101 - Nature

Learning Objectives

As a result of this experience, each participant should be able to:

• Complete advancement requirement S4.
• Appreciate and respect the animals that live in their communities.

Materials Required

• Examples of plaster casts of animal prints.
• Books on animal identification.
• Plaster of Paris.
• One plate for each participant

Discovery

An excellent discovery would be to have an animal brought into the meeting by a qualified professional If this type of person is not available, you can allow scouts to make a plaster of Paris cast of their hand to take home. Do this at the beginning of the meeting or the casts will not be set up by the end.

Teaching-Learning

1. What are some types of animals? What are some characteristics of each one?
   • Mammals (have fur, warm blooded)
   • Birds (have feathers, sometimes fly)
   • Reptiles (Scaly skin, cold blooded, hibernate)
   • Amphibians (Moist skin, ‘dual life’)
   • Fish (Have gills, life in water)
2. Identifying Animals
   • Show the (pages 191-207) in the Boy Scout Handbook that can be used in identifying animals.
   • Show other books that can also be used.
   • Demonstrate to scouts how they would go through the process of identifying an animal.
3. Observing Animals
   1. Evidence of animals
      • Droppings
      • Partially eaten food (chewed nuts, etc.).
      • Tracks. (Making plaster casts)
   2. Taking pictures of animals.

Application

Have scouts collect evidence of 10 animals and bring it into a future meeting. This can include plaster casts, pictures, etc.

Resources