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Cub Scout Adventures > 
Arrow of Light >
 Knife Safety AOL > 
AOL Kitchen Knife Care and Use
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Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Knife Safety AOL
Elective
Requirement 3

AOL Kitchen Knife Care and Use

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Knife Safety AOL
Elective
Requirement 3

AOL Kitchen Knife Care and Use

Snapshot of Activity

Cub Scouts demonstrate proper care of a kitchen knife. 

Indoor
3
5
3
If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.
  • 6” chef’s knife, one for each Cub Scout 
  • 1 serrated knife 
  • Large 3000 grit or higher whetstone  
  • A honing rod or honing steel 
  • Spray bottle of water 
  • First aid kit 
  • Cutting board 
  • 1 large whole carrot for each Cub Scout 

Before the meeting: 

  1. If you have not done so already watch the Cub Scout Knife Safety Adventure video and the section on how to sharpen a knife.  
  2. Establish an area to safely conduct knife sharpening. Remove all objects and allow for plenty of room for Cub Scouts to safely sharpen their kitchen knife. 
  3. At least a half hour before the meeting set the whetstone in water.  Remove just before the meeting. 

During the meeting: 

  1. Remind Cub Scouts of the knife safety rules. 
    • Stop – make sure no one else is within arm’s reach 
    • Away – always cut away from your finger or other body parts 
    • Sharp – a sharp, clean knife is a safe knife 
    • Store – knives closed, in a sheath or knife block 
  2. Using what you learned in the video, demonstrate how to sharpen a knife.  Inform Cub Scouts that kitchen knives are best sharpened professionally but if you have the right tools, you can do it yourself.  If you use a kitchen knife often the blade will get dull. 
  3. Show Cub Scouts the  
    • Spray the whetstone with water. 
    • Lay the blade on the stone at a 35-degree  angle. Push the blade forward as if you were going to shave a thin sliver from the stone. Do not push down hard. Wipe the blade with a soft cloth before doing the next side.  As you are sharpening the blade small pieces of metal and parts of the whetstone are collecting on the blade, so you want to wipe the blade and the whetstone often.  
    • Next, turn the blade over and  sharpen the other side. Continue this back-and-forth action until the edge is sharp along its entire length. About 10 passes on each side of the blade should sharpen the knife. 
    • Inform the Cub Scouts that after they sharpen a knife it needs to be washed before use.  
  4. Allow Cub Scouts to take turns practicing sharpening their kitchen knife. Show the honing rod/steel and explain that the honing rod is not designed to sharpen a knife blade.  A honing rod is designed to straighten a knife blade.  The edge of the blade can become crooked and a couple of passes on a honing rod will get the blade straight.  The important thing to know is that the honing rod doesn’t sharpen a knife.  
  5. Once their  kitchen knife is sharp, demonstrate the proper grip. When using a kitchen knife there is the handshake grip and the pinch grip. Use the hand that you are most comfortable with. You can grip the knife on the handle (called the handshake grip), or you can use the pinch grip. The pinch grip is where you pinch the blade of the knife just above the bolster with your thumb and forefinger, then wrap the other fingers around the handle. 
  6. Have each Cub Scout try both grips on their knife to see what grip they are the most comfortable with.  Once they have decided have them place their knives back down 
  7. Demonstrate the claw.  When holding the object you are cutting, use the claw technique to keep the object stable and your fingers out of the way. To make a claw, shape your free hand into a claw by tucking four fingers behind your middle finger. Tightly grip the food with your claw hand, using all five fingers to hold it steady, with the thumb and pinky finger stabilizing the sides. Make sure the fingertips are always farther back from the knife edge than the knuckles. 
  8. Have each Cub Scout demonstrate the claw grip by gripping a carrot.   

Other Activities Options

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Arrow of Light – 5th Grade

AOL Pocketknife Sharpening Practice

Indoor
3
5
2

Cub Scouts practice sharpening their pocketknives.

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Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.