Camporee

A camporee is a gathering of local Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Typically, the camporee involves competitions, with events such as fire building, knot tying, first aid, emergency preparedness, pioneering or orienteering. The camporee may be centered around a central theme such as living history, horsemanship, aquatics, shooting sports, a historical trail or a service project. Camporees often have a campfire program with awards and presentations, skits and songs.

Troop Meeting - Merit Badge workshop

Agendas for troop meetings and Merit Badge workshops will be posted here.
For the meeting of June 4, 2009, Joseph Flatt is acting SPL.

Weboree

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Description:
A Weboree is an over-night camping experience for Webelos that allows them to get a taste of what Boy Scouting is like.

On Friday evening, the boys set up their camp sites and see a camp fire ceremony, which usually includes a flag retirement ceremony. On Saturday, they do a variety of skills that usually include completing the Readyman and Outdoorsman activity pins, as well as the archery and BB gun shooting belt loops.

Troop 256 has presented the Scientist Activity Badge since 2009. Here is what we do and how we do it.

To begin with, here are the requirements for the activity badge:
Do these:

1. Read Bernoulli's principle. Show how it works. *
2. Read Pascal's Law. Tell about some inventions that use Pascal's law. *
3. Read Newton's first law of motion. Show in three different ways how inertia works. *
4. While you are a Webelos Scout, earn the Cub Scout Academics belt loop for Science.

And do six of these:

5. Show the effects of atmospheric pressure. *
6. Show the effects of air pressure. *
7. Show the effects of water pressure. This may be combined with atmospheric pressure or with air pressure.
8. With adult supervision, build and launch a model rocket. Describe how Newton's third law of motion explains how the rocket is propelled into the sky. *
9. Explain what causes fog. Show how this works.
10. Explain how crystals are formed. Make some.
11. Explain how you use your center of gravity to keep your balance. Show three different balancing tricks.
12. Show in three different ways how your eyes work together and show what is meant by an optical illusion.
13. While you are a Webelos Scout, earn the Academics belt loop for Weather.
14. While you are a Webelos Scout, earn the Academics belt loop for Astronomy.

* We help them earn items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8. (Making the rockets also qualifies for one part of Craftsman item number 4, and they usually earn the Astronomy Belt Loop.) They still have to do item 4 and two more of items 7 through 13.

Materials needed:

• For item 1 (Bernoulli's principle):
  • 6-8 sheets of regular 8.5"x11" paper
  • 2 empty, uncrushed aluminum cans
• For item 2 (Pascal's Law):
  • A Webelos Handbook
• For item 3 (Newton's first law of motion):
  • 1 golf ball
  • 1 empty coffee can (or similar sized bucket)
  • 8 quarters
  • 1 thin butter knife
• For item 5 (show the effects of atmospheric pressure):
  • 16-18 shelled, hard boiled eggs
  • 2 or 3 empty Frappuccino or similar sized glass bottles (the openeing has to be large enough that the eggs will slip through, but not so large that they fall through -- the eggs need to start by resting on the opening of the bottle)
  • Some paper to be used as fuel for fire
  • 1 or 2 lighters
  • 1 knife
• For item 6 (show the effects of air pressure) and 8 (build and launch a model rocket):
  • 2, 3'x8' tables
  • 1 ream of 24 lb., colored copy (not construction) paper (examples from Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples)
  • 20 rolls of adhesive tape (similar to what is pictured here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tape-dispenser.jpg)
  • 300 "rocket tips"
  • 900 "rocket tails"
  • 15 rocket "holders"
  • 1 air compressor, with hose
  • 1 or 2 rocket launchers
• Misc. items
  • 1-3 card tables (or something similar) to demonstrate items 3 & 5 and maybe item 1 on.

This is how the general organization and process flow happens:

Weboree usually has about eight sessions of approximately 30 boys each, so there's a lot happening in a short amount of time.

• Start by dividing each session of boys into two groups.
• One of the groups will begin making their rockets while the other group does everything else.
• The second group starts with the atmospheric pressure demonstration and then gets further divided into three groups.
• Those three groups are cycled between the three remaining items: Bernoulli's principle, Pascal's Law, and Newton's first law of motion.
• About half-way through the session, the two groups switch places, and the process is repeated.

What to do for each item:

• For item 1 (Bernoulli's principle):
  • Explain Bernoulli's principle.
  • Hold a sheet of the paper about 1/4 of the way down the length of the paper. Allow the paper to flop over, being careful not to crease it in either direction. Hold the paper near your mouth and blow over the paper (not on it).
  • If done correctly, the paper will rise up.
  • The faster air above the paper causes the pressure to decrease, The higher pressure under the paper pushes it up.
  • Stand the two aluminum cans next to each other about 3/8" apart.
  • Blow straight between the cans toward the bases.
  • If done correctly, the cans will slide toward each other.
  • If you do not blow at the base, but toward the top, the cans should tip toward each other and then return to their standing positions, which is way you want to blow toward the bases.
  • The faster air going between the cans causes the pressure to decrease. The now increased pressure on the outsides of the cans push them toward each other.
• For item 2 (Pascal's Law):
  • Read Pascal's Law from the Webelos Handbook.
  • Show the picture of the simple hydrolic press and explain how it works and how it uses Pascal's Law.
  • Ask the boys to give examples and discuss with them how their examples either do or do not use Pascal's Law.
  • Some examples are car jacks, heavy equipment (loaders, hoes, and dump trucks), and carnival rides (Adventuredome's Slingshot, Inverter, and Thunderbirds).
• For item 3 (Newton's first law of motion):
  • Read and explain Newton's first law of motion.
  • Stack the quarters on top of each other.
  • Take the butter knife and quickly slide it across the table, knocking out the bottom quarter.
  • If done quickly enough, the stack will remain basically where it is, while the bottom quarter slides out from under the stack. When you get this down, you can quickly level the stack by simply sliding the knife back and forth.
  • The stack of quarters is at rest and will tend to stay that way. The bottom quarter is at rest, but an outside force acts upon it, causing it to move.
  • Set the coffee can upright on the ground.
  • Starting about six feet away from the coffee can and holding the golf ball, walk toward and past the coffee can. When the golf ball is directly over the coffee can, release it.
  • If done correctly, it will fall outside of the coffee can.
  • The golf ball is in a forward motion when it is released, and will tend to stay in that direction, while also falling.
• For item 5 (show the effects of atmospheric pressure):
  • Explain atmospheric pressure.
  • Describe how the egg will demonstrate atmospheric pressure.
  • Start by having a shelled hard boiled egg ready.
  • Light an approximately 1"x2" piece of paper on fire and drop it in a bottle. Immediately place the egg on the top of the bottle. If the fire goes out and the egg is not sliding into the bottle, relight the paper on fire.
  • If done correctly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. You may also see the egg wobble a bit on top before it goes into the bottle.
  • The fire heats the air, causing it to expand. As it expands, it forces its way past the egg out of the bottle. As soon as the fire goes out, the air begins to cool and contract. The greater pressure outside of the bottle forces the egg into it as it tries to equalize the pressure.
• For item 6 (show the effects of air pressure) and 8 (build and launch a model rocket):