MOUNT ARLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
Serving the Mount Arlington area youth since 1973

 

 
Doing things outside is a big part of scouting. Take the boys on nature walks and hikes. Have them look for specific things while on your walks.
These are some basic rules the boys need to remember when in the out of doors.
 

IF THEY GET LOST:

HUG A TREE. As soon as they realize they are lost, they should stop and stay right where they are.
It is easier to find someone if he isn’t moving around trying to find you!

MAKE YOURSELF BIG. Carry a whistle. If you get lost, sit still and blow on a whistle or yell so the others can find you.
They will find you by the noise you are making.

STAY CALM. Remember that the other people will come looking for you. Don’t panic.
They will find you if you stay put and yell or blow a whistle to get their attention.
Don’t go looking for them!

If you use theme hikes the boys will look forward to exploring the woods and surrounding area.
Always use the buddy system. That way you will know sooner if someone gets separated from the group.
 
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HIKES:
 
NATURE RAMBLES
A nature ramble is a short hike. It might be in your own back yard or park. The object is for the boys
to get a closer look at what they see outdoors every day. Talk about the area,
what is growing, what animals live there, etc.
SPRING HIKE
Hike an area in the early spring. Look at what is growing at that time of year. Go back to the same area in
a few weeks to see what changes have occurred.
TRACK HIKE
Look for all types of animal signs and tracks. List what you find.
MICRO HIKE
Lay out several strings, 3-5 feet long, in circles. The boys need to sit down and explore the area
inside the circle and list what they find.
BIG GAME HIKE
Have the boys to see how many different animals they can see on a hike.
Make it a bug hike or a bird hike.
TOUCH AND FEEL HIKE
Make a list of things to touch and feel on a hike: the hairiest leaf, the softest leaf, the smoothest rock,
the roughest rock, something wet, something warm. Change the hike to a smell or hear hike.
That will keep the boys interested in looking for different things they might not otherwise notice.
PENNY HIKE
At the junction of each trail or road, flip a coin to determine the direction of travel. Heads go right, tails go left.
SNIFF HIKE
Just before the hike, mark a trail by rubbing a large, peeled onion on different objects such as trees, grass, bushes,
light poles, etc. These should be located fairly close together. The boys follow the trail by
following their noses to the end.
COLOR HIKE
Give each boy a list of colors to try to locate on the hike. They must find and write down each object that matches the color.
HOMES HIKE
Look for spider webs, nests, holes, etc. that animals use for their nature homes. Do not disturb the homes!
BABY HIKE
Look for nature babies: birds, plants, snails, deer, etc.
INDIAN HIKE
Hike silently, single file. Boys can wear headbands that they make. Have some Indian stories to tell along the way.
STRING HIKE
Follow a string laid out in advance. Have nature objects along the way to identify.
ABC HIKE
List and match objects from as many different letters of the alphabet as possible. Maybe spell out their name or something
to do with Cub Scouts.
BLINDFOLD HIKE
Lead the boys to a spot where you blindfold them and have them use only their sense of hearing to identify things
in nature. A variation would be to give the boys something while blindfolded to identify correctly.
TEXTURE HIKE
Identify things in nature that have different textures: sharp, flat, soft, furry, cold, wet, rough, bumpy, smooth, etc.
ROADSIDE CRIBBAGE
Each Scout picks up 10 small stones which he carries with him. The leader points to some nature objects. The first boy
to identify what it is, gets to drop a stone. The one who gets to drop all his stones first, wins.
NUMBER ONE
This hike works well going single file. The leader points to something and asksthe first person in line to tell something about it.
If the first Scout answers correctly, he stays in place. If he doesn't, he goes to the end of the line and the next Scout
has a chance to answer the question.
TREE TAG
The leader touches a tree and tells the Scout to run and touch one of the same kind of trees. Keep going to different trees
to see if the boys can tell the difference between them.
TREASURE HUNT
Divide into two teams and have each team make up a nature hunt list for the other team. Keep their lists secret. They trade
lists and see which team can find all the things on the list first. You can use themes or general nature items.
 
The more we do to broaden the boys’ interest in the outdoors, the more likely they will be to start thinking about taking care of our natural resources. Too many kids live in the city and aren’t even aware of their surroundings. Be creative and enjoy the outdoors with the boys. It’s good for all of us to be more aware of nature.

 

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