Pathfinder Social Distancing Challenge-  Naturalist Badge

This is a great time to have your pathfinders work on the Naturalist badge.  You can see all the requirements below.

Your pathfinders can tell you the answer to number 1, over the phone or zoom.

Red Eared Slider, in a local pond in Virginia

You can challenge them to work on #2 by watching plants and animals in their own yard or ones in their neighborhood.  Your scouts may even share their sketches in a zoom meeting, or take pictures of their sketches to share in emails or other social media you all agree to use, with parental permission.  You may also wish to consider letting your scouts work together on this badge.

Note that it says to do either number 2,  number 3, or number 4.  You may want to consider if your scouts could create a collection of pictures to satisfy #3, or possibly make a field guide as a group that identifies flowers and plants in your town. Working together on line to take pictures and teach each other about local plants could be a good project for scouts during social distancing.  As scout master, you can choose to alter the requirements to make sense for your group at this time.  Instead of submitting these things in person, emailing pictures reduces risks. 

Naturalist Badge from the current handbook:

1. Explain in your own words and from your own observations :

Buttercup, found in our neighborhood

a. The pollination and development of a wild flower, or

b. The development of a bird from an egg, or

c. The life history of an insect or a fresh or salt water fish, or

d. A month’s observation of pond life.

2. Keep a nature diary illustrated by sketches of the animals, birds, trees, plants, insects, etc. recorded; this diary to contain the dates and places of :

a. First appearance of 12 spring or autumn migrants;

b. First flowering of 18 wild flowers, or description of appearance and habits of six sea- birds or water-fowl;

c. First appearance of six butterflies or moths, or description of six animals,

d. Make a carbon or other impression of 18 leaves of different common trees.

In towns, one of the following alternatives may be selected in place of (2)

3. Make a collection of leaves from thirty (30) different trees; or of sixty (60) different species of wild flowers, ferns, and grasses, dried and mounted; be able to name these correctly and identify them in the field; or

4. Make colored drawings of twenty (20) flowers, ferns or grasses from life. Original studies, as well as finished pictures, to be submitted.