Description and Support

Naturalist Webelos Activity Pin

The Woodwork merit badge will familiarize Scouts with the tools and skills needed to craft items out of wood. This Merit badge is a great way of teaching boys how to use hand tools and give them the confidence to try more intricate projects on their own.

Support provided:

Supported at Camp Acahela.

We will provide the tools and wood needed for projects. Fee for the materials used will be calculated by the size or complexity of the project (what is used).

We can provide a qualified and approved Merit Badge Counselor who will meet with your boys.

This Merit Badge can be completed over several visits to Acahela

Class size: 1 to 4 at any one time is ideal

Advance notice needed: Call at least two weeks in advance for an appointment.

Cost to the unit is: $6.00 per participant

Books, cards, and patches are available at our Service Center's Scout Shop or can be on hand at Acahela on request.

THE KEY to the Requirements

Below are the current requirements for this Activity Pin. This color key is designed to help you understand what requirements can be completed at our facilities, what has to be done ahead of time, and what we can't support (or what will require special arrangements). Certain requirements may require additional fees to cover the costs of materials used and will be noted with this symbol set (*) .

Text that is green like this means these are fieldwork requirements we support at our camps and can be completed with our Counselors.

Text that is blue like this means that you can arrange to meet with our Counselors and and review or complete these requirements with them. This usually means you must complete these in advance using a worksheet and then sit in a class-like meeting to discuss the material or requirement.

Text that is in red like this is not supported in our program. If you elect to do this requirement, you must complete these requirements with local Counselors, your parents, Den Leaders, or Cubmaster.

Text that is in purple like this means this is a Pre-Requisite and needs to be completed ahead of time. (In some cases we also support these Pre-Reqs separately).

Text that is pink like this means that this requirement can be done either by our counselors or by some other local counselor but usually requires additional outside work that won't be completed in a single weekend. This usually means special arrangements need to be made, but this can usually be worked out by speaking with us ahead of time.

Text in brown like this means that this requirement can be satisfied at a location near one of our camps by either visiting the site, or participating in an activity at that nearby site (such as visiting Steamtown for the Railroading Merit Badge). In this way, you can use Acahela or Goose Pond as basecamps and then travel to the nearby site.

Webelos Activity Pin Requirements

Do these:

With your parent, guardian, or Webelos den leader, complete the Respect Character Connection.

Know: Tell what interested you most when completing the requirements for this activity badge. Tell what you learned about how you can show appreciation and respect for wildlife.

Commit: Tell things that some people have done that show a lack of respect for wildlife. Name ways that you will show respect for and protect wildlife.

Practice: Explain how completing the requirements for this activity badge gives you the opportunity to show respect.

And do five of these:

Keep an "insect zoo" that you have collected. You might have crickets, ants, or grasshoppers. Study them for a while then release them. Share your experience with your Webelos den.

Set up an aquarium or terrarium. Keep it for at least a month. Share your experience with your Webelos den by showing them photos or drawings of your project, or having them visit to see your project.

Visit a museum of natural history, nature center, or zoo with your family, Webelos den, or pack. Tell what you saw.

Watch for birds in your yard, neighborhood, or town for one week. Identify the birds you see and write down where and when you saw them.

Learn about the bird flyways closest to your home. Find out which birds use these flyways.

Learn to identify poisonous plants and venomous reptiles found in your area.

Watch six wild animals (snakes, turtles, fish, birds, or mammals) in the wild. Describe the kind of place (forest, field, marsh, yard, or park) where you saw them. Tell what they were doing.

Give examples of

A producer, a consumer, and a decomposer in the food chain of an ecosystem

One way humans have changed the balance of nature

How you can help protect the balance of nature

Identify a plant, bird, or wild animal that is found only in your area of the country. Tell why it survives only in your area.

Learn about aquatic ecosystems and wetlands in your area. Discuss with your Webelos den leader or activity badge counselor the important role aquatic ecosystems and wetlands play in supporting lifecycles of wildlife and humans.

Look around your neighborhood and identify how litter might be dangerous to the birds and other animals. Clean up the litter. Identify what else you might do to make your neighborhood safer for animals.

While you are a Webelos Scout, earn the Cub Scout Academics belt loop for Wildlife Conservation.

On-Line and Additional Support

Worksheets and Requirements

Details about this Activity Pin can be found at the US Scout Service Project Website at the following URL:

http://scoutleaderawards.com/advance/cubscout/worksheets/Naturalist.pdf

At the end of the description at that location, you will find copies of worksheets that you can easily save and print out. This will make the task of completing the Activity Pin much easier and give your boys a guide to the information they need to know.

Having this done ahead of time can make the difference between leaving our camps with all the requirements completed or not.

If you have any questions or need further guidance or help, we're here for you! Contact Ranger Tim Bongard at (570) 335-0283 or e-mail him at tbongard@nepabsa.org .