6 foot long piece of string and 15-20 toothpicks for each patrol.
Divide in pairs, small groups, or patrols. Give each patrol their gear.
We are expecting a new scout to join our troop today. His name is 'Nano' and he is only 1/2 inch tall. He has never had a chance to explore nature so I'd like you all to help him by building him a 1/4 mile long nature trail (in his scale).
Your patrol should find an interesting area of ground and create a trail for Nano. Lay out the trail using your piece of string. On this trail, mark points of interest with your toothpicks.
Be creative, construct an interesting trail, and remember it is intended to teach Nano about nature.
Give the patrols up to 15 minutes to complete their trails. Award points for creativity in design, applicability of points of interest to nature, trail construction quality, group involvement.
After the activity, you may reflect.
- How did you decide where to build the trail?
- What interesting things did you find?
- What did you learn or teach?
- What teamwork skills did you use?