PACK AND DEN ACTIVITIES

Activity Ideas
Heart of America Council

Field Trips

• Go Ice Skating.
• Visit a basketball or hockey game.

Service Projects

• Collect clothing and blankets for the homeless.
• Volunteer at a Pet shelter.
• Make cards for a senior center.

Hikes

• Difference Hike: What is different outside in January as to in June?
• Iditarod Hike:     Layout a course outside. Divide the boys into teams, and give the boys directions and let them hike their way through the course.
• White Hike:        Look for items that are white in the winter.

The C.O.L.D. System
Baloo’s Archives

This is actually found on page 117 of something.  All I have left from when I was a Scoutmaster are pages 116 and 117.  It was part of my annual talk on socks and warmth prior to our winter campouts.  CD

Here is the greatest acronym for remembering how to keep warm during winter activities –

C.O.L.D.

C – Clean
O – Overheating
L – Layers and Loose
D – Dry

C –    Keep yourself clean and your clothes CLEAN.  Dirt and body oils that build up on clothing destroy its insulating properties.

O -    Avoid OVERHEATING.  Clothing is designed to be taken off or added to in layers to maintain an even body heat. 

The primary source of overheating on Scout trips is – too many clothes on the boys for the car ride to the event.  The parents bundle the boys up for the weather at the event.  Then they ride in a warm/hot car to the place and are all sweaty before they get there.  As soon as they get out of the car the cold air hits the sweat from the car ride and poof – they are cold and miserable immediately.  Either keep your car cold inside or have them remove several layers for the ride.  CD

L -     Wear clothes LOOSE and in LAYERS

D -     Keep DRY.  Wet clothing removes body heat 240 times faster than it will dissipate through dry clothing.  Wet is trouble.  See note above on traveling to the event.

What keeps you warm??

When you really study what keeps you warm, it becomes clear that it is YOU.  Your body produces all the heat you need.  Your clothing is designed to hold in what ever heat you need to feel comfortable under a variety of conditions and activities.  You will notice winter clothing is loose.  This is because tight clothing restricts the flow of blood so the body heat cannot move around – just like when a faucet is turned off.  That is why tight boots mean cold feet and a tight belt means cold legs. 

To regulate the amount of heat and yet not get overheated and wet with perspiration, adjustments can be made to open up the coat and loosen up the waist, sleeve cuffs, and the neck opening, allowing more heat to escape.

Hats, Gloves, and Socks

The old adage, “If your feet are cold, put on a hat,” is true.  The head liberally supplied with blood vessels is the primary source of radiational heat loss.  A wool pile or Gore-Tex watch cap (knitted cap) balaclava worn under the hood of your coat will eliminate much of this heat loss.

Mittens are warmer than gloves and more functional.  Wool or  Gore-Tex with thinsulate, silk, polyprolene or other liner material are great.  They are easily removed to prevent overheating.  Good gloves or mittens are critical to keeping warm.

Feet are hard to keep warm.  They simply endowed with many moisture producing sweat glands.  And if the rest of the body id not properly insulated, blood flow to the feet is sharply reduced as the heat is directed elsewhere.  The result – Cold Feet.

Two layers of socks are needed to combat cold feet.  The first, inner, layer is worn to wick away moisture immediately.  Look for wicking liner socks made of polypropylene, silk, olefin, or other wicking materials. 

DO NOT SEND YOUR SON OUT WITH COTTON SOCKS NEXT TO HIS FEET.  Cotton holds moisture next to the skin and looses all insulating abilities when wet or damp.  Cotton socks will cause cold feet.

The outer layer holds the moisture wicked away from the foot, insulates and cushions.  Nothing beats a good pair of wool or wool-nylon socks for this purpose.

Klutz Book of Magnetic Magic

For the greatest collection of Cub age things to do with magnets, see if any members of your Den have a copy of the Klutz Book of Magnetic Magic.  (www.klutz.com).  Nifty magic tricks that rely on the deceptive use of magnets, complete with ten magnets and one magnetizable coin.  A seamless blend of Klutz goofballism, MIT physics, and some very sneaky magic. 

I hate giving free plugs but this is a great book.  My daughter and I have had hours of fun with it and the magnets that come with it.  CD

COMPASS SLIDE
Great Salt Lake Council

Draw a compass on craft foam and

Attach a ring of chenille stem (or a 1” piece f ¾” PVC pipe) on the back for a "polar’iffic” neckerchief slide.

Discuss with the boys the importance of a compass in our lives.

PENGUINS AND POLAR BEARS
Great Salt Lake Council

Supplies:

• 1-10 small wooden game pieces or bowling pin shapes (Look for shapes at craft stores or thrift stores from old games.)
• Black paint
• White paint
• Orange Paint (for beak and feet on penguin)
• Small paint brush
• Medium small paint brush

Directions:

Paint the wooden pieces as illustrated for either penguin or polar bear.

Line them up in the classic bowling position and shoot marbles at them for a fun mini bowling game.

Or draw tic-tac-toe squares and use the pieces in place of X’s and O’s.

Experiments with Magnets and Compasses
Heart of America Council

While a compass will do its best to point to magnetic north, there are many things that can interfere with it (like the strong magnetic field that can be produced by a TV screen or computer monitor).

1. Try bringing a compass near a TV and see what happens.  Does it make a difference if the TV is turned off?
2. What happens if a piece of iron or steel comes close to the compass?
3. What happens if a strong magnet is moved around the outside of the compass?

How to make a compass
Heart of America Council

Materials - bowl, water, pin, magnet, cork

Directions:

1. Get a pin and a piece of magnet.
2. Hold one end of the pin, and wipe the magnet along the pin. When you get to the end of the pin, lift the magnet off and move it back to the top of the pin. Do NOT wipe the magnet back up the pin.
3. Repeat at least 20 times.
4. Push the pin through the cork.
5. Fill the bowl with water. Put the pin and the cork on the water.
6. The pin will rotate and line up along the north - south axis

Polar Facts
Great Salt Lake Council

SOUTH POLE

• There is a large complex of buildings for research at the South Pole.
• The South Pole is a desert climate; it almost never receives any precipitation. High winds can cause the blowing of snowfall, which can cover the South Pole stations.
• The first humans to reach the Geographic South Pole were Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his party on December 14, 1911.
• The South Pole’s highest recorded temperature ever recorded was 7 F degrees.
• The South Pole ice cap is moving about 10 meters per year.
• The first to fly over the South Pole was U. S. Admiral Richard Byrd and his pilot Brent Balchen.
• Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sea life caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the ocean.

NORTH POLE

• The North Pole is not located on land – it is a sea of ice.
• The first expedition to the North Pole was April 6, 1909 by Robert Peary and his party.
• The United States Navy submarine USS Nautilus crossed the North Pole on August 3, 1958; and on March 17, 1959, the USS Skate surfaced at the Pole, becoming the first naval vessel to reach it.
• The Canadian government claims the North Pole to be part of their territory, but other countries claim it to be an ice sea and can not be claimed as part of any country.
• Cultural reference to the North Pole is that Santa Clause lives there in his workshop with his elves.
• The polar bear is also known as the white bear, northern bear and the sea bear. It is a large bear native to the Arctic. It is the largest land carnivore within the Polar region. It is well adapted to its habitat; thick blubber and fur insulate it against the cold, its white color camouflages it from its prey. The polar bear hunts well on land, on the sea ice, as well as in the water.
• The largest polar bear on record was shot at Kotzebur Sound, Alaska in 1960. The big male weighed 1960 pounds and was 11 feet, 11 inches long.

Cultural Carving
Heart of America Council

Many Native American artists use animal bones and ivory in their art. One of the most popular uses is to carve pictures onto them. The artists stain the bone or ivory to bring out the highlights of their etching. This type of art is known as scrimshaw.

Materials you'll need

• Paper and pencil
• Cutting board
• Large, soft bar of white, floating soap (Ivory)
• Plastic knife
• Black water-based paint
• Paintbrush

Directions:

• Sketch an outline of your scrimshaw on a piece of paper.
• Place the soap on the cutting board.
• Using the plastic knife, scrape away the soap's brand name.
• Lay your scrimshaw outline on the soap.
• Trace the outline onto the soap using the plastic knife.
• Use the plastic knife to shape the soap and to carve the details.
• After the soap is carved, paint the carved areas with black water-based paint.
• Allow to dry for three minutes.
• Lightly run water over the soap to remove excess paint.
• The paint should remain in the carved areas.
• Let the bar of soap dry for at least two hours.
• Share your carved creation with family and friends!

Bas-Relief Soap Sculpture
Heart of America Council

Materials:

• Pencils
• Paper
• Newspaper
• Table knife
• Pointed instrument – like knitting needles
• Bar of Soap

Directions:

• Cover work area with newspaper.
• On paper, trace around the large side of soap bar.
• Using outside as a frame, sketch design to be carved.
• Place sketch on soap.
• Use a pencil to trace through paper onto the soap.
• Remove paper.
• Use knife and other instruments to carve design.
• Cut away the background so that the design is about 1/4” higher than the background.

Igloo
Heart of America Council

Materials:

• Plaster tape roll
• 12” Balloon
• 3” Craft foam ball
• White glitter
• Glue
• Plastic knife
• Paint brush
• Optional: mirror

Directions:

1. Inflate balloon.
2. Cut a 12” piece of plaster tape roll. Immerse in warm water and remove quickly.
3. Wrap plaster tape around balloon in center.
4. Continue to completely cover one half of the balloon with pieces of plaster tape roll. 
5. Smooth as much as possible. Set aside to dry.
6. Cut craft foam ball in half.
7. When the wrapped balloon is dry, glue half of the craft foam ball along bottom edge of igloo to make a door.
8. Cut small pieces of plaster tape roll.
9. Immerse in water and apply to craft foam door, attaching it to the igloo.
10. With adult supervision, cut a small 2 inch hole in top of igloo for ventilation.
11. Brush a light coat of glue over entire igloo and sprinkle with glitter.
12. Place on mirror to resemble ice, if desired.

GEODESIC DOME (IGLOO)
Great Salt Lake Council

Make 25 newspaper logs using 4 sheets per log.

• Spread sheets open on flat surface one on top of the other.
• Set a pencil in the corner and roll across the diagonal using the pencil as a general guide to help roll evenly. Don’t make the logs as thin as the pencil. When you get to the other end of the paper, you’ll have a tube log.
• Slip out the pencil and tape the log shut. Repeat until you have 20 logs.
• Trim the ends, making sure all logs are the same length.

To build the dome:

• Staple 3 logs together to create a triangle. Repeat until you have 5 triangles.
• Staple the 5 triangles to each other at the bottom corners. Add connecting logs across the top.
• Raise the triangles, or walls, off the floor and staple the ends together to form a pentagonal structure. It helps to have someone hold up the walls while you staple.
• Take the remaining 5 logs and staple them together at the center to make a star.
• Staple the free ends of the star to the junction of the triangles on the top of the base and the structure will stand by itself.

Mini Igloo
Heart of America Council

Tape or staple an upside down paper bowl (igloo) and a small paper cup or toilet paper roll (door) to a paper plate.

Spread on a thin paste made of Ivory soap flakes or detergent and water and let it harden.

Glue sugar cubes or mini marshmallows to create an igloo.

ICICLE ORNAMENTS
Great Salt Lake Council

String beads onto 24 gauge gold wire in the following order:

• 1 – 4 mm clear faceted bead hooked onto the end of the wire
• 7 – 10 mm clear star beads
• 6 – 12 mm clear star beads
• 7 – 18 mm clear star beads
• 6 – 25 mm clear star beads
• 1 – 18 mm clear star bead
• 16 – 3 mm gold round beads

Wrap gold beads into a loop and wrap wire between first and second bead. Cut off wire.

Penguin
Heart of America Council

Cut out penguin shapes from black paper. Paint with Epsom Salts diluted in water. It makes the penguin look frosty.

Stuffed Kodiak and Polar Bears
Heart of America Council

Use brown bags and white bags. Cut two bear shapes for each. Staple the bear shapes together along the edge, leaving the top of the head open. Stuff the bears with newspaper or tissue paper. After the bears are stuffed, staple the top of the heads shut. Add facial features with a block crayon.

Penguin Puppets
Heart of America Council

For the paper bag puppets you need:

• Paper Bag,  Penguin pattern.
• For the film container puppet you need:
• 1 film container per child: black with a black lid,
• White felt circle cut to size for the film container
• Wiggle eyes ,
• Orange craft foam (cut out feet and beak)

Film Canister Penguin

1. First, cut the lid in half.
2. Cut a circle or oval shape out of white felt to fit the front of the film container and hot glue it in place.
3. The wiggle eyes are glued on the top (the hole of the container is down so the child can place it on his fingers.)
4. The beak (orange foam triangle) is glued under the eyes, and the feet on the bottom.
5. The lid halves are glued on each side of the container to stick out slightly.

Paper Plate Penguins

1. Color or sponge paint the head and flippers black, the feet and beak orange-yellow, and the bow tie any color or design.
2. Cut out these pieces.
3. Glue the head to the back of a six inch paper plate.
4. Glue the flippers near the head, before attaching the feet.
5. Attach the beak and two eye cutouts.
6. Glue on the bow tie cutout.
7. Use a black crayon to color a narrow strip around the exposed plate rim except where it meets the penguins feet.
8. These penguins make an eye catching bulletin board when they are stacked in a pyramid configuration.

Totem Pole Under Glass
Heart of America Council

Materials:

• 2 thread spools
• Poster paint
• Clear disposable plastic glass

Directions:

• Glue the two spools together and paint as desired.
• Place under the clear plastic glass.
• To get the snow effect, sprinkle a lot of glue with salt.
• Glue a piece of paper on the bottom of the glass to finish.

Totem Pole Neckerchief Slide
Heart of America Council

Glue pieces of scrap wood to wood clothes pins. Add popsicle wings and paint. Glue on plastic ring or 1” piece of ¾” PVC pipe for loop.