Tag Archives: Outdoor

Our October 2 meeting focussed on reading maps and learning the directions. The weather again cooperated with us so we went outside with a basic street map.  First, they found the hall on the map. Then, they noted the direction we were going and we walked North for a block before turning West. They marked their route as we walked, and learned to turn their maps to face the correct direction.

We noted safety features like Street Lights, Stop Signs, and Fire Hydrants. This activity was very exciting for the Beavers as they learned to find their locations on the maps, and could see how far they had come.  They also enjoyed the scavenger hunt aspect.

Back at the hall, we played a directions teaching game. Soon the Beavers were even running to the South-South-West corner of the room! Scouter Tim even had them running to bearings in degrees! Way to go!

Our Beavers took their first outing today to a local park, David Gray Park.  This park is lush with douglas fir, pine, cypress, maple and alder trees. We were lucky that it didn’t rain, or overcome with mist (as it was last year), and the twilight held until almost 7pm.

We sang a song, of course:

Wishy Washy Washer Woman

Way down in the valley where nobody goes

There’s a wishy washy washer woman washin’ her clothes

She goes (wash motions)

She goes (wash motions)

She goes (wash motions)

She goes (wash motions)

That’s how the wishy washy washer woman washes her clothes

… drying her clothes…

…folding her clothes…

…pickin’ her nose…

…eatin’ oreos…

…paintin’ her toes…

…puttin’ on pantyhose…

…sayin’ goodbye…

And then we started our scavenger hunt.  The kids were in small groups and worked together to find and measure the largest tree (a 3.3m circumference douglas fir), a little tree, fir tree and cones, pine tree and cones, and we even hunted with flashlights for tiny cypress cones! Today the beavers learned that pine needles are always “holding hands” – found in groups of two or three, always connected, while fir needles are standing in line. Tim showed the group a spider suspended from a web high in the pine tree, and one of our beavers found a woodbug nestled in a fallen branch. We also delighted in the glimmer of wet sap under flashlights, and enjoyed the texture of lichen on the old alder tree.