Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Scout Life

My name is Shep Evans, and I am 9 years old. At school my favorite subject is Math, but my favorite thing to do is come home after school and help on my family’s ranch where we raise bulls. My parents, grandparents, uncle and cousins all live on the same road and work together every day. My favorite jobs on the ranch are moving hay bales with the tractor, feeding the cows, and moving cattle around our pastures on my horse, Whip. We work really hard to make sure they have plenty to eat in the wintertime when the grass is not growing. Sometimes, when I’m not working, I like to go fishing in our pond for catfish—sometimes we even get to eat them for supper. The thing I like…

They move around in groups of 15 led by an adult male. These groups are known as towers. Because they get water from the leaves they eat, giraffes drink water only once every few days. A giraffe’s tongue can measure up to 21 inches long. A giraffe’s heart is 2 feet long andweighsabout 25 pounds. Giraffes are peaceful animals and rarely fight. A baby giraffe is called a calf. Giraffes are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants.…

Eagle Scout Wins Prestigious Challenge DANIEL THOMAS Age: 15 Hometown: Colleyville, Texas Scout Rank: Eagle Scout (Troop 1905, Colleyville) Made Headlines: For being named one of America’s Top 10 Young Scientists in the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation’s premier middle school science competition. The Scoop: Daniel’s project involved a special pump to prevent clogs and organic overgrowth in air-conditioning condensate lines. He also won the 2022 Lockheed Martin Leadership Award; earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Award four times; was named in the 2022 Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS; was honored with the 2022 Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for the City of Euless, Texas; and served as mayor of Colleyville for a day after winning the 2019 Mayor for a Day essay contest. Know someone who’s making…

Bats and birds are their specialties, but wildlife biologists Selena Birgit Kiser and Mark Kiser love all species of critters. Both have worked for the State of Florida and previously worked for Bat Conservation International on such programs as the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and the North American Bat House Research Project. Spring means it is time for the arrival of several billion feathered visitors from Mexico, Central America and South America. Many of these birds make incredible journeys every year to find the perfect place to nest and raise their young in the U.S. and Canada. The wide variety of migratory birds includes many colorful songbirds: warblers, tanagers, vireos, buntings and orioles, to name a few. Ducks, cranes, shorebirds, raptors and hummingbirds also migrate. Hundreds of bird…

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • Fabric glue • Construction paper or foam tile • Ruler • Scissors • Neckerchief (or any fabric you like) • Permanent marker • Tape SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven’t used before. WHAT YOU’LL DO: STEP 1. TRACE A CIRCLE on a piece of paper using the mouth of a cup and cut it out. STEP 2. CUT THREE 1-FOOT-BY-1-INCH STRIPS FROM YOUR NECKERCHIEF, which will make a coaster about 2½ inches wide — perfect for a standard water bottle. Before cutting, measure and draw a straight line on the neckerchief from top to bottom using the ruler and marker. The longer your strips are, the bigger your coaster will be. STEP 3. TIE THE THREE STRIPS TOGETHER WITH AN OVERHAND…

CAMPOUT AT ONTEORA My trip to Onteora Scout Reservation in Livingston Manor, New York, was fun. I’ve been going for four years — and thanks to that, I’m almost an Eagle Scout. I’ve enjoyed camping and being outdoors ever since I crossed over from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA many years ago. I mostly enjoy the extreme camping trips like the Fire Island hike and Bluenose. Bluenose is the most extreme, because you get to go to Onteora when it’s zero degrees and camp for three days. That was my favorite camping trip. —Cole B., Wantagh, New York Has anything exciting happened to you lately? If you have had an adventure and are under 18, write about it and send it to Readers’ Page, Scout…

You need more than strength and technique to navigate a tandem kayak on the ocean. Paddling together — especially through wind gusts and strong currents — keeps your boat moving forward. The girls of Troop 673 from Scotts Valley, California, worked in sync to steer through the straits off the Washington coast during their weeklong ocean kayaking adventure. “You don’t want to be all over the place,” says Dylan Turzak, 14, a Life Scout. “It definitely took a lot of teamwork.” Teamwork helped the Scouts go more than 20 miles, stopping at forest-covered San Juan Islands, where they camped and admired the scenery. Along the way, they improved their kayaking skills and spotted wildlife, including porpoises, harbor seals and bald eagles. Starting in the Emerald City When you’re visiting a…

Whether you’re figuring out when to reach your next rank, planning an outing or discussing a service project, get detailed. Identifying all the steps and then setting goals for each step helps you and your group prepare and follow through. When you’re making goals, take the “SMART” approach: S — Specific: What specifically must you do to achieve the goal? M — Measurable: How will you measure your progress or success? A — Attainable: Is it realistic that you can attain this goal? R — Relevant: Does the goal support the unit’s overall vision? T — Time-based: When will the goal be completed? A common mistake is deciding the first step of a plan and assuming you’ll figure out the rest as it comes. When you don’t properly prepare, you…

Rodrigo Sotomayor, 17, and his father were driving during a heavy rainstorm when their car slid off the highway. The car slid down a steep, rocky embankment into the ocean. The churning waves and high surf put Rodrigo and his father in great danger. Rodrigo freed himself and his father from their vehicle. As the rain continued to fall, Rodrigo swam with his father more than 50 yards parallel to shore to the nearest beach. Rodrigo’s father was distraught, but Rodrigo kept him calm. A passerby soon stopped to help. The passerby gave them dry clothes, and Rodrigo helped his father put them on. The passerby then drove them home. Rodrigo and his father were not harmed during their ordeal. First Class Scout Rodrigo A. Garcia Sotomayor, a member of…

CALENDAR April 1 is April Fools’ Day. April 7 is No Housework Day. Good luck with that one. Hang out with your favorite people on April 10, National Siblings Day. April 22 is Earth Day. Do a Good Turn for your home planet. On This Date April 2, 1792: The dollar is introduced as the standard unit of money in the United States. April 4, 1818: Congress approves the Stars and Stripes as the official U.S. flag. April 22 is National Teach Children to Save Day Get tips on how to make, save and multiply your money from Not-So-Common Cents: Super-Duper Important Facts About Money You Can’t Afford to Miss. Also learn about the stock market, credit, the importance of giving back and more. By Sarah Flynn. National Geographic…

Q: The survival kit my parents gave me came with a little sewing kit. What is that for? —Connor, Franklin, Tennessee A: SURVIVAL KITS SHOULD INCLUDE THE SCOUT OUTDOOR ESSENTIALS, along with some gear to help you signal for help, protect you from the elements and make repairs. The sewing kit is for repairs. When your tent or clothes rip, you can use a needle and thread to fix them. But your supplies are helpful only if you know how to use them. Practice sewing on your merit badge sash or uniform. Insert thread through the eye of a needle and secure the long end of the thread with a knot. Place your patch where you want it. Use double-sided tape to keep it from moving while you sew. Push…

Whether you’re taking a break mid-hike, kicking back around the campfire or sitting down to eat a meal, a camp chair keeps you comfy and off the ground. FIND GEAR HERE Gear Guy makes finding information online a snap. Just visit go.scoutlife.org/gearguy for links to all the gear shown here.Whether Which chair is best depends on how you’ll use it. The best one for backpacking isn’t always the one you’ll want for car camping. If you’re backpacking, pick one that’s lightweight and low bulk. It can be something as simple as an inflatable seat or a foldable cushion. You can find small collapsible stools that are easy to pack. You can also make your own camp chair: Use your pioneering skills to assemble a large tripod and hang a tarp…

Some Ideas For Your Next Merit Badge Adventure 1. INSPECT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD With a parent or other trusted adult, take a tour of your neighborhood and create a checklist of possible problems. Look for things like broken streetlights, overgrown bushes, abandoned buildings and any kind of unusual activity. 2. OPERATION IDENTIFICATION People who mark their belongings have a better chance of getting them back if they’re stolen. Consider an identification program that encourages residents to permanently mark items with engraving pens or indelible markers. 3. HOME SECURITY Check your house — and the houses of your friends — to see how easy it would be to break in. Examine windows, doors and the garage door, and make sure they all close properly. Try to eliminate overgrown bushes and other places…

HINDU SCOUTS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR FAITH by earning the following BSA award: The Dharma Emblem is for a Cub Scout or Scout of Hindu faith — or one interested in this faith. Activities cover basic Hindu concepts of Dharma, Karma, Incarnation and Bhakti. Dharma, or duty to others, is one way a Hindu shows his love for Parmeshwar (the supreme authority, God). Karma is an action or a result of an action. Good Karma brings joy and love from others. Bad Karma brings problems and suffering. In Hinduism, people are reincarnated — or born again — as a life form such as an insect or a human being, depending on their Karma. Bhakti is a prayer to Parmeshwar that can include sacred words like “om.” In it, believers…