rank ADVENTURES
PAWS ON THE PATH
Learn About the Adventure
Current requirements can be seen HERE as well as found in your rank manual - along with great ideas for completion. We guide you through the completion of the requirements in bold below.
Complete Requirements 1-5. Requirements 6 and 7 are optional.
Show you are prepared to hike safely in any outdoor setting by putting together the Cub Scout Six Essentials to take along on your hike.
Tell what the buddy system is and why we always use it in Cub Scouts. Describe what you should do if you get separated from your group while hiking.
Choose the appropriate clothing to wear on your hike based on the expected weather.
Before hiking, recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your leader. (This may be combined with Requirement 3 of The Call of the Wild Adventure.) After hiking, discuss how you showed respect for wildlife.
Go on a 1-mile hike with your den or family. Find two interesting things that you've never seen before and discuss with your den or family.
Name two birds, two insects, and/or two other animals that live in your area. Explain how you identified them.
Draw a map of an area near where you live using common map symbols. Show which direction is north on your map
Office/ School Supplies
Misc. Supplies/ Printables
Hug-A-Tree coloring book
Paper Scout Dolls Printable
#1 | Cub Scout Six Essentials
Assemble your essentials and discuss why they should be included.
If you have the DIY water bottles now is a good time to decorate them.
☐ Filled water bottle
☐ Flashlight
☐ First Aid Kit
☐ Sun protection - a hat and/ or sunscreen
☐ Whistle
☐ snack
#2 | Buddies
The Buddy System is a procedure where two scouts work together to help and monitor each other. When scouts begin an outdoor activity they should always find a buddy (Leaders will help). Periodically, “Buddy Check” is called out. When you hear this you need to hold up the hand of your buddy.
What should you do if you get separated from your group on a hike? S-T-O-P and Hug a Tree!
S-Stay calm - stay where you are and don’t hide.
T-Think about how to help searchers find you.
O- Observe by listening for searchers or blowing your whistle three times in a row (this is the sign for help).
P-Plan how to stay safe until help arrives.
Hug a Tree and Survive:
Find a nearby sturdy tree and stay put. (A tree doesn’t have to be a tree, depending on where you are. It could be a large rock or bench.)
Keep warm and dry, as best you can.
Help searchers by answering their calls. Searchers might sound angry because they are yelling but they are just trying to find you so answer back or blow your whistle.
#3 | Weather Wear
Layers are the most important idea when getting dressed for hiking. Depending on where you are hiking the temperature can change drastically and if you have layers on you can adjust how warm or cool you are.
Get the Paper Scout Doll Printouts, scissors, and coloring tools.
Color the scouts and their clothes. Use the paper scouts to dress them for various hiking seasons.
#4 | The Outdoor Code & Leave no trace
Complete this in conjunction with Requirement #3 of the Call of the Wild adventure.
#5 & #6 | Hiking, Birds, & Insects
Take a hike. While out discuss and identify two birds, two insects, and/ or two other animals that you see.
#7 | Map Making
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS AND FINDING NORTH:
First we need to make sure we know our cardinal directions! On most maps, the map is oriented with North pointing to the top of the paper, South to the bottom edge, East to the right edge, and West to the left edge.
This can be a little confusing because it looks like North is “up.”
Look up.
That is not North. That is the sky or the ceiling!
Look down.
That is not South. That is the ground or floor!
So, where are they? Let’s find North.
Look around you.
Point your arm straight out.
Now, turn in a circle.
You found it! Just kidding - but it was somewhere out there. Remember North, South, East, and West are directions which is a course along which something can move. You can walk or run to/along them. You cannot fly or dig to get to them.
The easiest way to find North is to use a compass or go outside during the day when the sun is rising or setting. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
Find the sun and face your body toward it.
If it is before noon, the sun is in the Eastern sky.
Put your left arm out. That is roughly North.
If it is after noon, the sun is in the Western sky.
Put your right arm out. That is roughly North.
Notice where your front door is in relation to North and remember it for drawing your map.
DRAW A TREASURE MAP
Get a blank paper (or the treasure map below), a pencil, and some treasure.
Draw your house in the middle.
Which way was North? Put an arrow with an ‘N’ in front of it to show which direction is North. (This would fit really well in the top right corner of the Treasure Map).
Common symbols are used to represent items that you many have more than one of and don’t want to identify every time you draw them. They are put in a little box to the side of the map called a Key or Legend. Try adding some items of these items to your map.
Hide your “treasure” nearby - mark it on your map with an ‘X.’
See if someone can use your map to find the treasure.
