Animalia - Literature - 300

"Heinrich points out many subtle signs of wildlife activity that would go unnoticed by the untrained eye. In a thicket of tree branches, he stops at what appears to be a mass of cobwebs. Inside are tent caterpillar larvae, waiting out the winter."

-Weekend Edition, NPR

Check out an audio interview with Heinrich here.

Objective:

1) Read Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich. 

Check out the book from you local library, buy it at your local bookstore or get it on Amazon.

Prefer listening over reading? Grab the book on Audible!

2) Write a book review and post it in the comments below. Include 3 things you learned from Heinrich's work. 

Animalia - Visit - 300

Objective:

1) Research animal shelters in your area. Do your research, including whether or not the shelter is "no kill," what conditions the animals are kept in, what types of animals are housed there, and whether the shelter welcomes tours. While there is a reason to visit both "good" and "bad" shelters, make sure you are going into your experience well informed about what you're walking into.

2) Visit the animal shelter you chose. Take a look at the animals they have, and ask any questions you might have about pet adoption. You could also choose to volunteer for a day to fulfill this requirement. 

3) Take a photo to document your experience. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. You can also share your experiences in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

5) Tell us about your experience in the comments below. What shelter did you visit? What was your experience there like? What did you see there? Did you learn anything? The more detail the better!

Animalia - DIY - 300

Objective:

1) Research animal track mold methods. There are several of tutorials online for making molds of animal prints. Go with any set of instructions you'd like.

Feel free to share promising instructions you've found in the comments below.

These instructions from the US Geological Survey are the best we've found so far.

2) Find a set of animal tracks. We highly suggest you take the time to find tracks of a non-domesticated animal. It will be a richer experience than simply stepping outside to make a mold of your dog's paw. Like many of our objectives, you will get from this objective what you put into it. 

3) Make your mold!

4) Take a photo of your results. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts and #Tracks. You can also share your experiences in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

5) Tell us about your experience in the comments below. How did you go about finding your animal tracks? Did you find it difficult? Were you able to identify what animal left the track? What method did you use to make the mold? How did your mold turn out?

 

Animalia - DIY - 200

Objective:

1) Construct something special for an animal friend.

What you decide to craft is up to you!

Need inspiration? Check out these DIY instruments:

-A cardboard cat scratcher.
-A spinning plastic bottle dog treat game.
-Make your own version of this bird toy.
-A hamster digging tower.

-Bake some dog treats! (Make sure the ingredients are safe for your breed!)

2) Take a photo of your results. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts and #AnimalTreat. You can also share your experiences in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

3) Describe what you made in the comments below. What instructions, if any, did you use? How did it turn out?

 

Animalia - DIY - Photography

Hey Quest Scouts! Before I say anything else, I want to give a huge shout out to Michelle Awe for the awesome photos (above) she took of her dog Tegan with co-doggy parent Alma. Michelle is a photographer living in Portland, Or and you can find more of her work at Plus Minus Photography. 

Objective:

This objective involves taking a photo of your (or someone else's) pet. Yes, if you are a pet owner, you most likely already do this regularly. So to make sure we are keeping to our goal of stepping outside of our normal routing, MAKE SURE TO STEP IT UP A NOTCH! Not only do you want a great shot of a beloved pet, but be sure to capture the bond between the pet and thier human. Let the personality of the relationship shine through.

1) Take a photo of an animal and a human who loves them. Take the time to make this photo something special. 

2) Take a photo of your results. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts and #PetPortrait. You can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

 

Animalia - Find - 300

Objective:

1) Choose an animal (or animal related topic) that you find interesting. Spend some time doing research about the animal you chose.

2) Inspired by what you learned, create a high quality geocache or letterbox hide.*

Your cache must:

A- Contain the name of your animal within the hide's name. 

B- A description of the animal should be given either in the hide's online description or in the container itself. (Or both!) 

Try to teach your finders something! Remember, less is often more. Your finders are more likely to enjoy 5 quick bullet points than a long wordy summary copied from Wikipedia. 

C- SHOW your animal by including one or more images of the animal within the physical container. (Not only on the page description!)

Ideas:

Decopage the image to the inside of the container.

Make the logbook out of the image.

Paint the container to resemble the animal.

Create the image as a letterbox stamp. 

3) Hide, submit and have your hide approved.

4) Give us a link to your cache or letterbox in the comments below!

5) Take a photo of your hide (either in process or at the hide location) and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts and #AnimalHide. You can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

 

*Not familiar with geocaching? Watch this video by Groundspeak, the #1 lister of geocaches! You may also find a letterbox for this objective, but we will be using geocaching terminology from here on out for the sake of word flow. Since you're new, we suggest finding 100+ containers before making your first hide. Or, better yet, team up with an experiences geocacher or letterboxer!

Animalia - Games - 300

Objective:

1) Grab some friends and play one of the following animal themed games listed below.

Note: Links in green bring you to a Board Game Geek description. Clicking on each game image will bring you to Amazon.*

-Coloretto. A fun, colorful rummy style game complete with chameleons! This is one of our favorite light games at Quest Scouts Central. Feel free to play Coloretto's more complicated big brother Zooloretto instead!

-Cardline: Animals. Use you estimation skills to predict whether a tiger weighs more or less than a gorilla. Or whether a panda lives longer than an iguana. This game is a lot of fun, and easy to learn.

-Takeneko. Help your pandas eat bamboo. This game shouldn't be described as light, but isn't too complicated either. Also, it is beutiful with it's bubblegum colored bamboo pieces! 

-O Zoo le Mio. Each player owns a zoo and is vying for patrons. Bid in auctions to expand your zoo, but don't bid too much or you'll run out of cash!

-Exploding Kittens. To be honest, this game is on the list because it's popular and the liklihood that you know someone who owns a copy is high. While this game lacks depth, it can be fun with the right crew. 

2) Post a photo of yourself playing the animal themed game you chose on Twitter or Instagram with the tags #QuestScouts and #BoardGame.

Remember, if you post to a public Twitter or Instagram account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to view and interact with.

*We encourage you to reach out to your community before buying new games. Maybe your neighbor's brother is a gamer and would love to teach you to play Takenoko. Or, if you're lucky enough to have a Friendly Local Gaming store, they probably have a couple of these titles for you to try before you buy. However, if that's not an option, clicking on any of the game images will bring you to an Amazon page. If you use our links, Quest Scouts gets a very small kick back. So, if you're going to buy online anyway, consider using our links!

Animalia - Research - 150

"He said change the channel, I've got problems of my own. I'm so sick of hearing about drugs and AIDS and people without homes. And I said, well, I'd like to sympathize with that but if you don't understand
then how can you act?"

-Ani DiFranco

Objective:

1) Search for and find a list of endangered animals in your region. (The closer to home, the better.)

2) Choose a local endangered animal to focus on.

3) Research the animal you chose. What is its natural habitat? Why is it endangered? What, if anything, is being done to protect it?

Note: It might be fun to combine this objective with the Animalia find objective.

4) Post the name of the animal you researched, as well as three or more facts you learned about it in the comments below. Make sure that at least one of these facts is about why the animal in endangered.

Animalia - Members Only Micro Quest - 50

 

Without member support Quest Scouts wouldn't exist. In order to show our appreciation for our members we provide a monthly Members Only Micro Quest worth 50 exclusive points. If you're not a member yet, consider becoming one today!

Objective:

1) Download and print the Animalia MOMQ puzzle, "Animal Recall" from our member files page, or use the back of the Animalia quest card from January's Scout Pack. 

2) Do your best to come up with as many animal species as you can in the time allotted.

3) Let us know how you did! In the comments below, tell us how many species you were able to generate.

Animalia - Travel - 300

"I like to go to the zoo. But not on Sunday. I don't like to see the people making fun of the animals, when it should be the other way around." 

-Ernest Hemingway

Objective:

1) Decide which of the following you'd rather do: Visit a zoo OR wildlife sanctuary.

Notes: For the purposes of this quest, a wildlife sanctuary houses animals in enclosed areas, permanently or temporarily. We're not looking for protected areas of land where wildlife flourishes, but a place where humans care for/ provide a home for animals. Think built homes for animals. An example of an animal sanctuary is The Wildlife Sanctuary of Keenesburg, Colorado, which rescues animals kept in poor conditions and provides them a better home. 

2) Do your research! Not all zoos are created equally. Choose a place to visit whose treatment of animals aligns with your beliefs. 

3) Go for it! Visit your zoo or sanctuary and have a good time!

4) Take a photo to document your experience. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. You can also share your experiences in our Facebook group.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

5) Tell us about your experience in the comments below. Did you choose a zoo or animal sanctuary? Why did you choose the zoo/sanctuary that you did? Where did you end up visiting? Who did you go with? Did you enjoy yourself? Did you learn anything? The more detail the better!

In Print - Members Only Micro Quest - 50

 

Without member support Quest Scouts wouldn't exist. In order to show our appreciation for our members we provide a monthly Members Only Micro Quest worth 50 exclusive points. If you're not a member yet, consider becoming one today!

Objective:

1) Download and print the Notes MOMQ puzzle, "Music's Flow" from our member files page, or use the back of the Notes quest card from November's Scout Pack. 

2) Do your best to correctly identify the hidden quote from the drop puzzle. (It's a tough one this time!)

3) Check your answers with the answer key provided on the member files page.

4) Let us know how you did! In the comments below, tell us a) whether or not you completed the puzzle and b) how long it took you.

In Print - Literature - 50 each (200 max)

Objective:

1) Buy a physical newspaper. 

Note: If you have a visual impairment that makes reading a physical paper difficult or painful, please choose a digital version instead. 

2) Skim the paper for at least one, and up to four, articles that seem interesting to you. 

3) Sit back, relax and read the articles that you chose. (Collect 50 points each for up to four articles total.)

Make sure to read them in full.

4) Let us know how it went in the comments below. What paper did you buy? What articles did you read? Did you learn anything? Who were you with? Did you have a good time? We want all the details!

In Print - Literature - 200

Objective:

1) Watch both Blackout Poet from Texas County Reporter and How To Make A Newspaper Blackout Poem from Austin Kleon. 

2) (Optional) Browse the tag #NewspaperBlackout or check out Kleon's book for inspiration.

3) Write a blackout poem.

4) Photograph your blackout poem and share it on Twitter or Instagram with the tag #QuestScouts and #NewspaperBlackout.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account with the tag #QuestScouts your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to view and interact with.

5) In the comments below, tell us about your experience writing your blackout poem. Was it difficult? Did you enjoy it? Are you happy with what you wrote?

In Print - Travel - 250

Objective:

1) Buy a local, physical newspaper or magazine. Make sure the paper covers either the area you live in, or an area you are willing to travel to.

Note: If you have a visual impairment that makes reading a physical paper difficult or painful, please choose a digital version instead. 

2) Check out the events section to identify an adventure you didn't previously know about.

This could be a concert, a community event, a fun location, or something else. 

The nitty gritty:

-Please make sure it's something you didn't plan to do prior to embarking on this objective.

-As usual, do not combine this objective with any other travel or visit objective. 

3) Let us know about your adventure, from start to finish, in the comment below. Which paper did you use? What adventure did you go on? How was it? Give us all the details of your awesome adventure!

4) Document your adventure and post at least one photo to Instagram or Twitter with the tags #QuestScouts and #PaperAdventure. 

In Print - Visit - 300

Printing Press (Noun)

A machine, as a cylinder press or rotary press, for printing on paper or the like from type, plates, etc.

Objective:

1) Identify a location where you can view a professional printing press in action. 

This includes touring a newspaper printer or a letterpress studio.

2) Contact and set up a tour (informal or not) during which you can watch the machines at work.

3) Visit and watch the printing press in action. While there, ask lots of questions! 

What is the name/type of press you you are using?

What type of paper is being used?

What types of inks are being used?

How does the printing process work?

4) Take a photo to document your visit and post the photo to Twitter or Instagram with the tags #QuestScouts and #PrintingPress.

5) In the comments below, tell us about a) your experience and b) what you learned while there. 

In Print - Art - 250

Objective: 

1) Gather your supplies.

You'll need:

A) Canvas (Any canvas will do, but if you use paper, thicker is better.)

B) Newsprint Paper

C) Paint and Brushes

D) Adhesive

2) Create a collage using newsprint as your base. (Your collage may be orderly or completely random.)

3) Add paint to your collage. (Go as realistic or abstract as you'd like!)

This is a higher point objective, so don't rush it! Put some time in effort into making something you're proud to share.

If you need some inspiration, check out these awesome projects!

-Deuces Wild 1 by Judy Paul

-City The Never Sleeps.. NY by Loui Jover

-Silhouette Cats by Elizabeth Rosen

-Koi by Nancy Standlee

3) Photograph your complete piece and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tags #QuestScouts and #NewspaperCollage.

Remember, if you post to a public Instagram or Twitter account your photo will show up on our Scout Board for other Quest Scouts to enjoy and comment on.

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