The Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure equips Wolf Cub Scouts with essential navigation skills using maps and compasses, fundamental tools for outdoor exploration. This adventure serves as a practical introduction to geography and orienteering, combining hands-on activities with valuable life skills. Through this program, Scouts not only learn how to find their way but also gain confidence in their ability to navigate different environments.
Scouts begin by learning how to locate their own home on a map, which helps them understand map symbols and scales in a familiar context. This activity ties their personal space to the wider world, making the concept of mapping both accessible and relatable. It encourages them to think about geography on a local scale, which is a building block for understanding broader geographic concepts.
Next, the Finding Your Way adventure challenges Scouts to draw a map from their home to another familiar location, such as their school. They learn how to create a simple map key, which is crucial for anyone reading their map to understand the symbols used. This task not only boosts their drawing and spatial reasoning skills but also emphasizes the importance of clear communication through visual means.
Scouts also learn how to identify the four cardinal directions using a compass and on maps, enhancing their ability to orient themselves in the physical world. Understanding these basic elements of navigation fosters a sense of direction and prepares them for more advanced orienteering tasks.
Finally, the combination of map and compass use in practical exercises teaches Scouts how to apply these tools together to navigate effectively. This results in a well-rounded skill set that can be used in hiking, camping, and in emergencies, fostering greater independence and safety awareness.
The Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure is about learning to use a map and compass. It’s also about developing a deeper appreciation for the environment and acquiring skills that promote responsibility and self-reliance. These foundational skills are not only crucial for outdoor activities but also enhance a Scout’s ability to engage with the world in a confident and informed way.
Requirements for the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure
Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure Requirements
- Using a map, locate where you live.
- Draw a map for a friend to locate your home or school. Create a key for the map.
- Find the directions north, east, south, and west and the compass rose on a map.
- Find the directions north, east, south, and west using a compass.
- Practice using both a map and a compass.
Printable requirements for the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure
Check off sheet to keep track of your den’s progress on the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure
Resources for the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure
Locating Home
Using a map, locate where you live.
Requirement 1 of the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure introduces Wolf Cub Scouts to the basics of map reading by having them locate where they live on a map. This activity is the first step in understanding how maps represent the real world and helps Scouts develop spatial awareness.
- Introduce Different Types of Maps: Start by showing Scouts various types of maps, such as a local city map, a state map, and a country map. Explain how these maps show different levels of detail depending on their scale.
- Finding Home on a Map: Provide Scouts with a local map and help them find landmarks they know, such as schools, parks, and shopping areas. Guide them to locate their own home on the map by tracing routes they know from landmarks to their home.
- Map Symbols and Legends: Teach Scouts about common symbols used on maps and how to read a map legend. This will help them understand how to interpret various features on the map.
- Map Games: Play games that involve map reading skills. For example, you could play “Simon Says” with map directions where you call out directions like “Simon says point north” or “Simon says find the nearest playground on the map.”
- Field Trip: If possible, take Scouts on a walking trip around their neighborhood with a map. Have them match what they see in the real world with their map, checking off landmarks as they go.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 1:
- Google Maps Adventure
- Cub Scouts use Google Maps to show where they live.
- Supplies: computer or tablet with internet access
- indoor, very low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Home Sweet Map
- Cub Scouts find and show their town on a map.
- Supplies: map of the community, pencils
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
By learning to locate their home on a map, Wolf Scouts not only acquire practical skills but also gain a greater appreciation for geography and navigation. This activity sets the foundation for more complex orienteering skills they will learn throughout the Finding Your Way adventure.
Crafting a Personal Map
Draw a map for a friend to locate your home or school. Create a key for the map.
Requirement 2 of the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure tasks Wolf Cub Scouts with drawing a map to help a friend locate their home or school. This activity not only enhances their mapping skills but also encourages precision and creativity in communicating geographic information.
- Choosing the Location: Decide whether the map will lead to the Scout’s home or school. This choice will determine the starting point and the landmarks to include.
- Identify Key Landmarks: Encourage Scouts to think about major landmarks that would help someone find their way, such as large parks, major streets, or noticeable buildings.
- Drawing the Map: Provide Scouts with paper, pencils, and rulers. Guide them to draw the route from a common starting point, like a nearby store or park, to the destination. Encourage them to include side streets and landmarks to make the map as clear and navigable as possible.
- Creating a Map Key: Teach Scouts how to create a simple key that explains the symbols used on their map. This might include symbols for roads, paths, water bodies, and buildings. The key helps ensure that anyone looking at the map can understand it.
- Map Art: Once the functional map is drawn, Scouts can color it and add artistic elements like trees, people, or animals. This makes the map more engaging and personalized.
Here is an option for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 2:
- Let’s Go Home
- Cub Scouts draw a map to their house.
- Supplies: paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
By creating and using their own maps for the Finding Your Way adventure, Wolf Scouts learn important skills such as spatial thinking, symbol recognition, and the basics of cartography. These skills not only aid in their understanding of geography but also enhance their ability to navigate and appreciate the wider world.
Direction Discovery
Find the directions north, east, south, and west and the compass rose on a map.
Requirement 3 of the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure teaches Wolf Cub Scouts how to identify the cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—using a compass rose on a map. This foundational skill is crucial for navigation and understanding how maps relate to the real world.
- Introduction to the Compass Rose: Start with explaining what a compass rose is and how it appears on maps. Show examples on different maps, pointing out the symbols for north (usually marked with a special symbol such as a star or arrow), east, south, and west.
- Identifying Directions on a Map: Provide Scouts with maps and ask them to locate the compass rose on each. Discuss how knowing these directions helps us navigate from one place to another and how they relate to the actual layout of the land.
- Map Orientation Exercise: Teach Scouts how to align a map with the actual directions by using the compass rose. Have them practice turning the map so that north on the map points to true north in the environment.
- Create Your Own Compass Rose: Have Scouts draw and decorate their own compass roses on a blank piece of paper. They can use colors, symbols, and creative designs to personalize their compass rose.
- Directional Tag: Play a game of tag where the person who is “it” calls out a direction from the compass rose (e.g., “north”), and all players must run in that direction to a designated safe zone marked with that label.
Here is an option for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 3:
- Make a Compass Rose
- Cub Scouts learn about directions by making a paper plate compass rose.
- Supplies: Make a Compass Rose worksheet, paper plates, markers, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, Wolf handbook
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
By engaging with maps and compass roses for the Finding Your Way adventure, Wolf Scouts not only learn to identify and use directions effectively but also gain a practical understanding of how to orient themselves in different settings. This skill enhances their confidence in navigation, both on paper and in the natural world.
Compass Skills
Find the directions north, east, south, and west using a compass.
Requirement 4 of the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure focuses on teaching Wolf Cub Scouts how to use a compass to find directions. This essential skill enhances their ability to navigate in various environments, from hiking trails to new cities.
- Compass Basics: Start by explaining the parts of a compass, focusing on the needle that always points north. Show Scouts how to hold a compass flat in their hands and how to read the direction that the needle points.
- Finding Directions: Teach Scouts how to find north using the compass and then how to turn the compass to find east, south, and west. Ensure each Scout practices rotating themselves and the compass to align with these directions.
- Aligning Map and Compass: After finding the directions with the compass, have Scouts use a map to align the map’s north with the compass’s north. This helps them understand how a compass works in conjunction with a map.
- Compass Drawing: Have Scouts draw a large circle on the ground with chalk or rope. Ask them to use the compass to mark where north, south, east, and west would be on the circle. This visual activity reinforces their understanding of compass directions.
- Compass Treasure Hunt: Create a treasure hunt where Scouts use a compass to follow directions to various checkpoints. At each checkpoint, provide a clue to the next direction they need to turn to continue on the path.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 4:
- Campsite Compass
- Cub Scouts learn directions with this campsite compass activity.
- Supplies: Campsite Compass, pencils, Campsite Compass Answer Key
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Create a Sundial
- Cub Scouts make a sundial.
- Supplies: paper plates, bendy straws, pencils, compass, tape
- indoor, low energy, 3 to 5 days prep
- Simon Says Never Eat Soggy Waffles
- Cub Scouts learn directions by playing a Simon Says using a compass.
- Supplies: compass, four pieces of paper, labeled North, South, East, and West, masking tape
- indoor, high energy, 1 to 3 days prep
By mastering how to use a compass to find directions for the Finding Your Way adventure, Wolf Scouts develop a key survival skill that enhances their confidence and independence while outdoors. This practical knowledge is fundamental for any type of outdoor adventure and fosters a deeper connection with the natural world.
Combining Maps and Compasses
Practice using both a map and a compass.
Requirement 5 of the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure empowers Wolf Cub Scouts to integrate the skills of map reading and compass use, reinforcing their navigation abilities. This combined approach equips Scouts with a comprehensive understanding of orienteering, enhancing their readiness for outdoor adventures.
- Brief Review: Start with a quick review of how to read a map and a compass separately. Make sure the Scouts can identify major symbols on a map and know how to find directions with their compass.
- Combining the Skills: Demonstrate how to align the map with the compass. Lay the map flat and teach Scouts how to rotate the map so that the north on the map aligns with the magnetic north indicated by the compass needle. This alignment is crucial for accurate navigation.
- Setting a Course: Choose a simple destination point on the map and ask Scouts to plan a route to it using the map. Then, have them use the compass to guide their actual walking direction. This can be practiced in a safe, open area where Scouts can walk from point to point.
- Map and Compass Relay: Create a relay race where each team must use a map and compass to navigate to checkpoints. At each checkpoint, there’s a task or puzzle to solve that involves map reading or direction finding before they can move to the next point.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 5:
- Go Geocaching
- Cub Scouts go Geocaching using maps and a compass.
- Supplies: Activity Consent Form, smart device
- outdoor, high energy, a week or more prep
- Map Meandering Mission
- Cub Scouts practice using a map and compass while taking a walk in their neighborhood.
- Supplies: map of the neighborhood, compasses, Activity Consent Form
- outdoor, high energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Park Map Journey
- Practice using a map and compass at a park.
- Supplies: map of local park, compasses, Activity Consent Form
- outdoor, moderate energy, 1 to 3 days prep
Practicing with both a map and a compass together prepares Wolf Scouts for real-world scenarios where precise navigation is essential. These activities for the Finding Your Way adventure not only solidify their understanding of each tool but also help them appreciate how these skills apply in nature and in everyday life.
Orienteering Scavenger Hunt: You can just set up one course and have them all do it together, or you can set up two or three courses and split them into groups.
Before any activity, check the SAFE Checklist to make sure everyone is safe. Everyone involved in Scouting America activities should know the Guide to Safe Scouting and other relevant guides or books. Also follow any state or local rules that are more strict than Scouting America rules and guidelines.
Before starting a craft activity, watch the Craft Tips video.
Before beginning this Adventure, complete the following:
- Review the Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities.
- Complete the online “Hazardous Weather” training for den leaders on my.scouting. If you have already completed training for den leader, Cubmaster, or pack committee chair, you have done this module.
- Watch the Weather Related Safety Moment video.
- Check the BSA Annual Health and Medical Record for all Cub Scouts and adults going on the walk for any safety concerns.
- If anyone in the den, youth, or adults, carries an EpiPen for severe allergies, ensure at least one other adult knows how to use it. Review the Safety Moment on anaphylaxis for more information.
During the Adventure:
- Use the buddy system.
- All adults should provide active supervision.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure
How do I find my house on a map?
Look for familiar landmarks on the map like schools, parks, or major streets. Then, find the street where you live and locate your house.
What is a map key?
A map key is a list of symbols used on a map and what each symbol means. It helps you understand the map better.
How do I find north on a map?
Look for the compass rose on the map. It shows the directions. North is usually at the top of the map.
How do I use a compass to find directions?
Hold the compass flat in your hand. The needle will point towards north. Turn until the needle matches the direction mark for north on the compass, then see where the other directions fall.
Why do I need to use both a map and a compass?
Using both a map and a compass helps you figure out where you are and where you need to go. The map shows you the layout of the land, and the compass helps you head in the right direction.
Navigate Like a Pro
The Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure equips Wolf Cub Scouts with essential navigation skills, merging the traditional techniques of map reading and compass use. This adventure begins by teaching Scouts how to locate their own homes on a map, providing a practical and personal introduction to geographic concepts. By drawing their own maps and creating a key, Scouts learn to communicate spatial information effectively.
Scouts then move on to mastering the compass—a vital tool for outdoor exploration. They practice finding the cardinal directions both on a map and in the natural environment using a compass. This dual approach reinforces their understanding of navigation and ensures they can orient themselves in different settings.
The Finding Your Way adventure culminates in exercises that combine the use of both maps and compasses, preparing Scouts for real-world scenarios where precise navigation is required. Through fun and interactive activities like treasure hunts and orienteering challenges, Scouts apply their new skills in engaging and meaningful ways.
The Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure teaches fundamental navigation skills and also instills confidence in Scouts, empowering them to explore the world more safely and knowledgeably.
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