Companion: Nature Study
Part of the Companion class.
1a. Read pages 1-13 from the booklet A 6 Day Creation Week?
A 6 Day Creation Week is available from AdventSource.
The creation booklet is no longer available. You may want to review these Kids articles for source material from Creation.com. Creation Kids Articles
1b. Keep a 7-day outdoor log of your personal observations from nature in which each day focuses on those things that were created on that day.
Page 32 of the Companion Record Journal has space for logging observations. Encourage the kids to begin recording their observations on a Sunday (call them on Sunday morning if necessary).
If your Pathfinders miss a day or forget, remind them that there is no requirement that the seven days be consecutive. It may be necessary to call them each day to remind them to make and record their observations.
Ideas for observation are listed below.
Day One, Light
- See how a magnifying glass bends light, experiment with a prism. Observe shadows.
Day Two, Air
- Feel the breeze. Inflate a balloon and release it. Make a pinwheel
Day Three, Land and Sea separated
- Observe soil and rocks.
Day Four, Sun and Moon
- Look at the moon. Make a pinhole observatory for viewing the sun indirectly. Find a constellation or a planet.
Day Five, Fish and Birds
- Listen for bird songs. Find a nest. Look for pigeon tracks and feathers under a bridge.
Day Six, Animals and Man
- Look for insects, frogs, squirrels, or deer. Watch a cat while it’s hunting (outdoors remember).
Day Seven, Sabbath
- Even the plants rest when they are finished with their work. Find one that has already gone to seed. Does it go dormant and wait for spring, die, or continue to produce fruit several times in one season? Find a sleeping animal and watch it (but do not disturb it). How does it protect itself while it sleeps? How does it stay warm (or cool)?
2. Animal Tracking Make plaster casts of three different animal tracks
Basic Casting Techniques
To do this, you will need to bring dry plaster of Paris, water, a mixing container, a mixing stick (a paint stirrer will do nicely), and something to make rings out of. Plaster of Paris can be bought either dry, or ready-mixed. It is probably better to get the dry type so that you can mix it on site. It will need to be soupy to make a detailed cast. When you find a suitable track, place a ring around it. The ring can be made from almost anything - a large tin can with the bottom cut out, a paper cup with the bottom removed, a strip of poster board 4 cm
wide and taped together at the ends to form a circle, etc. You can also cut one from a water bottle (for small tracks), a two-liter soda bottle, or a milk jug (the ring does not have to be round). Make sure the ring is larger than the track, and note that some tracks are 15 cm long or more. What a pity it would be to find a huge bear or moose track and not have a large enough ring to cast it! You can also make the cast without a ring, but it is much better if you use one. Once the ring is in place, mix just enough plaster and water to fill the ring up to 2.5 cm deep. It sets quickly, so you will not want to mix up too much at a time. Mix water with the dry plaster and stir it until it is smooth. It should be about the same consistency as pancake batter or apple sauce. Pour it into the ring. Once this is done, you can set out in search of more tracks, or you can wait until the plaster sets. If you set out for more, be sure to come back to collect your cast.
One good way to complete this requirement is by heading to a river right after flooding has receded. There will likely be plenty of easily identifiable kinds of tracks, and the smooth mud makes for excellent casting.
Here is a more detailed guide with illustrations.
If you can manage to cast tracks from two more animals, you will be well on your way to earning the AY Honor Animal Tracking honor.
Advanced: Trail Companion
3. Complete Companion requirements
You must complete the requirements listed above this one on the current page.
4. Trees, Shrubs & Cacti Collect and identify the leaves of 15 different trees and seven shrubs. OR Photograph and observe at least five different types of cacti.
Trees and Shrubs
Unless you live in a place that it warm year-round, this requirement will be very difficult to manage from late fall through early spring. Since the Pathfinder year usually begins in September, you should get on this one right away. Otherwise you will have to wait for spring.
If you are not familiar with identifying trees and shrubs, you will need to either recruit someone who is, or get a good field guide. Be sure the the field guide covers the area where you will be collecting.
- Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification is a good choice for North America.
You should also take a look at the AY Honor Trees honor and the AY Honor Shrubs honor.
Cacti
If you live in an area where cacti are abundant, this requirement can best be met outdoors.
If not, you can bring potted cacti to a Pathfinder meeting. If you do not own five, ask members of your church. Someone may be willing to loan you some and even come to the meeting to talk about them.
For more information, see the AY Honor Cacti honor.
5. Complete a nature honor not previously earned. (Skill level 1)
Lists of honors sorted by Category and Skill Level can be found in the AY Honors.
Good choices for the Companion class include
AY Honor Animal Tracking as the previous requirements will already have set you down the path to completing these honors.
| Honor | Patch | Category | Approval | Skill Level | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphibians | Nature | 1 | 1945 | ||
| Animal Camouflage | Nature | 1 | 2015 | ||
| Animal Tracking | Nature | 1 | 1976 | ||
| Antelopes | Nature | 1 | 2001 | ||
| Ants | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Bats | Nature | 1 | 2004 | ||
| Bees and Wasps | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Biodiversity | Nature | 1 | 2024 | ||
| Bird Pets | Nature | 1 | 1945 | ||
| Birds | Nature | 1 | 1928 | ||
| Bromeliads | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Cacti | Nature | 1 | 1944 | ||
| Carnivorous Plants | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Cats | Nature | 1 | 1945 | ||
| Chelonians | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Cicadas | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Coal | Nature | 1 | 2024 | ||
| Coral Reefs | Nature | 1 | 2018 | ||
| Dinosaurs | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Dogs | Nature | 1 | 1950 | ||
| Estuaries | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Eucalypts | Nature | 1 | Unknown | ||
| Geology | Nature | 1 | 1975 | ||
| Harmful Animals | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Herbs | Nature | 1 | 2001 | ||
| Home Composting | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Insects | Nature | 1 | 1933 | ||
| Macaws, Parrots and Parakeets | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Magnets | Nature | 1 | 2026 | ||
| Mammals | Nature | 1 | 1937 | ||
| Maple Sugar | Nature | 1 | 1989 | ||
| Marine Fauna | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Midnight Sun | Nature | 1 | 2014 | ||
| Migration | Nature | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Migratory Animals | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Mimicry and Camouflage | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Mountains | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Nocturnal Animals | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Odonates | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Orchids | Nature | 1 | 1964 | ||
| Preservation of Water Resources | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Primates | Nature | 1 | 2025 | ||
| Rainforests | Nature | 1 | 2016 | ||
| Raptors | Nature | 1 | 2015 | ||
| Recycling | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Reptiles | Nature | 1 | 1937 | ||
| Sand | Nature | 1 | 1956 | ||
| Seeds | Nature | 1 | 1961 | ||
| Sharks | Nature | 1 | 2013 | ||
| Shrubs | Nature | 1 | 1945 | ||
| Soils | Nature | 1 | 2006 | ||
| Taiga | Nature | 1 | 2014 | ||
| Temperate Deciduous Forests | Nature | 1 | 2016 | ||
| Temperate Grasslands | Nature | 1 | 2023 | ||
| Trees | Nature | 1 | 1928 | ||
| Venomous Animals | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Water Science | Nature | 1 | 2015 | ||
| Waterfalls | Nature | 1 | 2011 | ||
| Waterfalls | Nature | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Wattles | Nature | 1 | 2001 | ||
| Weather | Nature | 1 | 1944 | ||
| Worms | Nature | 1 | 2006 |
Nature Study in other classes: Friend · Explorer · Ranger · Voyager · Guide
Adapted from Investiture Achievement/Companion/Nature Study on the Pathfinder Wiki, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. See the original page's history for its authors.
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