The BEAR Handbook (scouts of america) - part 11

 

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The BEAR Handbook (scouts of america) - part 11

 

 

REQUIREMENT 5 | Tell three ways that animals can
help people.
There are many ways pets can help people. Search-and-rescue
crews use dogs to find people who are missing. Guide dogs help
blind people get around on their own. Therapy pets help people
who are sad or who are dealing with a lot of stress (like kids in the
hospital). There are even dogs that can call for help if someone is
having a medical emergency.
How have you seen animals at work? Can you think of other
ways animals might help people?
HOW ANIMALS HELP PEOPLE
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REQUIREMENT 6 | Tell what is meant by an animal
being “rabid.” Name some animals that could have
rabies. Explain what you should do if you are near an
animal that might be rabid.
Just like people, animals can get sick. And sometimes they
make other animals and people sick, too.
Rabies is a disease animals get when a dangerous virus affects
their brains. Rabid animals (animals that have rabies) act strangely.
They might walk in an odd manner, seem excited or afraid, drool a
lot, or do things that are unusual. For example, a bat with rabies
might stay on the ground instead of being up in the trees.
Rabies is rare, but any mammal can get rabies. Wild animals
such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats are more likely to get
rabies than pets. That’s because dogs, cats, and horses usually get
vaccines to prevent rabies. However, don’t assume that an animal
is safe just because it is someone’s pet. Pets that are allowed to
roam outdoors can get bitten by wild animals that have rabies and
may be infected if they have not been vaccinated.
If you see an animal acting strangely or if you get bitten or
scratched by an animal (even your own pet), tell an adult right
away. Remember that Scouts always look to safety first.
REQUIREMENT 7 | Visit with a local veterinarian or
an animal shelter caretaker. Find out what types of
animals he or she might see on a regular basis. Ask
what type of education is needed to become a
veterinarian or shelter caretaker and why he or she
chose to pursue this career.
A veterinarian is a doctor who takes care of animals. If you have
a dog or a cat, you probably already know a veterinarian.
But not all veterinarians take care of family pets. Some take
care of farm animals. Some take care of pets in animal shelters.
Some even take care of zoo animals. Imagine cleaning a tiger’s teeth
or taking a giraffe’s temperature!
A Scout is kind. Learning about caring for animals can
help you understand what it means to be kind.
Visit with a veterinarian or shelter caretaker in your community.
Learn about his or her work and what type of education is required
to be a veterinarian. If you like animals, you might decide to
become a veterinarian yourself someday.
Snapshot of Adventure
Everywhere you go, you leave behind clues: fingerprints
on your juice glass, DNA on your toothbrush, bits of fabric on
your favorite chair, and footprints in your yard. Criminals
leave behind clues, too. Forensic scientists study those clues
to help law enforcement officers solve crimes.
Forensics is all about using science to answer questions
about crimes (and other things that have happened). In this
adventure, you will get to practice some of the skills of a
forensic scientist. You will analyze a fingerprint, a footprint,
the contents of ink, and some mysterious white powder. S o
grab your magnifying glass, and start detecting!
The word “forensics” comes from a Latin word that
means to make public. Forensic scientists make
information public that was hidden in plain sight.
REQUIREMENT 1 | Talk with your family and den
about forensics and how it is used to help solve
crimes.
Thanks to detective stories and crime shows on TV, many
people know something about forensics. Talk with the other
people in your family and den to find out what they know (or
think they know) about forensics.
Write down any questions they have. As you do the other
requirements for this adventure, you might be able to answer some
of those questions. With an adult’s supervision, you can also
search the Internet for sites that teach about forensics for kids.
Did you know that the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) has a site for kids? It’s: www.fbi.gov/fun-
games/kids. Check it out with an adult’s permission.
REQUIREMENT 2 | Analyze your fingerprints.
As you probably know, everybody’s fingerprints are unique.
Even identical twins have different fingerprint patterns! Police use
fingerprints to identify criminals. Fingerprints are also used in
other ways, like fingerprint scanners on laptop computers and
smartphones.
In this requirement, you will discover what your fingerprints
look like. You will need an ink pad and a magnifying glass. Press
the tip of one forefinger down on the ink pad so your fingertip is
covered with ink. Press that finger straight down in the space
below, and then lift it straight up. (If you let it slide around, you
will get a smeared print.)
Wait for the ink to dry. Be sure to wash your fingers off!
Using the magnifying glass, study the print you made. Do the
ridges form an arch, a whorl, or a loop? Is the pattern short or tall?
Does it lean one way or the other? How does it compare with the
prints of other members of your family or other boys in your den?
REQUIREMENT 3 | Learn about chromatography and
how it is used in solving crimes. Do an investigation
using different types of black, felt-tip markers. Share
your results with your den.
Chromatography is a big word that means “color writing.” It is
a technique for separating mixtures of different chemicals. M ost
chromatography is done in laboratories with expensive equipment,
but you can do a simple experiment using materials found around
your home. With these materials, you can separate the components
of ink.
The picture on this page shows what your investigation might
produce. In this example, several different colors were hidden in
the black ink. Chromatography causes the different pigments that
make up the black ink to separate and spread out. Each formula
used for black ink will create a unique spread of colors.
Forensic scientists do similar investigation on chemicals found
at crime scenes. For example, using chromatography, they could
identify the type of pen that was used to write a document.
Materials and Tools
A coffee filter
Several nonpermanent felt-tip markers of different brands
A glass of water
Scissors
Newsprint
Instructions
1. Cut the coffee filter into strips an inch or so wide.
2. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of one of the strips.
3. Put the strip in the glass of water, making sure the line you drew
is above the water.
4. Now watch what happens. The coffee filter will slowly absorb
water, which will rise toward the top of the strip. As the water
rises, it will carry along components of the ink. Lighter
components will travel the longest distance; heavier
components will not travel very far.
5. When the water nearly reaches the top of the strip (or when you
don’t see any more changes happening), take the strip out of
the water and set it on a piece of newsprint to dry.
Repeat the experiment with several pens. Compare the results
to see how similar or different the inks you used are.
REQUIREMENT 4 | Do an analysis of four different
substances: salt, sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch.
Forensic chemists do other tests to identify unknown
substances. For example, they might add a chemical to the
substance to see how it changes.
For this requirement you will analyze four common substances:
salt, sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch. Use the chart on the next
page to keep track of your results.
Do these tests:
Examine what the substance looks like, with both your
naked eye and with a magnifying glass.
See how it feels when you rub it between your fingers.
Sniff it to determine how it smells.
Add a drop of water and, in a different spot, a drop of
vinegar. Record how the substance reacts. Does it dissolve?
Does it become hard?
After you’ve tested all the substances, ask your parent or a
friend to give you a sample of one of the substances without telling
you what it is. Can you identify it based on your test results?
REQUIREMENT 5 | Make a shoe imprint.
Shoe imprints are one type of evidence law enforcement
officers look for at a crime scene. M any times the impressions
they find are used to help identify the suspect.
If you look at your shoe and a friend’s shoe, you will see that
the designs on the bottoms are different. Even if you have the exact
same type of shoe, each pair will show a different wear pattern.
For this requirement, make an imprint of your shoe. Using
sidewalk chalk, color the sole of your shoe and then carefully step
on a dark piece of paper. Be careful not to slide your foot around.
If the other members of your den or family also make shoe
imprints, you can play a game. M ix up the imprints and see if you
can match each one to the correct shoe without looking at the
bottom of the shoes.
REQUIREMENT 6 | Visit the sheriff’s office or police
station in your town. Find out how officers collect
evidence.
Law enforcement officers collect all sorts of evidence. They
interview witnesses. They check security camera videos. And they
collect forensic evidence like you’ve studied about in this
adventure.
Visit your local sheriff’s office or police station. Find out how
law enforcement officers look for and collect evidence.
A Scout is loyal. Learning about how police protect
your community can help you understand what it
means to be loyal.
REQUIREMENT 7 | Learn about the different jobs
available in forensic science. Choose two, and find
out what is required to work in those jobs. S hare
what you learned with your den.
There are numerous jobs in the area of forensic science.
Here are a few:
A medical examiner performs autopsies to determine why
people died.
A toxicologist tests for poisons.
A fingerprint expert identifies patterns in fingerprints.
A forensic engineer tries to figure out how a structure
collapsed.
A multimedia scientist looks for clues in surveillance videos
and crime-scene photos.
Learn more about two of these jobs or others in the field of
forensics. Share what you learned with your den.
REQUIREMENT 8 | Learn how animals are used to
gather important evidence. Talk about your findings
with your den.
You probably know that dogs have a really good sense of smell.
Because of that, they can be trained to find all sorts of evidence,
including blood and drugs that humans might not be able to detect.
Visit the library, explore the Internet (with your parent’s or
guardian’s permission), or talk with a law enforcement officer to
learn more about how animals are used to gather evidence.
Snapshot of Adventure
There are lots of ways to do just about anything. Let’s say
you wanted to put a ball in a cup. The easy way would be to
drop it in with your hand. But imagine this solution: You
knock over a row of dominos. The last domino bumps into a
marble. The marble rolls off a ledge into a bucket that’s
attached to a pulley. The bucket whizzes down onto a seesaw,
causing it to tip. The motion launches a ball from a small cup
on the other end of the seesaw into a second, larger cup,
which is in just the right place to catch the ball.
Silly? Yes. Fun? Of course!
In this adventure, you’ll use your imagination to dream up
machines like that. You’ll also learn about some important
science concepts that make both silly and serious machines
work. S o put your brain in gear and get ready to make it
move!
REQUIREMENT 1 | Create an “exploding” craft stick
reaction.
You can make all sorts of things with craft sticks, but one of the
most fun things is a stick “bomb.” What you do is weave together
a bunch of craft sticks so they form a path around the room. When
you pull the first stick out of the weave, all the sticks jump into
the air in a chain reaction.
Despite the name, stick “bombs” don’t really
explode. However, you should wear safety glasses just
in case a craft stick jumps toward your eye.
For even more fun, set up a stack of plastic cups at the end of
your stick “bomb.” The jumping sticks should send the cups
flying.
Kids your age and a little bit older have made stick “bombs”
with more than 10,000 craft sticks. You don’t have to use that
many to have fun, however!
All you need for this activity is a bunch of craft sticks. It helps
to have two different colors so that you can keep the pattern
straight. Or simply draw a line on both sides of half your sticks so
you can tell them apart.
If possible, work on a rug or low-pile carpet. The softer
surface makes it easier to weave the sticks in and out.
Just don’t trap any carpet fibers in between your craft
sticks.
Here’s how to make the weave:
1. M ake an X out of two craft sticks, one of each color.
2. Weave in two more sticks, one of each color, using an under/over
pattern. The third stick you place should create a tight “V”
with the first.
3. As you add new sticks, keep sticks of the same color parallel to
each other. The end should stay locked in place by the “V” at
the start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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