November 4, 2009 7:20 am
As noted previously, the 2009-2010 Insignia Guide refers to the following new additions to the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program:
1. Abilities Awareness (17861-Loop, 14700-Pin)
2. Family Travel (17862-Loop, 14701-Pin)
3. Good Manners (17863 – Loop, 14702-Pin)
4. Hiking (17865-Loop, 14707-Pin)
5. Hockey (17864-Loop, 14706-Pin)
6. Horseback Riding (17866 – Loop, 14708 Pin)
7. Pet Care (17869 – Loop, 14703-Pin
8. Photography (17870 – Loop, 14704-Pin)
9. Reading and Writing (17871-Loop, 14705-Pin)
10. Skateboarding (17867-Loop, 14709 – Pin)
11. Video Games (17868 – Loop, 14710-Pin)
In addition, I have received unofficial information that there will be belt loops and pins for Kickball and Nutrition.
Click the links above to see the requirements of the soon-to-be-released awards.
These should all be described in a forthcoming edition of the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide that is expected in scout shops in November or December.
[Photo: Flicker/bunchofpants]
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Posted by Mike Newman
November 3, 2009 5:33 am
Abilities Awareness is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Visit with a child or adult with special needs. Find out what they enjoy and what they find difficult.
2. Attend a special needs event such as Easter Seals, Special Olympics, a performance with sign language interpretation, an activity with Needs or Guiding Eyes dogs, or a wheelchair race. Tell your adult leader what the participants were able to do.
3. Make a display about one or more special needs. It can include physical, learning, or mental challenges. Share the display at a pack meeting.
Academics Pin
Earn the Abilities Awareness belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Look at three different wheelchairs. Explain their differences. With an adult’s help and permission, try to operate one.
2. Using sign language, demonstrate the Cub Scout Promise and motto.
3. Read a book about a person with a special need.
4. Explain how your school helps students with special needs (elevators, ramps, small classes, special tools and equipment, specialized teachers). Show some of these special resources to an adult or family member.
5. Describe one of the following and its purpose: Occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical therapy. Visit with a person who works in one of these fields and learn about his or her position.
6. Read about a famous person who has been physically or mentally challenged. Report what you learned to your den or family.
7. For two one-hour periods, and with adult supervision, go about your normal routine doing chores, watching television, studying, etc. Change your abilities by using one of these experiences:
• Hearing impairment—Muffle your ears with earmuffs or bandages.
• Sight impairment—Blindfold one or both eyes.
• Physical impairment—Bind an arm or leg so that it cannot be used.
• Speaking impairment—Cover your mouth or do not speak.
• Choose an impairment of your own that is approved by an adult.
8. Look at a catalog and find three items that could help a person with special needs in their daily life. Explain how each item would help the individual.
9. Volunteer and help someone with special needs in school, sports or another supervised activity.
10. Visit a nursing home or elderly person and help someone with a meal.
11. Talk to someone who works with people who have special needs. Ask what the person’s job is like and how he or she helps people with special needs.
[Updated 2009-11-04]
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Posted by Mike Newman
November 2, 2009 5:47 am
Here are the top 10 most viewed posts for October 2009 (other than those solely about monthly theme items):
And for those of you keeping score at home, October 2009 was the most viewed month yet for KISMIF.org with a total of 48,001 page views.
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Posted by Mike Newman
November 1, 2009 4:55 pm
Horseback Riding is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Explain five safety precautions for when you are near a horse.
2. With help from an experienced horse handler, demonstrate how to safely mount and ride a horse and then how to safely dismount the horse.
3. Go on a supervised horseback ride for at least 20 minutes. Remember to wear a helmet that is approved for horseback riding (such as one approved for horseback riding by the ASTM, or American Society for Testing and Materials).
Sports Pin
Earn the Horseback Riding belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Learn about three famous horses. Explain why these horses were well-known.
2. Using pictures of these different animals, explain to your den or family the difference between a horse, pony, mule, and donkey.
3. Explain how a horse is measured and what a “hand” equals when measuring a horse.
4. Using a picture of a horse, point out the following main parts of a horse: forehead, muzzle, mane, withers, point of hip, knee, hoof, and root of tail.
5. Describe three different breeds of horses and explain what special feature makes each breed different from other breeds.
6. Using photos or pictures you have drawn, explain to your den or family at least three different ways that horses can help us.
7. Name five things that are healthy for a horse to eat.
8. Tell why it is important to wear an approved riding helmet when you go horseback riding.
9. Take a photo or draw a picture of the type of saddle you used during the horseback ride you took to earn the belt loop.
10. With your parent or adult partner, visit a veterinarian who cares for horses and large animals. Write the answers to three questions you ask him or her.
11. Spend at least 15 minutes before and after your ride getting to know your horse by talking calmly to it and stroking it slowly.
12. Go on a supervised horseback ride for at least 30 minutes. Be sure to wear a riding helmet. Show that you can safely mount and dismount the horse.
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Posted by Mike Newman
November 1, 2009 5:35 am
Photography is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. A Tiger Cub must work with his parent or adult partner. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Point out the major features of a camera to your den or family and explain the function of each part. Parts could include film, lens, shutter, power on and off, zoom, battery, flash, display panel, case, settings, etc.
2. Discuss with your den leader or adult partner, the benefits and contributions photography makes to modern life. Report what you learned to your den or family.
3. Using a camera, take at least 10 pictures of your family, pet, or scenery; show these to your den.
Academics Pin
Earn the Photography belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Using pictures, explain what photography is and how it relates to light and picture-taking.
2. Look at a book of published photos about a subject that interests you. Find out what makes these photos remarkable and why people want to look at these pictures. Learn whether the photographer used light or angles to make the photos interesting. Discuss what you learned with an adult.
3. Explain to an adult what “red eye” is and why it can happen in a picture. Show examples.
4. Make a short video of a friend, family member, or pet, and show it to your den or family.
5. With an adult’s help, use a photo-editing software feature to crop, lighten or darken, and change a photo.
6. Make a creative project using at least one photo.
7. Take three pictures of the same scene using different lens settings. Show these pictures to your den or family.
8. Visit an art exhibit that features photography. Write a list of some of the things you saw and felt during your visit.
9. Demonstrate how to use a light meter and manually set the aperture (lens opening) on a camera.
10. Print and develop a picture from a film negative.
11. Read about a famous photographer and tell his or her story to your den. Explain why he or she is famous or admired.
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 31, 2009 10:12 am
Nutrition is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Make a poster of foods that are good for you. Share the poster with your den.
2. Explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. Eat one of each.
3. Help prepare and eat a healthy meal of foods that are included in a food pyramid. (With your parent’s or partner’s permission, see http://www.mypyramid.gov.)
Eating a balanced diet means eating foods that are good for you and that give your body the vitamins and other nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
Academics Pin
Earn the Nutrition belt loop and complete five additional requirements from the following requirements:
1. Make a poster that shows different foods that are high in each of the vitamins. Using your poster, explain to your den or family the difference between a vitamin and a mineral and the importance of each for a healthy diet.
2. Read the nutrition label from a packaged or canned food item. Learn about the importance of the nutrients listed. Explain what you learned to your den or family.
3. Make a list of diseases that can be caused by a diet that is poor in nutrition.
4. Talk with your school cafeteria manager about the role nutrition plays in the meals your school serves.
5. With an adult, plan a balanced menu of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for your family for a week.
6. Make a list of healthy snack foods. Demonstrate how to prepare two healthy snacks.
7. With an adult, go grocery shopping. Report to your den or other family members what you learned about choosing good foods to eat.
8. Demonstrate how to safely prepare food for three meals.
9. Demonstrate how to store leftover food to prevent spoilage or contamination.
10. Help with a garden. Report to your den or family about what is growing in the garden and how you helped. Show a picture of or bring an item harvested from your garden.
11. Visit a farm or ranch. Talk with the owner about how the farm or ranch produces food for families.
12. Explain how physical exercise works with nutrition in helping people be fit and healthy. Demonstrate three examples of good physical activity.
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 31, 2009 5:20 am
Pet Care is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. A Tiger Cub must work with his parent or adult partner. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Care for your pet for two weeks. Make a list of the tasks that you did to take care of your pet.
2. Read a book, explore the Internet (with your parent’s or partner’s permission), or acquire a pamphlet about your pet. List three new interesting facts that you learned about your pet.
3. Make a poster about your pet. Share your poster with your den, pack, or family.
Academics Pin
Earn the Pets belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. With an adult, develop a plan for someone to care for your pet if you were to be away for one week.
2. Train your pet to do a trick or follow a simple command.
3. Describe how your pet communicates with you and other animals.
4. Observe or play with your pet for 15 minutes each day for one week. Keep a chart that shows your pet’s mood on each day.
5. Attend a pet show. Report to your den about the show.
6. Make a drawing of the cage or bed your pet requires. Describe the important parts of it.
7. Visit an animal shelter. Explain the reasons why pets are in the animal shelter to your den or family.
8. Visit a pet store. Make a list of the different animals in the store and the kinds of foods they eat.
9. Talk to a veterinarian about his or her career. Share what you learned with your den or family.
10. Tell three ways that animals can help people.
11. Do a service project for an animal shelter, exercise an elderly person’s pet, or help a friend with the care of his or her pet.
12. Find out about the pets of U.S. presidents while they lived at the White House. Tell your den about one president and his pet(s).
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 30, 2009 7:50 pm
Family Travel is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. A Tiger Cub must work with his parent or adult partner. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Make a list of things you would take on a three-day trip with your family, then pack these items in a bag or suitcase.
2. With an adult’s help, figure out the cost and miles to complete a trip to a place of interest using the family car or public transportation.
3. Research at least five places to visit during a trip to a place of interest. Explain what you learned to your family.
Academics Pin
Earn the Family Travel belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Go on a trip with your family that includes at least one overnight stay. Keep a journal of your trip and then share it with your den leader.
2. Play a travel game while traveling in a car.
3. With an adult, make a list of safety rules to follow when traveling in the car or while using public transportation such as a bus, plane, boat, and train. Share the list to your den.
4. With the help of a parent or adult partner, use a computer to look up an airfare from your closest airport to a city in a foreign country. Calculate the total travel time, the day and time you will leave your home, and the day and time you will arrive at your destination.
5. Visit a travel agent office or look up a travel Web site.
6. Using pictures, explain to a family member how people’s forms of transportation have changed in the last 300 years.
7. Visit with an adult who has driven in a different country. List five things that the adult found to be very different from driving in the United States.
8. Make a list of occupations that people have that are related to traveling. Describe the position you would like to try. Explain to a family member why you chose that occupation.
9. Learn how to apply for a U.S. passport. With adult supervision, read an actual application and complete as much of the form as you can.
10. Change $1,000 U.S. dollars into pounds, Euros, or pesos.
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 30, 2009 5:41 am
Reading and Writing is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. A Tiger Cub must work with his parent or adult partner. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Visit a library and get your own library card. Check out and return a book.
2. Write a letter or a short story. Read it to your den or family.
3. Keep a diary of your activities for one week. Read it to your den or family.
Academics Pin
Earn the Reading and Writing belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Locate and identify the following parts of a book: title, author, spine, cover, table of contents, and index.
2. Read a book to a child or group of children.
3. Participate in a school or community organized reading program.
4. Explain the differences in a biography, autobiography, fiction, and nonfiction books to your parent or den leader.
5. Create a bookmark that you can use, or design a book cover.
6. Read an article from a newspaper or magazine. This can be done on the computer. Report about what you read to an adult.
7. Write a poem and read it to a family member.
8. Write a short report about something of interest to you. Read your report to your den or family.
9. Read several jokes and riddles. Create two of your own and share them with your den or family.
10. Write a commercial, song, or jingle for some product. Perform it for your den or family
11. Create your own alphabet, writing system, or code and explain it to your den or pack.
12. Learn about another writing system such as petroglyphs or Egyptian hieroglyphs. Do your best to draw some of these symbols. Report what you learned to your den or family.
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 29, 2009 7:58 am
Here is the October 2009 (Jungle Safari) monthly theme emblem. It is $1.29 from BSA Supply Group.
At present, the monthly theme emblem for November 2009 is not available on the scoutstuff.org website.
Link
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Posted by Mike Newman
October 29, 2009 7:33 am
Kickball is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program.
I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award:
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. A Tiger Cub must work with his parent or adult partner. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Explain the rules of kickball to your leader or adult partner.
2. Spend 30 minutes practicing the skills of kickball (pitching, kicking, base running, catching, throwing). This may be over two different practice periods.
3. Play a game of kickball.
Sports Pin
Earn the Kickball belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. Demonstrate the following kickball skills: pitching, kicking, base running, catching, throwing.
2. Explain the rules of base running.
3. Describe the basic defensive positions in kickball (pitcher, catcher, infielder).
4. Draw a kickball field to scale; include the starting defensive positions.
5. Report to your den or family about the similarities between the rules of baseball and kickball.
6. Explain the role of being the captain of a kickball team.
7. Play five games of kickball using basic rules.
8. Help set up a kickball field for a game.
9. Serve as a referee for one game of kickball.
10. Participate in a pack, school, or community kickball tournament or a supervised kickball league.
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Posted by Mike Newman
