Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2024 i Scout Life

Scout answers reader mail! I have an idea for a section in your magazine: a place for Scouts to turn in photos they took on campouts. This would allow Scouts to share their adventures with others and give them ideas for future campouts. If most of your campouts were in Texas (like mine are), and you see this totally awesome picture of some guys holding a giant fish near the ocean, that may inspire you to take a sea trip. —Landon H., Allen, Texas Your idea? It’s perfect, Landon! Check out page 8 to see the influence Scouts like you have on this magazine. And keep the great ideas coming! I WANTED TO WRITE to you about my experience at the 2023 National Scout Jamboree. Thanks to all the volunteers,…

The holiday is celebrated in Chinese communities all over the world. Chinese New Year starts on Feb. 10 this year. The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animal signs. This is the Year of the Dragon. Children receive money in red envelopes to keep them safe and bring them good luck. Wearing and decorating everything in red is a popular tradition that started from an ancient legend about a monster named Nian. It’s also known as a Spring Festival. Sweeping and throwing out trash are part of the festivities, but not on New Year’s Day. This ensures you don’t throw out good luck that the New Year brings.…

Q: What is the best option for buying cheaper gear? —Alyssa, Camarillo, California A: FIRST, CHECK THE SCOUT SHOP. It sells high-quality camping gear with Scouts in mind: They carry what you need at affordable prices. You can find discounted gear at outdoor equipment outlet stores like REI Outlet. Some sporting goods stores and gear companies also offer discounts for Scouts. You might find great deals at thrift shops or large retail stores like Walmart and Target. When you’re shopping, look for brands you’ve seen reviewed in Scout Life or gear that a friend or Scout leader has recommended. It’s better to save up a little bit and buy a tested product than get something super cheap that won’t last. Sales happen throughout the year, but you’ll often find the…

Winter camping is a great way to have fun outside. It’ll also help you learn to stay warm and dry when you’re out in the elements. “Everyone hates being cold,” says Kristin Arnold, American Mountain Guides Association guide and trainer. “You can repurpose a lot of the gear you use for three-season camping for winter camping. You don’t need to buy all new gear.” STAYING WARM Arnold’s top tip for staying warm is to layer wool, fleece, down and synthetic clothing you already own so that if you sweat, the fabric wicks the moisture away from your body. You can fine-tune your temperature by taking off layers. “Avoid cotton,” Arnold says. “It freezes when it gets wet. Wear wool socks. Always wear a hat. Once you’re cold, it takes more…

SUGAR SMART Experts say people ages 6-18 should have no more than five teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar each day. Here are a few hints on how to make healthy food choices: • Look at the nutrition label on all foods packaged in a bottle, box or wrapper. Check for added sugar. That includes sucrose, fructose and corn syrup. • Avoid foods in which sugar is one of the first ingredients listed. Ingredients are listed by quantity, starting with the largest amount. • Never assume that sugar is only in sweet treats. It’s also in ketchup, sports drinks, salad dressing and tomato sauce, among other foods.…

CALENDAR Jan. 15 is the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Jan. 17 is Kid Inventors’ Day. Jan. 24 is Global Belly Laugh Day. Flip to page 47 to get started. February is National African American History Month. Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Feb. 19 is Presidents Day. On This Date Jan. 13, 1930: Mickey Mouse first appears in newspapers across the U.S. Jan. 25, 1924: The first Winter Olympics begin in Chamonix, France. Feb. 3, 1821: Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female physician in the U.S., is born. Feb. 8, 1910: The Boy Scouts of America is founded. Super Bowl Sunday is around the corner! Join millions by tuning in to see who will take home the Super Bowl 58 trophy…

National Peanut Butter Day is Jan. 24. It can be crunchy or creamy and pairs perfectly with chocolate, jelly, celery and more. However, it’s not just a tasty treat. Scientists have found that, since peanut butter is rich in carbon, it’s possible to make diamonds with it. A scientist in Germany tried to replicate the small crystal rocks believed to be in the lower mantle of Earth. He did this by removing the oxygen from the carbon dioxide in peanut butter and applying a large amount of pressure to it. Instead of crystal rocks, he got diamonds! The process is messy and it can take weeks to form a 3-millimeter diamond (smaller than a popcorn kernel) a bit muddy in color, so this isn’t the perfect get-rich-quick project. WHAT ELSE…

For winter camping, you need insulated waterproof boots that are high enough to keep out the snow. MUCKBOOTS (starting around $110 a pair) makes highly insulated, high-traction boots rated to 40 below zero. They’re great, especially for a weekend campout. Insulated hiking boots work, too. For longer trips, consider winter boots with a removable liner that you can take out and keep in your sleeping bag overnight. That way, your feet will stay warm after you put your boots on in the morning. In deep snow, skis or snowshoes are essential. Both keep you from punching through soft snow, which is tiring and makes the trail terrible for other travelers. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Try ALPTREK’S PEAK SNOWSHOE KIT ($180), which comes with a set of aluminum…

go.scoutlife.org/scoutingaround HANDBOOK HELP Invite a Friend to Join AScout is Helpful and Friendly, and a great way to practice these points of the Scout Law is by inviting a friend to join Scouting. To become a First Class Scout, you must invite a friend to a meeting, campout or other activity. You’ll probably want to do this way before you work on the First Class rank. Think of a friend who would enjoy the program. They might already love the outdoors or some of the activities featured in your handbook or merit badge pamphlets. Or maybe they aren’t involved in many extracurriculars and are looking for something fun to do. Pick a meeting or outing that should be especially fun or would be a good example of what your…

THE UNITY OF MANKIND religious emblem program is designed to help boys and girls become better world citizens by giving them a deeper understanding of the Bahá’í faith. Bahá’í Scouts will learn about the most important teaching of the Bahá’í faith: unity. Also, they will become more familiar with the central figures of the faith and learn how to share the faith — and its teachings of unity — with others. For more information, contact your local council or visit go.scoutlife.org/religiousawards…

Cozy up with more than 200 of the world’s most amazing mammals. You’ll find familiar favorites like pandas, iconic creatures like lions, exotic species like narwhals, and mammals we bet you never knew existed—like quokkas. Explore the animal kingdom’s secret weapons in this thrilling roundup of animals—from Komodo dragons to black mambas—that use venom, toxins, fangs, and stingers to dominate their prey. Don’t be fooled! It’s not just the obvious predators that pose a threat! From cute little frogs to pesky mosquitoes to planteating hippos, the planet is teeming with dangerous creatures. Dig deeper into the world of prehistoric creatures in this power-packed book, full of new discoveries and amazing illustrations. If you’re a dino superfan, this book’s for you! Meet the coolest cold-blooded animals EVER! Lizards. Snakes. Turtles. Crocodiles.…

LEAP YEAR IS BACK! Enjoy Feb. 29, because it doesn’t come around every year. Earth takes a little over 3651/4 solar days to complete a single orbit of the sun. That’s 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds longer than the 365 days that make up a year. The extra time goes to Feb. 29 every four years. If it weren’t for Leap Year Day, we would eventually celebrate Thanksgiving in spring and take summer vacation in October. Bayou Experience Coming! Be on the lookout for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, an all-new Princess and the Frog experience at the Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in California. The attraction will replace Splash Mountain. Set to open later this year, the attraction will take visitors on a log flume-style ride.…

Head to go.scoutlife/campingpics to share your photos and end up on this page! Hey there! I came to the office over the weekend to be sure Landon’s suggestion* makes it onto this page. Great idea, buddy! *Don’t understand what’s going on? Go back and read page 2 to get with it!…

The Scouts in Troop 247 of Shakopee, Minnesota, were excited to go dog-sledding — but not nearly as excited as the dogs were. “When they’re ready to run, they jump really high,” says Ellie Ward, 16, a Second Class Scout. The bouncing soon turned into mushing as the Scouts hopped on the sleds and signaled the huskies to start running. For 20 minutes straight, the sled dogs pulled the Scouts across snow-covered trails. After a brief break, the dogs were swapped out for new dogs that were also eager to run. “They just want to run,” says Elise Lange, 15, a Tenderfoot Scout. “I’m sure they’d run for as long as they’d want to.” The troop had only a weekend with the frisky huskies, but it was enough time to…

After a day of skiing, you might be pretty tired. Navigating a snowy slope over and over calls on your abs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, ankles, biceps and triceps. Although the Scouts in Troop 77 of Canton, Massachusetts, felt the burn of using those muscles on a ski trip last January, they were eager to do it again. “I usually go skiing for a day. I’ve never gone two days in a row,” says Cayden Farrington, 12, a Tenderfoot Scout. And that’s just what they did. Let’s Go Skiing The troop planned a four-day campout that involved staying at a cabin at T.L. Storer Scout Reservation in New Hampshire. (Troop 77 is not in the camp’s council. You can stay at other councils’ camps throughout the year — just check with…

Fire Safety Don’t wait until a fire happens in your home to come up with an escape plan. Sit down with your parents and discuss what you would do. Pottery While pots can sometimes be made using W only hands and fingers, at other times potters will use tools. To change the shape of a clay surface, potters use a serrated rib, needle tool, wire brush, cork with a sewing needle or a kitchen fork. Ribs can be made of wood, steel, rubber or plastic. Expired credit cards make good ribs, as do the sides of empty plastic detergent bottles. Discarded (and sterilized) dentist’s tools are great for carving fine details into clay. Basic kitchen and hardware tools such as cookie cutters, molds, cheese slicers, sandpaper, utility knives, drill bits…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: We suggest storing these items in a single ZIP-CLOSE BAG. STAY SHARP You should have a pocketknife during most outings, anyway, but never go into the wild without a dependable, easy-to-use blade. TAKE COVER Even in wilderness survival situations, you need a good shelter. A tube tent is a great lightweight option that’s easy to pack and very affordable. SLEEP WARM It’s not a long-term option, but an emergency sleeping bag will keep you warm and takes up only a few square inches of space. FIRE SOURCE AND TINDER Store fresh strikeanywhere matches in a waterproof case to get a blaze going fast. Throw in a handful of dryer lint or petroleum-jelly-covered cotton balls as tinder. SIGNALING Get the attention of rescuers with a signal mirror and…