Excellent work!
The Jumping Mice outdid themselves at Lookout Mountain on Sunday. We started a new skill (check here for a look at our Skills Progression) for the group — carving. As with any skill or any venture worth pursuing in life, learning to carve is about more than just knife against wood. There’s the attempt to create something of value, of course: in our case the boys worked on tent pegs, chopsticks and butter knives. Before we can expect a usable finished product, however, many personal characteristics come into play.
Mentor Brian began on Sunday by telling a story about a young boy who watched a sculptor etch the statue of a man from a block of granite. The process took months, during which the boy said little. When the figure was complete, the sculptor asked the boy for his impressions. He responded, “How did you know that was in there?”
The first thing we encouraged your Explorers to do was envision what was in their cedar blank. Did the size, shape or grain of the wood hint as to what was inside? Did the Explorer have a hankering for a certain product? Start with an end in mind to increase your odds of success.
Other important traits that we didn’t explicitly mention (for fear of putting them all to sleep!) include the ability to focus intently, to follow instructions, to overcome frustration and persist through failure, to exercise self-control and more.
And, critically, as expressed in the Boys Explorers Club motto - Safety first! Here's our introduction to the skill of carving (background and video) for more information. The boys learned the importance of balance and of another Boys Explorers Club motto, Slow if Fast; Fast is Slow to producing a quality outcome and to avoiding injury.
Bottom line — the Jumping Mice did very well. This is a group that has had trouble focusing in circle; Glen and I saw none of that impatience during our guided, closely monitored carving session. Rather, the boys, some of whom were somewhat cold and wet, zeroed in on this task and made noticeable progress. See if you notice signs that your Explorer has improved attention at home.
Once we’d packed up our knives, we headed down to the creek to play a game with the Ospreys, a Girls Explorers Club group who happened to also be at Lookout Mountain that day. When we met up with them, however, they were learning the basics of starting a fire, so we observed their attempts to light damp twigs. Both the girls and the boys now have a greater appreciation of just how difficult that can be!
We next meet on Saturday, March 17 for a service outing. More on that as we get closer. In the meantime, check out Sunday’s photo gallery.
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