Hill H., a NCAC Scout from Maryland, created wearable devices to aid visually-impaired individuals. Hill’s invention earned him the Lemelson Early Inventor Prize. This award from the Lemelson Foundation recognizes and celebrates the achievements of individuals who have “demonstrated early excellence in inventing solutions to real-world challenges.”
Read the full story published by the Society for Science at this link:
Middle schooler creates sonar-enabled wearables to help visually impaired
Color-Coding Robotics in Elementary STEM Scouts
Specific steps. Patience. Innovation. Thanks to coding, we are able to live our lives in a more convenient and revolutionized way! Throughout this module, Scouts use color-coding robots in a variety of ways to boost their familiarity with robotics, coding, problem-solving, and design-thinking. Starting with color codes, Scouts become comfortable with the idea of inputs and outputs and will then move on to block-coding with an online programming language.
STEM Scouts also focus on integrating art into STEM by creating various designs while
also learning about real-world concepts like data collection, Venn diagrams, and blueprints. Those who code hold the world’s technological future in their hands, and the opportunities are unlimited!
Soft Robotics in Middle School
The middle schoolers’ STEM Scouts robotics module delves into an exciting and newly developing branch of robotics—soft or flexible robotic structures. When you look at an elephant’s trunk or an octopus’s arm, you can see natural examples of flexible structures used to grasp and manipulate objects. There are many tasks in our world that a rigid structure just does not perform well. Soft Robotics explores the development of flexible structures to work in these areas. In this module, Scouts will explore the concept of soft robots and learn how flexible structures move and how they can be programmed to perform useful tasks. This module was developed by the REACH Lab at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
High School Robotics in a STEM Exploring Post
Botball Educational Robotics requires the students to build, program, test and document two robots to autonomously complete scoring challenges. The robots are built out of kits provided by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics (KIPR). Photographed below are members of Explorer Post 1010 working with the PVC pipe as they prepare for a Botball competition.
One of our recently developed STEM Scouts modules takes elementary schoolers on the journey of innovation. During their first meeting, scouts were handed individual kits and given basic instructions to assemble a simple yet entertaining wiggle bot. Wiggle bots are simple bots, that use a nonconcentric weight to generate some movement. As soon as the bots power on, typically they move in abysmal patterns, causing much amusement and giggles. The came the challenge: scouts were tasked to control their bots and make them “move in a straight line.”
This seemingly lighthearted challenge became a serious exercise in stamina and iteration for the scouts, immersing them in the hands-on intricacies of the engineering design process—a skill closely intertwined with the art of inventing.
Subsequent sessions delved into crucial aspects of inventing, including marketing, selling, and establishing a business. Scouts engaged in a brand awareness game, testing their knowledge of various logos. They also explored the significance of patents, examining patented products from our Council box of Inventions—among them, the crowd favorite LifeStraw. In an engaging twist, scouts were prompted to brainstorm improvements for the LifeStraw, sparking creativity and critical thinking.
A hallmark of STEM Scouts is providing career exploration; we are fortunate that this module lent well to two local field trips that enhance our STEM Scouts’ appreciation of inventing.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame museum resides in the USPTO HQ in Alexandria, VA. There scouts are able to explore exhibits such as “What is a counterfeit” and see the crowd favorite “50 years of innovation mustang”.
The Draper Spark! Lab at the National Museum of American History offers scouts interactive exhibits to try their hand at inventing – creating circuits, constructing pinball machines, designing costumes, etc. In fact, the Spark! Lab has an excellent bite size “inventing process” that helped guide scouts through the ideating process. All scouts walked out of our third meeting with sketches and an early model of their inventions made with supplies we had in lab (clay, pipe cleaners, recyclables). A few came back to their subsequent meetings with elaborate working models! We can’t wait to see these STEM Scouts’ future as inventors!
Every Scout learns and practices serving others as a core part of the ethos of Scouting BSA. The Cub Scouts and adult leaders of Pack 197 of Aquia District lived this spirit of community service in two events last November. They serve as a great example for the rest of us!
Four Cub Scouts and two adult leaders from Pack 197, sponsored by Ferry Farms Baptist Church, honored our Nation’s Veterans by performing a flag ceremony during an annual Veterans Day breakfast celebration at Ferry Farm Elementary School on November 9, 2023. This was a great example of what Scouts mean when the say in the BSA Scout’s Promise: “On my Honor, I will Do My Best, to do my Duty to God & my Country…”
After the flags were clipped to the halyards (the ropes used to hoist flags), Eli, a Wolf Scout, presented the American flag, while Bear Scout, John, presented the Virginia state flag to those assembled around the flagpoles. Bear Scout Gabriel then hoisted the American and Virginia flags up the flagpole while LeRoy led the Scouts and assembled Veterans in the Pledge of Allegiance. Joining their Scouts were Mr. John Ridout – Bear Den Leader – and Mr. Adrian West – Pack Treasurer and a U.S. Army 
Veteran who served in Afghanistan.
The Cub Scouts and their leaders were proud and humbled to participate in a ceremony honoring our Veterans for their service to our Nation.
The next mid-November event demonstrated that Scouting is for the whole Family!
Ferry Farm Baptist Church, the chartering organization of Pack 197, participates in a program called “Operations Christmas Child” that gathers and sends boxes of supplies to children in need in foreign countries. The Church leaders asked the Pack to participate.
Pack 197 Scouts, Scouting families and adult leaders eagerly gathered donations to buy and fill 11 shoebox size
containers with toys, school supplies, hygiene supplies, and clothing as a part of Operation Christmas Child. What they did made a difference for children they’ll never meet – this is the Scout Spirit of selfless service in action!
Time for your family to join in the fun and spirit of Scouting? To join BSA, please go to www.beascout.org to find a BSA Scout unit near you – Cub Scouting serves families with children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade; Scouts BSA serves families with children ages 11-18. There are BSA programs for families with older Youths, ages 14 – 20, including Venturing, Exploring or Sea Scouting.
The mission of the BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Aquia District includes Stafford County and Marine Corps Base Quantico. For more information on Scouting in Stafford/Fredericksburg area, including how to donate, join or volunteer, contact Kristy Freeman, Aquia District Executive, at Kristy.Freeman@Scouting.org or (540)287-3866
Getting a BSA-branded license plate in Virginia is a project I’ve been incubating since the idea was put it in my brain back in 2020. Maryland has one, Virginia needs one, too!!
Thanks to a personal connection, I’m pleased to announce that Delegate Ian T. Lovejoy (VA-22) has agreed to sponsor a bill in the Virginia Legislature to make this a reality.
So, if you’re interested in seeing this become a reality, fill out the interest form found at the QR code link or here: https://forms.gle/NzbC2YtY5iuVmTMu7. We have a year to get at least 450 people interested in purchasing a plate before the 2025 Virginia General Assembly. Feel free to share the link and spread the word!
We are pleased to announce the team of Camp Directors for Goshen Scout Reservation for Summer 2024.
If you ever have any questions about camp or the programs we provide, please visit www.gotogoshen.org to get in touch with your camp director.
2024 will be Elisabeth’s 8th summer at Goshen and second year as Reservation Director. Previously, Elisabeth worked at Lenhok’sin High Adventure for six summers in a variety of positions, including Camp Director and Program Director. As a Venture Scout, she was a camper at Camp Bowman for many summers. Elisabeth is a graduate of Dickinson College where she studied Environmental Science. She is very excited to share her love and passion for Goshen with you!
Henry has been active in Scouting since 2008, when he joined his local Cub Scout pack. After attending Camps Ross and PMI, he crossed over into Scouts BSA in 2013 and made many amazing memories at Camp Bowman over seven consecutive seasons. Henry joined Bowman staff in 2019 as an instructor in the Culturecraft area, helping Scouts learn to be good citizens of their communities and the world. He served Bowman most recently as Camp Commissioner and fulfilled his lifelong dream of driving the UTV to every corner of camp. He is honored to be part of a long tradition of serving Scouts and Scouting, and he can’t wait to see Scouts at camp having just as much fun as he did!
Joe is excited to return to Goshen for his 10th summer and 2nd as camp director. Prior to working at camp Joe camped at Olmsted, Marriott, and Snyder and also attended Philmont, Seabase, and the centennial Jamboree. Well versed in what scouting has to offer and passionate about camp, he is always looking for ways to improve program as well as the overall camp experience to ensure that Marriott stays the place to be.
This summer will be Bailey’s seventh year on the Goshen staff and her first as the Olmsted Camp Director! During her time at camp, Bailey has served as Business Manager, Scoutcraft and Trailshead Area Director, as well as working in shooting sports. Bailey lives and attends college in Virginia. Her fondest Goshen memories involve watching scouts and her staff learn new skills and overcome challenges. Bailey is looking forward to continuing this tradition in her new position of responsibility along with having the opportunity to work one-one-one with the leaders bringing the troops to camp.
Drew first attended Ross as a Webelos Scout in 2011 and returned in 2014 as a den chief with his younger brother. The following year he returned as a CIT and has been working at camp ever since. Drew spent his first 5 years working at Ross’s Nature Center becoming the Area Director in 2019. He was a part of our Webelos Homecamping staff during Covid before becoming Program Director in 2021. This will be Drew’s 10th Summer on staff and 2nd summer as Camp Director. When Drew is not at camp, he is finishing his History Degree from Southern New Hampshire University and works as a Substitute Teacher in Richmond, Virginia. Drew is excited to return and continue creating an amazing program for your scouts, and hopes to give them a great summer and introduction to scouting.
This is Daniel’s 19th summer at Goshen and 5th at Lenhok’sin. He started as a junior staffer at Camp PMI in 2006 and earned his Eagle Scout in 2008. Earning an Associate Degree at Montgomery College and then a BA in History at University of Maryland, College Park, he has spent the last few years working as a substitute teacher when not trekking and teaching Scouts at Goshen. He is most looking forward to assembling and preparing an amazing staff that can provide Troops and Crews with an outstanding experience on the trail.
