Call of the Wild

WOLF DEN

You are about to leave on another great adventure—camping with your family or pack. Before you go, plan what you need to bring. Your parent or guardian and den leader will help you get ready. But each time you go camping, you can show you are a Wolf Scout by doing more on your own. You will also learn more about the animals you may see, how to tie a few basic knots, how to prepare for the weather, and how to handle possibly harmful situations. Let’s go, Wolf!

Make sure to download the connected worksheet for this adventure!

connected worksheet & tracking tool

ATTEND AN OUTDOOR ACTIVITY

*required for adventure*

Requirement 1: Attend one of the following:

A pack or family campout
An outdoor activity with your family, den, or pack
Day Camp
Resident Camp

Telling stories, toasting marshmallows, looking at the stars, sleeping in a tent…

These are just a few of the activities waiting for you when you camp out with your

friends and your family.

But before you go, what should you bring? Start with the Cub Scout Six Essentials:

If you were able to attend a Day/Resident Camp this summer, that counts towards this adventure!

If not, that's okay! Have a backyard campout with your family or go on a daytime outdoor adventure!

Cub Scouts is about doing your best!

FIRST AID KIT

A kit should include a few adhesive bandages, some moleskin (a sticky bandage that you can
put over a blister to keep it from getting worse or rubbing), and soap or hand sanitizer.

FLASHLIGHT

Check your batteries to make sure they have plenty of power. Your flashlight will be only used in an emergency, so save the batteries for times when you really need them!

FILLED WATER BOTTLE

You should bring enough water for you to drink through your whole hike and back. And make sure
your bottle is full when you start out! It is not safe to drink water you find along the trail.

TRAIL FOOD

Trail mix or an energy bar provides quick energy when you need it.

SUN PROTECTION

Sunscreen should be SPF 30 or greater. A hat is good to have too!

WHISTLE

It's only for emergencies, but a whistle will last longer than your voice.

You might want to pack an extra pair of socks in case your feet get wet or it rains. A rain poncho, waterproof jacket, or even a large plastic garbage bag with holes cut out for your head and arms will keep you dry if it rains. What other gear should you take? Remember, you'll have to carry it all yourself and bring it all back!

cub scout

six essentials

First Aid Kit
Flashlight
Filled Water Bottle
Trail Food
Sun protection
Whistle

Learn about the Cub Scout Six Essentials

Now, make a complete list of what you need to bring when you camp with your family. The list below includes items you might want on a family or pack campout. Discuss with which items are needed.

OVERNIGHT GEAR

Tent or tarp, poles, and stakes
Ground cloth
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Air mattress or pad
Warm jacket
Sweatshirt (try to avoid cotton)
Sweatpants (for sleeping, try to avoid cotton)
Cup, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, mesh bag
Insect repellent
Extra Clothing
Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, washcloth, towel, comb, personal medications**
Scout uniform
Durable shoes/boots (depending on the weather)
Hat

OPTIONAL ITEMS

Camera
Binoculars
Whistle
Sunglasses
Fishing gear
Notebook and pencil
Nature books
Swimsuit
Bath towel
Bible, testament, prayer book, or another book for your faith

**Parents should always notify the den leader of any personal medications that the Scout may be required to take on the outing, as well as when such medications need to be taken.

GROUP EQUIPMENT - if you're going on a group campout!

Cooking pot or pan
Pliers for dipping dishes in hot rinse water
Plastic sheet for air-drying dishes
Charcoal (camp stove if not using wood fire)
Food for all camp meals
A cooler to keep perishable foods cold
Waterproof groundsheets
Tents
Hammer for stakes

When you go camping for the first time, you can often use borrowed or substitute equipment. A plastic groundsheet is nice, but an old shower curtain works well, too. For many Scouts, their first mess kit is a plastic bowl that used to hold whipped dessert topping. As you go camping more often, you can add to your equipment.

Before you leave on your campout, check off the list to make sure you have everything. Make sure your gear works and you have all the poles and stakes you need to set up your tent. If you can, check the weather right before you leave to make sure you know the latest conditions. If anything can change quickly, it’s the weather!

WEATHER CHANGES

*required for adventure*

Requirement 2: Make a list of possible weather changes that might happen during your outing according to the time of year you are camping. Tell how you will be prepared for each one.

Camping is great when you are ready for any kind of weather. If you get caught in a rain shower in a T-shirt, you will be sopping wet and cold. But if you have rubber boots and a waterproof jacket and pants, you can keep on having fun!

With your den leader or parent, talk about the different kinds of weather that could happen where you are going to camp. Can the temperature or weather change a lot from morning to night? Make a list below of possible weather you could run into. Write down the gear you will bring along to be prepared for the weather on your connected worksheet.

OUTDOOR CODE & LEAVE NO TRACE

*required for adventure*

Requirement 3: Recite the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with an adult. Talk about how the Leave No Trace Principles support the Outdoor Code. Then after your outing, list the things you did to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace, especially how you demonstrated being careful with fire or other dangers.

Imagine arriving at a campsite and finding damaged trees, a smoldering campfire, and bags of trash that animals have torn into. Now imagine arriving at a campsite and feeling like you’re the first group that’s ever been there. Which campsite would you like more? The second one, of course.

The Outdoor Code is a promise all Scouts make to help care for the environment. It’s important to even the youngest Cub Scouts and the most seasoned leaders. As a Scout, it is your job to help leave any park or camping area better than the way you found it. Learn the Outdoor Code so you'll be ready.

THE OUTDOOR CODE

As an American, I will do my best to –
Be clean in my outdoor manners.
Be careful with fire.
Be considerate in the outdoors.
Be conservation minded.

One part of the Outdoor Code is a promise to be careful with fire. When you are safe with fire, you are being clean in your outdoor manners, considerate in the outdoors, and conservation-minded.

CAMPFIRE SAFETY

Always have adult supervision for campfires. Only build fires in an approved place on gravel, sand, or bare soil that is far away from trees or brush. Put out every fire when you no longer need it. Make sure it is completely out. The ground where the fire was burning should be cold. Clean up the campfire site and return any materials you moved to their original places. The site should look just as it did when you arrived.

CAMP STOVE SAFETY

Sometimes a camp stove will be used for
cooking. There are also rules to keep you
safe around a camp stove.

Only use camp stoves with help from
an adult.
An adult should always fill and light
the stove.
Watch out for long or baggy sleeves
when you are cooking.

Leave No Trace is a way of living in the outdoors that respects the environment and other people. By following Leave No Trace principles, we can take care of outdoor spaces and help preserve them for the Scouts of tomorrow. Are you ready to learn these principles, too?

Can you see how these principles will help you live out the Outdoor Code? With an adult, discuss ways that you will demonstrate the principle "Be Careful with Fire" on your next campout.

Leave-No-Trace-Seven-Principles-Infograp

If you went on a campout, think about the times you were near the campfire or a stove on your campout. Explain to your den leader how you followed the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids by being careful with fire.

NATURAL DISASTERS

*required for adventure*

Requirement 4A: Show or demonstrate what to do in case of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or a flood.

Being prepared also means knowing how to keep yourself safe and

healthy. Here are some ways to prevent danger, injury, and sickness in

the outdoors.

Ask an adult what types of natural disasters have happened where you

live. Talk about what you can do to be prepared.

If a disaster ever happens, what can you do to protect yourself? In any

natural disaster, staying calm will help you stay safe. Each type of natural disaster may also call for certain actions. For example, if you are camping near a river or creek and it floods, you may only have moments to run to higher ground. Put a check mark beside the disasters that could happen near you. In the space to the right, write down one thing you can do to stay safe if this kind of disaster happens.

PREVENT GERMS FROM SPREADING

*required for adventure*

Requirement 4B: Show or demonstrate what to do to keep from spreading your germs.

The Best Way to Stay Well? Wash Your Hands!

It isn’t fun to be sick on a campout! The best way to stay healthy and to keep from spreading germs is to wash your hands often with soap and water. This is true no matter where you are. Follow these steps to show you know the proper way to wash your hands. Always wash your hands after you use the restroom and before you eat or you help cook a meal.

Use Soap.

Rinse.

Rub for 20 seconds.

Dry with a towel, and then turn off the faucet with a towel.

Then complete at least one of the requirements below

KNOW YOUR KNOTS

*one is required for adventure*

Requirement 5: Show how to tie an overhand knot and a square knot.

Tying knots is an important Scout skill. It is also something you will use throughout your life. Some of the knots you will learn in Scouting have been used for thousands of years. Every knot has a special purpose. Some knots join pieces of rope together. Some knots that don’t slip are used for rescues. Other knots are perfect for tying down equipment—you can adjust these knots and they will still hold.

OVERHAND KNOT

An overhand knot is simple. You can use it to keep a rope from going through a pulley, a hole, or to make a rope easier to grip. An overhand knot is also the first step for some other knots. You will need a single strand of rope to practice this knot.

First, make a loop in the end of a rope.
Next, tuck the end of the rope through the loop.
Pull the end of the rope to tighten the knot.

Hint: Do you need a larger knot to stop a rope from going through a big hole? You can make a larger stopper knot by adding a second overhand knot after the first one.

Learn How to Tie Other Useful Knots

SQUARE KNOT

The main use of a square knot is to join the ends of two ropes. This is why it is called the joining knot in Scouting. You can use both ends of one piece of rope to make a square knot or two different colored pieces of rope.

Hold one end of a rope in one hand and the other end of the rope in your other hand. (Or hold a different colored rope in each hand.)
Bring the right side rope over the left side rope. Go under and around the left side rope with the right side rope.
Now bring the left side rope over the right side rope. Go under and around the right side rope with the left side rope.
Pull both ends firmly. The knot will not hold its shape without being tightened.

You can use a square knot to tie bundles together. You also use the first half of a square knot when you tie your shoelaces. Remember, the square knot is not to be trusted when safety is important. Just like your shoelaces, a square knot can sometimes come undone. An easy saying to help you remember the steps for a square knot is: “Right over left and under, and left over right and under.”

ANIMALS IN NATURE

*one is required for adventure*

Requirement 6: While on your outdoor outing, identify four different types of animals you see or explain evidence of their presence. Explain how you identified them.

When you are outdoors, you share the area with animals that live there. They may be birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, or other creatures. Knowing the animals that live in an area is a way for Wolf Scouts to be prepared. For example, when you

are camping in some parks and wilderness areas, you may have to use a bear bag or take other steps to keep your

food safe from animals.

Learning more about the animals that live near you is also an important outdoor skill. The

more you know, the more connected you will feel to the place where you live and the natural world

around you. Instead of saying, “I saw a butterfly,” you can say, “I saw a monarch butterfly with orange

and black wings.” In learning to identify a monarch butterfly, you might also learn that monarchs, like

many birds, fly south in the fall and north in the spring. In fact, monarchs can migrate more than 2,500 miles a year!

Using the internet, the library, or a book, learn about four different animals local to your region.

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WOLF DEN

CALL OF THE WILD

CALL OF THE WILD DEN

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