Scouting Fun to get you Out and Scouting

June 2021- Start of Summer Activities!

• Kiddie Car Wash!  Start the summer off with a splash by building your very own kiddie car wash!  A quick run to Home Depot or Lowe’s will get you PVC pipe, sponges, streamers, and with adult help, voila!  A summertime favorite!  How-to video:  https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/family/kids-and-babies/diy-kiddie-car-wash

• Catch Lightning Bugs!  After dinner, at dusk, take an empty jar outside to your back yard, or  perhaps near a pond’s edge or in the woods, turn off your flashlights and look for your flashing light friends.  A jarful of fireflies is sufficient for reading evening stories outside!  More:  https://www.firefly.org/how-to-catch-fireflies.html

• Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder!  Many species of birds are present in summer time, and creating a safe and healthy food for them is good for them and fun for families!  Explore science and nature!  https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/bird-feeders-for-kids-to-make-2764688

• Make Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles!  When the weather warms up, cool yourself down with a treat!  Invite the neighbors over for dessert and share your scouting experiences with them!  https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/strawberry-cheesecake-popsicles/

• Visit a U-Pick orchard and pick strawberries, blueberries, peaches (depending on the season).  A favorite is Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, GA.  Call ahead for availability and hours, but it’s a guaranteed day of fun!  https://www.atlantaparent.com/directory/25952/southern-belle-farm?p=25952

• Host an outdoor movie night. Rent or borrow a movie projector and show a movie on a white sheet draped across PVC pipe in the backyard. Or, use the side of your house as the screen. Bring sleeping bags, air mattresses, and pool rafts out as the seating and enjoy the show (with popcorn of course).

• Get out and Geocache - an easy and awesome outdoor treasure hunt!  Imagine millions of prize-filled containers hidden around the world, discover new sites in your town, and learn about navigation. Create a free account at www.geocaching.com, scan the map for geocaches near you, and use your smartphone GPS to search for these hidden treasures using the coordinates provided. Once you discover the cache, sign and date the logbook, and note your score online. It’s fine to take the prize in the cache as long as you leave behind something of equal or greater value for the next geocachers to find.

• Build a backyard obstacle course!  Use hula hoops, jump ropes, noodles, sticks, stones, hoses, and other materials from around the house. Take turns completing it, invite the neighbors over, have teams with adults and kids—and the person with the fastest time wins a prize! 

• Tour a police or fire station!  Do you have an aspiring firefighter or police officer? Take a tour of your local emergency station! Since most locations don't have set visiting hours and rules for making on-site visits may have changed amid COVID-19, call ahead to arrange an appointment.  Don’t forget to thank them for their service!

May 2021

• Visit Build an Ark Animal Rescue in Ellijay.  Build an Ark is an interactive farm animal rescue and hospice sanctuary.  Feed the animals while you learn their stories. $7/person: https://www.facebook.com/buildanarksanctuary/
• Cast of an animal track:  https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-Plaster-Cast-of-an-Animal-Track/
• Make your own walking stick.  All you really have to do is pickup a good stick in the woods; but if you want to jazz it up a little, here are some fun ideas: https://littlepinelearners.com/get-kids-outside-with-these-10-diy-hiking-sticks/
• Find your way among the stars - try stargazing.  Great kids resources: https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy/a-kid-s-guide-to-stargazing and https://www.atlantaparent.com/stargazing/ - Sky Guide ($3) is a great iPhone app to explore the night sky, as well.  
• Go fishing.  Here are some great spots: https://www.exploregeorgia.org/things-to-do/list/five-kid-friendly-fishing-trips-for-summer-break 
• Go for a nature walk scavenger hunt on your favorite trail: https://scoutermom.com/wp-content/uploads/Outdoor-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf 
• Hey, there’s a cardinal in the backyard!  I wonder what else is out there?  Try birdwatching - https://www.audubon.org/news/easy-ways-get-kids-birding or maybe check out a good book about our local avian friends:  on Amazon
• Is this poison ivy or tulip poplar?  That’s a great question.  The Scouts BSA Handbook has some great info on identifying plants you want to stay away from.  If you want to learn more about the leaves that fall here in Georgia, this is a great field guide: on Amazon
• Backyard Cub Scout Tricks - Bark Boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuNIrLcdayo

Looking for more ideas? Download the Scouting Fun Archive.

Impromptu Fun

Fight boredom with these fun ideas to get out and about.

Socially Distant Service Work

Help others, be safe.

• Send a special video message to a local nursing home for their residents.
• Help a close neighbor with grocery pick-up/delivery.
• Send "Thank you" messages to local first-responders, healthcare workers, and essential employees.
• Donate blood if you are of age.
• Call your loved ones to check in on them.
• Go to the park with your family and clean up an area while observing social distancing.
• While going for a walk, clean up litter on the side of the road with your family in your neighborhood.
• Send food to local first-responders.

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