

Snow exploration

The week has been busy with checking over arrangements for being away the week after next for a few days however I did get out to do a bit of scouting

We had some snow this week so I went out to investigate it and one thing was the cold temperatures had given rise to very frosty ground in places which was coupled with good helping of snow such as on this hedgerow  next to a snow covered patch of grazing land.

I explored the local wood observing the movement of the wildlife and how the snow had impacted while at the same time relearning how to get about in it as my walking abilities even in less challenging conditions leave a bit to be desired.

I decided to play making snowballs, throwing them and also decided to leave a mark to show I had managed to get about and have fun in the snow.

I took my glove off to write"Cool Snow" on this snow laden stone