9 Places That Use Levers: Cub Scout Nova Award Swing!

Cub Scouts need to visit a place that uses levers for the Nova Award Swing! Here are 9 suggestions plus helpful information to prepare for your visit.

We're working through how to earn the Cub Scout Nova award, Swing! If you're following the series, this week, we're working on requirement 4. This Swing! requirement involves a field trip to visit a place that uses levers. Here's the full requirement.

Cub Scout Nova Award Swing! Requirement 4. Do the following:

A. Visit a place that uses levers, such as a playground, carpentry shop, construction site, restaurant kitchen, or any other location that uses levers.
B. Discuss with your counselor the equipment or tools that use levers in the place you visited.

The counselor edition of the requirements tells us:

Visitations to places like carpentry shops, construction sites, restaurant kitchens, etc., will require advance planning by the counselor. The counselor should call ahead to make arrangements, and make plans to have appropriate supervision of all Scouts.

The site will very likely have rules and instructions that must be followed. The counselor should help ensure that all the participants are aware of and follow those rules. This may include safety procedures and other instructions.

Places that Use Levers

Here are a few suggestions of places to visit that use levers.

• Playground – Seesaws, swings
• Restaurant Kitchen – Can openers, bottle openers
• Construction Site – Crowbars, backhoes, shovels
• Carpentry Shop – Hammers
• Tailor/Dressmaker/Seamstress – Scissors
• Salon or Barbershop – Scissors, chair
• Auto Repair Garage – Parking brakes, jacks
• Movers – Dollies
• Physical Therapists – Joints

Preparing for Visit to Place that Uses Levers

For most of these visits, you'll need to plan your visit ahead of time. Find out if someone you know works at one of these places.

You can ask other parents in your pack, people you know personally, or folks in your neighborhood. Our neighborhood has a Facebook group, so if yours does, you can use that as a resource.

When you schedule the visit, explain to the professional the purpose of your visit so that they can point out levers and how they use them in their business.

Ask if it's OK to take photographs or videos. The kids can use these for their discussion with their counselor.

If you want to visit a restaurant kitchen, it's probably best to do that when they aren't busy. You don't want to be there during the hustle and bustle of the lunch or dinner hour.

Due to the health privacy laws, it might be best to have a physical therapist visit you. They could still show the Cub Scouts what they do by using a parent or Cub Scout volunteer. Or you might be able to visit them after they close when there are no clients.

Safety at Places that Use Levers

Safety is going to be very important for these visits. You'll need to make sure you have proper supervision of the Cub Scouts especially if you have several in the group. I would probably want to have one parent for every two Scouts.

For most of these locations, the safety rules may seem pretty obvious–keep the kids away from the “action.” But you'll want to ask when you schedule your visit.

If you're going to a restaurant, will everyone need to wear a hairnet? Will they need hardhats at the construction site? What about safety glasses at the auto garage or carpentry shop?

Before your visit, discuss the safety procedures with your Scouts. Explain why you have the rules and what the consequences of not following them may be.

Kids are smart, so I think if they understand what could happen, they're more likely to follow the rules. Oh, and throwing in “A Scout is Obedient” never hurts either! ?

The Cub Scouts will want to bring a small notepad and pencil. If they have permission, they can bring a device that takes photos or video. Just be sure to remind them that they are only allowed to use the device for photos/video and only during specific times.

What to Do During Visit to Place that Uses Levers

Your visit could start with the Cub Scouts looking for levers. Even if they need to stand in one place, they can look around the facility to identify the levers they see. Have them identify what class of lever they see.

To practice for this, you might want to have the Cub Scouts do a “lever search” at home, looking for any levers they see and identifying what class of lever they are.

Have the Scouts record what types of levers they see. If the professional has given permission, the kids can take photos or videos to document what they've seen. If they can't take photos, have them write down what they've seen.

Next, the professional can explain what they do and how they use levers. If it's possible, a demonstration is a great way to help the kids understand.

What to Do After Visit to Place that Uses Levers

Immediately after the visit, ask the Cub Scouts to share what levers they saw. If it's possible, have the Nova counselor there in person or virtually (via FaceTime or Skype).

If the counselor can't be there, this discussion will help the kids remember what they learned for when they can meet with the counselor.

Don't forget to have the Cub Scouts write a thank you note to the professional you visited!

Leave a comment to tell me about your Cub Scout's visit to a place that uses levers!

Yours in Scouting,
Sherry

P.S. Check out all the information to help your Cub Scout earn the Nova award, Swing!