We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Articles

A Home For Our Feline Friends

by

I have been volunteering with Operation Hood for the past few years. Operation Hood helps feral cats; I was initially drawn to them because of my love for cats. So when looking for ideas for my Eagle Scout Project, I decided to help Operation Hood by making cat houses.
I originally had the idea in March, but due to COVID-19, I couldn’t begin until mid-July. During that time, I decided to reuse some old cat houses my grandfather had in storage rather than start from scratch. We also converted old dog boxes that needed to be cleaned, sanitized, and painted. After about three days of hard work transferring the cat houses to my house and then to Operation Hood, I finally could start the project. The hardest part of the project was working around the weather. Everything was planned out, but unfortunately, it began to rain a lot, like every weekend. We had to work around it. Eventually, we had to bring out canopies so we could start working on putting the fronts on the houses, staining the houses, and building the cat tree. Then we had to postpone painting the wooden ramps until the following weekend due to the rain.

This project was harder than I thought it would be. I had to figure out how to relay the ideas that I had on paper and in my head to my Scout volunteers. The project helped me with my leadership, planning, and communication skills. I also learned to plan for anything, especially the weather. During this project, some of our wood was cut wrong as well, so we had to adjust our plans slightly.

I found my favorite aspect of the project was giving back to an organization that I truly believe in. They are doing such great work and care so much for the cats. It was a wonderful feeling seeing (within 5 minutes of completing the project) cats utilizing what we just built. It made the project worth it.

An Activity For All

by

Special needs children face challenges every day. As part of my Eagle Scout Service Project, I wanted to support these children in a crucial area – sensory activity. My mom does part-time substitute teaching and prefers to work with special needs students at Buffalo Trail Elementary School. One day, she mentioned that it would be nice if the students at her school could have more engaging sensory activities. This got me thinking about ways I could provide the students with their needs. Ultimately, I decided that I would design and build two sensory activity tables for my Eagle Project.

First, I researched sensory stimulation, as well as its needs and considerations. Activities help children develop appropriate responses to stimuli and can enhance their learning experience. They can also facilitate better visual, auditory, and tactile processing. In doing so, children can learn how to regulate their behaviors in a comfortable environment. However, some may be more sensitive to their environment and inclined to overstimulation. Using this information, I compiled a list of possible sensory activities that could be used. Next, I thought a table would be the most appropriate means to present and organize these activities for the students. I leveraged the activity table’s general design from a table my dad built for me when I was younger for my own activities (e.g., building train tracks, playing with Legos, playing with cars, etc.).

I then met with a Special Education Program teacher from Buffalo Trail Elementary School to discuss the proposal, gather requirements (e.g., size, height, features), and start planning the project. With the requirements in hand, I proceeded to make one of the tables as a prototype. This helped me fine-tune the process, materials, and design of the tables. I then used this experience to model the way for the second table. For example, originally, the table legs’ dimensions were slightly too small to secure the caster wheels with all four screws. For the sake of stability, I expanded the legs using an additional 2”x 2” board, enabling the caster wheels to be appropriately fastened to the legs. Once the prototype was completed, I planned out how to best execute the construction with other Scouts and participants. This included determining the order of how different pieces would be built, what teams would make what parts, how to maintain quality and safety, who would be on what team, how to motivate the team, and which participants could use what tools.

To account for COVID-19, I pre-screened the participants based on my Troop’s checklist. I also provided masks, hand sanitizers, and face shields on the build date. Social distancing was also employed (when applicable) to guard against transmission.
The most challenging part of the project was planning. There were many aspects to consider, including measurements, materials, supplies, tools, and safety. Other considerations included what activities to use and how to manage and lead Scouts to complete the project. Although it was a bit tedious and demanding, this process helped me improve my critical thinking and planning skills, including determining the budget, procedures, and logistics.

My favorite parts of the project were seeing the development of my ideas take shape. Its completion left me satisfied, especially seeing how beneficial the outcome is. What started as merely an idea became tangible objects that will benefit students over many years.
The most important things I learned from completing my project were communication, leadership, and planning skills. Being able to communicate effectively with the beneficiary, Scout leaders, and the Scouts who assisted me, whether through email or speech, was crucial to the project’s completion. With this came improved leadership skills, as I was able to better formulate courses of action and efficiently construct the tables.

Troop 1550 in Leesburg, VA Earns the Boy Scouts of America Historic Trails Award

by

On the weekend of October 9-11, 2020 Troop 1550 camped at McCoys Ferry Campground (a National Park Campground) that’s located along the C & O Canal National Historical Park.

They volunteered with the C & O Canal Trust for their annual C & O Canal Trust Pride (in our trail) Day scraping peeling paint off & painting picnic tables, scraping off chipping paint & rust and spray-painting grills, repairing signs & painting fences/guard rails as well as picking up trash on the trail & in the towpath itself. They filled several bags of trash.

Rod Newton, Program & Volunteer Coordinator for the C & O Canal Trust, led a discussion on the history of the C & O Canal & the C & O Canal Trust & answered questions from Scouts & leaders.

NCAC’s Virtual Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow UPDATED!

by

We  have decided to retool this year’s Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow.  Rather than a one day event were you are limited to 6 – one hour course selections,  we have decided to do something new! This year we will have a series of FREE weekly Webinars on important topics  like Rechartering, Family Scouting, Retention and How To have Fun During a Den Meetings! Key topics for Cub Scout Leaders!

We are planning a topic offering each week, held on the same night, at the same time, facilitated by one of NCAC’s expert volunteer trainers on the subject matter just for Cub Scout Leaders.  The schedule will be published in advance so you pick the nights and the topics that you are interested in. Training will be done virtually.

So, we give you back your Saturday November 21 (Pow Wow is canceled for 11/21/2020) , but we invite you to join us one night a week, for one hour, for training that is just for you … the Cub Scout Leader.

Stay Tuned … More Information Coming about the Start Date!

Eagle Project – Owl’s Well that Ends Well

by

By: Troop Instructor Ian P. of Troop 997 and Senior Patrol Leader Cas K. of Troop 998G

Scouts from Ashburn’s Boy Troop 997 and Leesburg’s Girl Troop 998 joined together on a conservation mission for screech owls, organized by a Troop 997 Life Scout. The Scouts have spent the last week honing their woodworking skills building screech owl nesting boxes. The Eastern screech owl is not an endangered species, but its habitat is in decline, particularly in Virginia and the Northeast. Screech owls often resort to nesting in old woodpecker holes, but nesting boxes placed high in woodland trees keep the owls and owlets safe from predators like snakes, racoons and larger owls and other raptors.

Troop 997 has a tradition of addressing wildlife conservation issues, with several of its recent Eagle projects centering on building duck nesting tubes, bat boxes, duck feeders and bluebird boxes. Ian P. decided to focus on owls by building screech owl nesting boxes. He teamed up with Camp Highroad in Middleburg, a stellar United Methodist Church camp that has campsites frequently used by area Troops and Packs, as well as for leader training. Ian recruited Scouts from Troops 997 and 998G to build the nesting boxes, identified locations with the Highroads team, and will soon lead a team to mount them in likely nesting areas around the Camp. He built an extra nesting box and created a screech owl guide for the Camp’s nature education program. The guide includes information about the owls, the project, the installation locations around camp and instructions on annual maintenance.

Ian invited his sister Riley, a Star Scout and one of the founding members of Leesburg’s Scouts BSA Girl Troop 998, and her fellow Scouts to participate as well. They learned about the wildlife conservation and educational mission of the project, then received hands-on training with woodworking tools and methods. With over 80% of the Troop participating, the girls have taken what they’ve learned and accomplished, and completed the application material for the prestigious Hornaday Unit Award.

Troop 840G Lives the Outdoor Code in Conservation Project Success

by

The Founder of Scouting, Lord Baden-Powell said: “God has given us a world to live in that is full of beauties and wonders… if only we have the sense to look at them in that light.” The Scouts BSA Outdoor Code tells Scouts “To be Conservation Minded.”

Setting a great example of caretaking the gifts of nature and putting the Scouts BSA Outdoor Code into action, Scouts BSA Troop 840 Girls (Troop 840G) conducted their first Conservation Project on October 3, 2020. The Scouts harvested, cleaned, stored, planted, and marked more than 80 Pawpaw and 30 Persimmon seeds.

Troop 840G Scouts, Cristlin F., Sophia W. and Sydney G., led by Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) Paige W. and Patrol Leader (PL) Mckayla W. worked closely with Izaak Walton League’s Alexandria/Stafford Conservation Committee Chair, Guy Cox, to successfully complete this conservation project at the Izaak Walton League property in Stafford County.

This project was important because, although the Pawpaw and Persimmon are fruit trees native to Virginia, they cannot thrive on their own. Pawpaw trees require pollination from an unrelated tree to bear fruit. Persimmon trees generally need a male tree to pollinate a female tree to produce fruit. These factors, combined with the large seeds that are not eaten and spread by animals, hinder fruit bearing Pawpaw and Persimmon groves.

While Scouts BSA activities are always meant to be “Fun with a Purpose”, true success for our Scouts started with prior proper planning and preparation by the SPL and Adult Troop Leaders. Troop 840G Scouts planned and prepared to ensure safety was taken into consideration for all aspects of the project (K.I.S.M.I.F. = Keep it Safe, Make it Fun!) and that all Scouts would be properly trained in the skills and tools needed to succeed.

Fitting the project in with other Scout Skills Campout activities that same weekend made for a tight schedule, but the Troop’s SPL and PL prioritized and adjusted plans to make it work. Scouts worked in teams (Buddy System) to locate good planting areas and properly plant the seeds. Specific knowledge about ensuring optimum conditions (e.g., soil, lighting, dampness, proper seed handling, etc.) were provided by Guy Cox and Troop 840G Adult Leaders provided safety oversight and mentorship. Areas were marked with Purple PVC stakes so Scouts can check on their plantings next year.

While this was Troop 840 Girls first Conservation Project, the Scouts have conducted several community focused Service Projects. These included projects for our Nation’s Veterans in conjunction with Vets on Track, which furnishes/decorates homes with essentials and comfort items for homeless Veterans “Making Houses into Homes” and Black Horse Forge which provides free metal forging classes and forging facilities for Veterans; Black Horse Forge is planning to expand into woodworking too and also has horses, donkeys and chickens for visiting Vets to caretake. Additionally, Troop 840G Scouts have participated in the National Night Out opening ceremony and Scouting for Food.