Muddy Shoe

Before the meeting:

1. Determine the best place near your meeting location to make a shoe impression. Avoid rocky or hard surfaces.
2. Clear the area of extra rocks and debris. Smooth it out as much as possible.
3. Let parents and legal guardians know to have their Cub Scout wear a pair of shoes they don’t mind getting a little muddy.

During the meeting:

1. Ask Cub Scouts if they have ever walked outside in the snow and looked behind them? What did they see? Explain to Cub Scouts that just like our fingers have prints our shoes have prints. Law enforcement officers will look for shoe prints and will then make an impression. They can tell how much a person weighs by how deep the impression is in the mud or soft ground. They can find the brand and size of the shoe. They can tell how tall the person is by measuring the length of the shoe. Today they will be looking more closely at their shoe impression.
2. Bring Cub Scouts to the pre-determined spot and demonstrate how to make a shoe impression by firmly pressing your foot into the ground and the lifting straight up to avoid distorting your impression. Be careful not to slide or fall.
3. Have Cub Scouts make their shoe impressions.
4. Have Cub Scouts observe their impression. Ask what they notice about this impression? Is there a difference in how deep their impression is versus yours? Do they notice patterns or cracks?
5. Have the Cub Scouts measure their shoe. Compare the size of their shoe to the impression. Is the size the same?