naturalist by Steven Saus

NATURALIST

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NATURALIST

Nature is everything around us. It can be studied in the woods, parks, towns and even on city streets. A naturalist is one who understands how things work together in order for each to survive and maintain a balance in nature. •

Find a dead log and tell what things you find in and on it. Discuss how these plants and animals are recycling minerals, nutrients,

and food back into the soil.

Make leaf or bark prints of various plants. Grow seeds and watch how the roots grow.

Make a milk jug terrarium. Fill out a nature calendar for a month. observation for each day.

Place a new nature

Watch what type of food various birds eat at the report back to the den.

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station or

a barometer,

feeders

•

Make a weather

•

Discuss how man helps

•

Discuss what kinds of animals you find in open fields, at the edge of the woods, in the woods. Why is each animal in Does the animal's size and/or the area it lives the area?

or hurts

water gauge,

and

etc.

nature by progress.

in provide it with some kind of advantage which will help it

to survive?

WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION

YOU WILL SELDOM SEE THESE FOREST CREATURES FOR THEY ARE SHY AND FEARFUL OF DETECTION

BUT THEY. LEAVE

UNMISTAKABLE SIGNS.

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*••

ATTACK1MTSIGNBOAROS' TO SHARPEN ANTLERS, LEAVING NEAT HOLES OF ^ '

DITCH RABBITS LAY THESE STUBBY GLASS

.. OR CYLINDRICAL ALUMINUM EGGS ALONGSIDE ROAOS ANO TRAILS.

.22 TO .30 CALIBER.

BEAVER CHEW TREES TO . CLEAN TEETH MAKING MARKS MUCH LIKE THOSE OF AXE AND CHAIN SAWS

STYROFOAM 3EETLES LEAVE THEIR CAST-OFF SHELLS AROUND CAMP

PLASTIC WRAP BIRDS INGENIOUSLY ROOF THEIR NESTS WITH A COVERING OF CLEAR PLASTIC

AND PICNIC AREAS.

SYNTHETIC SPIDERS WEAVE ORNATE AND ARTISTIC WEBS OF MONOFILAMENT FISHLINE AT

LITTER RATS SHARE F-30

THE FRUITS OF URBAN PROGRESS WITH THEIR COUNTRY COUSINS.

AIOS FOR

STUDYING

NATURE

CLOSE-UP

SIMPLE BIRD FEEDERS

Take 2 lids and punch a hole in each lid large enough to accept an

eyebolt or piece of. wire.

Place a donut or bagel between the 2 lids

and draw the wire or bolt through and secure.

Hang from a tree.

You could substitute a piece of wood for one lid and attach the donut

sandwich together by nailing into the wood.

Leave a piece of nail

available by wich to fasten some string for hanging. 2.

Stuff a pine cone with a mixture of peanut butter and bird seed between the "petals".

Hang with a string.

Use a needle and doubled up sewing thread, and raisins.

sew a string of popcorn

Wrap the length along the branch

of a tree.

4. Take a piece of tree branch or 2x4 board and drill 1 inch holes in it at various locations.

Fill with peanut butter/bird seed mixture.

A PAPER Milk carton can be cut open on 2 sides and a stick pushed through to form a perch.

INSECT CAGE

A quick cage can be made using window screen and 2 cans. Take a piece of 10x10 inch square window screen and roll into a cylinder. Place a tuna can on

both ends. The size of window screen will vary depending upon the can being

used. To determine what size to cut your screen,

your final number to allow for overlapping.

measure the can diameter

( distance across the can] and multiply this number by 3.2. Add 1

inch to

BERLESE FUNNEL

This funnel is used to collect insects which live in thesoil or like wet,

damp places.

can- any size will do.

Open at both ends.

screen- piece of hardware cloth.

none, or

This supports dirt,

etc,.

If you have

then punch holes in the bottom of the can using nails can

opener,

funnel- gides the insects into the jar. If you do not have one, some stiff paper into a cone shape,

roll

secure with tape,

jar- contain damp paper towels.

To collect insects- fill can with soil or damp

leaf litter.

Place can onscreen.

Set apparatus in full sunlight or under an electric light. The animals will tunnel deeper into the soil to escape the heat and dryness.

This process takes a while to happen.

PLOP!!

Be Patient.

into the jar.

(â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

WATERSCOPE

There are many ways to make a waterscope. Shown in the diagrams are 2

1*7^!~

common ways. The purpose of the waterscope is to eliminate the glare and

reflections on the waters surface. The scope works well in any body of waterpond ,lake,stream,

and bathtub.

The tin can/ glass jar is obvious in construction. Be careful to

seal the junction of the jar and can well. Use waterproff tape of some sort.

The simplest scope can be made using a coffee can or a small plastic bucket. Both ends should be removed. Cover one end with clear plastic food wrap or other form of clear plastic. Secure the plastic in place with a strong rubber band or piece of elastic. You may wish to tape it also. The important thing here is to keep water from getting in. DRIP

CAN

A good bird lure is a drip can. Take a coffee can and punch a hole in the bottom. Use a stick or pencil to control the water to a slow drip, as the water drips it will form a puddle which will attract the birds. Note if the area gets fairly wet, do not disturb. Check again in the morning to see animal tracks from any nighttime visitors. INSIDE NO CARE GARDEN

1. Take a large plastic jug ( milk jug, bleach jug, windshield cleaner)

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and cut out 2 rectangular holes on opposite sides about 2-3 inchhes up from

the

bottom.

2. Line the bottom of the jug with a layer of gravel or pebbles.

3. Smash several charcoal briquettesC put in paper bag] and sprinkle pieces on top of the pebbles.

4. Cover the gravel/charcoal layer with 1 -114 inches of potting soil. 5.Plant your garden with store bought seeds or moss, etc. from outside. 6. Tape clear food wrap plastic over the 2 holes. Secure cap on bottle and place in a warm sunny pART of a room.

Note: Before planting, wet soil until it sticks together when pinched. PLANTERS

1.Place soil in the wells of a plastic egg carton. Plant 3-4 seeds in each well. Tape a sample of the seeds to the lid if using different ones.

2. Cut off the top 1 inch of a carrot, parsnip,beet,turnip or pineapple.

Plant it top up in a shallow container filled with sand, water as needed,

3.Scoop out the center of a potato leaving the shell. Fill with soil and plant oat or graSS SEEd. Use golf tees for legs and draw a face with Permanent Magic Marker.

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Life.

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WOIV ~VNL uvj^jcV -hnvvd yoO Ova vuarvwday

couer, be ^ure -to

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, ov\e of-H^ie wosf privni-h'oe of ivi t

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i5h)dy -ttiewt- Locfc Closely i

iwseeb species ivi

Q 3prm<j tea-hW -fir dib\t w juww 13 fir pate <*ud -bber

buf

late suwirocr: Bt Ajwfc Icaoc ta fe resect yoor supply

Dry

-Hrv^ roofs of Ckicory, ^nvi

ivt late ^uirviwier (Cast or {

\ikc sterns avui - colored flowe ii We

â&#x20AC;˘fSrib edible

&f boilci, or ivii

dock

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NATURE OBSERVATION

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TRAIL TEST

Resources

(Make copies of this page and the following page to hand out to Scoutcrs.)

A Nature Obscrvtion Tr.il could be . feature of jour Nature

Campout. U i. designed to 1..1 your Scout* powers of observation.

Prepare the trail, which may be of any length, by dropping

STUFFED ANIMAL

puffed* rice or other cereal along the path you want patrol, to

follow. At various points within 5 yard, of the trail, place some unusual animal signs, plants, and other nature objects. Each patrol files down the trail (widely separated from other

paint aPnd makes a list of the unusual objects the Scouts spoL

They also note distance each object i, from the trail and from the last unusual object seen.

LAST YEAR'S BIRD NEST DEER TRACKS

each object's distance from the previous one (with leeway). Use such objects as:

• Several feathers in small pile. . Bits of torn fur dipped in red food coloring or catsup.

• Stuffed small animal (squirrel, skunk, chipmunk, rabbit) beneath a shrub or in grass.

• Broken chicken eggshells.

. Plaster casts or track of deer or small animal in soft ground (give 5 points extra for identifying the animal).

. Artificial bird on a low branch (give 5 points extra for

CHICKEN EGG SHELLS FUR OIPPED IN CATSUP

identifying the bird).

. Artificial flowers (of a type not found in the wild, at least not ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS

at this time of year).

Insect Hunt at Night critter with shining eyes SLAP JACK Equipment: None.

: Scout No. 1 places hi

Scoring: Winner la the

Mrai makat given number of

slaps.

pap«r and run roller over It.

*-*•>-■•-*.•*'

TREE TOUCH (outdoors) Nature Games

Equipment: None

Method: Leader call, out the name of a tree and patrols scatter to find It.

(Indoors)

Qf Natfonal Geographic,

National Wildlife, field and Stream,

earns

etc.)

Method: Post pictures (without names) around the room. Number the pictures. Scouts try to Identify

ASH

BIRCH (PAPER)

(WHITE)

the animals by number.

Scoring: Winner Is the one with the

most correct Identifications after a

specified time. If played as an Interpatrol contest, patrol score Is the average of members' scores.

SHAPE CEDAR

LEAF

BARK

SHApE

LEAF

(EASTERN RED) FIR (DOUGLAS)

SHAPE

LEAF

BARX

EDIBLE PLANT WHO'S WHO ELM

(AMERICAN)

SHAPE

BAR*

LEAF

HORSE CHESTNUT

SHAPE HICKORY

sic r^

LEAF

BARK

(SHAG BARK)

correctly naming edible parts

SHAPE

LEAF

B-

LEAF

BARK

Adventure Gb*b Burns wood or charcoal.

Base of can perforated for

Pot fits Into top; rests on supporting

rods of fence wire. Perforate lor toasting.

ventilation; ash stove stands on low flat rocks.

CONSTELLATION CONSTRUCTION

Toast holder

(Indoors)

Wrap stove In plastic bag

Fuel fe«d opening is repeated on other side.

to carry.

Hike Stove With Toaster

■« Mck 38

Here's a variation of the homemade charcoal stove tha:

an added fillip—a device lo make toast.

EZJ

to read the a movement ol

piece of pape stand by itse jar, Fig. 2. P ing—the poii chart next to weather con stormy,

To predict a change in the weather, a weather man needs to know the temperature, the wind direction, and what the weather is like in nearby

and faraway places. But most important of all, he

needs a BAROMETER to measure the air pressure-the force of the air pressing against the earth. Change in air pressure is one of the best predictors of the weather that's soon to arnve-

mouth of the jar. Stretch the balloon smooth and

Check the pi day to see if it does move write in the *

drinking straw by cutting them as shown in Hg. 1. With a small piece of tape, fasten one end of the straw to the center of the balloon. The BA ROMETER is finished, but you will need a chart

sunny and r«i

tight, and hold it in place with one or two rubber bands around the top of the jar. The inside of the jar should now be airtight. "Point" the ends of a

rain, snow, wind, sun, or clouds. A BAROME

ture too. If the air pressure goes up, the tempera ture will probably go down; if the air pressure goes down, the temperature probably will rise. TOOLS

glass jar

scissors ruler pencil

balloon

rubber bands I

moving—tow tain that youi

or too fast. (

window.) Ca pointer move

book, or ask )

drinking straw

able to predii racy. Just ch<

ble, you shou where the ter

TER will give you a clue to tomorrow s tempera

MATERIALS

rain

tape paper

CONSTRUCTION

Get a medium to large size glass jar with a wide

mouth. Peanut butter jars are good. Wash out the

Fig.

jar and remove the label (you won t need the lid). Cut a piece of balloon large enough to fit over the 5ft

BAROMETFR

:â&#x20AC;˘ nuJ the air pressure changes indicated by the i:!..u-mcni of the pointer straw. Fold and tape a piece dI paper into a triangular tube so that it will

sund by itself and be a few inches taller than the

jar. Fig. 2. Put the chart next to-but not touch.ng-the po.nter. Mark a small pencil line on the

ooth and

'o rubber de of the :nds of a n in Fig. e end of The BA-

d a chart

chart next to the tip of the pointer, and write the weather condition outside at that momentstormy rainy cloudy, or sunny-opposite it.

Check the position of the pointer once or twice a

day to see if it has moved up or down. Each time it does move, put another line on the chart and

*"'? H6 weather-,After you have made some

sunny and rainy marks on the chart, you will be

able to predict the weather with reasonable accu

racy. Just check in which direction the pointer is

moving towards sunny or stormy. To make ce ? tain that your predictions are as accurate as possi

ble, you should put the BAROMETER in a place where the temperature doesn't change too much

or too fast. (Don't put it on a radittor or by a window.) Can you figure out what makes the

pointer move up or down? Look in a science book, or ask your teacher.

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