Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure

Adventure Type: Elective
Number of Requirements: 5
Typical Time to Complete: 1 to 2 meetings
Parent Involvement: Low to moderate
Preparation Needed: Maps, compasses, activity materials
Activity Level: Low to moderate, some active games and walking activities
Indoor or Outdoor: Both
Special Requirements: Access to maps and compasses
Supplies Snapshot: Maps, compasses, paper, pencils, markers, crayons, paper plates, smart device (optional)

The Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure introduces Cub Scouts to basic map and compass skills. These are important outdoor skills which help Scouts learn how to navigate and understand the world around them. Through hands-on activities, they build confidence while learning how to find their way.

Scouts practice using maps by finding familiar places such as their home and school. They also learn how to create simple maps with keys and symbols. Along the way, they discover how maps communicate information and help people travel from one place to another.

The adventure also teaches Scouts how to use the four cardinal directions and a compass. By putting these skills together, they gain practical experience that will help them on hikes, campouts, and other outdoor adventures.

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

Printable checkoff sheet for the Wolf Badge (for den or individual use)

Requirement 2: Creating A Simple Map

Draw a map for a friend to locate your home or school.  Create a key for the map.

Drawing a map helps Scouts think about how directions and landmarks help people find their way. Encourage simple drawings rather than detailed artwork. The key is understanding that symbols and a map key help others read the map.

Easy Option: Have Scouts draw a map from their home to a nearby park, school, or meeting place using just a few landmarks and a simple key. See Let’s Go Home.

Requirement 3: Learning Map Directions

Find the directions north, east, south, and west and the compass rose on a map.  

This requirement introduces the compass rose and the four cardinal directions. Use plenty of hands-on examples and real maps. Scouts remember directions better when they can point them out and use them in games.

Easy Option: Give each Scout a map and have them find the compass rose and identify north, east, south, and west.

More ideas:

• Make a Compass Rose: Cub Scouts learn about directions by making a paper plate compass rose.

Requirement 4: Using A Compass

Find the directions north, east, south, and west using a compass.

Many Scouts are excited to use a real compass. Focus on helping them understand that the needle points north and that they can use it to find the other directions. Practice outdoors if possible so they can move around and see the directions in relation to their surroundings.

Easy Option: Mark north, east, south, and west around the meeting area and let Scouts use a compass to walk to each direction.

More resources:

• Campsite Compass: Cub Scouts learn directions with this campsite compass activity.
• Create a Sundial: Cub Scouts make a sundial.
• Simon Says Never Eat Soggy Waffles: Cub Scouts learn directions by playing a Simon Says using a compass.

Requirement 5: Using Maps And Compasses Together

Practice using both a map and a compass.

This requirement brings everything together. Scouts do not need advanced navigation skills. The goal is simply to see how a map and compass work as a team. Keep activities short and practical so they stay engaged.

Easy Option: Take a short walk around a park or schoolyard. Have Scouts use a map to identify landmarks and a compass to confirm directions as they travel. See Park Map Journey.

Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Finding Your Way Adventure requirement 5:

• Orienteering Scavenger Hunt: Cub Scouts find their way from station to station.
• Go Geocaching: Cub Scouts go Geocaching using maps and a compass.
• Map Meandering Mission: Cub Scouts practice using a map and compass while taking a walk in their neighborhood.

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.