BackYard Jungle- Tigers 1st belt loops (Needed) with BSA Modifications

Backyard Jungle Requirement

*The BSA has modified the handbooks to make it easier for scouts to reach their goal.
So according to the Modification - you HAVE to do #5 plus at least 2 others.
So instead of doing 5 requirements you will only do 3 of them. Nice!

The 1 ft hike.

This is the 1st Tiger requirement in the Tiger handbook.

Being  me, I almost made it more complicated than need be.

I wanted to take him hiking and do it. But we haven't had an opportunity in the last month and a half, so we did it in our front yard.

I let him choose 2 spots to try to get more stuff. Since most people in Texas treat their yards, it was hard to find any bugs. But my son found a feather, some grass that looked eaten, an acorn that was eaten, squirrels in the tree above, and frogs.

So to me, that was his 1 foot hike in the city.

I also made him write everything down so that he could remember. And took lots of pictures to help document everything.

2nd requirement- Point out 2 different kinds of birds that live in your area.

This one is easy. We did this one morning while walking to the bus stop. We looked at every tree and powerline until we found 2 different birds. Ours were a scissortail and a pigeon. It was hard for my son to get a real good look at it, so I made him go online to see better pictures. The whole "listen to the bid. What sounds are they making?" Yeah, we couldn't really hear them individually.

Requirement 3- Plant a tree or plant in your neighborhood

We are staying at family's house right now so it's not exactly like you can just say, hey I'm going to plant a tree. And our neighborhood has a country club so I thought maybe they wouldn't appreciate it if my son planted a plant. So my son planted a peach seed in the back yard. Chances of it growing are slim to none but he was super excited to do it. I also had some seeds for Texas wild flowers, so he will be planting that in a pot that we have.

Requirement 4- Build and Hang a Birdhouse

I wrote a whole post on this. Here is the link.
http://cubscouttigermom.blogspot.com/2015/10/cub-scout-crafts-birdhouse-out-of-carton.html
Here is a picture:

Requirement 5- Go on a walk and pick out 2 different sounds you hear in your jungle
Super easy. Before school, we walk to the bus stop. We heard a mower, birds, squirrels, cars, the bus, the wind rustling the leaves, a swing chain clinking every time he swung...There were a lot of sounds in 15 minutes. And since we go out every evening selling popcorn, we listened one evening just for giggles. He heard crickets and birds and other stuff.

And that is how my son earned his Backyard jungle belt loop!

And yes, you need this so that your son can get his tiger badge.
What is the point? So that your scout can get to know his "backyard" or his neighborhood. To show that you don't have to go to a forest to see wild animals. To appreciate his surroundings.
So go out and have some fun exploring your own back yard jungle!