Whittling Chip Curriculm

[Scouting4Ever 11]

This year I am going to teach the Whittling Chip. Do you have any links to a curriculum that I could use?

 

I remember somewhere seeing a parents permission form that I would like to use. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Scoutfish 16]

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/award/whittling_chip-434.as

 

Also, even though it is NOT required, we made a simple little true false test to help the boys show what they learned:

 

 

True or False

 

1. You should close the blade with the palm of your hand

2. A knife is just a toy.

3. It's okay to keep your knife wet.

4. A dull knife is more likely to slip and cut you.

5. You should carry your knife open in your pocket in case you

need to use it.

6. Carving your initials into a tree is okay.

 

We also had a fill in the blank ( also not required) with answer choices:

 

I understand the reason for ______________rules.

 

I will treat my pocketknife with the ____________due a useful too.

 

I will always _________ my pocketknife and put it away when not in use.

 

I will not use my pocketknife when it might _______ someone near me.

 

I ________ never to throw my pocketknife for any reason.

 

I will use my pocketknife in a safe manaor at ______ times.

 

Close * Respect * Injure * Promise * All * Safety

 

 

Now, I cannot remember if it was in the book, or if I read it somewhere else, but teach them this:

 

When handing the knife to somebody ( even if blade closed) wait until they take the knife AND say "Thank you" before letting go. If you are recieving the knife hold it, but do not take it away until the person handing it to you replies by saying "You are welcome" and lets go.

 

Saying thanks you is your way of saying that you are taking control over the safe holding of the knife.

 

Saying your welcome is your way of saying that you are giving up control of the knife and letting the other person have it.

 

This is the best way to keep a knife from being dropped or yanked out of somebody's hand.

 

For practice, I went to a dollar store and bought 3-packs of Ivory and Lever 2000 for ...a dollar!

 

I opened the packages up and let the soap dry out for a few days. Fresh, it is a bit too soft.

 

Ivory works great, but I hate that "fluffy"

 

smell. Lever 200 doesn't smell fluffy and there are also less perfumes in case some of your kids are a bit sensitive or allergic to stuff like that.(This message has been edited by scoutfish)

[SSScout 1615]

Scouter,com has discussed this before:

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=253281#id_253583

 

and http://mypack507.org/docs/Whittling%20Chip%20Requirements.pdf

 

among lots of google things.

 

Have fun be careful...

 

KiSMiF

 

[Scoutfish 16]

Two more things:

 

I did not buy my son a knife from the scout shop. Personally, i didn't want to pay extra just for the BSA logo.

I went to a mlitary surplus stote and the guy behind the counter( who used to be an Eagle) let my son hold 4 or 5 different pocket knifes that we were gonna choose from.

 

My son picked one that the handle was a little bit wider. It was more comfortable to him. It had a 21/2to 3 " lock blade on it.

 

The counter guy brought up a great point too: The kids are just learning. Sometimes, they pull backwards on the knife while it still has pressure on the material being carved. The blade could close and cut the scout!

 

But with a lock-blade, that won't happen. Once they are pretty comfortable with and used to using a knife, you can decide if a non lock blade or multi tool knife is the way to go.

[bbender 21]

There is also the Shavings and Chips Den Meeting Plan at

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/CubScoutMeetingGuide/bear/BearSupplementalMeetingB.pdf

 

Has a fill in the blank test handout too.

[dg98adams 18]

This is usually not a hi-tech session, I have done several this way.

 

I made a giant pocket knife using card board. Do all the demos with this "knife" while you talk about safety. If you can grab some red lipstick and coat the "blade edge" it can run home the "be careful closing the knife" part.

 

It's fun passing it around and have the Bears/Webelos repeat one different thing from what you just went over to the Scout on his left.

 

It becomes more or a "campfire activity" than a teaching session which is a lot more memorable.

[shortridge 184]

- One of the most important things is making sure each Cub has plenty of space in which to work. This is not a project to work on with eight kids huddled around a single picnic table!

 

- Get a length of brightly colored ribbon or thin cord to tie through the handle/loop on each knife. It makes them easier to spot when they're dropped (which they most certainly will be over the course of a Cub's career).

 

- Sharpening is perhaps the most difficult thing to teach Cubs. Talking about angles and degrees doesn't help them much. The best thing to do is show each of them up-close, 1-on-1, how to hold the blade properly, and then watch them do it.

 

- Whet their appetites ... tell them that when they become Boy Scouts, they'll learn how to use an axe, saw and hatchet!

[bbender 21]

"they'll learn how to use an axe, saw and hatchet!" ====> Yeah, and then when they do that as first year Boy Scouts, then tell them that when they go to Philmont, they'll learn to throw a tomahawk!!

 

One of the amusing things I've experienced in doing this with Cubs is that there will (a) always be someone who talks about how experienced he is with a knife on account of experience with his dad or whatever, and (b) always be someone who is really nervous and shakey when opening and closing the pocketknife.

 

The amusing part: often it is the same person who was talking about all his experience.

 

I always sit in a corner of the room or space, and I set up my knife guy so he has his back to the "the others" and they can't see him sweat and shake! ;^)