CUB SCOUTS ACADEMICS & SPORTS RECOGNITION PROGRAM

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ACADEMICS
LOOPS &
PINS
art
astronomy
chess
citizenship
collecting

communicating
computers
geography
geology
heritages
language

map/compass
mathematics
music
science
weather
wildlife

 

Art Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Make a list of common materials used to create visual art compositions.
  2. Demonstrate how six of the following elements of design are used in a drawing: lines, circles, dots, shapes, colors, patterns, textures, space, balance, or perspective.
  3. Identify the three primary colors and the three secondary colors that can be made by mixing them. Show how this is done using paints or markers. Use the primary and secondary colors to create a painting

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Art belt loop, and complete six of the following requirements:

  1. Visit an art museum, gallery, or exhibit. Discuss with an adult the art you saw.
  2. Create two self-portraits using two different art techniques, such as drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, or computer illustration.
  3. Demonstrate how to make paper. Make a sample at least 4 inches by 4 inches.
  4. Make a simple silkscreen or stencil. Print a card or T-shirt.
  5. Create a freestanding sculpture or mobile using wood, metal, soap, papier-mâché, or found objects.
  6. Create an object using clay that can be fired, baked in the oven, or hardened in water.
  7. Photograph four subjects in one theme, such as landscapes, people, animals, sports, or buildings.
  8. Make a collage using several different materials.
  9. Use your artistic skills to create a postage stamp, book cover, or music CD cover.
  10. Use a computer illustration or painting program to create a work of art.
  11. Display your artwork in a pack, school, or community art show.

Astronomy Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Set up and demonstrate how to focus a simple telescope or binoculars.
  2. Draw a diagram of our solar system--identify the planets and other objects.
  3. Explain the following terms: planet, star, solar system, galaxy, the Milky Way, black hole, red giant, white dwarf, comet, meteor, moon, asteroid, and universe.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Astronomy belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Draw a diagram of a telescope and explain how it works.
  2. Locate and identify five constellations. You may use a telescope.
  3. Using a telescope, find at least one planet and identify it.
  4. Find the North Star. Explain its importance.
  5. Interview an astronomer. Learn about careers that relate to Astronomy. What school subjects will help you get a job in astronomy?
  6. Visit an observatory or a planetarium. Give a report on what you learned to your den.
  7. Make a poster illustrating the different kinds of stars. Include a diagram showing the life cycle of a star.
  8. Learn about some of the early space missions. Tell your den or family about one of them.
  9. Find a current event about a recent happening related to space. Tell your den or family about this event.
  10. Make a chart to show the phases of the moon over a two-month period. Define a blue moon.
  11. Write a report on two famous astronomers.
  12. Locate three major observatories on a map. Explain why these locations are good for astronomy.



Chess Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Identify the chess pieces and set up a chess board for play.
  2. Demonstrate the moves of each chess piece to your den leader or adult partner.
  3. Play a game of chess.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Chess belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Demonstrate basic opening principles (such as development of pieces, control center, castle, don't bring queen out too early, don't move same piece twice).
  2. Visit a chess tournament and tell your den about it.
  3. Participate in a pack, school, or community chess tournament.
  4. Solve a pre-specified chess problem (e.g., "White to move and mate in three") given to you by your adult partner.
  5. Play five games of chess.
  6. Play 10 chess games via computer or on the Internet.
  7. Read about a famous chess player.
  8. Describe U.S. Chess Federation ratings for chess players.
  9. Learn to write chess notation and record a game with another Scout.
  10. Present a report about the history of chess to your den or family.

Citizenship Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Develop a list of jobs you can do around the home. Chart your progress for one week.
  2. Make a poster showing things that you can do be a good citizen.
  3. Participate in a family, den, or school service project.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Citizenship belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Interview someone who has become a naturalized citizen. Give a report of your interview to your den or family.
  2. Write a letter to your newspaper about an issue that concerns you.
  3. Create a collage about America.
  4. Conduct a home safety or energy audit and inspect your home. Talk with your parent or adult partner about correcting any problems you find.
  5. Visit your local site of government. Interview someone who is involved with the governmental process.
  6. Visit a court room and talk with someone who works there.
  7. Go to the polls with your parents when they vote. Talk to them about their choices.
  8. Take part in a parade with your den or pack.
  9. List ways you can recycle various materials and conserve and protect the environment.
  10. Attend a community event or visit a landmark in your community.



Collecting Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Begin a collection of at least 10 items that all have something in common. Label the items and title your collection.
  2. Display your collection at a pack or den meeting.
  3. Visit a show or museum that displays different collections

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Collecting belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Give a talk about your collection to someone other than your family. Give a description of your collection, including a short history. Explain how you got started and why you decided to collect what you do.
  2. Show how you preserve and display your collection. Explain any special precautions you must take including handling, cleaning, and storage. Note precautions for dampness, sunlight, or other weather conditions.
  3. Read a book about what you collect.
  4. Start a new collection of at least 20 items. Label the items, and title your collection.
  5. Define numismatics and philately.
  6. Join a club of collectors who share your hobby. This club may be a group of your friends.
  7. Find out if there is a career that involves what you collect. Find out what kind of subjects you need to study to prepare for such a career.
  8. If you collect coins or stamps, make a list of different countries in your collection. Explain how to identify each country's issues. Make a list of "clues" that help you identify the origin.
  9. With an adult partner, visit an online auction and look for items you collect. What does it tell you about rarity and value of the things you collect?
  10. Use a computer to catalog, organize, and keep track of your collection.
  11. Help a friend get started on a collection of his or her own.

Communicating Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Tell a story or relate an incident to a group of people, such as your family, den, or members of your class.
  2. Write a letter to a friend or relative.
  3. Make a poster about something that interests you. Explain the poster to your den.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Communicating belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Write an original poem or story.
  2. Keep a journal of daily activities for at least seven days.
  3. Listen to a news story on television or the radio. Discuss the information with an adult.
  4. Go to the library. Use the card catalog or computer reference system to find a book, and then check it out.
  5. Read a book that has been approved by your parent or teacher. Discuss the book with an adult.
  6. With a friend, develop a skit. Perform it at a Scout meeting, family meeting, or school event.
  7. Learn the alphabet in sign language. Learn how to sign 10 words.
  8. With an adult, use the Internet to search for information on a topic of interest to you.
  9. Watch three television commercials and discuss the information in them with your parent or den leader.
  10. Read the directions for a new game. Explain to a family member or friend how to play it.
  11. Learn about "reading" materials for people who have poor vision or who are blind.
  12. While traveling, make a list of road signs, animals, or license plates that you see.

Computers Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Explain these parts of a personal computer: central processing unit (CPU), monitor, keyboard, mouse, modem, and printer.
  2. Demonstrate how to start up and shut down a personal computer properly.
  3. Use your computer to prepare and print a document.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Computers belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Use a computer to prepare a report on a subject of interest to you. Share it with your den.
  2. Make a list of 10 devices that can be found in the home that use a computer chip to function.
  3. Use a computer to maintain a balance sheet of your earnings or allowance for four weeks.
  4. Use a spreadsheet program to organize some information.
  5. Use an illustration, drawing, or painting program to create a picture.
  6. Use a computer to prepare a thank-you letter to someone.
  7. Log on to the Internet. Visit the Boy Scouts of America homepage (http://www.scouting.org).
  8. Discuss personal safety rules you should pay attention to while using the Internet.
  9. Practice a new computer game for two weeks. Demonstrate an improvement in your scores.
  10. Correspond with a friend via e-mail. Have at least five e-mail replies from your friend.
  11. Visit a local business or government agency that uses a mainframe computer to handle its business. Explain how computers save the company time and money in carrying out its work.

Geography Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Draw a map of your neighborhood. Show natural and manmade features. Include a key or legend of map symbols.
  2. Learn about the physical geography of your community. Identify the major landforms within 100 miles. Discuss with an adult what you learned.
  3. Use a world globe or map to locate the continents, the oceans, the equator, and the northern and southern hemispheres. Learn how longitude and latitude lines are used to locate a site.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Geography belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Make a three-dimensional model of an imaginary place. Include five different landforms, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, deltas, rivers, buttes, plateaus, basins, and plains.
  2. List 10 cities around the world. Calculate the time it is in each city when it is noon in your town.
  3. Find the company's location on the wrapper or label of 10 products used in your home, such as food, clothing, toys, and appliances. Use a world map or atlas to find each location.
  4. On a map, trace the routes of some famous explorers. Show the map to your den or family.
  5. On a United States or world map, mark where your family members and ancestors were born.
  6. Keep a map record of the travels of your favorite professional sports team for one month.
  7. Read a book (fiction or nonfiction) in which geography plays an important part.
  8. Take part in a geography bee or fair in your pack, school, or community.
  9. Choose a country in the world and make a travel poster for it.
  10. Play a geography-based board game or computer game. Tell an adult some facts you learned about a place that was part of the game.
  11. Draw or make a map of your state. Include rivers, mountain ranges, state parks, and cities. Include a key or legend of map symbols.

Geology Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Define geology.
  2. Collect a sample of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Explain how each was formed.
  3. Explain the difference between a rock and a mineral.

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

  1. Make a plaster cast of a fossil.
  2. Make a special collection of rocks and minerals that illustrates the hardness scale.
  3. Give examples of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
  4. 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.
  5. Describe the effects of wind, water, and ice on the landscape.
  6. Make "pet rocks" using rocks, paint, and glue-on eyes. Tell a creative story about your pet rocks.
  7. Draw a diagram showing different types of volcanoes or draw a diagram that labels the different parts of a volcano.
  8. Make a crystal garden.
  9. Make a collection of five different fossils and identify them to the best of your ability.
  10. Make a poster or display showing 10 everyday products that contain or use rocks or minerals.
  11. Visit a mine, oil or gas field, gravel pit, stone quarry, or similar area of special interest related to geology.
  12. Visit with a geologist. Find out how he or she prepared for the job. Discuss other careers related to geology.
  13. Draw the inside of a cave showing the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.

Heritage Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Talk with members of your family about your family heritage: its history, traditions, and culture.
  2. Make a poster that shows the origins of your ancestors. Share it with your den or other group.
  3. Draw a family tree showing members of your family for three generations.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Heritages belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Participate in a pack heritage celebration in which Cub Scouts give presentations about their family heritage.
  2. Attend a family reunion.
  3. Correspond with a pen pal from another country. Find out how his or her heritage is different from yours.
  4. Learn 20 words in a language other than your native language.
  5. Interview a grandparent or other family elder about what it was like when he or she was growing up.
  6. Work with a parent or adult partner to organize family photographs in a photo album.
  7. Visit a genealogy library and talk with the librarian about how to trace family records. Variation:- Access a genealogy Web site and learn how to use it to find out information about ancestors.
  8. Make an article of clothing, a toy, or a tool that your ancestors used. Show it to your den.
  9. Help your parent or adult partner prepare one of your family's traditional food dishes.
  10. Learn about the origin of your first, middle, or last name.

Language & Culture Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Talk with someone who grew up in a different country than you did. Find out what it was like and how it is different from your experience.
  2. Learn 10 words that are in a different language than your own.
  3. Play two games that originated in another country or culture.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Language and Culture belt loop, and complete seven of the following requirements:

  1. Earn the BSA Interpreter Strip.
  2. Write the numbers 1-10 in Chinese or another number system other than the one we normally use (we use the Arabic system).
  3. Visit an embassy, consulate, or charge d'affairs for another country.
  4. Make a display of stamps or postcards of another country. Explain the importance or symbolism of the things depicted to that country's culture.
  5. Learn 30 words in a language other than your own.
  6. Learn a song in another country's language.
  7. Say five words in American Sign Language. One of these words could be your first name.
  8. Visit a restaurant that specializes in recipes from another country.
  9. Watch a TV show or movie in a foreign language. Tell how easy or difficult it was to understand what was happening.
  10. Interview an interpreter. Find out what his or her job is like.
  11. Make a list of 30 things around your home that were made in another country.
  12. Read a book or story about an immigrant to the United States.

If the Scout's native language is not English, then English may be used to satisfy the appropriate requirements.

Map/Compass Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Show how to orient a map. Find three landmarks on the map
  2. Explain how a compass works.
  3. Draw a map of your neighborhood. Label the streets and plot the route you take to get to a place that you often visit.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Map and Compass belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Define cartography.
  2. Make a poster showing 10 map symbols and their meaning.
  3. Read a book or story about a famous explorer or navigator. Tell your den or family what you learned.
  4. Make a simple compass with a magnet and pin.
  5. Explain the difference between latitude and longitude and show them on a map or globe.
  6. Draw a compass rose for a map. Label north, south, east, and west.
  7. Study a blank map of the United States of America. Label your state, and the states that share its boundary lines.
  8. In the field, show how to take a compass bearing and how to follow it.
  9. Show how to measure distances, using a scale on a map legend.
  10. Measure your pace. Then layout a simple compass course for your den to try.
  11. Using a road map, determine how many miles it is between two major cities or familiar destinations.
  12. Explain what the different map colors can mean on a map.

Mathematics Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Do five activities within your home or school that require the use of mathematics. Explain to your den how you used everyday math.
  2. Keep track of the money you earn and spend for three weeks.
  3. Measure five items using both metric and non-metric measures. Find out about the history of the metric system of measurement.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Mathematics belt loop, and complete one from each of the five areas below:

  1. Geometry is related to measurement but also deals with objects and positions in space.
    1. Many objects can be recognized by their distinctive shapes: a tree, a piece of broccoli, a violin. Collect 12 items that can be recognized, classified, and labeled by their distinctive shape or outline.
    2. Select a single shape or figure. Observe the world around you for at least a week and keep a record of where you see this shape or figure and how it is used.
    3. Study geometry in architecture by exploring your neighborhood or community. Look at different types of buildings-houses, churches, businesses, etc.-and create a presentation (a set of photographs, a collage of pictures from newspapers and magazines, a model) that you can share with your den or pack to show what you have seen and learned about shapes in architecture.
  2. Calculating is adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers.
    1. Learn how an abacus or slide rule works and teach it to a friend or to your den or pack.
    2. Go shopping with an adult and use a calculator to add up how much the items you buy will cost. See whether your total equals the total at check out.
    3. Visit a bank and have someone there explain to you about how interest works. Use the current interest rate and calculate how much interest different sums of money will earn.
  3. Statistics is collecting and organizing numerical information and studying patterns.
    1. Explain the meaning of these statistical words and tools: data, averaging, tally marks, bar graph, line graph, pie chart, and percentage.
    2. Conduct an opinion survey through which you collect data to answer a question, and then show your results with a chart or graph. For instance: What is the favorite food of the Cub Scouts in your pack (chart how many like pizza, how many like hamburgers, etc.).
    3. Study a city newspaper to find as many examples as you can of statistical information.
    4. Learn to use a computer spreadsheet.
  4. Probability helps us know the chance or likelihood of something happening.
    1. Explain to your den how a meteorologist or insurance company (or someone else) might use the mathematics of probability to predict what might happen in the future (i.e., the chance that it might rain, or the chance that someone might be in a car accident).
    2. Conduct and keep a record of a coin toss probability experiment.
    3. Guess the probability of your sneaker landing on its bottom, top, or side, and then flip it 100 times to find out which way it lands. Use this probability to predict how a friend's sneaker will land.
  5. Measuring is using a unit to express how long or how big something is, or how much of it there is.
    1. Interview four adults in different occupations to see how they use measurement in their jobs.
    2. Measure how tall someone is. Have them measure you.
    3. Measure how you use your time by keeping a diary or log of what you do for a week. Then make a chart or graph to display how you spend your time.
    4. Measure, mix, and cook at least two recipes. Share your snacks with family, friends, or your den.

Music Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Explain why music is an important part of our culture.
  2. Pick a song with at least two verses and learn it by heart.
  3. Listen to four different types of music either recorded or live.

Academics Pin Requirements:
Earn the Music belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Make a musical instrument and play it for your family, den, or pack.
  2. Teach your den a song.
  3. Play a song by yourself or in a group, in unison or in harmony.
  4. Create an original melody and/or original words for a song.
  5. Using a tape recorder, capture natural sounds of the environment or record songs you create, and use your recording as a soundtrack for a short skit or as background for a movement activity.
  6. Attend a live musical performance or concert.
  7. Demonstrate conducting patterns for two songs using two different meters (two-, three-, or four- beat meter) while your adult partner or den members sing or play the songs you have selected.
  8. Take voice or dance lessons or lessons to learn to play an instrument.
  9. Create movements to a piece of music without words to demonstrate the moods of the music: happy, sad, calm, excited, playful, inspired.
  10. Learn about a composer of some music that you enjoy.

Science Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Explain the scientific method to your adult partner.
  2. Use the scientific method in a simple science project Explain the results to an adult.
  3. 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 Requirements:
Earn the Science belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Make a simple electric motor that works.
  2. Find a stream or other area that shows signs of erosion. Try to discover the cause of the erosion.
  3. Plant seeds. Grow a flower, garden vegetable, or other plant.
  4. Use these simple machines to accomplish tasks: lever, pulley, wheel-and-axle, wedge, inclined plane, and screw.
  5. 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.
  6. Build models of two atoms and two molecules, using plastic foam balls or other objects.
  7. Make a collection of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and label them.
  8. Learn about a creature that lives in the ocean. Share what you have learned with your den or family.
  9. Label a drawing or diagram of the bones of the human skeleton.
  10. Make a model or poster of the solar system. Label the planets and the sun.
  11. Do a scientific experiment in front of an audience. Explain your results.

  12. Read a book about a science subject that interests you.

Weather Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Make a poster that shows and explains the water cycle.
  2. Set up a simple weather station to record rainfall, temperature, air pressure, or evaporation for one week.
  3. Watch the weather forecast on a local television station.

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

  1. Define the following terms: weather, humidity, precipitation, temperature, and wind.
  2. 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.
  3. Describe the climate in your state. Compare its climate with that in another state.
  4. Describe a potentially dangerous weather condition in your community. Discuss safety precautions and procedures for dealing with this condition.
  5. Define what is meant by acid rain. Explain the greenhouse effect.
  6. Talk to a meteorologist about his or her job. Learn about careers in meteorology.
  7. Make a weather map of your state or country, using several weather symbols.
  8. Explain the differences between tornadoes and hurricanes.
  9. Make a simple weather vane. Make a list of other weather instruments and describe what they do.
  10. Explain how weather can affect agriculture and the growing of food.
  11. Make a report to your den or family on a book about weather.

  12. Explain how rainbows are formed and then draw and color a rainbow.

Wildlife Conservation Loop & Pin   return to top of page

Belt Loop Requirements:
Complete these three requirements:

  1. Explain what natural resources are and why it's important to protect and conserve them.
  2. Make a poster that shows and explains the food chain. Describe to your den what happens if the food chain becomes broken or damaged.
  3. 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 Requirements:
Earn the Wildlife Conservation belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

  1. Visit a wildlife sanctuary, nature center, or fish hatchery.
  2. Collect and read five newspaper or magazine articles that discuss conservation of wildlife and report to your family or den what you learn.
  3. Learn about five animals that use camouflage to protect themselves.
  4. Make a birdbath and keep a record for one week of the different birds that visit it.
  5. Make a collage of animals that are in the same class: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals.
  6. Make a plaster cast of an animal track. Show it to your den.
  7. 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.
  8. Visit a state park or national park.
  9. Participate in an environmental service project that helps maintain habitat for wildlife, such as cleaning up an area or planting trees.