Scouting magazine

Learn from the Handbook: Sleep on it

Let's face it: It isn't hard to knock out for a good night's sleep after a long day hiking the trails at Philmont. You're out like a light as soon as your feet slide into the sleeping bag.

If only getting to sleep the rest of the year could be that simple.

You need about eight hours a night, and the guys in your pack, troop, or crew probably need even more. Chances are that's not happening, and the new edition of the Boy Scout Handbook can help.

Page 110 in the Fitness chapter (Chapter 3) explains the importance of sleep. The book acknowledges that a boy's rigorous schedule can often make sleep a low priority. Sound familiar? A full day at the office followed by a full night of Scout meetings can be just a tiring. To help alleviate that problem, the handbook offers these tips:

• Plan your schedule so you go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
• Enjoy some physical activities during the day.
• Avoid soft drinks that contain caffeine as well as sugary foods and drinks in the evening.
• Set aside quiet time as you are getting ready for bed. The bright lights of televisions and computer screens can prevent your brain from quieting down for sleep.

The handbook also reminds you to take keep an eye on your eyes. If they are red or achy, lack of sleep might be the culprit.

Learn from the Handbook: Boy Scouts and Leave No Trace

With millions of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers heading to national parks, state parks, and other public land each year, there's bound to be some irreversible harm done to nature.

But the point of Leave No Trace is to minimize that harm. The organization, whose Web site is available here, travels the country to educate Scouts and Scouters about the best ways to enjoy the outdoors without abusing it.

Cracker Barrel heard a presentation from two LNT Traveling Trainers at a conference at Philmont last week. The presenters told us that the BSA spends a combined 30 million days outside each year. That's a lot of impact!

And even though your unit may be practicing responsible use, other units aren't so courteous, we were told. Here are four common complaints LNT hears about Scouting units:

• The kids are out of control.
• Units make too much noise.
• Groups are too large.
• Scouts exhibit poor camping skills.

So what can be done to get back on the right track? Start with Chapter 7 of the new Boy Scout Handbook. The chapter, which starts on page 244, discusses the principles of Leave No Trace and how boys can implement them in their troop. The BSA has taken a proactive approach to the program, making Leave No Trace a requirement for Second Class and First Class.

Looking to do even more? You can ask the LNT Traveling Trainers to make a visit to your crew, troop, or pack meeting. If they have time and are in the area, they'll stop by for free to give a presentation. Just click here for details.

Chime In: What is your unit doing to minimize its impact on the planet? How can you be doing better?

Learn from the Handbook: Weather Lore

Unless you’re taking a Philmont trek in summer, when you can set your watch by the afternoon thunderstorms, it’s almost impossible to predict the weather.

But don’t give up on becoming the unofficial office meteorologist just yet. Simply absorb some easy-to-remember weather folklore to increase your odds of an accurate forecast. You can learn it all from Learn from the Handbook—on page 238, to be exact.

If you step outside and see any of these signs, pleasant weather is on the way:

-       “Red sky at night, sailor delight.” Dust particles in dry air make the sunset glow red.

-       “Swallows flying way up high mean there’s no rain in the sky.” High-pressure systems carry insects up into the air, and swallows follow their food aloft.

-       “If smoke goes high, no rain comes by.” Smoke going straight up from your campfire means there’s no wind to bring storms toward you.

-       “When dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.” Cool, clear, dew-forming nights bring nice weather the next day.

If you see any of these signs, however, better pack an umbrella:

-       “Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.” Don’t expect much “delight” if the dry, dusty air moving toward the rising sun causes a reddish sunrise. That could mean that moist air is approaching from the west.

-       “Swallows flying near the ground mean a storm will come around.” Heavy, moist wings cause swallows to fly lower.

-       “When grass is dry at morning light, look for rain before the light.” The opposite is also true of dewy grass.

-       “Mackerel scales and mares’ tails make lofty ships carry low sails.” “Scales” and “tails” mean rare cirrus cloud formations that alert you to changing weather.

Chime In: Know any other weather sayings? Share them in the comment box below. 

Learn from the Handbook: Count on It

Let’s say you’re on the trail when you see a distant lightning strike. Or you’re at your son’s soccer game when thunder rumbles in the distance. Is it safe to continue?

Knowing how far away a lightning strike is and whether it is coming toward you or drifting away can be an important tool in keeping you, your family, and your unit safe. You don’t have to be a meteorologist to figure it out, either—you just need page 352 of the new Boy Scout Handbook. And knowing how to count helps, too.

When you see lightning, start counting: one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three, and so on. Stop once you’ve heard thunder. Sound travels a mile every five seconds, approximately. So if you’ve gotten to one-thousand-five in your count, the lightning strike was a mile away.

Many scientists say that if lightning is closer than three miles away, the danger is imminent. In fact, any time you can hear thunder you could be in striking distance of lightning. Thirty-one people have died in 2009 because of lightning strikes, so don’t take this warning lightly. Seek shelter immediately in a permanent building if the storm is nearby.

For more information on lightning safety and awareness, check out this site from the National Weather Service.

Update: We've corrected some of the numbers and information in this story. Thanks to Rob and Marc for pointing out the previous inaccuracies.

Learn from the Handbook: Lessons Learned

The new Boy Scout Handbook is great, but its title is somewhat misleading. It’s not just useful for boys or Scouts—anyone can find a wealth of information inside.

That’s where our Learn from the Handbook series comes in. Each week we’re bringing you great tips straight from the handbook to enhance both your Scouting life and your experiences outside of the program.

This week, let’s talk about teaching others a skill. Since a Scout is helpful, conferring your talents to the boys in your unit is a basically the Law. But in your professional life or time spent at home, we know you find yourself training others to perform tasks all the time.

For help, simply flip open your handbook to page 53 or grab your iPhone and open the new BSA Handbook app (read our review of the app here {INSERTLINK}). There you’ll find the “Teaching EDGE,” a clever guide to instructing others. Check it out:

E: Explain how the skill is done.
D: Demonstrate the necessary steps.
G: Guide the learners as they participate.
E: Enable them to use the new skill on their own.

So whether you’re teaching a group of Webelos Scouts how to tie a square knot or demonstrating the finer points of open-heart surgery to a bunch of medical students, the EDGE method helps others learn while also making you better at performing the skill. Everybody wins! 

Chime In: How have you used the EDGE method to teach others?

Learn from the Handbook: Head Above Water

On an airplane, you’re reminded that your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device. But what if there’s no Boeing 737 nearby to help you stay afloat in the water? How do you stay alive when stranded at sea?

Need we say: Don’t panic? Instead, just take a breath and check out the Boy Scout Handbook. Well, don’t try to read it while treading water—just know what to do ahead of time so you’ll stay alive out there.

Start by learning survival floating, found on page 192. The paragraph and illustration teach you how to take a deep breath and relax face down, a technique many know as the “dead man’s float.” When you need a breath, simply push up, breathe, and return to the position.

Using your body’s natural buoyancy can keep you alive without overexerting yourself by treading water.

If this isn’t working, you can always use your clothes to keep your head above water. Follow these steps:

1. Remove your pants.
2. Inflate a pocket—that way your pants will float even if they slip out of your hands for a second.
3. Tie the pant legs together near the cuffs with a square knot.
4. Close the fly.
5. Hold the waistband of the pants open just below the surface. Cup your hand and strike the water, following through so that air caught by your hand goes into the pants.
6. Repeat until the pants are inflated.
7. Use both hands to hold the waistband closed and keep the air inside.
8. Place the pant legs around your neck life a makeshift life vest.
9. Swim to safety on your back.
10. As you swim, make sure to splash water on the inflated pants from time to time to keep them wet. Dry pants will lose air more quickly.

The handbook recommends this method instead of trying to blow air into the pants, which might cause you to tire or hyperventilate—not good when out in open water.

For more tips to keep you and your pack, troop, or crew safe in the water, check out the handbook’s Aquatics section, which starts on page 178.

Learn from the Handbook: Take a Deep Breath

For all of the efforts you take to keep your group safe on weekend trips, one of the greatest dangers to you and your family might be waiting when you get home: carbon monoxide.

The most commonly inhaled poison, carbon monoxide is a gas given off by car engines, appliances, charcoal grills, furnaces, and fireplaces.

This week’s installment of our new Learn from the Handbook series tells you how to avoid inhaled poisons and administer first aid if someone is exposed. You also can find all the information we’re using in this post on page 170 of the new Boy Scout Handbook.

OK, so it’s dangerous. But how do you avoid it? Start by keeping your lawnmower or car turned off whenever it’s in a closed garage or shed. These gas-powered devices give off tons of the harmful vapor. Also, you shouldn’t cook indoors with wood or charcoal. And, please, keep those gas stoves, ovens, candles, or other flames out of your tent while camping. There are better—and safer—ways to stay warm.

If someone is exposed to carbon monoxide or other harmful fumes, they might develop a headache, dizziness, or nausea. Here’s how to treat a victim:

1. Check the scene.
2. Approach safely. Don’t make yourself another victim.
3. Get the victim some fresh air.
4. Call for medical help.
5. Check that the victim is still breathing and that his or her heart is still beating.
6. Perform rescue breathing and CPR, if necessary.

It's also a good idea to purchase a carbon-monoxide detector. These devices, which cost around $20 to $40, alert you if they sense harmful levels of the gas.

For more helpful tips for use both in and out of Scouting, check out your new handbook. Or just come back next week for another edition of Learn from the Handbook.