We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

Pi Lab

by

This week, STEM Scout Lab 314 in Powhatan District celebrated their namesake (or numbersake) Pi Day with gorgeous cookies!

Last September, we shared photos of the Lab’s first activity – wildlife sciences. They had just started out – a couple cub scout leaders with initiative – and launched the first STEM Lab in their district!

Today, we check in with Lab 314’s Lab Manager, Dr. Washow and hear how it’s going.

My name is Dr. Renee Washow, I am the Lab Manager for Lab 314. I run the Lab with David Lieu, a Chemist. We did little to no advertising this year because the Leadership team wanted to learn about the program and get a grasp on how to run it. We started with 5 Scouts. Through word of mouth and some people searching the web, we ended up with 16 Scouts; 6 of whom were not active in BSA before STEM Scouts.

I can only speak from my Lab’s experience but the kids have had a great experience. They have enjoyed the hands-on activities and have been able to learn a good deal about research design, how to run an experiment, and how to continue trying different approaches when one approach fails. They are learning about STEM but they are also learning valuable lessons in education and life, that you can make a mistake or fail but pick yourself up, try again, and succeed.

One of the things I love most about STEM Scouts is that it approaches STEM differently than other programs. The modules include far more than the traditional STEM classes, like robotics and coding, but dive into the science behind archeology and eco systems. They explore topics like chemistry in a fun away, through bubbles, and aerodynamics with a ton of different experiments. The kids favorite activity so far has been building the water filtration system in the Engineering module. They had a chance to experiment and talk through why different layers were not working or why they were working more slowly. Kids were comparing someone else’s super thick, mud mixture to their messy but not thick leaf and dirt mixture. They could see how the systems worked or didn’t work based on the changes they were making.

This is a program with huge potential. STEM Scouts is a great option because it is more cost effective for many parents than traditional STEM activities. It is also interesting because it covers a variety of STEM fields and not just one. If we can attract 6 kids who have never participated in BSA activities before without any type of advertising, imagine what we can do with some real effort.

Checkmate.

by

The Marriott Scout Service Center was proud to host the annual Akela Chess Classic this February, as Cubs, SBSA and STEM Scouts took on the fun and challenge of chess in great stride! At the SBSA event alone, over 11 Districts and 22 registered – a great representation of NCAC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The youth demonstrated incredible sportsmanship, perseverance, and chess knowledge. For the SBSA youth working on the Chess Merit Badge, Mr. Roger Claff, Tournament Director even offered chess notation sheets. A number of SBSA youth took him up on it, and we surely may see some chess aficionados go on to earn the Designed to Crunch Nova.

 

The tournament has become a banner event for NCAC STEM, with its success owed to the dedication of Powhatan STEM Leader Mr. Roger Claff. For over 2 decades, Mr. Claff has perfected the tournament to a point where even his inspiring scoutmaster minute about winners with a journey is requested by many youth after the tournament!  Last year the tournament was not held owing to covid, but scouts benefited from the return of this annual tradition of fun and challenge.

Special thanks to:

  • Roger Claff, Tournament Director, for conceptualizing the Chess Belt Loop decades ago, developing a tournament nearly 2 decades ago, and evangelizing it into a Council Classic.
  • Ellen Claff, for her steadfast support and stepping in as Tournament Director whenever needed for double proctoring!
  • Michael Hanson, who drove from Powhatan to NCAC to serve as the proctor of both events! He represented STEM Scouts with the double uniform of a Class A + lab coat.
  • Jim Boyce from Potomac and Bill Wacek from Powhatan, who also served as proctors throughout the SBSA tournament, to help ensure double proctoring of the event.
  • Susan Plano-Faber from the NCAC STEM Committee for educating waiting parents about the many STEM opportunities across NCAC!
  • Peter Snow of Snow’s Chess Academy, for loaning all of the chess sets/boards to make this tournament a reality for so many consecutive years.

Above all, congratulations go to all of the scouts who showed up and participated! Each one earned a Chess Patch, and tournament winners also received trophies.

In between tournament rounds, youth played friendly chess games, practicing, sharing tips, having fun, and making friends. Waiting parents also were able to explore the MSSC HQ and learn about STEM activities across NCAC. Parents flipped thru the DC STEM Trek Guide, learned about the Council PWD and STEM Scouts. For more information about STEM events, please visit our STEM Page and Facebook page.

Pack 1540’s Blue & Gold BanQUEST – An adventure 112 years in the making

by

Back in the B.S. era (before-Covid), our normal Blue & Gold Banquet included a meal and live entertainment. Our 2020 event was cancelled due to the growing pandemic. In 2021 we held a virtual banquet, encouraging Scouts to cook a meal with their parents and then tune in to a virtual mad scientists show. We haven’t been able to assemble all in one place indoors since the start of the pandemic, that is until last week.

For our 2022 Blue & Gold Banquet, Pack 1540 celebrated the 112th birthday of Scouting in America, Jurassic-style! Our main entertainment was a reptile show with turtles, snakes, and a few amphibians. We decided to not provide a meal – families were encouraged to eat before arriving, which helped ease some concerns about spacing and masking. We replaced eating time with dinosaur-themed activity stations:

  • Visitor Center: sent the Scouts on a scavenger hunt to find dinosaurs on the loose
  • Tyrannosaurus Rex: puppet operated by a volunteer
  • Fossil Dig Site: individual clay eggs with dinosaur toys inside
  • Veterinary Clinic: pin the tail on the dinosaur
  • Feeding Station: bean bag toss into dinosaur mouths
  • Mr. DNA’s Lab: dinosaur-themed activity pages
  • Petting Zoo: provided by a reptile expert

The event included a Jurassic Pack-style entrance gate, a movie-accurate Jeep provided by the Jurassic Park Motor Pool, friendly velociraptor keeping Scouts out of the elevator, and an opening skit performed by the Den Leaders that re-enacting parts of the opening scene of the movie complete with costumes and props (“You did it you crazy Cubmaster, you did it”). The evening ended with a big suprise – a life-size dilophosaurus!

Scouts and families had a “roaring” fun evening. Many, many thanks to our families and Den Leaders. Scouting finds a way!

] 

Register Now for Trout-o-Ree 2022!

by

Welcome to Trout-O-Ree 2022!

On the weekend of April 1-3, the Scouts of the Prince William and Patriot Districts will head to the Trout-O-Ree. Trout Town, the semi-mythical municipality, will rematerialize to meet all your fishing needs. And then there’s the Mega-Bonus Prize: The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Trout Heritage Day events will be held on Saturday morning at the Rose River pavilions. And don’t forget our own fishing derby, Conservation Merit Badge Midway, and … a climbing wall!? Stay safe, remember the Outdoor Code, and have a troutastic time! https://scoutingevent.com/082-PWDTroutoree2022

Okpik at Northern Tier: A Low Temperature High Adventure to Remember

by

Have you ever walked in snow that squeaks or camped under the brilliance of the Milky Way?  How about snowshoeing among the fresh tracks of moose and rabbit, or seeing an otter dodge across a frozen lake?

Venture Crew 1345 from Burke, Virginia, experienced all of these and more on their recent Okpik Cold Weather Camping Weekend at the Northern Tier Charles L. Summers Canoe Base in Ely, Minnesota.  The young men and women (and brave adult advisors) completed the Okpik Winter Camping Weekend trek over a recent long weekend in January 2022, where the daytime high temperatures were still below zero and the windchills hit below -30 degrees F.

The moment the crew arrived, the fantastic outfitters at Northern Tier made sure the Scouts were ready for the weather.  With boots rated to -100 degrees, heavy fleece mittens, and ample layers to cut the wind and cold, the toasty crew was ready to take on the northern Minnesota winter.  The crew collected cross-country skis and snowshoe gear, an auger and fishing poles, heavy-duty winter sleeping bags and tarps, and food/cooking equipment for the multi-day camping event.

The focus of the Okpik Cold Weather Camping Weekend is to experience all different types of winter/snow related weather activities that Okpik has to offer – from hiking out to a wilderness lake in 12 inches of snow, towing gear in sleds (pulks), set up a campsite and spend the nights camping in quinzhees, snow shelters or a Russian Tents.  Venture Crew 1345 was no exception.  They hiked with gear-filled sleds, snowshoed through the forest and skied across frozen lakes topped with several inches of snow more than seven miles each day.  They did jumping jacks around the outdoor snow kitchen and held impromptu running races across the frozen lake.  They even got to participate in dog sledding around a frozen island.

And through all of this, they worked together as a team to make the most of the experience.

Cold weather camping – especially when the temperatures at night drops 50 degrees below freezing – is not for the unprepared.  Venture Crew 1345 knew that they needed to work together to plan, prepare, and practice even long before heading to Minnesota (ah! the first principle in leave no trace).  They held shakedown cold weather camping weekends, carefully reviewed health and safety protocols, and double and triple checked their gear prior to the trip.

But they also worked together as a team during the trek – doing wellness checks with their fellow Scouts and working together to make sure everyone on the crew was healthy, safe, and getting the most out of the trek.

Venture Crew 1345 is now back in warmer Northern Virginia, but the memories of this high adventure trek will stay with the Scouts and Scouters for many years to come.

And, yes, the snow does squeak when you walk on it.  The moose, rabbits and otters do share the forest trails and snowy lakes with the Okpik visitors.  And the Milky Way nearly pops out of the sky when it’s 30 degrees below zero.

Venture Crew 1345 is a part of the Boy Scouts of America units chartered by the Burke Centre Conservancy in Northern Virginia.  The BCC supports a family-focused Cub Scout Pack 1345, boys Troop 1345, girls Troop 1345G, and co-ed Venture Crew 1345.  To learn more about Burke Centre’s BSA units, go to https://bsa1345burke.org/

Troop 440 Takes On Northern Tier’s Okpik

by

Earlier this month, NCAC Venturing Officers Association President Brent Peate of Crew 1191 in Mount Airy and newly minted Eagle Scout Wilson N. of Troop 440 in Silver Spring successfully completed the inaugural Kodiak trek hosted at Northern Tier’s Okpik. Following a day in the classroom along with the Cold Weather Leader Training, the youth crew spent 2 consecutive nights camping on the ice at Flash Lake where temperatures dipped to -23 degrees. (Also pictured is Tiernan Barber of Troop 142, Pennsylvania Dutch Council).

Kodiak is a BSA youth leadership opportunity centered around high adventure trekking. This exciting youth driven challenge gives participants the opportunity to advance their leadership skills through the outdoor adventure setting while completing a trek and overcoming obstacles as a group. This course is particularly demanding due to its location at Northern Tier, the BSA’s premier cold weather camping center.

More information about Cold Weather Leader Training and Kodiak, hosted annually in January, at Northern Tier’s Okpik can be found here: www.ntier.org/expeditions/winter-adventures/winter-individual-programs/