Jumping rope for fitness and learning to test heart rates

Summary

Walking to Webelos is a session aimed to help new Webelos scouts work towards the requirements of earning their Webelos patch.  This is day 1 of our Walking to Webelos activities at day camp for 2013.  The opening exercises are shared between Walking to Webelos and Aiming for Arrow (aimed at Webelos 2 scouts).

Supplies

• jump ropes
• webelos patch diagram

Webelos patches

• uniform diagram

• Webelos badge study guide and Webelos Badge and Uniform Resources (local link in case that one fails)

Requirements covered and activities for each requirement

Opening exercises: Test Your Heartbeat and Jumping Rope

Did you know that you can’t actually hear a heartbeat? The heartbeat itself is just a contraction of muscle and is perfectly quiet. What you can hear is the sound of heart valves snapping shut.  Here’s how to test your heartbeat:

Press the first two fingers of one hand over the radial artery in the opposite wrist.  The radial artery is located under the depression just below the base of your wrist. Sit very quietly and move your fingers until you can feel the pulse of your blood.  Using a watch or clock with a second hand, count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply by 6. Now you know the number of beats per minute.

• Take pulse sitting still
• Run, exercise, or jump rope for 10 minutes.
• Take your pulse again to see how much faster your heart is pumping.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is wonderful aerobic exercise, which means that it exercises the heart.  Professional athletes like boxers use skipping rope to built their endurance and coordination.

• See how many jumps you can do before making a mistake.
• How long can you jump rope? The world record is over 12 hours.
• How fast can you jump rope? Fast jumping is best done boxer style with both feet together all the time. It is helpful to have a short rope so that it just misses the ground as you jump.
• Can you jump backwards? With practice, you will find this almost as easy as skipping forward.
• Cross hand jump: jump in the normal way but, as the rope passes over your head, bring your hands forward and cross your wrists. Quickly uncross them before jumping over the rope.
• Two jump: jumping with a friend using only one rope.

Webelos 1’s only (Aiming for Arrow splits off and works on their session now)

Webelos #3. Know and explain the meaning of the Webelos badge. The Webelos badge is like the emblem on the Webelos cap, except that it also has the word ‘Webelos’ and the Scout badge. The emblem is made up of a gold Scout badge with a blue ‘W,’ for Webelos, on it. It shows that you are moving from Cub Scouting to Boy Scouting.

• Discuss using the resources linked below
• http://www.stgerald.org/pack4/doc/requirementswebelos.doc ‎
• http://www.boyscouttrail.com/webelos/webelos_badge_guide.asp
• Use Webelos patch diagram

Webelos #4 Point out and explain the three parts of the Webelos Scout uniform. Tell when to wear the uniform and when not to wear it.

• Webelos Scouts may wear either the blue uniform they wore as Cub Scouts or the khaki and tan uniform they will wear as Boy Scouts. You and your family decide which one you will wear. With either basic uniform, Webelos Scouts wear the Webelos cap, Webelos neckerchief, and Webelos neckerchief slide.
• Wear your uniform:
  1. To all den meetings and pack meetings.
  2. On campouts and other den activities.
  3. At den service projects.
  4. During Anniversary Week in February
• Do not wear your uniform:
  1. When you are involved in any distinctly political activity.
  2. When you are appearing on the stage professionally.
  3. When you are participating in demonstrations not authorized by the Boy Scouts of America.

Analysis (Start/Stop/Continue)

• Start: We should have done the discussion on heat exhaustion today (for both groups of boys).
• Stop: Nothing to stop.  It went well.
• Continue: Having the adult staff start and then the youth staff take over when the groups split seemed to work really well.