Adventure Talks Recap; Looking Ahead
This month, NCAC kicked off a webinar series called Adventure Talks. 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 three talks included a Philmont Panel, a NESA World Explorer sharing his experience at the Biodiversity Station in Ecuador, and a Thru-Hiker’s Tales of the Appalachian Trail.
Today, July 28, we revisit Philmont, with new panelists and another perspective. Tune in as Danielle Ballantine, John Blackwell, Patricia Wrath and Toni Welch share their experiences of the Philmont Training Center, Family Adventures, PLC and Philmont Ambassdors!
Have a burning question or a topic you wish to see addressed? Let us know ahead of time in the sign up. OR ask the panelists directly during Q&A in the ZOOM session. To get the link to join the ZOOM, please sign up (free) here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks
——–
Recap of July Adventure Talks
July 7: Philmont Panel: The Philmont Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks.
The panelists include Tom Giugni, Jay Oakman, Sam McGrath and Arden Dougan. Our Moderator is Julia Mae-Shen Lesko.
Our panelists have been Philmont Ambassadors, Scouting U Faculty, Rangers and participants – we aim to offer you a glimpse of each role and how you can participate too!
July 14: An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest
Evan Dunn, NESA World Explorer, will share his experience at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador.
Dr. Michael Manyak, distinguished Eagle Scout and founder of the NESA World Explorer program also shares and intro about the program!
July 21: Tales from the Trail
Approximately 2,000 people attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail each year. Only about 10% (150-200) of the hikers who start make it the whole way from Georgia to Maine. Join long distance hiker and biker Pete Lane for a first hand account of how he made the journey.
July 28: Philmont Talks II
There’s so much to cover with Philmont, we have Part II! Our panelists include Danielle Ballantine, John Blackwell, Pat Wrath and Toni Welch. Topics include: PTC, Family Adventure, PLC and Philmont Ambassdors! Have a burning question? Let us know ahead of time in the sign up or ask the panelists directly during Q&A.
To get the link to join the ZOOM, please sign up (free) here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks
Ashburn Troop 997 Holds Mini-Camp
Like many, Ashburn Troop 997’s summer camp plans were put on hold due to COVID closures. But that didn’t stop the Troop from providing a high-quality summer experience for their Scouts while following all BSA, CBC and state rules and guidance. The Troop set up a campsite at the Hidden Meadow group campsite maintained by the Willowsford Conservancy.
Led by Scoutmaster Terry Kolb and his adult team of volunteers, ASMs and Merit Badge Counselors, the Troop put together a mini-camp (five days of ‘day camp’ plus one night camping out) allowing the Scouts to earn a number of outdoor-oriented merit badges, including Pioneering, Soil & Water Conservation, Golf, Fishing, Astronomy and Search & Rescue. The Troop’s new Scouts also had the opportunity to work on early rank requirements. Highlights of the week included bridge-building, a search dog rescue demonstration, model-rocket launching, hiking at Manassas and biking around the Willowsford Farm community. Mid-week, the Troop gathered for an evening event, including the infamous Scoutmaster Campfire Extravaganza, an outdoor movie and an astronomy star party.
As the camp closed, the Scouts headed offsite to do trail maintenance for the Conservancy. In their newsletter, the Willowsford Conservancy complemented the Troop and the Leave No Trace principles of Scouting:
Last week, a troop of young scouts chose the Hidden Meadow Event Field as the site for their week-long scout mini-camp. We were excited to offer residents the ability to host camp at Willowsford, and delighted by the feedback from other residents about the care the scouts displayed toward nature and toward our community’s resources; true to the Scouts’ principles of “Leave no Trace.” They can be applied anywhere, at any time.
Putting Adventure in STEM!
Who said STEM NOVA projects can’t be fun? Not Life Scout Austin from Troop 447 in Rockville Maryland. Austin combined doing his “Up & Away” NOVA project requirements with a COPE rock wall climbing adventure, check out the video here. I asked Austin to explain what he had to do and why he decided to do it the way he did:
“For the NOVA award requirement 3C I had to design a way to deliver rescue supplies to an area hit by a natural disaster, so with some scrap wood I had I built a box to hold a small bottle of water, a granola bar and a (empty) medicine bottle. Then I had to design a parachute to hang the supplies from. I asked my dad to cut and sew a ripped hammock we had into the parachute I designed and them I attached lines to it. There were 16 lines, so I grouped them into 4 groups so they would get tangled so much. On each group I put a leader line that I attached to each corner of the wooden box.
So then I had to test it, but I didn’t know any high buildings or bridges that I could use. So then Ms. Trisha told me perhaps I could do it from the COPE wall at Camp Snyder and I said YES PLEASE! On Saturday we drove to Camp Snyder in Haymarket, Virginia and Ms. Trisha asked Mr. Waisanen, the NCAC COPE & Climbing Chair, if I could do my project and he said yes. We had to figure out how to drop it and how to collect the data I needed for the requirements. There was another adult, Mr. Lesko, who talked to me about how to throw or drop the parachute from the 24’ high tower. I chose static drop, because that was easier and more reliable for 
deploying and collecting data. I also had to figure out how to pull the parachute back up after each drop and how to stay at the top of the climbing tower and still be able to use my hands. The COPE teachers showed me how I could put my feet against the wall so I could use my hands. That was really cool! I had a looped cord all the way down that they tied the parachute on, so I could pull it up every time and I dropped the parachute 3 times. My mom took the hang time with a stopwatch and my friend Keefer checked the box to make sure it wasn’t damaged and to check the supplies inside. The box was still good after 3 drops, so my experiment was successful. After that I climbed down and we had to clean all the equipment we used with soap and water to make it safe for the next person to use.”
Austin made a fun STEM project into an exciting adventure and put his own spin to a requirement. He is one step closer to earning one of the many BSA Nova Awards.
To learn more about BSA Nova Awards, visit https://www.scouting.org/stem-nova-awards/ or http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/stem-nova_program_overview.pdf .
To learn more about all the cool adventures at Camp William B. Snyder click here.
A big THANK YOU to Camp William B. Snyder, National Capital Area Council, Director of STEM & Exploring Ms. Trisha, PM COPE Mr. Tony Waisanen and NOVA advice from Mr. John Lesko.
Cub-A-Day Week 8 (July 27-Aug 1)
Week 8
MONDAY
Make Something Monday
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
“The Tyger” by William Blake
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
“The Tyger” by William Blake
Symmetry is a quality of objects or images being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis.
Rangoli is an art form, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or the ground using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand, or flower petals.
Research photos of different Rangoli. Find all the symmetries you can. What happens if you look at it in a mirror? Once you’ve seen a few designs – Use chalk, sand, or flour to make your own.
This activity completed Requirement 3b from the Fearful Symmetry NOVA Award if you talk to a NOVA counselor.
TUESDAY
It’s Taste Something Tuesday!
Foil Pack Dinners are another Scout staple – You can find recipes for any type of food online.
Foil Pack Dinners are another Scout staple – You can find recipes for any type of food online.
I like this one: https://www.food.com/recipe/boy-scout-foil-dinner-407428
WEDNESDAY
It’s Wander Around Wednesday!
Head outside at sunset and watch it with your family, Once the stars come out – Try to identify 5 constellations and draw what you see. An app like NightSky might help.
Head outside at sunset and watch it with your family, Once the stars come out – Try to identify 5 constellations and draw what you see. An app like NightSky might help.
The sunset completes the third activity in the Explore My World Category of the Cub Family Summertime Passport: https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/AqAQD4gKhjdXw4m2AkDEbCWn
The 5 constellations fulfill Requirement 3a for the Out of this World NOVA, if you talk with a NOVA counselor about it.
THURSDAY
It’s Do Something Thoughtful Thursday!
Leave No Trace is a lifestyle that seeks to preserve our natural world for future generations. Review the seven LNT Principles for Kids with your family.
You can use this video to learn the hand signs that go with each principle – It helps us remember the rules! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pp4aqwE0pQ
FRIDAY
It’s Family Fun Friday!
Puzzles present a challenge that the whole family can chip in to solve. Find a fun puzzle and work on it together!
SATURDAY
It’s Safety Saturday!
Families are sometimes separated by emergencies – Having recent photos and bio-metric information ready to provide to public safety personnel is a HUGE help.
Create a child ID packet for each of the kids in your house – You can use school or family photos and a template like this: https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/NCMEC_Child_ID_Kit_wc_FEMA_508.pdf
You may even have an ID card from your School Photos.
Seminar #6: Delivering Exciting Online Content
Join the NYLT Staff live on Tuesday, July 28th at 5pm for Seminar #6: Exciting Online Presentations! Delivering information online requires new and innovative ways to think about training. Join us to hear about the formats and strategies to keep your information concise, relevant and exciting.
The event is FREE, but space is limited, so don’t wait to register!