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The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Locust Grove Nature Center – Scout Programs

Locust Grove is currently booking scout groups limited to outdoors programs only with a maximum of 20 scouts for a one-hour program.

Scout programs are available for booking on Wednesday through Sunday during the afternoons and evenings.

Choose a one-hour naturalist-led program or a series to meet your scout troop’s badge and journey requirements. Our programs are customized to your troop’s age group and needs. If you have other programs in mind that could fulfill badge requirements, please inform us!

Programs for Scouts

Please look through the programs and see what you are interested in. Then fill out and submit a Scout Program Request Form. We will contact you to finalize scheduling and create a permit for the program.

Camp-In at Locust Grove Nature Center 

You can add a camp-in option with any of our programs at Locust grove!  Your overnight package of nature fun includes:

  • Overnight lodging in the Nature Center Program Room or the Armstrong Cabin (bring your sleeping gear).
  • Evening campfire with marshmallow roasting and an activity.
  • Nocturnal wildlife walk with one of our experienced naturalists.
  • Tailor-made naturalist program for your group.

Camp-In begins Friday night at 5:30pm to end Saturday at 8:30 am OR Saturday night at 5:30pm to end Sunday at 8:30 am. The fee is just $35 per person, with one adult for every five children.

Camping Basics/ Camp-Ins

What does it take to plan a camping trip? Get familiar with camping gear, learn how to pitch a tent, test your survival skills, prep a camping meal, team-build with our favorite camp games.  This is a great combo program with a Camp-in. Use the Cabin John McDonell Campground for an outdoor camping experience or enjoy a camp-in at the Locust Grove Nature Center.


Campfire Safety Program

Experience the basics of campfire building, cooking, fun and safety with this program. See the benefits of the Leave No Trace principles in action and learn how campfire safety benefits wildlife and benefits you!

Girl Scouts: Eco Friend (Brownie), Eco Camper (Junior)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Castaway, Camper (Arrow of Light)


Walk the Watershed Program

Take a splash in the local watershed and experience the beauty and importance of Cabin John Creek. Learn about watershed issues, ecosystems, and how human impacts directly effect the environment.

Girl Scouts: Wonders of Water (Brownie), Eco Explorer (Senior), Water (Ambassador)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Spirit of the Water (Wolf), A Bear Goes Fishing (Bear), Nature and, Soil & Water (All BSA scouts)


The Life of Plants and Trees

Get familiar with local plants and trees. Work with a Park Naturalist and learn the science behind how plants and trees grow. Hike, identify, observe, record, and learn the connections to healthy ecosystems and plant life.

Girl Scouts: Flowers (Junior), Trees (Cadette)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Into the Woods (Webelos/Arrow of Light), Nature (All BSA scouts), Plant Science (All BSA scouts, Field Botany, Forestry


Gardening & Composting

Contribute to the Native Plant Garden or the Locust Grove Wildlife Garden through learning about gardening or composting. Plant seeds, weed, water and watch our gardens grow. Focus on the science of growing, composting or the importance of pollinators!

Girl Scouts: Journey Between Earth and Sky (Daisy), Gardener (Junior)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns (Bear), Gardening (All BSA scouts)


Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Discover how your daily actions of reducing, reusing and recycling impact wildlife. Enjoy team building recycling games, and hike to see the benefits you can make by living eco-minded.

Girl Scouts: Eco Learner (Daisy), Household Elf (Brownie)


Insects and Pollinators

Learn the fascinating characteristics or behaviors of the insect world. Visit our bee hives and enjoy some buzzing activities that focus on the process of pollination, the role of insects in the environment or what makes a great insect home.

Girl Scouts: Bug Badge (Brownie)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Insect Study (All BSA scouts)


Reptile & Amphibian Encounter

Go wild with the creature encounter program. Examine first-hand our education ambassadors including local snakes, frogs, turtles and insect species. Hike to find reptiles and amphibians in the park, identify local reptiles and amphibians and learn about their behaviors, food sources and ideal habitats.

Cub/Boy Scouts: Nature (All BSA scouts), Reptile & Amphibian Study (All BSA scouts)


Creature Feature: Animal Care

Find out about the survival needs of wild animals and what it takes to care for animal in captivity. Enjoy meeting Locust Grove’s education ambassadors (snakes, turtles, and frogs) and prepare food, enrichment toys, and a safe, clean environment for these animals or discuss issues of animals used for science and discover your opinions on how these animals should be treated and used.

Girl Scouts: Journey- 5 flowers, 4 stories, 3 cheers for animals (Daisy), Pets (Brownie),  Voice for Animals (Senior)

Cub/Boy Scouts:  Critter Care (Bear)


Hiking

Learn to love the trail with this hiking program. A park naturalist will help you pack your bag, think about your gear, explore your map and local wildlife, take safety precautions and head into the great outdoors.

Girl Scouts: Hiker (Brownie), Trailblazing (Cadette)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Tigers in the Wild, Paws on the Path (Wolf), Finding Your Way (Wolf), Fur, Fathers, and Ferns (Bear), Hiking (All BSA scouts)


Night Hike

Discover the adaptations of nocturnal animals and explore the trail after dark! End your sensory-based night hike with a campfire.

Girl Scouts: Night Owl (Cadette)


Letterboxing

Create your own letterboxing stamp and use the letterboxing clues to hike and find the letterbox caches around Locust Grove.

Girl Scouts: Letterboxer (Brownie)


Citizen Science

Make an impact on your local environment by joining the important work of citizen scientists around the globe. Learn about the scientific method and how to collect and record data from the field. Discover the variety of citizen science projects and how you can contribute.

Girl Scouts: Journey- Think like a Citizen Scientist (Daisy), Journey- Think like a Citizen Scientist (Brownie), Journey- Think like a Citizen Scientist (Junior)


Beautiful Birds

Soar into learning about the life of birds! Learn how the experts identify local birds, simulate the challenges of bird migration, and how humans impact bird life.

Cub/Boy Scouts: Birds (All BSA scouts)


Tracks and Signs

Where’s the wildlife? Can’t see any animals from the trail? Discover who has been visiting your local parks by the clues they’ve left behind. Identify animal tracks, scat, feathers, fur and animal behaviors through using your best detective skills!

Girl Scouts: Senses (Brownie)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Nature (All BSA scouts)


Nature Careers

Talk to a park naturalist about how they educate and advocate for local wildlife! Explore a variety of local ecological problems and come up with real life solutions.

Girl Scouts: Eco Advocate (Senior)


Backyard Ecosystems

Let Locust Grove be your wild backyard! Discover local flora and fauna that live around you and how to protect these important species.

Girl Scouts: Outdoor Adventurer (Brownie), Animal Habitats (Junior), Eco Trecker (Cadette)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Backyard Jungle,  Into the Wild (Webelos/Arrow of Light), Nature (All BSA scouts), Mammal Study (All BSA scouts), Fish & Wildlife Management (All BSA scouts)


Geology

Geology rocks! Get an introduction to the rock cycle, learn how rocks date the Earth’s history, and experience the science behind fossils through our dinosaur fossil dig-site.

Cub/Boy Scouts: Earth Rocks! (Webelos/Arrow of Light), Nature (All BSA scouts), Geology (All BSA scouts)


Nature Art

Let nature be your inspiration! Join a park naturalist and photograph wildlife or use natural materials to make music, portraits, or sculpt outdoors.

Girl Scouts: Outdoor Art Maker (Daisy), Outdoor Art Creator (Brownie), Outdoor Art Explorer (Junior), Outdoor Art Apprentice (Cadette), Outdoor Art Expert (Senior), Outdoor Art Master (Ambassador)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Elective Adventure (Arrow of Light)


The Science of the Sky (weather, cloud-watching)

Whether learning about storms or stars join us at Locust Grove in exploring the wonders of the skies. Investigate the difference behind weather and climate, cloud formations or focus on the science of flight!

Girl Scouts: Sky (Senior)

Cub/Boy Scouts: Weather (All BSA scouts)


Camping Basics/ Camp-Ins

What does it take to plan a camping trip? Get familiar with camping gear, learn how to pitch a tent, test your survival skills, prep a camping meal, team-build with our favorite camp games. Use the Cabin John Campgrounds for an outdoor camping experience or enjoy a camp-in at the Locust Grove Nature Center.

Daisy: Buddy Camper

When you earn this badge, you’ll get to see what an adventure camping is! You’ll get to play in nature, eat outside, and sleep under the stars with your family, buddies from your troop, or other friends.

  1. Help plan a camping trip
  2. Help pack for your trip
  3. Go camping

Brownie: Cabin Camper

Plan a camping adventure with your Girl Scout friends or family members and then go camping!

  1. Help plan your camping trip
  2. Learn about camping gear
  3. Prepare a camp meal
  4. Learn a new camping skill
  5. Go camping!

 Junior: Camper

Find out how to plan a camping adventure.

  1. Start planning your adventure
  2. Gain a new camping skill
  3. Find your inner camp chef
  4. Try a new activity
  5. Head out on your trip—and have some nighttime fun!

Cadette: Primitive Camper

Learn to tackle outdoor activities without the comforts of home.

  1. Plan a primitive camping trip
  2. Prepare your gear
  3. Make a camp meal
  4. Learn a new primitive camping skill
  5. Go camping

Ambassador: Survival Camper

Test your skills with limited supplies and have an unforgettable experience with your camping crew.

  1. Plan a survival camping trip
  2. Gather your gear
  3. Plan and prepare your trip meals
  4. Learn a survival camp skill
  5. Go camping

 Bear Adventure: Bear Necessities

  1. While working on your Bear badge, camp overnight with your pack. If your chartered organization does not permit Cub Scout camping, you may substitute a family campout or a daylong outdoor activity with your den or pack.
  2. Attend a campfire show, and participate by performing a song or skit with your den.
  3. Make a list of items you should take along on your campout.
  4. Make a list of equipment that the group should bring along in addition to each Scout’s personal gear.
  5. With your den, plan a cooked lunch or dinner that is nutritious and balanced. On a campout or at another outdoor event, help cook the meal, and help clean up afterward.
  6. Cook this meal outdoors. Help set up a tent. Pick a good spot for the tent, and explain to your den leader why you picked it.

 Arrow of Light Adventure: Camper

1.With the help of your den leader or family, plan and conduct a campout. If your chartered organization does not permit Cub Scout camping, you may substitute a family campout or a daylong outdoor activity with your den or pack.

  1. On arrival at the campout, with your den and den leader or family, determine where to set up your tent. Demonstrate knowledge of what makes a good tent site and what makes a bad one. Set up your tent without help from an adult.
  2. Once your tents are set up, discuss with your den what actions you should take in the case of the following extreme weather events which could require you to evacuate: a. Severe rainstorm causing flooding b. Severe thunderstorm with lightning or tornadoes Webelos and Arrow of Light Requirements (2015–2016 Program Year) Cub Scout Requirements August 27, 2015 31 c. Fire, earthquake, or other disaster that will require evacuation. Discuss what you have done to minimize as much danger as possible.
  3. Recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids from memory. Talk about how you can demonstrate them while you are working on your Arrow of Light. After one outing, list the things you did to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace.

Wolf Adventure: Call of the Wild

  1. While a Wolf Scout, attend a pack or family campout. If your chartered organization does not permit Cub Scout camping, you may substitute a family campout or a daylong outdoor activity with your den or pack.
  2. Show how to tie an overhand knot and a square knot.
  3. While on a den or family outing, identify four different types of animals. Explain how you identified them.
  4. With your family or den, make a list of possible weather changes that might happen on your campout according to the time of year you are camping. Tell how you will be prepared for each one.
  5. Show or demonstrate what to do: a. When a stranger approaches you, your family, or your belongings. b. In case of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood. c. To keep from spreading your germs.
  6. On the campout, participate with your family or den in a campfire show. Prepare a skit or song, and then present it at the campfire for everyone else.
  7. Do the following: a. Recite the Outdoor Code with your leader. b. Recite the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your leader. Talk about how these principles support the Outdoor Code. c. After your campout, list the ways you demonstrated being careful with fire.

Boy Scouts: Camping

(d) While camping in the outdoors, cook at least one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner for your patrol from the meals you have planned for requirement

8c. At least one of those meals must be a trail meal requiring the use of a lightweight stove.

  1. Show experience in camping by doing the following:

(a) Camp a total of at least 20 nights at designated Scouting activities or events. One long-term camping experience of up to six consecutive nights may be applied toward this requirement. Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. If the camp provides a tent that has already been pitched, you need not pitch your own tent.

(c) Perform a conservation project approved by the landowner or land managing agency. This can be done alone or with others.


Campfire Safety

Experience the basics of campfire building, cooking, fun and safety with this program. See the benefits of the Leave No Trace principles in action and learn how campfire safety benefits wildlife and benefits you!

Brownie: Eco Friend

Find out how to treat outdoor spaces with kindness and teach others how they can, too.

  1. Think of ways to help the outdoors
  2. Observe outdoor spaces
  3. Build a safe campfire
  4. Take care of wildlife
  5. Practice being kind

Junior: Eco Camper

Find out how to protect the environment when you go on a camping trip.

  1. Learn the Leave No Trace Seven Principles
  2. Plan meals with the environment in mind
  3. Prepare a minimal impact campsite
  4. Have fun with Leave No Trace
  5. Take a conservation hike

Arrow of Light Adventure: Camper

  1. On a pack campout, work with your den leader or another adult to plan a campfire program with the other dens. Your campfire program should include an impressive opening, songs, skits, a Cubmaster’s minute, and an inspirational closing ceremony.
  2. Recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids from memory. Talk about how you can demonstrate them while you are working on your Arrow of Light. After one outing, list the things you did to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace.

Webelos/AOL Elective Adventure: Castaway

  1. Do two of these: a. With the help of an adult, demonstrate one way to light a fire without using matches. b. On a campout with your den or family, cook two different recipes that do not require pots and pans. If your chartered organization does not permit Cub Scout camping, you may substitute a family campout or a daylong outdoor activity with your den or pack.

Walk the Watershed

Take a splash in the local watershed and experience the beauty and importance of Cabin John Creek. Learn about watershed issues, ecosystems, and how human impacts directly effect the environment.

Brownie Journey: WOW! Wonders of Water

In this Journey, you will:

  1. Explore the wonders of water by find out more about its importance and how it’s used around the world.
    2. Plan a Take Action project, such as making informative posters, promoting recycling at school, or planting low-water gardens.

Senior: Eco Explorer

Become an eco explorer as you get hands-on experience with environmental issues and help make positive changes to the environment.

  1. Meet an eco explorer
  2. Explore biodiversity
  3. Investigate a global ecosystem issue
  4. Plan a trip to explore and work on an issue
  5. Share what you learned

 Ambassador: Water

Find out more about water and reflect on the role water plays in your life and our world.

  1. Have fun reflecting on your relationship with water
  2. Celebrate water art—and create your own
  3. Find out about water issues
  4. Explore water solutions
  5. Educate and inspire

 Bear Elective Adventure: A Bear Goes Fishing

  1. Discover and learn about three types of fishes in your area. Draw a color picture of each fish, record what each one likes to eat, and describe what sort of habitat each likes.
  2. Learn about your local fishing regulations with your leader or a parent or guardian. List three of the regulations you learn about and one reason each regulation exists.
  3. Learn about fishing equipment, and make a simple fishing pole. Practice casting at a target.
  4. Go on a fishing adventure, and spend a minimum of one hour trying to catch a fish. Put into practice the things you have learned about fish and fishing equipment.

Wolf Elective Adventures: Spirit of the Water

  1. Demonstrate how the water in your community can become polluted.
  2. Explain one way that you can help conserve water in your home.

Boy Scouts: Nature

(e) Fish

(1) Identify two species of fish native to your area.

Boy Scouts: Soil & Water

  1. Do the following:
  2. Tell what soil is. Tell how it is formed.
  3. Describe three kinds of soil. Tell how they are different.
  4. Name the three main plant nutrients in fertile soil. Tell how they can be put back when used up.
  5. Do the following:
  6. Define soil erosion.
  7. Tell why soil erosion is important. Tell how it affects you.
  8. Name three kinds of soil erosion. Describe each.
  9. Take pictures of or draw two kinds of soil erosion.
  10. Do the following:
  11. Tell what is meant by “conservation practices.”
  12. Describe the effect of three kinds of erosion-control practices.
  13. Take pictures of or draw three kinds of erosion-control practices.
  14. Do the following:
  15. Explain what a watershed is.
  16. Outline the smallest watershed that you can find on a contour map.
  17. Outline, as far as the map will allow, the next larger watershed that also has the smaller one in it.

4 SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION

  1. Explain what a river basin is. Tell why all people living in a river basin should be concerned about land and water use in the basin.
  2. Explain what an aquifer is and why it can be important to communities.
  3. Do the following:
  4. Make a drawing to show the hydrologic cycle.
  5. Demonstrate at least two of the following actions of water in relation to soil: percolation, capillary action, precipitation, evaporation, transpiration.
  1. Explain how removal of vegetation will affect the way water runs off a watershed.
  2. Tell how uses of forest, range, and farmland affect usable water supply.
  3. Explain how industrial use affects water supply.
  4. Do the following:
  5. Tell what is meant by “water pollution.”
  6. Describe common sources of water pollution and explain the effects of each.

The Life of Plants and Trees

Get familiar with local plants and trees. Work with a Park Naturalist and learn the science behind how plants and trees grow. Hike, identify, observe, record, and learn the connections to healthy ecosystems and plant life.

 Junior: Flowers

Discover that there’s more to flowers than just good looks.

  1. Uncover the science of one flower
  2. Look under the petals
  3. Find out how flowers help people
  4. Have fun with flowers
  5. Send a message in flower code

Cadette: Trees

Find out all about trees: from the shade to the science, the fruit to the forest, and the legends to the lumber.

  1. Try some tree fun
  2. Dig into the amazing science of trees
  3. Make a creative project starring trees
  4. Explore the connection between people and trees
  5. Help trees thrive

 Webelos/AoL Elective Adventure: Into the Woods

  1. Identify two different groups of trees and the parts of a tree.
  2. Identify six trees common to the area where you live. Tell whether they are native to your area. Tell how both wildlife and humans use them.
  3. Identify six plants common to the area where you live. Tell which animals use them and for what purpose.
  4. Visit a nature center, nursery, tree farm, or park, and speak with someone knowledgeable about trees and plants that are native to your area. Explain how plants and trees are important to our ecosystem and how they improve our environment.
  5. Make a list of items in your home that are made from wood and share it with your den. Or with your den, take a walk and identify useful things made from wood.
  6. Explain how the growth rings of a tree trunk tell its life story. Describe different types of tree bark and explain what the bark does for the tree.

Boys Scouts: Nature

(1) Identify two species of fish native to your area.

(g) Plants

(1) In the field, identify 15 species of wild plants.

(2) Collect and label the seeds of six plants OR the leaves of 12 plants.

Boy Scouts: Plant Science

Make a drawing and identify five or more parts of a flowering plant. Tell what each part does.

  1. Explain photosynthesis and tell why this process is important. Tell at least five ways that humans depend on plants.
  2. Explain how honeybees and other pollinating insects are important to plant life.
  3. Explain how water, light, air, temperature, and pests affect plants. Describe the nature and function of soil and explain its importance. Tell about the texture, structure, and composition of fertile soil. Tell how soil may be improved.
  4. Tell how to propagate plants by seeds, roots, cuttings, tubers, and grafting.
  5. List by common name at least 10 native plants and 10 cultivated plants that grow near your home. List five invasive nonnative plants in your area and tell how they may be harmful. Tell how the spread of invasive plants may be avoided or controlled in ways that are not damaging to humans, wildlife, and the environment.

 Option 3: Field Botany

  1. Visit a park, forest, Scout camp, or other natural area near your home.

While you are there:

(1) Determine which species of plants are the largest and which are the most abundant. Note whether they cast shade on other plants.

(2) Record environmental factors that may influence the presence of plants on your site, including latitude, climate, air and soil temperature, soil type and pH, geology, hydrology, and topography.

(3) Record any differences in the types of plants you see at the edge of a forest, near water, in burned areas, or near a road or railroad.

Select a study site that is at least 100 by 100 feet. Make a list of the plants in the study site by groups of plants: canopy trees, small trees, shrubs, herbaceous wildflowers and grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, algae, fungi, lichens. Find out which of these are native plants and which are exotic (or nonnative).

  1. Tell how an identification key works and use a simple key to identify 10 kinds of plants (in addition to those in general requirement 5 above). Tell the difference between common and scientific names and tell why scientific names are important.
  2. Choose ONE of the following alternatives and complete EACH of its requirements:

(1) Tree Inventory

(a) Identify the trees of your neighborhood, a park, a section of your town, or a Scout camp.

(b) Collect, press, and label leaves, flowers, or fruits to document your inventory.

(c) List the types of trees by scientific name and give common names. Note the number and size (diameter at 4 feet above ground)

of trees observed and determine the largest of each species in your study area.

 (2) Transect Study

(a) Visit two sites, at least one of which is different from the one you visited for Field Botany requirement 1.

(b) Use the transect method to study the two different kinds of plant communities. The transects should be at least 500 feet long.

(c) At each site, record observations about the soil and other influencing factors AND do the following. Then make a graph or chart to show the results of your studies.

(1) Identify each tree within 10 feet of the transect line.

(2) Measure the diameter of each tree at 4 feet above the ground, and map and list each tree.

 (1) Identify, measure, and map each tree in a 100-by-100-foot plot. (Measure the diameter of each tree at 4 feet above the ground.)

(2) Identify and map all trees and shrubs in a 10-by-10-foot plot within each of the larger areas.

(3) Identify and map all plants (wildflowers, ferns, grasses, mosses, etc.) of a 4-by-4-foot plot within the 10-by-10-foot plot.

(c) If possible, visit a nature preserve managed by the organization. Tell about land management activities such as controlled burning, or measures to eradicate invasive (nonnative) plants or other threats to the plants that are native to the area.

Boy Scouts: Forestry

Prepare a field notebook, make a collection, and identify 15 species of trees, wild shrubs, or vines in a local forested area. Write a description in which you identify and discuss the following:

  1. The characteristics of leaf, twig, cone, or fruiting bodies
  2. The habitat in which these trees, shrubs, or vines are found
  3. The important ways each tree, shrub, or vine is used by humans or wildlife and whether the species is native or was introduced to the area. If it is not native, explain whether it is considered invasive or potentially invasive.
  1. Do ONE of the following:
  2. Collect and identify wood samples of 10 species of trees. List several ways the wood of each species can be used.
  3. Find and examine three stumps, logs, or core samples that show variations in the growth rate of their ring patterns. In the field notebook you prepared for requirement 1, describe the location or origin of each example (including elevation, aspect, slope, and the position on the slope), and discuss possible reasons for the variations in growth rate. Photograph or sketch each example.
  4. Find and examine two types of animal, insect, or damage on trees. In the field notebook you prepared for requirement 1, identify the damage, explain how the damage was caused, and describe the effects of the damage on the trees. Photograph or sketch each example.
  1. Do the following:
  2. Describe the contributions forests make to:

(1) Our economy in the form of products

(2) Our social well-being, including recreation

(3) Soil protection and increased fertility

(4) Clean water

(5) Clean air (carbon cycling, sequestration)

(6) Wildlife habitat

(7) Fisheries habitat

(8) Threatened and endangered species of plants and animals

  1. Tell which watershed or other source your community relies on for its water supply.

Gardening & Composting

Contribute to the Native Plant Garden or the Locust Grove Wildlife Garden through learning about gardening or composting. Plant seeds, weed, water and watch our gardens grow. Focus on the science of growing, composting or the importance of pollinators!

Daisy: Journey – Between Earth and Sky

In this Journey, you will:

  1. Explore nature and learn how to keep the Earth healthy-visit a park or farm, talk to a scientist, or make origami butterflies to celebrate nature.
  2. Plan a Take Action project, such as planting a tree, creating a garden for a children’s hospital, or putting on a play about protecting the Earth.

Junior: Gardener

Find out how to make your own garden, no matter where you live.

  1. Visit a garden
  2. Explore garden design
  3. Learn how to choose garden plants
  4. Experiment with seeds
  5. Grow your own garden

 Bear Adventure: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns

  1. Learn about composting and how vegetable waste can be turned into fertilizer for plants.
  2. Plant a vegetable or herb garden.

Boy Scouts: Gardening

  1. Explain to your counselor how and why honey bees are used in pollinating food crops. Discuss the problems facing the bee population today, and tell what you think would be the impact to humanity if there were no pollinators.
  2. Identify five garden pests (insects, diseased plants). Recommend two solutions for each pest. At least one of the two solutions must be an organic method.
  1. Do ONE of the following:
  2. Build a compost bin and maintain it for 90 days.
  3. Build a vermipost bin (worm compost bin) and maintain it for 90 days.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Discover how your daily actions of reducing, reusing and recycling impact wildlife. Enjoy team building recycling games, reuse materials for creative art projects and hike to see the benefits you can make by living eco-minded.

Daisy: Eco Learner

Nature gives us many gifts-now learn some ways to give back by protecting nature.

  1. Be prepared to protect nature before you go outdoors
  2. Keep living things safe when you walk in nature
  3. Learn how to protect nature from trash

When you’ve earned this badge, you’ll have learned three ways to protect the environment when you go outdoors.

Brownie: Household Elf

Pick up some new household habits to help your family save energy, save water, and save the planet.

  1. Save energy
  2. Save water
  3. Go natural
  4. Reuse or recycle
  5. Clear the air

Insects and Pollinators

Learn the fascinating characteristics or behaviors of the insect world. Visit our bee hives and enjoy some buzzing activities that focus on the process of pollination, the role of insects in the environment or what makes a great insect home.

Brownie Bug Badge

Explore the world of bugs and learn more about these little creatures that do so much.

  1. Draw a bug poster
  2. Try a bug craft
  3. See bugs in action
  4. Explore bug homes
  5. Take a bug field trip

 Boy Scouts: Insect Study

  1. Tell how insects are different from all other animals. Show how insects are different from centipedes and spiders.
  2. Point out and name the main parts of an insect.
  3. Describe the characteristics that distinguish the principal families and orders of insects.
  4. Do the following:

(a) Observe 20 different live species of insects in their habitat. In your observations, include at least four orders of insects.

  1. Explain the symbiotic relationship between bees and humankind. Explain what colony collapse disorder (CCD) is and some of the possible causes. Discuss how CCD affects our food supply.
  2. Compare the life histories of a butterfly and a grasshopper. Tell how they are different.
  3. (b) Study a hive of bees. Remove the combs and find the queen. Estimate the amount of brood and count the number of queen cells. Explain how to determine the amount of honey in the hive.
  4. Tell things that make social insects different from solitary insects.
  5. Tell how insects fit in the food chains of other insects, fish, birds, and mammals.

Reptile & Amphibian Encounter

Go wild with the creature encounter program. Examine first-hand our education ambassadors including local snakes, frogs, turtles and insect species. Hike to find reptiles and amphibians in the park, identify local reptiles and amphibians and learn about their behaviors, food sources and ideal habitats.

Boy Scouts: Nature

(c) Reptiles and Amphibians

(1) Show that you can recognize the venomous snakes in your area.

(2) In the field, identify three species of reptiles or amphibians.

(3) Recognize one species of toad or frog by voice; OR identify one reptile

or amphibian by eggs, den, burrow, or other signs.

Boy Scouts: Reptile & Amphibian Study

Describe the identifying characteristics of six species of reptiles and four species of amphibians found in the United States. For any four of these, make sketches from your own observations or take photographs. Show markings, color pat­terns, or other characteristics that are important in the iden­tification of each of the four species. Discuss the habits and habitats of all 10 species.

Discuss with your merit badge counselor the approximate number of species and general geographic distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the United States. Prepare a list of the most common species found in your local area or state.

Describe the main differences between:

Amphibians and reptiles

Alligators and crocodiles

Toads and frogs

Salamanders and lizards

Snakes and lizards

Explain how reptiles and amphibians are an important com­ponent of the natural environment. List four species that are officially protected by the federal government or by the state you live in, and tell why each is protected. List three species of reptiles and three species of amphibians found in your local area that are not protected.

Describe how reptiles and amphibians reproduce.

  1. From observation, describe how snakes move forward. Describe the functions of the muscles, ribs, and belly plates.
  2. Describe in detail six venomous snakes and the one venomous lizard found in the United States. Describe their habits and geographic range. Tell what you should do in case of a bite by a venomous species.
  3. Do ONE of the following:
  4. Choose a reptile or amphibian that you can observe at a local zoo, aquarium, nature center, or other such exhibit (such as your classroom or school). Study the specimen weekly for a period of three months. At each visit, sketch the specimen in its captive habitat and note any changes in its coloration, shedding of skins, and general habits and behavior. Find out, either from information you locate on your own or by talking to the caretaker, what this species eats and what are its native habitat and home range, preferred climate, average life expectancy, and natural predators. Also identify any human-caused threats to its population and any laws that protect the species and its habitat. After the observation period, share what you have learned with your counselor.
  5. Do TWO of the following:
  6. Identify at night three kinds of toads or frogs by their voices. Imitate the song of each for your counselor. Stalk each with a flashlight and discover how each sings and from where.
  7. Identify by sight eight species of reptiles or amphibians.

Creature Feature: Animal Care

Find out about the survival needs of wild animals and what it takes to care for animal in captivity. Enjoy meeting Locust Grove’s education ambassadors (snakes, turtles, and frogs) and prepare food, enrichment toys, and a safe, clean environment for these animals or discuss issues of animals used for science and discover your opinions on how these animals should be treated and used.

Daisy: Journey – 5 flowers, 4 stories, 3 cheers for animals

In this Journey, you will:

  1. Find out what animals need and how to care for them-go on nature walks to observe animals; visit a farm, zoo, or animal shelter; or create an animal sculpture.
  2. Plan a Take Action project that teaches others how to care for animals.
  3. Earn 3 leadership awards: Birdbath Award, Red Robin Award, and Tula Award. If you’re a Girl Scout volunteer, go to Volunteer Toolkit for complete meeting plans and activity instructions.

Brownie: Pets

Learn how to choose the pet that’s right for you—or find out how to take the best care of a pet you already have.

  1. Find out what care different pets need
  2. Keep a pet comfy
  3. Help a pet stay healthy and safe
  4. Make a pet feel loved
  5. Feed a pet

Senior: Voice for Animals

Find out about the complex relationship between animals and humans so you can make informed choices and help others make them too.

  1. Find out about domestic animals
  2. Investigate animals used for science
  3. Look into an animal issue

 Bear Elective Adventure: Critter Care

  1. Care for a pet for two weeks. Make a list of tasks you did to take care of the pet. If you do not have a pet, research one that you would like to have and write about the care it needs.
  2. Learn more about your pet or a pet you would like to have. List three interesting facts that you learned about your pet.
  3. Make a poster about your pet or a pet you would like to own. Share your poster with your den, pack, or family.
  4. Tell three ways that animals can help people.
  5. Tell what is meant by an animal being “rabid.” Name some animals that could have rabies. Explain what you should do if you are near an animal that might be rabid.

Hiking

Learn to love the trail with this hiking program. A park naturalist will help you pack your bag, think about your gear, explore your map and local wildlife, take safety precautions and head into the great outdoors.

Brownie: Hiker

Find out what you need to know to become a Brownie hiker.

  1. Decide where to go
  2. Try out a hiking skill
  3. Pick the right gear
  4. Pack a snack for energy
  5. Go on your hike!

Cadette: Trailblazing

Gain new outdoor skills when you stay at least one night at a backwoods or primitive site.

  1. Start planning your adventure
  2. Get your body and your teamwork skills ready
  3. Create your menu
  4. Gain some trailblazing know-how
  5. Head out on the trail

Tiger Adventure: Tigers in the Wild

  1. With your adult partner, name and collect the Cub Scout Six Essentials you need for a hike. Tell your den leader what you would need to add to your list if it rains.
  2. Go for a short hike with your den or family, and carry your own gear. Show you know how to get ready for this hike.
  3. Do the following: a. Listen while your leader reads the Outdoor Code. Talk about how you can be clean in your outdoor manners. b. Listen while your leader reads the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. Discuss why you should “Trash Your Trash.” c. Apply the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids on your Tiger den and pack outings. After one outing, share what you did to demonstrate the principles you discussed.
  4. While on the hike, find three different kinds of plants, animals, or signs that animals have been on the trail. List what you saw in your Tiger Handbook.
  5. Participate in an outdoor pack meeting or pack campout campfire. Sing a song and act out a skit with your Tiger den as part of the program. Cub
  6. Find two different trees and two different types of plants that grow in your area. Write their names in your Tiger Handbook.
  7. Visit a nearby nature center, zoo, or another outside place with your family or den. Learn more about two animals, and write down two interesting things about them in your Tiger Handbook.

 Wolf Adventure: Paws on the Path

  1. Show you are prepared to hike safely by putting together the Cub Scout Six Essentials to take along on your hike.
  2. Tell what the buddy system is and why we always use it in Cub Scouts.
  3. Describe what you should do if you get separated from your group while hiking.
  4. Choose the appropriate clothing to wear on your hike based on the expected weather.
  5. Before hiking, recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your leader. After hiking, discuss how you showed respect for wildlife.
  6. Go on a 1-mile hike with your den or family. Watch and record two interesting things that you’ve never seen before.
  7. Name two birds, two insects, and two other animals that live in your area. Explain how you identified them.
  8. Draw a map of an area near where you live using common map symbols. Show which direction is north on your map.

Wolf Elective Adventure: Finding Your Way

  1. Do the following: a. Using a map of your city or town, locate where you live. b. Draw a map for a friend so he or she can locate your home, a park, a school, or other locations in your neighborhood. Use symbols to show parks, buildings, trees, and water. You can invent your own symbols. Be sure to include a key so your symbols can be identified.
  2. Pick a nutritious snack, and find where it came from. Locate that area on a map.
  3. Do the following: a. Identify what a compass rose is and where it is on the map. b. Use a compass to identify which direction is north. Show how to determine which way is south, east, and west.
  4. Go on a scavenger hunt using a compass, and locate an object with a compass.
  5. Using a map and compass, go on a hike with your den or family.

Bear Adventure: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns

  1. While hiking or walking for one mile, identify six signs that any mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, or plants are living nearby the place where you choose to hike.
  2. Name one animal that has become extinct in the last 100 years and one animal that is currently endangered. Explain what caused their declines.
  3. Visit one of the following: zoo, wildlife refuge, nature center, aviary, game preserve, local conservation area, wildlife rescue group, or fish hatchery. Describe what you learned during your visit.
  4. Observe wildlife from a distance. Describe what you saw.
  5. Use a magnifying glass to examine plants more closely. Describe what you saw through the magnifying glass that you could not see without it.

Boy Scouts: Hiking

  1. Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including proper outdoor ethics, hiking safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
  2. Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity. Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
  3. Take the five following hikes, each on a different day, and each of continuous miles. These hikes MUST be taken in the following order:

One 5-mile hike

You may stop for as many short rest periods as needed, as well as one meal, during each hike, but not for an extended period (example: overnight). Prepare a written hike plan before each hike and share it with your Scoutmaster or a designee. Include map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of items for a trail lunch.*


Night Hike

Discover the adaptations of nocturnal animals and explore the trail after dark! End your sensory-based night hike with a campfire.

Cadette: Night Owl

Grow your imagination and expand what you know about the night.

  1. Take a field trip to explore the night
  2. Tour your world after dark
  3. Meet people who work night hours
  4. Explore nature at night

When you’ve earned this badge, you’ll have uncovered the mysteries of the world after dark.


Letterboxing

Create your own letterboxing stamp and use the letterboxing clues to hike and find the letterbox caches around Locust Grove.

Brownie: Letterboxer

Learn about letterboxing, an amazing adventure game played by people all over the world. To play, you’ll follow clues to find a hidden box with special items inside.

  1. Get started with letterboxing
  2. Find your own stamp
  3. Practice solving clues
  4. Search for a letterbox
  5. Make a letterbox

Citizen Science

Make an impact on your local environment by joining the important work of citizen scientists around the globe. Learn about the scientific method and how to collect and record data from the field. Discover the variety of citizen science projects and how you can contribute.

In this Journey, you will:

  1. Find out how scientists use the scientific method to investigate the world and make discoveries.
  2. Do hands-on activities to learn how to make observations and collect data.

 Brownie Journey: Think Like a Citizen Scientist

In this Journey, you will:

  1. Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and work with scientists to receive feedback on research.

Junior Journey: Think Like a Citizen Scientist

Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and work with scientists to receive feedback on research.


Beautiful Birds

Soar into learning about the life of birds! Learn how the experts identify local birds, simulate the challenges of bird migration, and how humans impact bird life.

 Boy Scouts: Birds

  1. Explain the need for bird study and why birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment.
  2. Show that you are familiar with the terms used to describe birds by sketching or tracing a perched bird and then labeling 15 different parts of the bird. Sketch or trace an extended wing and label six types of wing feathers.
  3. Demonstrate that you know how to use a bird field guide. Show your counselor that you are able to understand a range map by locating in the book and pointing out the wintering range, the breeding range, and/or the year-round range of one species of each of the following types of birds:
  1. Seabird
  2. Plover
  3. Falcon or hawk
  4. Warbler or vireo
  5. Heron or egret
  6. Sparrow
  7. Nonnative bird (introduced to North America from a foreign country since 1800)
  8. Observe and be able to identify at least 20 species of wild birds. Prepare a field notebook, making a separate entry for each species, and record the following information from your field observations and other references.
  9. Note the date and time.
  10. Note the location and habitat.
  11. Describe the bird’s main feeding habitat and list two types of food that the bird is likely to eat.
  12. Note whether the bird is a migrant or a summer, winter, or year-round resident of your area.
  13. Explain the function of a bird’s song. Be able to identify five of the 20 species in your field notebook by song or call alone. For each of these five species, enter a description of the song or call, and note the behavior of the bird making the sound. Note why you think the bird was making the call or song that you heard.
  14. Do ONE of the following:
  15. Go on a field trip with a local club or with others who are knowledgeable about birds in your area.

(1) Keep a list or fill out a checklist of all the birds your group observed during the field trip.

(2) Tell your counselor which birds your group saw and why some species were common and some were present in small numbers.

(3) Tell your counselor what makes the area you visited good for finding birds.

Do ONE of the following. For the option you choose, describe what birds you hope to attract, and why.

Build a bird feeder and put it in an appropriate place in your yard or another location.

Build a birdbath and put it in an appropriate place.

Build a backyard sanctuary for birds by planting trees and shrubs for food and cover.


Tracks and Signs

Where’s the wildlife? Can’t see any animals from the trail? Discover who has been visiting your local parks by the clues they’ve left behind. Identify animal tracks, scat, feathers, fur and animal behaviors through using your best detective skills!

Brownie: Senses

You have five senses that work together to let you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the world around you. Try all five in this badge!

  1. Look around
  2. Listen to the world
  3. Put your nose to work
  4. Take a taste test
  5. Touch and feel

Boy Scouts: Nature

(2) Make plaster casts of the tracks of a wild mammal.


Nature Careers

Talk to a park naturalist about how they educate and advocate for local wildlife! Explore a variety of local ecological problems and come up with real life solutions.

Girl Scouts: Eco Advocate (Senior)

Discover a nature issue that’s important to you, find solutions, and make a difference.

  1. Learn what eco advocates do
  2. Find an issue you’re passionate about
  3. Come up with a solution
  4. Advocate for your issue
  5. Teach others how to advocate for your cause

Backyard Ecosystems

Let Locust Grove be your wild backyard! Discover local flora and fauna that live around you and how to protect these important species.

Brownie: Outdoor Adventurer

Explore outdoor activities that are new to you.

  1. Play outdoors in a new way
  2. Explore nature
  3. Buddy up and play outdoor games
  4. Learn a camp skill
  5. Care for the outdoors

Junior: Animal Habitats

Find out more about where animals live, how they play, and how humans can help them.

  1. Find out about wild animals
  2. Investigate an animal habitat
  3. Create an animal house
  4. Explore endangered habitats
  5. Help protect animal habitats

Cadette: Eco Trekker

Plan and take an outdoor trek—with minimal environmental impact.

  1. Learn how to make minimal impact on a trek
  2. Plan an eco trek with a purpose
  3. Practice an eco skill while on your trek
  4. Make a difference on your eco trek
  5. Make a difference after your eco trek

 Tiger Adventure: Backyard Jungle

  1. Take a 1-foot hike. Make a list of the living things you find on your 1-foot hike.
  2. Point out two different kinds of birds that live in your area.
  3. Be helpful to plants and animals by planting a tree or other plant in your neighborhood.
  4. Build and hang a birdhouse.
  5. With your adult partner, go on a walk, and pick out two sounds you hear in your “jungle.”

 Webelos/AoL Elective Adventure: Into the Wild

  1. Watch for birds in your yard, neighborhood, or town for one week. Identify the birds you see, and write down where and when you saw them.
  2. Learn about the bird flyways closest to your home. Find out which birds use these flyways.
  3. Watch at least four wild creatures (reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, fish, insects, or mammals) in the wild. Describe the kind of place (forest, field, marsh, yard, or park) where you saw them. Tell what they were doing.
  4. Identify an insect, reptile, bird, or other wild animal that is found only in your area of the country. Tell why it survives in your area.
  5. Give examples of at least two of the following: a. A producer, a consumer, and a decomposer in the food chain of an ecosystem b. One way humans have changed the balance of nature c. How you can help protect the balance of nature
  6. Learn about aquatic ecosystems and wetlands in your area. Talk with your Webelos den leader or family about the important role aquatic ecosystems and wetlands play in supporting life cycles of wildlife and humans, and list three ways you can help. Webelos and Arrow of Light Requirements (2015–2016 Program Year) Cub Scout Requirements August 27, 2015 42
  7. Do ONE of the following: a. Visit a museum of natural history, a nature center, or a zoo with your family, Webelos den, or pack. Tell what you saw. b. Create a video of a wild creature doing something interesting, and share it with your family and den.

Boy Scouts: Nature

Name three ways in which plants are important to animals. Name a plant that is protected in your state or region, and explain why it is at risk.

  1. Name three ways in which animals are important to plants. Name an animal that is protected in your state or region, and explain why it is at risk.
  2. Explain the term “food chain.” Give an example of a four-step land food chain and a four-step water food chain.
  3. Do all of the requirements in FIVE of the following fields:

 (a) Birds

(1) In the field, identify eight species of birds.

(2) Make and set out a birdhouse OR a feeding station OR a birdbath.

(b) Mammals

(1) In the field, identify three species of wild mammals.

(2) Make plaster casts of the tracks of a wild mammal.

 (d) Insects and Spiders

(1) Collect and identify either in the field or through photographs

10 species of insects or spiders.*

(e) Fish

(1) Identify two species of fish native to your area.

Boy Scouts: Mammal Study

  1. Explain the meaning of “animal,” “invertebrate,” “vertebrate,” and “mammal.” Name three characteristics that distinguish mammals from all other animals.
  2. Explain how the animal kingdom is classified. Explain where mammals fit in the classification of animals. Classify three mammals from phylum through species.
  3. Do ONE of the following:
  4. Spend three hours in each of two different kinds of natural habitats or at different elevations. List the different mammal species and individual members that you identified by sight or sign. Tell why all mammals do not live in the same kind of habitat. b. Spend three hours on each of five days on at least a 25-acre area (about the size of 31/2 football fields). List the mammal species you identified by sight or sign.
  1. From study and reading, write a simple life history of one nongame mammal that lives in your area. Tell how this mammal lived before its habitat was affected in any way by humans. Tell how it reproduces, what it eats, and its natural habitat. Describe its dependency upon plants and other animals (including humans), and how they depend upon it. Tell how it is helpful or harmful to humankind.
  2. b. Take good pictures of two kinds of mammals in the wild. Record the date(s), time of day, weather conditions, approximate distance from the animal, habitat conditions, and any other factors you feel may have influenced the animal’s activity and behavior.
  3. Write a life history of a native game mammal that lives in your area, covering the points outlined in requirement

3c. List sources for this information.

  1. Make and bait a tracking pit. Report what mammals and other animals came to the bait.
  2. Trace two possible food chains of carnivorous mammals from soil through four stages to the mammal.
  3. Working with your counselor, select and carry out one project that will influence the numbers of one or more mammals.

Boy Scouts: Fish & Wildlife Management

  1. Describe the meaning and purposes of fish and wildlife conservation and management.
  2. List and discuss at least three major problems that continue to threaten your state’s fish and wildlife resources.
  3. Describe some practical ways in which everyone can help with the fish and wildlife conservation effort.
  4. List and describe five major fish and wildlife management practices used by managers in your state.
  5. Do ONE of the following:
  6. Construct, erect, and check regularly at least two artificial nest boxes (wood duck, bluebird, squirrel, etc.) and keep written records for one nesting season.
  7. Construct, erect, and check regularly bird feeders and keep written records of the kinds of birds visiting the feeders.
  8. Develop and implement a fishery improvement project or a backyard wildlife habitat improvement project.

Share the results with your counselor.

  1. Design and construct a wildlife blind near a game trail, water hole, salt lick, bird feeder, or birdbath and take good photographs or make sketches from the blind of any combination of 10 wild birds, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians.
  2. Do ONE of the following:
  3. Observe and record 25 species of wildlife. Your list may include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Write down when and where each animal was seen.

Geology

Geology rocks! Get an introduction to the rock cycle, learn how rocks date the Earth’s history, and experience the science behind fossils through our dinosaur fossil dig-site.

Webelos/AoL Elective Adventure: Earth Rocks!

  1. Do the following: a. Explain the meaning of the word “geology.” b. Explain why this kind of science is an important part of your world. c. Share with your family or with your den what you learned about the meaning of geology.
  2. Look for different kinds of rocks or minerals while on a rock hunt with your family or your den.
  3. Do the following: a. Identify the rocks you see on your rock hunt. Use the information in your handbook to determine which types of rocks you have collected. b. With a magnifying glass, take a closer look at your collection. Determine any differences between your specimens.

Do either 7a or 7b: a. Go on an outing with your family or den to one of the nearby locations you discovered on your state map, and record what you see as you look at the geographical surroundings. Share with your family or den while on this outing what you notice that might change this location in the future (wind, water, ice, drought, erosion). b. Do the following: i. With your family or your den, visit with a geologist or earth scientist and discover the many career fields that are included in the science of geology. ii. Ask the geologist or earth scientist about the importance of fossils that are found. iii. Ask the geologist or earth scientist what you can do to help preserve our natural resources.

  1. Do at least one earth science demonstration or investigation with your den or with adult supervision, and explore geology in action.

Boy Scouts: Nature

(h) Soils and Rocks

(1) Collect and identify soils found in different layers of a soil profile.

(2) Collect and identify five different types of rocks from your area.

Boy Scouts: Geology

Define geology. Discuss how geologists learn about rock formations. In geology, explain why the study of the present is important to understanding the past.

  1. Review a geologic map of your area or an area selected by your counselor, and discuss the different rock types and estimated ages of rocks represented. Determine whether the rocks are horizontal, folded, or faulted, and explain how you arrived at your conclusion.
  2. Visit a nearby stream. Find clues that show the direction of water flow, even if the water is missing.

Record your observations in a notebook, and sketch those clues you observe. Discuss your observations with your counselor.

  1. Define rock. Discuss the three classes of rocks including their origin and characteristics.
  2. Define mineral. Discuss the origin of minerals and their chemical composition and identification properties, including hardness, specific gravity, color, streak, cleavage, luster, and crystal form.
  3. Earth History Option
  4. Create a chart showing suggested geological eras and periods. Determine in which period the rocks in your region might have been formed.
  5. Explain to your counselor the processes of burial and fossilization, and discuss the concept of extinction.
  6. Explain to your counselor how fossils provide information about ancient life, environment, climate, and geography. Discuss the following terms and explain how animals from each habitat obtain food: benthonic, pelagic, littoral, lacustrine, open marine, brackish, fluvial, eolian, protected reef.

Nature Art

Let nature be your inspiration! Join a park naturalist and photograph wildlife or use natural materials to make music, portraits, or sculpt outdoors.

 Daisy: Outdoor Art Maker

Explore the outdoors and use what you see and hear to make different kinds of art projects.

  1. See the colors of nature
  2. Hear the sounds of nature
  3. Share your outdoor art

Brownie: Outdoor Art Creator

Find out how you can make your own art outdoors and have fun doing it.

  1. Find art ideas outdoors
  2. Make something!
  3. Dance or make music outdoors
  4. Be a nature photographer
  5. Design with nature

Junior: Outdoor Art Explorer

Let nature be your inspiration as you explore, create, and design different kinds of art.

  1. Explore outdoor art
  2. Make something!
  3. Find music in nature
  4. Be a nature photographer
  5. Design with nature

Cadette: Outdoor Art Apprentice

Find out how to observe and collect things outdoors that will drive your art and creativity.

  1. Explore art outdoors
  2. Make something!
  3. Get to know—and create—sounds of nature
  4. Be a nature photographer
  5. Design with nature.

Senior: Outdoor Art Expert

Learn to see nature with an artist’s eye and create something helpful to the environment.

  1. Explore art outdoors
  2. Make something!
  3. Create or share music inspired by nature
  4. Capture nature digitally
  5. Design outdoors

Ambassador: Outdoor Art Master

Bring art and the outdoors together and get inspired by the beauty in nature.

  1. Explore outdoor art
  2. Make something!
  3. Find music in nature
  4. Be a nature photographer
  5. Design with nature When you’ve earned this badge, you’ll have explored nature and created several different kinds of outdoor-themed art.

Webelos/AoL Elective Adventure

  1. Create two self-portraits using two different techniques, such as drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and computer illustration.
  2. Do two of the following: a. Draw or paint an original picture outdoors, using the art materials of your choice.
  3. Use clay to sculpt a simple form.
  4. Create an object using clay that can be fired, baked in the oven, or air-dried.
  5. Create a freestanding sculpture or mobile using wood, metal, papier-mâché, or found or recycled objects.

The Science of the Sky (weather, cloud-watching)

Whether learning about storms or stars join us at Locust Grove in exploring the wonders of the skies. Investigate the difference behind weather and climate, cloud formations or focus on the science of flight!

Girl Scouts: Sky (Senior)

The sky is a masterpiece. Every day it graces us with living art, whether through a glorious sunset, shifting cloud formations, or the stunning display of night stars. No wonder we take every opportunity to spend time outdoors. Our world is a stage, and the sky performs with beauty, wonder, and mystery.

  1. Watch the skies
  2. Investigate the science of the skies
  3. Explore the connection between people and flight
  4. Help clear sky pollution
  5. Create sky art

Boy Scouts: Weather

  1. Define meteorology. Explain what weather is and what climate is.
  2. Name five dangerous weather-related conditions. Give the safety rules for each when outdoors and explain the difference between a severe weather watch and a warning. Discuss the safety rules with your family.
  3. Explain the difference between high- and low-pressure systems in the atmosphere.

Tell which is related to good and to poor weather. Draw cross sections of a cold front and a warm front, showing the location and movements of the cold and warm air, the frontal slope, the location and types of clouds associated with each type of front, and the location of precipitation.

  1. Tell what causes wind, why it rains, and how lightning and hail are formed.
  2. Identify and describe clouds in the low, middle, and upper levels of the atmosphere. Relate these to specific types of weather.
  3. Draw a diagram of the water cycle and label its major processes. Explain the water cycle to your counselor.
  4. Identify some human activities that can alter the environment, and describe how they affect the climate and people.
  5. Describe how the tilt of Earth’s axis helps determine the climate of a region near the equator, near the poles, and across the area in between.
  6. Do ONE of the following:
    • Make one of the following instruments: wind vane, anemometer, rain gauge, hygrometer.