Family Tree

This #MeritBadgeMonday we take a look at requirement #6 of the Genealogy Merit Badge.  I have heard on a few occasions that you do not know where your going unless you know where you have been. This is very true when it comes to genealogy.  You do not fully know who you are until you know who you came from.  For some it might be knowing why and how your family is really good at making raspberry jam. For me, it's understanding why there is a love of working with your hands and gardening.  Usually we tend to like and do the same things that our parents like and do... and where did they start?  Traditions in my mind define our families. In a good way our traditions separate us from others (how boring would it be if everyone was good at everything) and make us unique in this big melting pot of a world.

One why of showing your lineage is through a Family Tree or using a Fan Chart.  An excellent resource on creating these images is FamilySearch.com.  This website is owned and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Another great website is Ancestry.com

Family Tree

Family Fan Chart

Difference Between Frogs and Toads

#MeritBadgeMonday

REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN STUDY 3c.

Imagine crossing a swampy area in your canoe and you hear the distance rib-it rib-its.  Do you know if it is a frog or a toad?... The hint is in the area where you hear the croaking. Since you are in a swampy area, the chances are extremely high that you just heard a frog.  Even though frogs and toads are of the same animal group they are very different animals.  Below are some ways to identify between a frog and a toad.

Frogs:

• Narrow Bodies
• Eyes are large, round, and high on the head
• Skin is smooth and moist
• Habitat is near water
• Longer hind legs
• Able to jump high and long distances
• Many predators

Toads:

• Do not require their home to be near water
• Wider / flatter bodies
• Hind legs are shorter and less powerful
• Will take small hops and sometimes will run rather than jump
• Skin is dry, bumpy, and rough
• Eyes are lower on the head and almost "football" shaped
• Not many predators. Their skin lets out a bitter taste and smell that burns the eyes and nostrils of its predators.

Awesome Critter Video posted on YouTube by NatureNorth of the 7 week hatching and growth cycle of a frog.

Diagrams of Sports Playing Areas

On this #MeritBadgeMonday we take a look at Req. 4c of the Sports Merit Badge

4c. Draw diagrams of the playing areas for your two sports.

With Super Bowl approching us this weekend, it only seemed fitting to have the diagram for Football be our first pick.  As you look through all the diagrams for each sport's playing field ask yourself the following:

What items are similar between each sport?
What makes each sport unique?
How many are played on grass?
How many positions are associated with each sport?
Are numbers always present with each sport?
Which sport are you running the most in?
and any other questions you can ask yourself...

Football

Baseball

Basketball

Bowling

Hockey

Swimming

Tennis

Track and Field

Soccer

Diseases and Immunization

Public Health Merit Badge: Requirement 2

With the recent outbreaks of Measles at Disneyland and this time of year being the busiest with cases of Influenza, we thought it would be a good time to cover a few things for the Public Health Merit Badge on this #MeritBadgeMonday.

Different Types of Baskets

2. Do the following:

1. Show your counselor that you are able to identify each of the following types of baskets: plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker.

Coiled Basket

Plaited Basket

Ribbed Basket

Wicker Basket

The Four Whistle Commands Used On A Range And Their Related Verbal Commands

Leaders: As many of you know, your voice can only travel so far.  Especially as a group of Scouts are talking or firing at the shooting sports range. The following (world wide) whistle commands relate to Archery.

• Two whistle blasts: archers may proceed from the waiting line to the shooting line.
• One whistle blast: archers may place an arrow on the bowstring and begin shooting.
• Three whistle blasts: archers may walk forward to the targets and pull their arrows.
• Four or more whistle blasts: stop shooting immediately.

For Scouts: It is of the most importance of safety to follow the Range Master's commands at all times.

Name Of Each Chess Piece

Names and Moves of Each Piece

Each player starts the game with the equal amount of pieces; 8 Pawns, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen, and 1 King.

Pawn	Knight	Bishop	Rook	Queen	King
8	2	2	2	1	1

Actions Of One Individual

Citizenship in the Community
5. With the approval of your counselor and a parent, watch a movie that shows how the actions of one individual or group of individuals can have a positive effect on a community. Discuss with your counselor what you learned from the movie about what it means to be a valuable and concerned member of the community.


No Cussing Club



One boy’s crusade to encourage clean language has far-reaching effects.
Read the article here

Parts Of A Canoe

#MeritBadgeMonday

Canoeing Merit Badge

Requirement 5

1. Name and point out the major parts of a canoe.

Bird Watching Merit Badge Requirement 8a.

#MeritBadgeMonday
8. Do ONE of the following. For the option you choose, describe what birds you hope to attract, and why.

1. Build a bird feeder and put it in an appropriate place in your yard or another location.
2. Build a birdbath and put it in an appropriate place.
3. Build a backyard sanctuary for birds by planting trees and shrubs for food and cover.

Indian Lore Games

3a. Learn three games played by a group or tribe. Teach and lead one game with a Scout group.

Teen Safe Driving Websites

Traffic Safety Merit Badge
Req: 5b Using the Internet (with your parent’s permission), visit five Web sites that cover safe driving for teenagers. As a group, discuss what you learn with your counselor and at least three other teenagers.

• National Safety Council
• Partners For Safe Teen Driving
• Teen Safe Driving
• DMV
• Allstate Foundation
• MedlinePlus
• Teen Driver Source
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Gardening Merit Badge Nutritional Values

Gardening Merit Badge
Requirement 3. Give the nutritional value of the following:
a. Three root or tuber crops
b. Three vegetables that bear above ground
c. Three Fruits

Genealogy Merit Badge Requirement 1

Genealogy Merit Badge
1. Explain to your counselor what the words genealogy, ancestor, and descendant mean.

Genealogy: The study of family history.  The history of a particular family showing how the different members of the family are related to each other.

Ancestor:  A person who was in someone's family in past times : one of the people from whom a person is descended.

Descendant: Proceeding from an ancestor or source 

The Three R's of Youth Protection

The "Three R's" of Youth Protection convey a simple message to youth members:

• Recognize situations that place you at risk of being molested, how child molesters operate, and that anyone could be a molester.
• Resist unwanted an inappropriate attention. Resistance will stop most attempts at molestation.
• Report attempted or actual molestation to a parent or other trusted adult. This prevents further abuse and helps to protect other children. Let the Scout know he or she will not be blamed for what occurred.

Different Types of Paint

Requirement 2b: Explain the differences between oil-based paints, acrylic-based paints, and water-based paints.

Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.

Water-based paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle. Watercolors are usually transparent, and appear luminous because the pigments are laid down in a relatively pure form with few fillers obscuring the pigment colors.

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried oil paint film.

Law Definition

law noun \ˈlȯ\
: the whole system or set of rules made by the government of a town, state, country, etc.
: a particular kind of law
: a rule made by the government of a town, state, country, etc.

Declaration Of Independence

4- Discuss each of the following documents with your counselor. Tell your counselor how you feel life in the United States might be different without each one.

1. Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Joseph Lister

Medicine Merit Badge
Requirement 1h

1. Discuss with your counselor the influence that EIGHT of the following people had on the history of medicine:

Joseph Lister (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912), was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. Lister introduced the idea of sterilizing surgical instruments prior to surgery along with cleaning wounds with antiseptic which greatly decreased post operative infections along with making surgery safer for patients.

Sustainable Architecture

2. In the Outdoor Code, a Scout pledges to “be conservation-minded.” Discuss the following with your counselor:

a. The term sustainable architecture. Identify three features typical of green buildings.

 "Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. Sustainable architecture uses a conscious approach to energy and ecological conservation in the design of the built environment.

The idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations."

Green building typically reduce human impact within the following areas:

• Use water, energy, and other resources efficiently
• Employee productivity increase along with overall health of all occupants of the building
• Reduction of pollution, degradation of the environment, and overall waste.

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