Here are my favorite astronomy tools for showing Scouts the night sky. Get out and look at the stars the next clear night you are out camping, you don’t have to be an expert or particularly knowledgeable to have a great time finding constellations and doing a little stargazing. With a little research you’ll now when and where to look for…continue reading
Satellite Spotting
April 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Satellite spotting is great fun! With a little preparation you can hunt for satellites on your next camping trip. Whenever our Scouts are looking at constellations and finding the north star someone usually thinks they may have glimpsed a satellite passing overhead. On a dark, clear night satellites reflect sunlight back to us and become visible. Prime time…continue reading
Ten Ways to Avoid Bears While Camping
April 13, 2013 by · 3 Comments
If you are travelling in bear country follow these ten ways to avoid bears: Keep your cooking areas and sleeping areas separate (100 yards or so is the rule of thumb). Hang food and items with strong odors (ie, toothpaste, bug repellent, soap, etc.) at least 10 ft above the ground or use airtight, bear-proof containers. Don’t…continue reading
SKYWARN Training
March 29, 2013 by · 2 Comments
Supplement your B.S.A. Hazardous Weather Training with the free National Weather Service’s SKYWARN training. (Rick Jameson suggested this after reading Ten Causes of Scouting Disasters in the Wild - thanks Rick!) To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service established SKYWARN®, a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports…continue reading
Finding the North Star – Sky Tour Infographic
January 2, 2013 by ·
Take this sky tour infographic with you and the next time you are out camping take a few minutes to conduct a tour of the circumpolar constellations. You’ll be able to show your Scouts two methods of finding the north star and how to identify the constellations along with some astronomy facts and folklore. Whenever we have good seeing conditions I try to take…continue reading
Nature photography at the PhotoNaturalist
March 6, 2012 by ·
The PhotoNaturlist blog by Steve and Vic Berardi has some excellent, clear advice that will enhance your skill as a photographer. We all admire truly good images of nature but few of us know how to make them. It’s not as difficult as you may think. Like most things taking good or great photographs is about…continue reading
Nature Study for Scout Leaders – Winter in the Woods
January 4, 2012 by ·
Winter time is not ‘down time’ for nature study – there’s plenty happening in the natural world. Here’s questions you should be able to answer: Why does winter happen? The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. The varying amounts of sunlight around the Earth during the year, creates the seasons. Winter in the…continue reading
Nature Study for Scout Leaders – Forestry
October 27, 2011 by ·
Can you identify the major species of trees in your area? What’s the difference between a tree and a shrub? How do we use the lumber or fruits of from a specific tree? How did Native Americans and our ancestors use them? Why do leaves change color?. I have always been fascinated with trees and the stories they can…continue reading
Nature Study for Scout Leaders – Astronomy
October 19, 2011 by ·
Can you locate the north star? What three stars make up the summer triangle? Have you ever seen a meteor shower? Any active Scout Troop will spend many nights under clear skies away from city lights – ideal conditions for observing the stars. We try to include an observing session on our weekend campouts. With a rudimentary understanding…continue reading
Nature Study for Scout Leaders – Introduction
October 12, 2011 by ·
The outdoors is par excellence the school for observation and for realizing the wonders of a wondrous universe. It opens to the mind appreciation of the beautiful that lies before it day by day… The study of nature brings into a harmonious whole the question of the infinite, the historic, and the microscopic as part of the Great Creator’s work.…continue reading
Regular ‘green time’ linked to milder ADHD symptoms
September 23, 2011 by ·
A recent study links simple ‘green time’ (time spent outdoors in nature; and for the purposes of this particular study expansive green fields or lawns) to milder symptoms for children with Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADD, ADHD). Some complain that we over-diagnose and over- medicate children with ADD or ADHD; some doubt that it is even…continue reading
Moon Phases – Premier East Disappear West
May 25, 2011 by ·
Here’s an illustration that s explains how to roughly determine direction from moon phases. If the moon is the quarter, crescent or gibbous phases it’s easy to note the position of the shadowed part of the moon and know where east or west is. Note that this only works in the northern hemisphere.
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