We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Articles

USVI Pack 7227 is Off to the Races!

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After weeks of sanding, painting and assembling, the day finally came when Pack 7227 of St. Croix USVI was ready to race in March 2020. Scouts, parents and siblings lined the track as Scout Master Chris Mercer got every excited for the first race. With the help of several youth volunteers from Troop 7227 and Scout parents, the Cub Scouts were able to race their cars through the final elimination.

The derby was filled with laughter, excitement, great sportsmanship and smiling faces the whole time. This event is a great reminder of why we put these events together and work hard to keep the spirit of Scouting alive.

 

Cub-A-Day Program Week 5 (July 6th – July 11th)

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Hey, Cub Scouts, it’s Make Something Monday

You’ve learned some handy skills with Make Something Monday; time to put some of them to good use.  Make a pine cone or toilet paper roll bird feeder.

When you are done making it, find a place to hang it that you can watch the birds that visit.

You can find instructions and some ideas for Adventure requirements you can complete using your feeder here: https://cubscoutideas.com/209/cub-scout-den-meeting-bird-feeders

Are you hungry? It’s Taste Something Tuesday…

It’s summertime and the weather is hot – Cool off by making custom ice pops at home!

https://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Ice-Cube-Tray-Popsicles/ is a good place to start, but you can use your favorite juices or add fruit chunks to make them your own.

All who wander are not lost… especially on Wander Around Wednesday

Use a map (paper or digital) and locate where you live.  Draw a route that would get you to a local grocery store, park, your school, or somewhere else you visit often.

Use the map to plan a walk around your neighborhood and then head out and see how well you can follow your route.

Wolf Scouts can use this activity to Finding your Way #1 or #4.  Orienting a map and working with a compass is also a NOVA Science Everywhere activity.

It’s time to Do Something Thoughtful Thursday
Reflect on what one point of the Scout Law means to you.  Talk with your family about what that point means to them.  See if you all think about the Scout Law the same way and what you can learn from your family and their point of view.
It’s Family Fun Friday… family time is fun time!

The family that goes to places together has FUN!  Take a hike or bike ride with your family today.  Try to find a new and exciting place to explore – a nearby park, a new area of town, or nature preserve.

This activity fulfills a Cub Family Summertime Passport Activity (A completed Passport counts as Cub Summer Camp! for the Outdoor Activity Award)  Get your passport here: https://www.ncacbsa.org/cubspa/

It’s Safety Saturday…but it’s also International Scouts Trash the Trash Day!

Scouts Trash the Trash Day is a cooperative community clean up – If everyone picks up just 1 pound of trash – The world would be so much cleaner.

Practice safe habits while you pick up trash in your neighborhood, on a trail, or around shared community spaces:

1) Know the weather
2) Dress for the place you are cleaning.
3) Wear sturdy gloves and consider rubber gloves over those.
4) Have a traffic lookout if you are near a road
5) Don’t try to pick up anything sharp or that you can’t identify.

Register your unit for Scouts Trash the Trash day here: https://www.scoutstrashthetrashday.org/ and you can access their Garbage Scavenger Hunt!!

Adventure Talks

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Join us every Tuesday at 7PM as we host conversations with adventurers!

Adventure Talks are a webinar series to bring the illustrious and exciting adventures that Scouts take to you! Scouts have explored the deep ocean, the corners of the earth, and space. This series of talks features presentations and panels about Philmont, the Appalachian Trail, research in Antarctica, biking across the USA, Scouting Jamborees, and more. The first two presentations are described below, and you can read more here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks

July 7: Philmont Talks:  Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks

A panel of Philmont Ambassadors, Rangers and Camp Directors take you on this virtual adventure!

Panelist Tom Giugni: He first experienced Philmont as an adult advisor for a 7 day trek in 1997. Since then, he’s trekked two 12-day treks and one Autumn Adventure trek. He attended training at the PTC and served as faculty and course director for NAYLE and Philmont Leadership Challenge and served as volunteer coordinator for NAYLE and PLC at Philmont. He’s worked as seasonal staff in Logistics at Philmont Scout Ranch as a Trip Planner in 2011 and 2012 and as the Logistics Manager in 2013-2018 (the Ute Park Fire occurred during my last year as manager.) He drove commissary trucks in 2019 and was schedule to serve as camp director for Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp before Philmont cancelled the 2020 camping season due to COVID-19.

Panelist Jay Oakman: Jay is currently the Central Region Area 5 Camp Assessment Chair. In the past 40 years he has held positions in Unit,(Pack, Troop, Ship and Crew) District, Council, Area, Regional and National. He severed on 27 National Camping Schools for Day Camp Administration, the last 18 as a Course Director. At Philmont, Jay has been on Backcountry treks, a participant at the Training Center, and been staff at Basecamp and well as faculty at the Training Center.

Panelist Sam McGrath: Sam is currently the District Executive of George Mason District in the National Capital Area Council. But before he joined us, had worked at Philmont for 7 seasons, including a fall and a winter, and in 3 different departments!

Panelist Arden Dougan: Dr. Arden Dougan is a Philmont Ambassador and has earned the Master’s Track Knot. She has been on faculty at the Philmont Training Center 7 times. She co-developed the 2016 STEM/Nova and 2010-2011 University of Scouting conference and has served on faculty for Boy Scout Roundtable conference. She was a Crew Advisor on a Philmont Trek. Her Eagle Scout Son and Venturer/Girl Scout Gold Award daughter have enjoyed the Philmont Training Center family program. She has been an avid Unit District, Council, Area, Regional and National Scouter, and she has staffed the National Scout Jamboree and the World Scout Jamboree. Arden is the VP of Program Impact on the Executive Board at the National Capital Area Council, and the ideator behind Adventure Talks!

• Moderator Julia Mae-Shen Lesko: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko’s love for Philmont began in 1983, when her father took the family to Philmont Training Center, and Julia spent a memorable week on a Mountain Woman Trek.  She serves as the current national Wood Badge coordinator for Scouting U and Northeast Region Wood Badge coordinator.  Julia has served in many leadership positions at the unit level (pack, troop, crew) as well as district, region, and national levels. A member of the National Capital Area Council, Julia currently serves as an Assistant Council Commissioner (Commissioner College Dean) and as one of the council’s Philmont Ambassadors.  She has served as a conference facilitator and trainer at the Philmont Training Center, Florida Sea Base, Summit Bethel Reserve, and National Order of the Arrow Conference.

 Julia is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow and recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, Silver Antelope Award, Silver Beaver Award, District Award of Merit, Philmont Masters Track Knot/Device, and other training knot awards.  Julia resides in Gainesville, Virginia, with her wonderfully supportive Scouter husband, John. Although this summer’s trip to Philmont has been delayed due to Covid-19, the newlyweds can’t wait to get to Philmont soon!

July 14: An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest 

 NESA World Explorer Evan Dann shares his experience at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador!

Speaker Evan Dann: Evan is currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology at Boston University. He earned my Eagle Scout award in 2015 and five Eagle palms. He’s been a volunteer Merit Badge counselor at BSA Camp Airy for 7 years teaching the Ice Skating and Pioneering merit badges. In addition to participating in the NESA World Explorer Amazon Research Experience, he has completed a Philmont backpacking trek in 2015; he’s sailed Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island with Sea Scout Ship 59 in 2016; and competed in the Sea Scout Koch Cup in 2018 in Galveston, TX. Evan also volunteered as a scout at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2012 and President Trump’s Inaugural parade in 2017. Some other adventures that Evan has undertaken include hiking the Appalachian Trail through all of Maryland, parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, living in France for 6 months, and skiing through the Alps, Colorado Rockies, and parts of New England.

 

 

The Adventure Talks are brought to you by the NCAC High Adventure Committee and Summer WOW Task Force! We hope you have a WONDERFUL time tuning in with us every Tuesday at 7PM!

If you want to share your adventure, please email the High Adventure Committee Chair: john.blackwell@goosecreekdistrict.org

MSSC Reopening on July 6!

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Here’s some good news to get you in the mood for fireworks: the Marriott Scout Service Center will reopen to the public on Monday, July 6, 2020!

We will be opening in phases, so there will be limited staff support during this time. There will be someone at the front desk to assist with your Scouting needs, but we encourage everyone to continue to do as much of their Scouting business as possible electronically. If you have paperwork or materials to turn in, please visit us; otherwise, please call or email.

The Scout Shop at MSSC will reopen on July 10, 2020. They will offer modified hours Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm,  Saturday 10am – 2pm and closed on Sunday.

All visitors are required to wear face coverings while they are in the MSSC. Bathrooms will not be available to the public, and there will continue to be no in-person meetings or gatherings. If you are not feeling well or have been in contact with someone who may be infected with COVID-19, please plan to visit us another time. We are committed to protecting the health of our staff and volunteers.

That said, we are excited to be reopening and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Family-Fun-Flag-Fourth Schedule Announced!

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The Family-Fun-Flag-Fourth is just a few days away and we can’t wait!

Flags are FUN! Do you love flags? Join us on Facebook July 4th for an awesome day of flag themed activities.

Be part of the action: Most every rank has an activity or adventure involving a flag ceremony or learning about flags. (Cub Scouts, check out Wolf – Council Fire, Bear – Paws for Action, and Arrow of Light – Building a Better World. Scouts BSA check Scout, Tenderfoot, and Second Class.) Make a short video showing your own Fun Flag activity—special kudos if you do it while dressed as your favorite superhero or historical figure. Your videos will be featured on Facebook. So, get busy and show us your Scouting patriotism!!

8:00 AM – Fitness Fun
Can you climb the Washington Monument? Not right now because it is closed due to COVID-19. However, you can try your hand at how many Washington Monuments you can walk, hike, run or bike. Learn some history about the Washington Monument and some engineering and math as well!

Download the worksheet here. Post and tag your pictures to Facebook here.

10:00 AM – Do a Good Turn: Operation Gratitude
Please join Scouts and Scouters from across the National Capital Area Council to write letters of thanks to first responders, deployed troops, veterans, and others, through Operation Gratitude. Can you take some time on July 4th and write some letters to our service women and men and first responders? Here are the steps:

1. Go to Operation Gratitude’s website and click on “register for letter writing and download guide”. Register with your contact information.
2. You will receive directions from the organization about how to prepare and address the letters. Distribute those directions to your unit and encourage them to participate. This is an excellent service opportunity for Scouts while maintaining social distancing!
3. When your unit has completed letter-writing, follow the directions for submitting them to Operation Gratitude. Keeping your own safety in mind, you may choose to collect all of your unit’s letters and send them as a group, or ask each Scout to send them individually.

4. Make sure that you record your unit’s service hours for this project.

Post and tag your pictures to Facebook here.

12:00 PM – Great Scout Cookoff
We are having a BAKE-OFF! At noon we will kick off our Scout Bake-off hosted by the NCAC Council Venturing Officers Association with a competition making Patriotic Pancakes. Be sure to get your patriotic ingredients beforehand. Send your videos and pictures to cvoa@ncacvsa.org.

Join us at noon on for the judging!

4:00 PM – Fun with Ice Cream
Are you hungry? Are you hot? With just a little science and a little shaking you can make ice cream in a plastic bag! How patriotic can you make yours? It’s a delicious treat that you can make in your kitchen with only a few ingredients. Just remember to save room for your veggies later!

At your own pace. Watch the video on Saturday. Want something a little more complicated? No worries, we will offer a more challenging version!  Supplies needed: milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, gloves, measuring cups, 2 quart size ziplock bags, and 1 gallon size ziplock bag.

Post and tag your pictures to Facebook here.

6:00 PM – Fireworks Fun
Leave the high-flying fireworks to the experts. You can always learn about the chemistry of fireworks from the experts and try your hand at some safer alternatives. The first experiment uses water, oil and food coloring. The second uses soda and Mentos. How much fun can you have?
• The Chemistry of Fireworks (Videos provided during event)
• Inside Fireworks with Oil and Water (supplies needed: oil, water, food coloring, and two glass cylinders or vases)
• Soda and Mentos Outside Fireworks (supplies needed: 2 liter bottle of clear soda, a little red and blue food coloring, and packs of Mint Mentos.)
Post and tag your pictures to Facebook here.

*We strongly encourage all Scouts to have an Adult Leader nearby while using the internet or joining Zoom calls.*

Climbing the Walls?

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If you’re climbing the walls at home, come out to Camp Snyder and climb ours. The 20′ tall Scouterhorn will be operating for family camping on 11, 18, 25 July and 1 Aug.

We have new sanitation protocols for reducing the possibility of climbers becoming infected by the virus. This training is mandatory and is held concurrent with family camping. If you want to operate it, please ask for details and sign up for a training session. To learn more please visit https://scoutingevent.com/082-38193 or contact Camp.Snyder@Scouting.org.