WEBELOS
Geologist
Geologist Activity Badge
Crossroads of America
To most ten-year-old boys, the study of Geology will not
sound too exciting. But the fact is Geology can be fun. Here's another
opportunity for the Webelos leader to present the subject in such a way that
the boys will find it not only fun, but they'll learn a good deal also. This
natural curiosity about rocks can make this a natural starting point for the
Geologist Activity Badge.
In working on this badge, the boys will learn how the
earth is formed, how rocks and minerals are used and how a Geologist works.
You’ll find that the Webelos Scout Book contains information on volcanoes,
geysers and the formation of mountains. Using this resource, the boys should
acquire a fairly good understanding of this with only a little assistance. To
make your job easier and the activity more interesting, check with rock and
gem clubs in your area - most ‘rock-hounds’ are eager to tell what they know
about rocks.
Ideas For Den Meetings
Crossroads of America
2.
Make a collection of geologic materials used in construction. Make a
display too.
3.
Visit a geology exhibit or department at a museum.
4.
Visit a jeweler's shop.
5.
Visit a rock collector's club meeting.
6.
Tour a quarry, mine, or gravel pit.
7.
Look for fossils.
8.
Visit an industry that uses geological materials.
9.
Make a mineral hardness kit.
10.
Study cause and effects of earthquakes. Make posters and charts.
Geology deals with the earth's composition, structure and
geologic processes and surface changes.
This
includes:
Mineralogy: study of minerals.
Petrology:
study of rocks.
Structural geology: study of arrangement of
rocks on earth.
Geomorphology: study of the origin of surface
features.
Economic geology: study of earth's economic
products and their uses.
Stratigraphy: origin, composition, proper
sequence, and correlation of rock strata.
Paleontology: study of ancient organisms, fossils.
Importance Of Rocks
Crossroads of America
To introduce boys to rocks, tell them of the importance
of rocks and how they can determine the wealth of a nation. Their kinds and
quantities can determine whether the people of a nation are poor or wealthy.
The importance of rock can easily be pointed out in four different ways:
1. Food -- Soil is made up of the fragments of
rocks with their minerals and many other substances. Soil is a direct result
of the weathering of rock of which it is composed. Except for the products of
the sea, all animals and people are directly dependent upon food grown in the
soil.
2. Fuel -- Fuel comes from rocks. Coal is a rock
composed of organic material. Oil is found in rocks such as sandstone and
shale. Our economy couldn't exist without a good supply of fuel.
3. Mining -- Many
ores such as iron, copper, zinc, aluminum, lead, sulfur, borax rocklike.
Without these ores, manufacturing would be impossible.
4. Construction -- Tons of crushed rock, gravel
and sand that are used in making roads and buildings. There are the various
kinds of cut stone used for building blocks and monuments, and the materials
used in the building of your home and the many things that are in it.
If you can round up a “rock
hound" from your pack, he can help the boys with some of the technical aspects
of geology and the study of rocks and minerals.
Volcano Slide
Crossroads of America
Materials: 1½" x ½" plastic pipe, Plaster or self
drying clay, Paint
Use plaster or clay to build up the pipe in the shape of
a volcano. Let the plaster or clay set up until completely dry and hard. Let
some plaster "run" down the mountain to look like the escaping lava. Using
green and or brown paint, paint the mountain. Use red to paint the lava flow.
Games
Crossroads of America
Rock or Mineral Identification Contests: Identify
specimens and name them.
Flash Cards: Cut out photographs of a variety of
rocks and tape & each one onto an index card. (You can buy rock hounds
magazines and cut them up.) Write the correct identification on the back. Work
in pairs to learn rock identification.
Nuggets In The Bag: Put a certain number of
different sized rocks in a cloth drawstring. Each boy is given the bag for 15
seconds. He then passes it to the next boy. When all the boys have had a
chance to examine the bag for fifteen seconds, it is returned to the Den
Chief. The boy who guesses the correct number of rocks in the bag then takes
his turn as the one who puts an amount of nuggets in the bag.
