Explain what natural resources are and why it’s important to protect and conserve them.
Make a poster that shows and explains the food chain. Describe to your den what happens if the food chain becomes broken or damaged.
Learn about an endangered species. Make a report to your den that includes a picture, how the species came to be endangered, and what is being done to save it.
Academics Pin

Earn the Wildlife Conservation belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Visit a wildlife sanctuary, nature center, or fish hatchery.
Collect and read five newspaper or magazine articles that discuss conservation of wildlife and report to your family or den what you learn.
Learn about five animals that use camouflage to protect themselves. Tell your den or an adult family member what you learned.
Make a birdbath and keep a record for one week of the different birds that visit it.
Make a collage of animals that are in the same class: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals.
Make a plaster cast of an animal track. Show it to your den.
With your parent or adult partner, visit with a person who works in wildlife conservation, such as a park ranger, biologist, range manager, geologist, horticulturist, zookeeper, fishery technician, or conservation officer.
Visit a state park or national park.
Participate in an environmental service project that helps maintain habitat for wildlife, such as cleaning up an area or planting trees.

Make a poster that shows and explains the water cycle.
Set up a simple weather station to record rainfall, temperature, air pressure, or evaporation for one week.
Watch the weather forecast on a local television station. Discuss with an adult family member what you heard and saw. Follow up by discussing the accuracy of the forecast.

Academics Pin

Earn the Weather belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Explain to your den or an adult family member the meaning of these terms: weather, humidity, precipitation, temperature, and wind.
Explain how clouds are made. Describe the different kinds of clouds – stratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, and cirrus – and what kind of weather can be associated with these cloud types.
Describe the climate in your state. Compare its climate with that in another state.
Describe a potentially dangerous weather condition in your community. Discuss safety precautions and procedures for dealing with this condition.
Define what is meant by acid rain. Explain the greenhouse effect.
With your parent’s or adult partner’s permission, talk to a meteorologist about his or her position. Learn about careers in meteorology. Share what you learned with your den or an adult family member.
Make a weather map of your state or country, using several weather symbols.
Explain the differences between tornadoes and hurricanes.
Make a simple weather vane. Make a list of other weather instruments and describe what they do.
Explain how weather can affect agriculture and the growing of food.
Make a report to your den or family on a book about weather.
Explain how rainbows are formed and then draw and color a rainbow.

Explain the scientific method to your adult partner.
Use the scientific method in a simple science project Explain the results to an adult.
Visit a museum, a laboratory, an observatory, a zoo, an aquarium, or other facility that employs scientists. Talk to a scientist about his or her work.

Academics Pin – Earn the Science belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Make a simple electric motor that works.
Find a stream or other area that shows signs of erosion. Try to discover the cause of the erosion.
Plant seeds. Grow a flower, garden vegetable, or other plant.
Use these simple machines to accomplish tasks: lever, pulley, wheel-and-axle, wedge, inclined plane, and screw.
Learn about solids, liquids, and gases using just water. Freeze water until it turns into ice. Then, with an adult, heat the ice until it turns back into a liquid and eventually boils and becomes a gas.
Build models of two atoms and two molecules, using plastic foam balls or other objects.
Make a collection of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and label them.
Learn about a creature that lives in the ocean. Share what you have learned with your den or family.
Label a drawing or diagram of the bones of the human skeleton.
Make a model or poster of the solar system. Label the planets and the sun.
Do a scientific experiment in front of an audience. Explain your results.
Read a book about a science subject that interests you. Tell your den or an adult family member about what you learned.

Explain to your den or an adult family member what geology means.
Collect samples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Explain how each was formed.
Collect samples of three minerals. Explain to your family or den what a mineral is and show and tell about the minerals you collected.
Academics Pin

Earn the Geology belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Make a plaster cast of a fossil.
Make a special collection of rocks and minerals that illustrates the hardness scale.
Give examples of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
Gather several different types of rocks. Compare them and put them in groups according to physical properties such as color, texture, luster, hardness, or crystals.
Describe the effects of wind, water, and ice on the landscape.
Make “pet rocks” using rocks, paint, and glue-on eyes. Tell a creative story about your pet rocks.
Draw a diagram showing different types of volcanoes or draw a diagram that labels the different parts of a volcano.
Make a crystal garden.
Make a collection of five different fossils and identify them to the best of your ability.
Make a poster or display showing 10 everyday products that contain or use rocks or minerals.
Visit a mine, oil or gas field, gravel pit, stone quarry, or similar area of special interest related to geology.
With your parent or adult partner, visit with a geologist. Find out how he or she prepared for the position. Discuss other careers related to geology.
Draw the inside of a cave showing the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.