VENTURING: SCOUTING FROM HOME

We hope that you and your family are safe and healthy during this unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. 

We are all doing our best to slow the spread, and this page is to help create opportunities to SCOUT FROM HOME. We have put together the following tips, tools, and activities that can engage Venturing Scouts and non Venturing Scouts alike. 

Please come back often and check for more fun ideas to keep your scouts busy. 

Activities 

Tools 

Resources 

Thirty Day Challenges 

This is a great way to keep up with your Scouting Skills without leaving home! Each Challenge is packed full of adventure and elective requirements, use this daily checklist as a road map to rank advancement!

 

Virtual Meetings

Crews can still connect with their crew members and leaders while staying home.  There are so many meetings that can engage your troop and leaders:

  • Crew Meetings

  • Board of Review Meetings

  • Scout Master Conferences

  • Campfires

  • Merit Badge Classes (with a registered MB counselor)

    • Make sure to have a procedure in place to accept work, sign off requirements with support from leaders.

Continue Your Weekly Meetings 

There are "virtually" dozens of ways Troop Leaders can have their weekly Troop Meetings. Consider using an app on your phone like Zoom,  FaceTime, Skype or other virtual programs that allow you to meet. Ask parents to download the app to connect with you and allow the Scouts the chance to lead the Meeting. Remember Two Deep Leadership! 

For a limited time, get an entire year’s worth of Boys’ Life issues for free!

Find projects you can create at home and stories that will take young readers’ minds on adventures all over the world. Download the app for access from the App Store or on Google Play.

Stem Activities 

The following is a list of YouTube Channels that are perfect for the scientist scout! They are full of videos that cover all kinds of STEM topics, exciting experiments, fantastic facts, and powerful projects. 

Questions about advancement during the Corona virus:
(Including those for Eagle Scouts)

This FAQ page developed by the National BSA Office will cover lots of topics you may have questions about including:

  1. In-Person Unit Activities

  2. Camping this Summer

  3. Advancement 

    1. Cub Scouts
    2. Scouts
    3. BSA
    4. Venturing & Sea Scouts?

 

Read More on this COVID-19 FAQ page

Boys’ Life: Projects That Can Be Done at Home

Self Guided Activities

Scouts, be sure to talk to a parent or guardian before trying these at home.

Grades 6-12

Activity Videos:

 

Tips for Running a Productive Virtual Meeting

It's easy to get distracted, lose your audience, or try to multi-task while running the meeting.
The following will help you run a virtual den meeting, pack meeting, committee meetings or Campfires. 

Be sure to follow YPT for any virtual meetings!

You will want to have engaging content for your cubs, as well as eliminated distractions,
and be sure to have multiple hosts. This will help break up the meeting and keep your scouts engaged. 

 

The following is other tips and tricks for running a successful virtual meeting.

 

Leaders

We want our leaders to have access to the most up-to-date and cutting edge information. The following websites will help with ideas in keeping engaged during this time. 

Bryan on Scouting

This Blog is for the BSA's Adult Leaders. It is the official blog of Scouting Magazine. 

Scouting Wire

At this official BSA website You will find all kinds of content about scouting activities, finance, fundraising, High Adventure, Leadership, Marketing, Training and Recruiting. 

Adult Training

Boy Scout leaders can now get trained anywhere at any time!

 

Merit Badges for Social Distancing: 58 badge Scouts can complete are home

(continue reading here on Bryan on Scouting)

In times of crisis, Scouts fins a way to adapt. We're hearing from Scouts and leaders who have found creative ways to keep on Scouting even wile practicing social distancing. 

The 58 Merit Badge List you can do from home

Merit Badge Management with Scoutbook

A look at what Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, Scouts, Parents, and Merit Badge Counselors can do using Scoutbook for Merit Badge Tracking  WATCH HERE

Merit Badge Requirements

You can find downloadable PDFs of all merit badges HERE

List of Online Communication Tools

There are many free (and paid) solutions out there. 
Below we’ve collected a few free options for you to consider as you’re formulating a plan for virtual Scouting:

Free Account Features Listed (most offer additional features for a paid account):

Cisco WebEx: Full featured, no time limit, allows up to 100 participants

Zoom: Great features, 40-minute time limit, allows up to 100 participants

Google Hangouts: Easy to use, no time limit, allows up to 10 participants

Skype: Good stability, four-hour time limit, allows up to 50 participants

UberConference: Excellent video quality, 45-minute time limit, allows up to 10 participants

FreeConferenceCall.com: Old standby for audio conferencing, can also share screen.
Six-hour time limit, allows up to 1000 participants.

 

 

Free Activities for Families to Do At Home 

 

 

 

 

 

We want to hear from you! Please let us know of anything you have found helpful with your scouts while staying home!
If you would like to see information on a topic not discussed here, have  a question, or idea that would help others please email heather.branson@scouting.org 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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