Is your club going on a campout near
water, maybe the ocean, river or swampy area? This a great place to work on
the animal tracking honor. Animals need water so it should be easy to find
some mammal or bird tracks. Have different Pathfinders help demonstrate
things, this is especially fun at the beach. They can demonstrate making
tracks in the sand by running, walking, different sizes of people, and
direction of travel.
One requirement that would not be a good
idea to complete while on a campout is to set up a feeding station, and then
look at the tracks. This could encourage wild animals to become dependent
on humans for food. Instead have the Pathfinders look along the waters edge
for tracks in the animal's natural environment.
To learn the tracks before heading out
make an "Animal Track Board" showing pictures of animals and their tracks.
You should be able to find pictures of the animal tracks in the following
websites.
If one of your weekend activities is to
learn animal tracking but you have a group of Pathfinders that have already
earned their Animal Tracking honor. Let them help teach but also
might be a good time to have them start a journal of animal tracking
information. Include drawings or photographs of each set of tracks that they
find and identify. Include track measurements and describe the location,
features, and clues related to each track.
