Valley Highlands Area Newsletter… November 2004
“Notes ’N’ News”
“Notes’N’News”
is the new monthly e-newsletter from Valley Highlands Area. We plan to make it your number one source for
information, announcements and Ideas for your programs. What goes into it is up to you. We need your input to make this happen…. All Adult and Youth members are ask to Please
send your “Submissions” to Chris Tyler by email to FirstscoutKim@aol.com by the 15th
of the current month for inclusion in the following months newsletter. Monthly Publication Date is the 2nd. Thank you.
Commissioner Jim….
Useless Trivia… I never get lost…Someone is always telling me where to go!
The Lord made
a few perfect heads…The rest he covered with hair!
Knowledge comes…But wisdom Lingers!
Upcoming Program Events…
November 18th… Area Meeting. (Call Michelle Niefer for details)
December 4th … Camp Zero Day Hike. (Call Grouch for details) Ken Richardson Tel: 258 1348
December 4th … Commissioners Forum.
January 5th … Winter Camp Skills. (Call Roger Nuttall for details)
January 15th … Kim and Keo Workshops. (Call Roger Nuttall for details).
Useless Trivia… Look at all things as they are… Not as you wish to see them!
In the News…
A Camp in space:
Today I bought a couple of chocolate bars from the Cubscouts of pack 4491. They were raising funds for their Christmas
camp. A Sixer told me that last year
they spent New Year’s eve sleeping under a rocket at the
How about a sleepover at
How about a winter camp at
The Freezie Award: This is a
certificate awarded to each Cub and Scout who survives a night at winter camp
in temperatures below zero°C. (60°F. in
Other News….
Gotta D.V.D
Player? Beware or at least Be Aware that
Filmmakers are testing a new product - A self-destructing D.V.D that will be
unplayable 48hrs after opening the package.
There are several reasons for doing this but sufficient here to say be
careful when buying D.V.D’s. Filmmaker’s
say that a permanent version of the movie/s will be available at a later date
so unless you really want to buy a one-time disc for $4 - $8. Check the packaging carefully. First film in this format is “Noel” released
Nov.12th.2004
Useless
Trivia… It is not possible to get anxious about the
past so there is little point in becoming depressed about the future.
Krafty Ideas…
Silhouettes. Christmas Crafts: Hang large sheets of newspaper on the wall. Project a bright light onto the paper and have a youth sit or stand between the light and the paper casting a shadow of the youth. Have another youth draw around the shadow. Now… decorate the shadow with autumn leaves etc. taking care not to cross outside the shadow area. Add a message and when dry roll up the “card” and tie with ribbon and a bow. Youth give “themselves” to parents and family for Christmas
Soap Balls: Christmas Crafts 2: Have the Youth make Soap Balls and Bath Salts for Christmas gifts.
Here’s how- Mix two teaspoons of hot water with liquid food colouring and scent with lemon or cloves.
Add ½ cup of soap Flakes to make a dough then mold into small balls. Or wrap a whole piece around
thick yarn to make a ball on a string. Pack into a small-decorated box.
To make the bath salts – Add several drops of food colouring to a
box of baking soda and mix well - pack into baby food jars with home made
labels. (Can be scented too)
Spludge Cards: Give each youth an 8” x 4” piece of white card. Fold card into 4x4 shape. Open card and add blobs of bright coloured paints along the fold. Gently refold the card and spread the air out of the card and create the Spludge. Open card and allow to dry. Refold the card so the design is now OUTSIDE and write message inside. Give cards to parents with gifts for Christmas etc
For Older Youth…. Birdhouses… Now is the time to start making birdhouses ready for the springtime. There are many good sources of ideas and patterns for these but if you are stuck send me an email and I will send patterns and instructions by return. Put them out as soon as possible so that they get a chance to “weather”
Make and use a moon compass. Hiking is just as much fun after dark as it is in daylight but less challenging with a Moon Compass…. Try it and see for yourself.
Make and use a reflecting telescope to view the moon and stars. You will need a shaving mirror, a piece of black card and a fairly good magnifying glass. After that a clear, crisp night and you are all set to test your work. (The instructions are in the microdot at the end of this message).
The Weather has an awful habit of spoiling our plans so why not learn how to forecast your own weather and then deal with it… rather than wait for a warm sunny day? Weather forecasting is of course a science but that can wait till next month, for this month let’s start with some folklore on weather forecasting. Check them out this month. Start a weather log from your own observation, not the TV forecast (Always wrong unless its raining!)
1. Red sky at night = Shepherds delight, Red sky in the morning = Sailor’s warning. This saying may be true but a yellow sunset often brings unsettled weather. 2. Rain before seven, fine by eleven. Often comes true unless the sky is full of Stratus cloud. 3. Shiny morning, Cloudy day. Frequently true. “Shiny” is the clue here; A dazzling dawn often deteriorates. 4. Rain from the East, A day’s rain at least. Probably more often true, Snow is more likely in winter. 5. Mackerel sky and mares tails make tall ships wear small tails. True. Indicates unsettled weather with squalls and an increase of wind within 12 hours. 6. The farther the sight, the nearer the rain. Pretty accurate. In England we know that –“ if you can see far, it is going to rain – If you can’t – It is raining,” and if the sun is shining at Midnight – your well and truly lost.
There are many proverbs concerning the weather…. Benjamin Franklin once said – “Some are weatherwise, and some are otherwise.” And the Chinese have a proverb about Bamboo - “It bends in storms, and it stands because it bends”
You cannot fight the weather. It is foolish to try, but you can learn the effects of certain types weather and be equipped to deal with it and be relatively comfortable whilst outdoors in adverse conditions – Hot or cold.
Humidity. If the air is saturated with moisture, perspiration cannot evaporate from the skin, body heat builds up and heat stroke follows.
Rain. If you are out in the rain and put on waterproofs, remember that you can get just as wet from perspiration. When you take off the waterproofs after the rain, the perspiration will cool and you can get a chill (fast cool down) leading to other problems. Remember to open your rain suit every little while to let the fresh air in, whilst still keeping the rain out.
Frost. Clear, starry nights in fall, winter, and spring will lead to a drop in temperature, and a frost. If the wind is allied to low temperatures, look out for frostbite on earlobes, fingers and toes. Change clothing completely before turning in for the night.
Wind. Beating against high winds (force 4 or greater) is both exhausting and dangerous. Wind gusts of force 5 can blow walkers off ridges and capsize sailboats or swamp canoes.
Wind, Cold & Wet. This combination can lead to hypothermia. If you are out in these conditions look out for symptoms of hypothermia. Victims will fall behind, have slurred speech, or become excessively talkative, and eventually collapse. The treatment is to get them out of the wind and get them warm. If possible before they collapse, even if this means getting to your destination later than anticipated.
Wind-Chill. Low temperatures in themselves are no real problem if you are properly clad and keep moving. However, if the wind gets up, then the effective temperature is much lower than the air temperature, and that can be lethal if you are not prepared for it. Your flesh can freeze and so too can the water in your waterbottle. Below -5°C pipes freeze and roads become icy. Water on the road freezes when the effective temperature falls to -1°C even though the air temperature is as high as +5°C. So beware of icy roads when driving home tired after a weekend outdoors. The windshield may not be icy, but the road surface can be. (Especially on bridges)
Lightning. Storms often bring lightning. Get rid of or conceal metal objects like ice axes or metal frame rucsacs. Move off high ground and keep away from solitary trees. Woods or forests are good cover, but if you are in exposed country, lie down in a hollow, or sit on your pack without touching the ground. (Uncomfortable) Do not use caves unless there is at least four-six feet of free space all around you.
Clothing. The outdoorsman usually has to consider weight and comfort when he goes outdoors, whatever the weather. Obviously one wears clothes to combat bad weather and as few as possible in hot weather. A few do’s and don’ts can be listed here.
1. Do keep your head covered in cold weather. 30% of the body heat is lost through the head. Wear a toque at night.
2. Wear gloves or better still mittens.
3. Three thin T-shirts are better than one thick sweater. The layers trap air and insulate you from the cold.
4. Do not wear jeans. They give no wind protection and are miserable when wet, and they take a long time to dry out. – Wear wool. Guys might consider wearing Women’s/Girls tights under trousers.
5. If you get wet – by falling overboard for example, put your oilskins on over your wet clothes, this will keep the wind out and you will warm up underneath them.
6. If you get wet on the move. Stay wet. Don’t change clothes until you stop or you will end up with all wet clothes and nothing dry to sleep in.
7. If you wear a cagoule or anorak, get one with a fully opening zip. Not a smock type. You can ensure then that you get adequate ventilation by zipping and unzipping. Continually adjust your layers of clothing to keep yourself pleasantly warm. Try not to sweat any more than necessary.
8. Wear good boots, change socks frequently, wash feet at least daily with soap and water. Above all keep them as dry as possible.
So as you can see, you might not be able to change the weather, but if you make allowances for it, you can get along pretty well, just like the Bamboo.
More next month.
A Scouter’s Five for Christmas
The Candy Cane….
A candy cane is
more meaningful than just a sweet at Christmas…
It can remind us
of Jesus.
Its shape is like
a shepherd’s staff
It’s wide red
stripes remind us that Jesus died for our sins.
Its narrow red
stripes remind us that “by his stripes we are healed”
It’s white stripes
stand for purity of mind and body.
Its peppermint
flavour is similar to hyssop, which was used in biblical times for
purification.
Its taste is
sweet, as it is sweet to Walk and Talk with Jesus.
Turn it upside down, it becomes a
“J” for Jesus.
Carols in mind,
Heaven in the heart,
Rituals of joy and love,
It’s time for us to start.
Shepherds watched the little child,
The wise men came and went,
Mary looked upon her son,
And saw the love God sent,
S is for the Son, born to save.
His love for us He freely gave.
Greg Saari. Age 15
Gods Faithfulness and Love…
The other day I met a most incredible woman, not named, but called Dana. ‘Dana’ was the name of her sewing shop. When I first entered her small, material laden shop, an Arabic Bible caught my eye as it lay on a small velvet covered table next to a King James Version and clearly showed how important they were in Dana’s life. I picked up the Arabic version and asked her about it – she readily shared her story of when she, her husband and her two children survived by dodging bullets daily in her native country of Iraq. I recall with humbleness and admiration the image of her grabbing her two children, crouching over them in a corner of a back room as bullets tore apart her home, shattering glass and embedding themselves into the wall above her head. With her head bowed over her children she had fervently prayed God to keep them safe. Her Faith had shouted to her over the racket “she was never alone.” Her husband never knew if he would find them alive when he returned from duty as a soldier. After months of not knowing if they would ever arrive, Dana and her family came to America with nothing but their faith that God would see them through. And he did. Her daughter is in college, her husband and son are both well and working, and Dana practices her art of sewing. I am reminded never to take for granted God’s boundless mercy and Faithfulness as shown through his promise with the birth of his son. Savior and protector of those in need.
Useless Trivia…
How long does
it take for the sun’s rays to reach earth – At night? About eight minutes.
Hi, I’m Leepy, look for me in every issue of “Notes’N’News” We hope that you have enjoyed this first issue, Don’t forget to write me and tell me what you think, and what you wish to see in each issue. Copy date for next issue is December 15th. Publication Date Jan 2nd 05.
And Finally… Is Kermit the frog left or right handed? Left-handed.