Wolf

Paws on the Path

Meeting #3

Back to Meeting #2

Meeting #3 Resources

PREPARATION AND MATERIALS NEEDED

• Confirm that transportation to and from the event is in place. Secure signed activity consent forms.

• The unit den leader should bring a copy of the Guide to Safe Scouting.

• Trail food from Meeting 1

• Water to fill bottles as needed

• Trail map(s)

• Creature identification information

• Thank-you notes

• Cub Scout Six Essentials for each Scout

• Magnifying glasses for Activity 1

GATHERING:

• Conduct a gear check as Scouts arrive, fill water bottles, distribute trail food, tie shoes, etc.

• Remind Scouts of hiking rules (See Meeting 2 Resources) and that a Scout is clean: They respect the environment, and they do not put trash on the trail.

• As a group, lead Scouts as they recite the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. Focus on ways that Scouts can demonstrate the principle of “Respect Wildlife” (requirement 5).

• Refresh animal identification information.

OPENING

Conduct a flag ceremony of your choosing that includes the Pledge of Allegiance and the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

TALK TIME

• Carry out business items for the den.

• Allow time for sharing among Cub Scouts.

◆Activity 1: Hike (Requirement 5)

There are a number of ways to encourage Scouts to engage with the natural world as they hike. Giving Scouts a focus can help ensure that they take in the sights, sounds, smells, and textures around them.

Here are a few activities you might include as you hike:

• I Spy: Choose a descriptive word, and have everyone in the den hunt for objects in nature that fit that description. For example, say, “I spy something smooth.” Then have Scouts look around as they hike and name smooth items they see, such as a rock. Scouts can take turns as the leader, choosing new descriptive words to search for as they walk.

• Zoom In: Bring a number of small, inexpensive magnifying glasses on the hike. When it’s time for a break, give everyone a magnifying glass and point out a few interesting objects, such as chewed-up leaves or tiny insects, for them to examine up close.

• Slow It Down: After you’ve had a chance to hike for a short distance, have the Scouts pause to take in their surroundings—one sense at a time. First have them look around and notice the details of what they see (e.g., the light, shapes, lines, colors). Then have them stand very silently for a short time, listening for sounds from nature. Follow that up by selecting several safe objects the Scouts can feel, such as bumpy tree bark or a cool rock. A leaf or a flower might be a good opportunity to explore the sense of smell as well. If Scouts ask about the sense of taste, remind them that it’s not safe to taste items they find in nature.

• Tell a Story: Have Wolf Scouts bring a small journal and a pencil (or several colored pencils) to record what they see along the trail. When the group stops to rest, have everyone take the first few minutes to quietly jot down notes or draw sketches to capture interesting things they have seen. The notes or sketches will help the Scouts when it’s time to record their observations in their handbooks for requirement 6.

◆Activity 2: Trail Games and Hiking Songs (Optional)

See Meeting 3 Resources.

◆Activity 3: Creature Hunt (Requirements 5 and 6)

Scouts should find two interesting things on the trail to record in their handbooks.

CLOSING

• Guide Scouts in a reflection on ways they showed respect for wildlife (requirement 4).

• Thank You Circle: Everyone—Scouts and leaders—forms a circle and links hands. Go around the circle, and give everyone the opportunity to say thank you for something. (Arrange the group so that the person on your left is already prepared and will give a good answer to set the tone.) Say something like, “You’ll know it’s your turn when the person before you squeezes your hand. You can say something out loud if you like, or just think something to yourself. When you are done, you squeeze the hand of the next person, and so on, around the circle.”

• You will be last; use your turn to thank the Scouts for the great job they did on the hike, thank any leaders who helped today, and add anything else you’d like. Close with the Scout Benediction: “May the great Scoutmaster of all Scouts be with you until we meet again.”

AFTER THE MEETING

• Write thank-you notes to those who helped.

• Record completion of requirements 4, 5, and 6.

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