There must be some very tired and happy Cub Scouts out there tonight!

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This is our annual opportunity to give the inside and outside of Penuel a well-deserved sorting out, needed all the more following our Fete and the combination of rain and sunshine we’ve been having causing all the weeds to grow.

We are organising a skip soon, and we REALLY need YOUR help to come along in whatever time you can spare us – because with 3 floors of accumulated… stuff over 101 years does tend to build up! PLEASE put your name down by emailing mail@penuelscouts.org.uk with a contact telephone number.

ALL help is hugely appreciated – please all friends, family, leaders, let’s make our HQ something to be proud of!

Our ancient ancestors used the sun, the moon and the stars to navigate, and you can too with some simple techniques. Some people have more of a sense of direction than others, but you can develop this sense, and it’s fun to test some alternative ways to find directions in case you ever need them.

These techniques give you a very general indication of directions, but you can also combine them with other methods of navigation such as signs from the terrain and vegetation to get a clearer picture. They should not be used in preference to using a map and compass to find your way.

Navigating by the sun

Assuming you can see the sun, even if it’s through cloud, there are some basic navigation tips about its position at certain times of the day in the Northern Hemisphere that can help you get your bearings.

The general rule is that the sun rises in the east, is highest in the sky at midday, and sets in the west. In fact, it only rises due east and sets due west at the equator, but it’s a very rough guide.

So, if you look for the position of the Sun in the sky, you can work out very roughly where you are, and how much time there’ll be before the light fades.

The sun’s sunrise and sunset position still varies throughout the year, so that:

• around the time of equinoxes (March and September), the sun rises and sets very close to due east-west;
• at other times of the year there is variation;
• in mid-summer it rises in a more north-easterly direction and sets north-west; and
• in winter it rises in the south east and sets in the south west.

Navigate using a shadow

Method 1

Put a stick into flat, even ground, and angle it towards the sun so it casts no shadow.
You won’t have to wait long until a shadow appears, it will point roughly east to west.

Method 2

Put a stone at the end of the shadow of the stick.
Wait about 15-30 minutes for the shadow to move.
Put a second stone on the ground at the new shadow position.
The line between the two stones will point roughly east to west.

Navigate with a watch

You need a watch with hands on it to do this; it’s very approximate, but can help if you have nothing else to guide you. You also need some sunshine. Note that this method can be inaccurate up to 20 degrees, and is more accurate closer to midday, but it’s also more accurate further away from the equator.

Hold your watch horizontal and level.
Point the hour hand directly at the the sun, taking care not to actually look at the sun.
The imaginary line that goes halfway between the hour hand and the 12 o’clock mark will run north to south. You can check which end of the line points north by remembering that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Telling the time by the sun

Knowing roughly what time it is can be very useful if you find yourself without a watch. It can be a bit tricky, but is a bit like how a sundial works.
First set up the ‘Navigate with a stick – method 2′ above, ideally in late morning.
Extend the east-west line and make a line from the base of the stick to it at a right angle (90 degrees).
When the shadow of the stick is on the new line, it is midday (12 noon).

How much time left before sunset?

An easy way to do this is to:

• Look towards the sun on the horizon (without looking directly at the sun).
• Put your hand, with your four fingers parallel, and with your hand standing vertical to the ground.
• Flip your hand upwards towards the sun – each flip of your hand represents about an hour until the sun will set.

If you think there’s less than an hour before sunset, you can use the same method, but this time use your fingers – each finger equals about 15-20 minutes until sunset. So, for example two finger widths will be about 30-40 minutes.

Navigating using the moon

A full moon rises in the east, so at midnight it’s in the south, and it sets in the west.

If there’s a crescent moon, you can visualise a line running from tip-to-tip of the moon’s crescent; where the line touches the horizon is roughly south.

If the moon rises before sunset, the illuminated side of the moon will face west. If the moon rises after midnight, the bright side will face east.

Navigating using the stars

Using the Pole Star

The main star that aids navigation is Polaris, the Pole Star. It is one of the brightest stars in the sky, sits over the North Pole and never veers beyond 1 degree of true north, so it’s possible to approximately judge the cardinal points (north, south, east, west) from its location in the sky.

To find Polaris, first find the easily-recognisable Plough (Big Dipper) group of seven stars, part of the Ursa Major constellation. The two stars that form the bottom of the scoop shape of the Plough point straight to the pole star.

The number of degrees that the Pole Star is above the horizon is equal to your latitude. To measure this accurately you need a sextant, but you can estimate by holding a fist out in front of you, each fist being equal to 10 degrees of latitude.

Using Orion’s Belt

The group of stars known as Orion’s Belt (or Jacob’s Rod) is made up of three bright stars in the constellation of Orion. The ‘belt’ (3 stars in a row) runs from east to west. Orion’s sword which hangs dwon from the belt points south.

Movement of the stars

Stars move in the night sky in relation to the earth. Like the moon, stars rise in the east and set in the west, so it’s possible to roughly find directions by fixing the current position of a star and then measuring which direction it moves in. To use this method:

Put a stick in the ground and put another longer stick 2-3 feet in front of it.
Line up a bright star as if it were in a rifle sight (aligned with the top of the two sticks).
Keep looking at the sticks for about 15-30 minutes Over a period of time, check whether the star moves up, down or to the right or left of the line made by the two sticks.

If the star moves right, you’ll be facing roughly south, and if it moves left, you’re facing north. If it moves up you’re facing east, and down. It’s more likely that the star will have moved vertically and horizontally, so for example up and right, in which case you’d be facing south east.

Original text & images copyright 2011 Ordnance Survey

Go to the video here.

Don’t forget you can get your own pictures related to Scouting and 1st Ebbw Vale added too – just send them to mail@penuelscouts.org.uk

The weather was very kind to us, which was very annoying as we’d all dressed for rain! But spirits remained high, and the area was the cleanest anyone had seen it for a very long time, making the job unusually easy and pleasant for all concerned. There are wild flowers and signs of wildlife everywhere – it’s well worth a visit for a pleasant strolls along the pathways that criss-cross the area, only to stumble upon a long-forgotten sign of the site from its Garden Festival days.

An easy job, made easier by everyone’s efforts – and another welcome boost to our finances!

ALL Beavers, Cubs and Scouts are requested to take part with their parents to make this small job even smaller and quicker to complete. We supply refreshments for those taking part.

Please convene at the Festival Church car park (as you head toward the Outlet at Victoria in Ebbw Vale, turn left onto Beech Grove and the Church is immediately on your right) wearing your Neckers (for insurance purposes), and judging by the weather with good footwear and a waterproof coat and hat!

These are ‘open access’ play provisions and children will be able to come and go as they please. A range of play opportunities and resources available may include: clay modelling, mod roc, den building, fire play, face painting, parachute, messy play, water/mud slides, art and crafts.

Also look out for the Dragon’s Den, Blaenau Gwent’s community vehicle, which provides an outreach service from the Integrated Children’s Centre based in Blaina. Dragon’s Den offers free fun activities for children and young people of all ages.

See this attachment for timetable and locations. Play in the Park 2011