Thanksgiving Fun

Here's a Thanksgiving treat for you! Gooble gooble!!!

This picture was shot in my parents backyard (about 2hrs north from here). While there is no real leason/resource in this post I will say that if you look hard enough you can find wild turkeys just outside of Brampton. Though the picture is a bit fuzzy, there are 23 turkey in it!

Here's wishing you a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ps - for those of you who live to the south of me, a very early Happy Thanksgiving

Yis

Bear

Stop and Listen

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in posting lately. Life sometimes takes over and we get overwhelmed by the day to day stuff. But Scouting that has taught me how to deal with these challenges. It's also taught me to pay better attention. I've lived in the Brampton area my whole life, but I can't remember seeing a third of the things I find now, when I was a child.

With all the distractions out there, TV, video games, etc.... it seems that kids these days don't get outside much any more. I was recently sent an article on "Outdoors Deficiency" and how our children are suffering from it. While I may not entirerly agree that this is the case, the outside world is something that we take for granted. It's a shame what people miss when they don't stop and take a minute to look around.

So how does this fit in with Scouting in urban places then? You can plan a stop and listen. I know that this sounds kinda silly, but by planning a few of these you can start to teach the youth to see what others might be missing. If you do something enough and it becomes a habit.

First you need to find a quiter place, say a greenbelt or wooded area an plan a hike/walk in it. About halfway through have the youth stop and be quite (this could be a challenge). Keep them this way for a minute or two. Then ask them what they hear. Next have them look around where they are and see if there is anything they notice. This is a Stop and Listen.

It takes very little prep time for one of these, though it might not be a bad idea to walk the location first. It will give you a sense of the area and a good idea of were to stop. There is also many field guides on birds, bugs, trees, plants...... that might be of use if your youth find something you may not know. Remeber you don't need to know everything to be a leader, but you do need to be willing to find out things. It's not only the kids that learn sometimes. Good luck!

Yis

Bear

Jewelweed

Its another sign of the changing season. The Jewelweed is in full bloom. Not many people know of this plant. Not by this name anyway. What you see here is Touch-me-nots. I have to admit that this is one of my favourite plants. Come late August, you will find me in waist deep grass checking this interesting plant out. Why do I like it? Easy answer there, exploding seed pods! This member of the Impatient family has seed pods that pop when you touch them. Each pop spreads its seeds over an area of about a meter. This plant is a Scouters dream, its easy to find and it does something. This is a big factor when you are trying to teach the youth something. It works with all ages too! You get the same reaction from Beavers as you do with Scouts. A lesson on these plants should include a warning about damaging surrounding vegetation as things can tend to get out of hand a bit once the "secret" is reveled. But the learning need not stop there, Jewelweed has been linked to finding where poison ivy is. While the the plant thrives in locations where poison ivy can't, you can find them together. Always good to have a look around before you let the kids loose. Another old Scouter trick, break off a stalk and rub it on a bee sting, poison ivy, or insect bite. It's supposed to stop the itching. While science can not confirm that this really works, I know leaders that swear by it. If you look in forested areas or near water you should be able to find this plant. When I checked this morning the seeds were ready to pop, so good luck and good hunting!

Yis

Bear

Yellow and Black Garden Spider

I've lived at this house for 4 years now, but some days it still surprises me! I came across this little lady on my front deck. It's called the Yellow (and Black) Garden Spider. Easy to see given the colours. This female was about the size of a toonie. Average body size ranges from 3/4" to 1 1/4" but by the time you get the legs in there, they can reach the size of 3" in diameter. The spider is a member of the Orb Weaver family, and are often found at this time of year. You can find them around the eves of the house, but they are more common in the tall grass. It is common to southern Ontario, but this is the first one I've seen. One field book I checked stated that this spider is a common image used for Halloween, and that Charlotte from the book Charlotte's Web was a Yellow Garden Spider. When I checked back a few days later she was gone, most likely looking for a better place to lay her eggs. One neat thing about the babies is that in the spring when they leave the egg sack, they use a long strand of silk as a parachute of sorts to ride the wind away from where they were born.

Yis

Bear