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7. Cut a piece of rubber band 5 centimeters long. Lay it across
the joint between the finger and the palm. Tape the rubber
band down as you did in step 4. Turn the hand back over so
the inside is facing up.
8. Cut a piece of nylon cord 35 centimeters long, and cut four
pieces of straw 2 centimeters long. Tape one end of the cord
to the tip of the finger. Thread the straw pieces onto the
cord, and tape one to the middle of each section of the
finger. Tape the last one to the palm.
9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 to make the other two fingers. You
now have a complete robot hand!
With your robot hand, try to pick up empty water bottles and
other lightweight objects. Just hold the robot hand’s palm with one
of your own hands, and pull the cords with your other hand.
Talk with your parent or den leader about how your robot hand
is similar to a real hand and how it is different. One big difference
you may notice is that your robot hand doesn’t have a thumb.
Why do you think having a thumb is important? How could you
add a thumb to your robot hand?
REQUIREMENT 4 | Build your own robot.
With help from your den leader, parent, or another adult, build a
robot. You can buy a robot kit or use ordinary household items to
create your own.
What is the purpose of your robot? Does it handle one of the
jobs you learned about in requirement 3? How well does it do its
job? What improvements could you make?
Remember to think about safety before you start building and
while you are working. Wear safety glasses while you are building
your robot, and ask an adult to help you with tools. Always
disconnect the batteries or unplug the power cord while you are
working on your robot and after you are done using it.
REQUIREMENT 5 | Visit a place that uses robots.
Robots don’t just exist in science fiction movies. They exist
down the street. With the help of your parent or den leader, find a
company, school, or organization that uses robots, and make a
visit. Find out how and why the robots are used. If possible, watch
the robots in action, and talk with the people who operate them.
Snapshot of Adventure
Did you know that nearly three-fourths of the earth is
covered by water? It is! If you want to explore a lot of the
world, you have to go by boat or know how to swim.
Grizzly bears are animals that know how to swim. Even
though they live in the forest, they go swimming in ice-cold
rivers to catch the salmon they eat. As a Bear S cout, you will
get to go swimming, too—not to catch fish but to have fun. In
this adventure, you’ll learn about swimming and boating and
how to stay safe around the water. But most of all, you’ll
learn how much fun the water can be.
REQUIREMENT 1 | Explain the safety rules that you
need to follow before participating in boating.
Boating is a fun way to explore a lake or get to your favorite
fishing spot.
Before you leave shore, be sure you know—and follow—these
safety rules:
Always wear a life jacket when you go boating. Be sure
the life jacket fits well and is snuggly buckled.
Check the weather before departing. If it looks bad, keep
your boat at the dock. You don’t want to be in the middle of
a lake during a lightning storm!
Keep the boat balanced and weight spread evenly. This
will help keep the boat from tipping over.
Don’t overload the boat. Too much weight could sink it.
S tay low and in the center of the boat. Step into the
center of the boat when you get in or change seats. Don’t
stand up in the boat; crouch down instead.
If the boat tips over, hang on to it until help comes. Even
a boat that is full of water can still float.
Keep a lookout for swimmers and other boaters. Be
careful not to get too close to other people on or in the
water.
Always have a buddy. When you are boating or swimming,
use the buddy system. Watch out for your buddy, and he
will watch out for you.
Only go boating with adult supervision. The Boy Scouts
of America has Safety Afloat rules that adult leaders follow
to keep you safe.
REQUIREMENT 2 | Identify the equipment needed
when going boating.
No matter what kind of boating you do, you will need to have a
properly fitted life jacket. The best kind is a Type III life jacket
that has been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
To make sure your life jacket fits, do this:
Check the label to see if it is designed for your size and
weight.
Put the jacket on, buckle it, and tighten the straps.
Hold your arms over your head. Have a friend pull up on the
tops of the arm openings.
If the jacket rides up over your chin or face, it is too loose.
Paddles and oars also come in different sizes. Ask an adult to
help you choose the right size for you.
What else should you take?
The Cub Scout Six Essentials are always a good idea.
REQUIREMENT 3 | Demonstrate correct rowing or
paddling form. Explain how rowing and canoeing are
good exercise.
Rowing and canoeing are good exercise. They help build strong
muscles, especially in your upper body. They are also good aerobic
exercise because they make your heart and lungs work harder.
If you have never been rowing or canoeing before, you will need
to learn and practice the strokes that make the boat go.
Rowing Strokes
When you row, you actually face the back of the boat. (Your
buddy can help you steer.) Hold the oar handles firmly with your
knuckles up and wrists and arms straight. Bend forward a little bit.
Each stroke has four parts:
Catch. Lower the oar blades edgewise into the water behind
you, not too deep.
Pull. Lean backward, pulling on the oars and bending your
arms until your elbows come in against your ribs.
Feather. Lift the oars slightly out of the water, and turn
your knuckles up toward your face so the blades are flat
above the water’s surface.
Recover. Bend forward and straighten your wrists and arms,
ready to begin another stroke.
To do the backstroke, push on the oars instead of pulling. To
turn, pull on one oar while you push on the other.
Canoeing Strokes
With canoeing, both people in the canoe paddle, usually on
opposite sides and stroking at the same time. The person in the
back steers and gives direction. The person in the front adds power
and helps the canoe go straight.
Hold the paddle firmly with both hands—one hand on the top
of the handle and the other hand just above the throat (where the
paddle starts to get wide). Bend forward a little, and let your upper
body rotate as you paddle.
The forward stroke has four parts:
Catch. Lower the paddle blade edgewise into the water in
front of you, not too deep.
Power. Pull backward to your hip, keeping the paddle
straight up and down.
Feather. Lift the paddle slightly out of the water, with the
blade flat above the water’s surface.
Recover. Rotate the paddle forward and straighten your
wrists and arms, ready to begin another stroke.
To do the backstroke, push on the paddle instead of pulling.
Use sweeps to turn a canoe. Reach out with the paddle and
move it in a quarter circle, either forward or backward. Or use draw
and pry strokes, pulling or pushing the paddle straight toward or
away from the canoe.
Now it’s your chance to demonstrate these steps. Using a real
oar or paddle, show your den leader the correct form for rowing or
paddling. Explain why rowing and canoeing are good exercise.
When you’re ready to head out in a real boat, you’ll know what to
do!
REQUIREMENT 4 | Explain the importance of
response personnel or lifeguards in a swimming
area.
When you go swimming, three people can help you stay safe.
The first is you! You stay safe when you follow the rules of the
lake or pool. Stay in the designated swimming area, don’t run or
engage in horseplay, and don’t dive in shallow water.
The second person who can help you stay safe is your buddy
—and you can do the same for him. Always enter and leave the
swimming area with your buddy, and always swim near him. When
someone calls “Buddy check,” you and your buddy should grab
each other’s hands and hold them high.
The third person who can help you stay safe is the lifeguard.
Lifeguards are specially trained to help swimmers who get into
trouble. They constantly watch the swimming area, looking for
swimmers who need help. They know how to rescue swimmers
who are in trouble without putting themselves in danger.
REQUIREMENT 5 | S how how to do both a reach
rescue and a throw rescue.
Whenever you go swimming, there should be a lifeguard on
duty. He or she will help any swimmers who get into trouble.
What if someone needs help and no lifeguard is around? As a
Bear Scout, you are not expected to do the rescue work of a trained
adult. However, there are some things you can do.
First, send a friend to call for help. Next, if no adult is there, try
to help from shore. If the person is close to shore, lie down and
reach with your hand. Otherwise, use whatever is available, like a
towel, a tree branch, a fishing pole, or a canoe paddle. Be careful
not to let the person pull you into the water. If possible, anchor
yourself to another person or to a solid object like the edge of a
dock.
You can practice reach rescues in the shallow end of a
swimming pool. If you are inside, you can pretend that a rug on the
floor is the water.
A Scout is brave. Learning safe ways to rescue someone
can help you feel brave in an emergency.
If you can’t reach the person, you can throw a rope, a life ring,
or anything that will float. The object will give the person support.
If it is tied to a rope, you can pull the person to shore.
To practice throw rescues, you can create your own throw line
at home. Just attach a rope to a plastic milk jug with a little water
in it. Go outside and have a friend stand about 20 feet from you.
Practice throwing the jug to your friend—but don’t hit him with it!
REQUIREMENT 6 | Visit a local pool or swimming
area with your den or family, and go swimming.
Whether you live in the city or the country, there is probably a
place nearby where you can go swimming. There may even be an
indoor pool that is open year-round. For this requirement, visit a
pool or swimming area with your den or family. Follow the rules
below to help keep you and your den or family safe.
BAS IC RULES OF S AFE S WIMMING
1. Be physically fit.
2. Have a qualified adult present whenever you swim.
3. S wim in areas that have already been checked and
have no deep holes, stumps, rocks, cans, or glass.
4. If you can’t swim, don’t go in water more than chest
deep. If you can swim 50 feet, it’s safe to go in water
up to the top of your head. Go in deep water only if
you are a good swimmer.
5. S wim with a buddy—someone to help you if you get
into trouble, and someone you can help if he needs
it.
6. Obey the rules. Have a good time in the water, and
learn to swim a little better each time you go in.
A Scout is obedient. Listen to the adults in charge so
you know the rules at the swimming area you are
visiting.
REQUIREMENT 7 | Demonstrate the front crawl
swim stroke to your den or family.
The front crawl is one of many strokes that you will learn in
swimming. It is one of the best strokes to use when you take your
Boy Scout swim test. A good way to learn the front crawl is to
practice with your legs first and then with your arms.
Your legs will do a flutter kick. Your legs go up and down in
the water, pressing down on the water with the top of your foot.
Practice by holding onto a kickboard or the side of the pool.
Next, practice with your arms. Float on your stomach, and
practice reaching out as far as you can in front of you, one arm at a
time. Cup each hand, and scoop water down and back toward your
body as your arm goes around in a circle.
Now, try using your arms and legs at the same time. Relax,
and don’t hurry. As you get better, you will be able to swim farther
with less effort.
REQUIREMENT 8 | Name the three swimming
ability groups for the Boy S couts of America.
Before you go swimming or boating at a Scouting activity, you
must demonstrate your swimming ability. (You must repeat this
test each year.) Depending on how well you can swim, you will be
classified as a nonswimmer, a beginner, or a swimmer. That
classification allows you into different swimming areas.
Don’t worry if you can’t do all the swimmer requirements.
Instead, make it your goal to become a swimmer! You can improve
your swimming ability by asking an adult for help and by
practicing. As you get better, you can ask to retake the swim test
at another time.
REQUIREMENT 9 | Attempt to earn the BS A
beginner swim classification.
To be classified as a beginner, you must:
Jump feetfirst into water over your head in depth.
Level off, and swim 25 feet on the surface.
Stop, turn sharply, and resume swimming.
Try that test under the supervision of a lifeguard. If you pass it,
you’ll be well on your way to swimming like a bear!
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