Indoor Klondike Derby for Beavers

We had Beaver Scouts tonight! I thought since it was Festival du Voyager in Winnipeg this weekend we should take some inspiration from the Voyageurs and do indoor Klondike Derby (Since it is -37⁰C with the windchill, so not great for 5-8 year olds after dark outside.) 

We divided the boys into teams of 3 and each team got a cardboard sled with a shopping basket on top to carry all their items they needed around to all the stations.

Station 1 - Learning to dress to stay warm and dry for the winter.

Station 2 - Setting up their bed roll in a tent, then sitting in the tent for story time. 

Station 3 - Collecting firewood. Learning about campfire safety. Then cooking s'mores using our electronic s'mores maker. (The marshmallows actually can light fire if you get them too close, so that is extra exciting.)

Station 4 - Learning to find the North Star, and looking at maps of the constellations through a telescope.

It was extra exciting that we arrived at the hall to find it set up with items for the food bank that we had to work around. The boys had a blast!

Indoor Beaver Klondike Derby Night

Kids are divided into 4 teams. Each team has their water bottles (OAS Winter Skills 1.3), baggies with ingredients for s’mores, and their winter gear. They will pull this between stations on cardboard sleds.

To Make Sleds:

• 4 large pieces of cardboard 
• 4 small/medium cardboard boxes or plastic grocery baskets 
• 4 pieces rope
• Duct tape to reinforce

Poke 2 holes in the cardboard near one end to thread the rope through. Tie rope together. Add ducttape around this end of the cardboard to reinforce it. Place the box or basket on top to carry the kid's gear. (water bottles, ziploc baggies with marshmallows and chocolate dipped digestive biscuits, winter clothing.)

Before setting out, discuss the buddy system and how it is important for outdoor events and scouting activities. (OAS Camping 1.6, Emergency Skills 1.10, Winter Skills 1.8)

 

 

 If you want to try it with your group here is the break down of each station, with supply lists and the Outdoor Adventure Skills (OAS) that we covered:

Station 1 – Dress for winter

Get dressed for winter and help their friends, learn to use plastic bags to keep feet dry, learn to pack extra clothes in a backpack to carry with you outdoors, practice hanging up coats when they get inside.

 Winter skills:

1.6 – know how to dress for winter

1.7 – know how to stay dry outside or change

2.4 – know how to pack extra winter clothes

2.5 – Know how to keep feet dry

2.6 – Know how to put away clothing when they get inside

2.7 – Help others get dressed for winter 

Supplies:

• Coat Rack
• Pack with Extra Winter Clothes
• Plastic Bags and Socks to learn how to keep feet warm and dry
• Kids bring their winter clothes

 

 Station 2 -  Shelter and Camping

Learn to unpack and set up a bed roll, listen to Friends of the Forest in the tent, pack up bed roll

Scout Craft:

1.5 – know 3 reasons for having shelter outdoors

Camping Skills:

1.8 – can set up their sleeping area for the night

Supplies:

• Tent
• Pillow
• Sleeping Bag
• Air Mattress/Foamy
• Extra Blanket
• Friends of the Forest

·  

Station 3 – Campfire

Learn to gather firewood and determine if it is wet or dry, talk about safety around the campfire, talk about not playing with matches or lighters, make and eat s’mores using electronic s’mores maker, sing a campfire song.

Scout Craft:

1.7 – Gather dry, burnable wood

Camping:

1.1  – Collect small sticks for a fire

Emergency Skills:

1.7 – Know not to play with matches/lighters

1.15 – Know how to be safe around a campfire

Winter Skills:

1.2  – Prepare a snack for a winter activity

Supplies:

• S’mores maker (they can be purchased on Amazon or at Walmart)
• Extension cord
• Firewood
• Kids bring s’more kits

 Fire's Burning (song)

Fire's burning, fire's burning

Draw nearer, draw nearer

In the gloaming, in the gloaming

Come sing and be merry

 

Station 4 – Astronomy/Navigation

Kids will learn how to find the north star in the sky and get to try using a telescope

Winter Skills:

3.11 – Identify the North Star

Supplies:

• telescope
• stories about the constellations, especially ursa major/ursa minor
• masking tape to tape posters to the wall across the hall
• black poster paper posters of constellations (I used yellow paint to make them, or you can use glow in the dark stars)

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

The constellations called Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are named after bears. Ursa Major actually means 'great bear' and Ursa Minor means 'small bear.' They're found close together in the night sky. These constellations are also known as the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper because they look dippers or ladles. It is easy to see the Big Dipper in the sky at night and if you follow the lip of the Big Dipper in a straight line it well help you find the North Star. The North Star, or Polaris is a very bright star and it is the tail of the Little Dipper.

Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Andromeda

Cassiopeia and Cepheus were a queen and a king. They had a daughter named Andromeda. Cassiopeia bragged she was the most beautiful queen in the whole world. This made Poseidon, sent the sea monster Cetus to come after the kingdom of Cassiopeia and Cepheus. The only way to save the kingdom was to chain Andromeda to a rock and leave her there for the sea monster to eat. The hero Perseus saw Andromeda and saved her life.  After this Poseidon was still angry so he placed Cassiopeia and Cepheus in the sky where they were stuck forever.

Orion and the Pleiades

The hunter Orion was the most handsome of men.  Orion fell in love with the Pleiades, the seven sisters. He started pursuing them and Zeus scooped them up and placed them in the sky. Orion can still be seen chasing the sisters across the sky at night, holding his bow. The easiest part of Orion to see is his belt which is made up of 3 stars that are very bright.