Scouts BSA at Home
With Troop and patrol meetings canceled, outings postponed, service projects put off, one might thing Scouting is on hold at the moment. But NOTHING could be further from the truth. Scouting can continue in this time of social distancing. We have listed below a collection of resources, activities, merit badges and other things Scouts can be done at home, as well as ideas from unit leaders around the council and the country on how they are working to #KeepTheAdventureGoing.
If you have an idea that’s not listed below, please feel free to let us know by emailing Jim Mahanes at: Jim.mahanes@scouting.org. Scouting is best when done face-to-face, but we can #KeepTheAdventureGoing by collectively working together, which should be easy – afterall, WE’RE SCOUTS!
Virtual Meetings
Long before the term “social distancing” became commonplace, businesses have been using virtual meetings for some time now. It’s a great way to connect with many people at one time. So why not utilize this for Scouting? Lots of units have already had meetings using a variety of sources, some of which are listed below. These services are FREE and allow multiple people to view each other online via a webcam, or through a call-in option if a computer is not available. Virtual meetings are a great way to keep your Scouts on track and engaged in Scouting and working on advancements.
You can also conduct an online merit badge course by having Scouts log in and participate in real time with a couple of adults. You can even do a “virtual board of review”.
Keep in mind that “virtual communications” fall under “electronic communications” of the BSA Youth Protection Guidelines and rules for social media. Remember to have at least two adults on all communications.
Free Virtual Meeting Services
Backgrounds for your Zoom Meetings
Ideas/Resources
How to Go Digital – Conducting online meetings (ppt)
Merit Badges you can do at home – From Scouting Magazine
Guidelines for advancement at home – From Scouting Magazine
Virtual Board of Review Check out this great article from Bryan on Scouting
Good Turns You Can Do At Home: Another from Bryan on Scouting
Troop 98 Virtual Meeting Be Prepared for Public Health (See how one troop in Pennsylvania conducted their meeting via Zoom and Powerpoint. Complete with reciting the Scout Oath and Law and Pledge of Allegiance).
Resources and ideas from around the Web
Partner with another unit locally, or around the world:
Conduct a virtual Show and Tell:
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/03/17/scouting-show-tell-scouting-remotely/
How to conduct a virtual Board of Review:
Scout shares advice for complete Eagle projects during COVID-19
Conduct a “Mystery Hike”:
Practice creating a “camp recipe” together over Zoom:
Fun projects Scouts can do at home:
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/03/19/fun-projects-for-kids-that-you-can-do-from-home/
Acts of service Scouts can do at home:
Resources from BSA:
https://www.scouting.org/scoutingathome/
Take The 30-Day Scout Challenge
From Tenderfoot to First-Class, use these daily checklists as a roadmap to rank advancement.
Merit Badges
-There are lots of merit badges Scouts can be work on while at home.
-As always check with your scoutmaster for approval before starting a new merit badge.
-Most of these will require online research during this time so be sure you have completed your Cyber Chip first.
-Remember to always use a speaker phone when talking with a counselor with a parent present or copy parent or another leader into any emails you send regarding merit badges.
-Do not adopt or buy a pet/animal just to complete a merit badge if you don’t plan to keep it.
-Remember some requirements require supervision so ask a parent or counselor about these before you start.
Click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding rank advancement at home
- American Business
- Animation
- Basketry
- Collections
- Electricity
- Electronics
- Energy
- Entrepreneurship
- Family Life
- Fingerprinting
- Genealogy
- Home Repairs
- Model Design and Building
- Nature
- Painting
- Personal Fitness (requires MD visit but yearly physical would cover this)
- Personal Management
- Photography – but shots might be limited
- Plumbing
- Programming
- Reptile and Amphibian Study
- Wood Carving
- Animal Science
- Archaeology
- Astronomy
- Bird Study
- Chemistry
- Citizenship in the World
- Coin collecting
- Digital Technologies
- Drafting
- Emergency Preparedness
- Leatherwork
- Moviemaking
- Nuclear Science
- Pets
- Pulp and Paper
- Railroading
- Reading
- Robotics
- Safety
- Sculpture
- Soil and Water Conservation
- Stamp Collecting
- Sustainability
- Textile
Merit Badge Counselors
Please contact your leader before beginning any merit badge requirement.
Click Here to find a Merit Badge Counselor in our Council
Would you be interested in teaching an online Merit Badge Course? Email: thomas.geary@scouting.org and give us your idea.
Eagle Scout Extensions
The Council can grant a 90-extension on Eagle Scout requirements. The Scout needs to fill out the Request for Extension of Time 2020 Eagle Scout and send it to Mike Berger at msberger63@gmail.com. This also holds true for the Summit Award.
Adult Leader Training
Almost all adult leader trainings can be done online, in the comfort of your home. Now is a great time to take your BSA-required Youth Protection Training, or take job-specific modules. You will need to set up a “My.Scouting” account (if you haven’t already).
For a list of all trainings available to adults through the BSA online portal, Click here >