Camping at one of our favourite campsites, Dunham Massey took place last weekend 8th – 10th June 2018. For photographs please join our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2ndramsbottom/
Please don’t be offended when we ask who you are!
The Cubs have been preparing for the Pip Hartley Memorial Hike by learning map symbols and getting to grips with contour lines and grid references. We’ll be going into more detail over the next few weeks and practising making our own route plans.
In case the Cubs want to watch a few of the videos that we’ve been showing them, here is a link to the Ordnance Survey’s YouTube page. (They seemed to like the videos, it certainly kept them quiet last night).
Learn how to Map Read with Simon King (7 videos)
The Ordnance Survey has launched a new app called “OS Locate“. This is available for Android and iOS devices, so your Cub or Scout may like to use it to practice their map reading skills.
One idea is to download the app then work out the position of a few local landmarks and write down the grid references. After you’ve done that you can go to those locations and check the grid reference from the app and see if it matches your estimation of the correct grid reference.
It’s worth noting that this only works to 6 figures and some Scouts in particular may prefer to use 8 figure grid references. If this is the case, alternative apps with better resolutions are available from the Android and Apple stores online.
I’m an Android phone user and I can recommend “UK Grid Reference Widget” if you want more precision.
To obtain their Outdoor Challenge badges, Cub Scouts need to spend two nights away with the pack, learn two new outdoor skills and complete three outdoor activities. Most Cubs find this easy, but sometimes struggle to complete one final task to earn their badge…… the “Camp Review”
Details of the Outdoor Challenge badge requirements are on the Scout Association website, they include the “Camp Review”.
Some Cubs can find it hard to do the “Review”. At Badge Camp last year some Cubs used PowerPoint to talk about their camp experiences, whilst other Cubs made posters.
Camp Review
Explain to other Cub Scouts what activity you enjoyed most while on the residential experience and what activity you found hardest. This could be in the form of a poster, story, photographs or similar.
The links below may give your Cubs ideas to complete their diary if they’re struggling for inspiration. 🙂
Aidan and Connor’s Camp Diary
Jack’s Camp Diary
Joe and Gabriel’s Camp Diary
Seb’s Camp Diary
Each of the sections took a different route to Pilgrim’s Cross where we held a “Scouts Own” Remembrance service. The three routes are shown below, together with links to a site where you can look at the routes taken in more detail.
| Route | Distance | Total ascent | Total descent |
| Beaver | 3.91 miles | 863 feet | 837 feet |
| Cub | 4.05 miles | 1040 feet | 927 feet |
| Scout | 4.97 miles | 907 feet | 755 feet |
Beaver route – http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=gazmgiecmrszndtv
Cub route – http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=vssmrjykobciqbhk
Scout route – http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=nywvdrnjukthgjhr
So we braved the weather and here we are at Pilgrim’s Cross where we ate our lunch and attended our “Scouts Own”
This Friday night we’re going to talk to the Cubs about badges, in particular those that they’re close to achieving. A number of Cubs only need to do one or two activities to earn a badge and we’re keen to encourage them to get those that they can.
Outdoor Challenge
Some Cubs only need to do a “Camp Review” to get their Outdoor Challenge Badge.
A Camp Review could be a 3-4 page PowerPoint presentation listing the activities that they like most about camp. They could show this to the other Cubs and talk about the things that they like or dislike about camp. Doing it this way, they’d also earn points towards the Creative Challenge badge. If you don’t have PowerPoint, they could do a poster to describe their camp experiences.
It would be great if some of the Cubs could bring something along on Friday, alternatively we’ll do this on another Friday night after our visit to the Police Station.
Fitness Challenge
Some Cubs only need to keep an activity / food diary for two weeks to complete this challenge badge. A blank diary can be downloaded here.
Individual badges
Many of the Cubs will have hobbies that can count towards Cub badges, such as Artist, Book Reader, Collector, Cyclist, DIY, Martial Arts, Swimmer, Musician and so on. If you discuss these with your Cub(s) before Friday, they can ask me questions on the night. Alternatively, feel free to send me an email with questions.
There are links to the activity badges here : http://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/search/?cat=12,67,127
Our records
We keep records of progress towards badges on a database and you can see some of the information online. http://www.2ndramsbottom.org.uk/?page_id=120
If your Cub has started a badge, but wants to know what is needed to complete it, please feel free to send me an email or ask on Friday. Similarly, if you think that you are “owed” a badge or wonder why you missed out on one, just let me know.
All the best
Richard (Bagheera)
We’d like to welcome the new Cubs who just moved up from Beavers and we hope that you enjoyed your first night in Cubs. Here are a few reminders of what we did….
Learnt the Cub Scout Promise
(it would be great if you can remember this for your Investiture)
Getting to Know You, Rules for Pack Nights, Flag Break and so on.
We hope that you enjoyed the “Getting to Know You” game and we hope that you’ll soon settle in. If any of the things that we did were confusing, don’t worry, ask your Sixer for advice or come and ask Akela or Bagheera and we’ll help you out.
What do I do with my old badges?
If you aren’t sure of what to do with your old Beaver badges, here is a guide that you may find useful.
Today ou Cubs took part in the district Cubs football. Playing against 6 other teams. It was very close needing the final game of the afternoon to decide over 2nd and 3rd. Well done to the team!
