We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Cub Scouts

UPDATED – NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award for Cubs

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The PEAK Online course to learn the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace.

The requirements for the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness award for Cubs have been updated to include a new online Leave No Trace awareness course for kids ages 7-12 called PEAK Online. It includes videos and activities to help kids understand the Seven Principles and how Leave No Trace skills and ethics can help protect the outdoor places we love. This online PEAK course replaces the Leave No Trace online course.

Updated requirements to earn the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness award for Cubs:
1. Learn the BSA Outdoor Code
2. Watch the National Park Service Leave No Trace (LNT) video
3. Take the LNT online course
4. Participate in an Outdoor Ethics activity with a person who has taken the Outdoor Ethics Orientation, the LNT Skills course, the LNT Level 1 course, or the LNT Level 2 course.

The NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee created this patch program to recognize Cub Scout youth and adults who are active Leave No Trace practitioners and to encourage & promote ethical outdoor behavior beginning at a young age. Outdoor Ethics is needed today more than ever before when millions of scouts regularly recreate in parks and public lands. The impact of this use cannot be ignored but can be minimized by teaching and practicing Outdoor Ethics as Cub Scouts and continuing as Boy Scouts and adults.

 

The NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness award for Cubs.

 

Countdown to The Memorial Day Weekend Capital Camp-In!

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It’s only a few days until we roll-out our sleeping bags, set up our tents, turn on our computers and kick-off a weekend of ACTIVITIES FOR SCOUTS OF ALL AGES – Cubs, Scouts BSA, Venturers, Sea Scouts, Adult Scouters and Parents!

The Capital Camp-In will have many of the same events as a regular campout – an opening and closing ceremony, a campfire lead by the Order of the Arrow, a Scouts Own religious service and FUN activities!

It will also have lotsa stuff you don’t get at a traditional campout, to include guest speakers and youth and adult instruction. And, you can share your at-home activities with others on Facebook!

Best of all its FREE and you don’t have to leave home! Some activities are self-guided and others are live on line. Participate all day Saturday and half of Sunday or for just in those events that interest you. All you need to do is sign up at the link provided for the particular event. It’s SIMPLE!

Find out more details and the full schedule on the Capital Camp-In website!

For updates please visit the Council’s Facebook page.

Don’t miss out! Join us at home and on line on May 23 and 24.

Brought to you by the NCAC Camping Centennial Committee.

Four Pack 1500 Cub Scouts Earn the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award Electronically!

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Four Wolf Cub Scouts in Pack 1500 spent the year working not only on regular advancements and standard NOVA awards, but also striving towards the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award. Already a tough award to achieve due to the level of effort required, these Wolf Scouts were on the verge of completing their supernova requirements when suddenly COVID-19 happened and everything was locked down.

Undeterred, the Scouts (and their fearless mentor) started doing meetings over google hangouts in order to discuss and complete the requirements. Eventually, each scout finished up the grind of the supernova requirements.

Each parent of these Scouts had originally been working hard with their Scouts and collecting everything the Scouts had worked on in a binder to mail to NCAC. After NCAC closed, however, physical submissions were impossible and instead they were starting to be accepted via email. The brave supernova mentor went and picked up each of the binders on the door steps of the scouts houses and brought them back to his house.

After getting the binders, the supernova mentor (it’s too late to go into first person at this point) solicited help from his wife, a teacher and a den leader, to help convert the binders of information into an electronic package for the NCAC STEM committee.

After a lot of scanning, collation, and formatting, each Scout’s binder was converted into a google document that included links to all of the required material, photos/videos of all the activities, and all scanned hand written artifacts that the Scouts had produced. Once it was all collected, the supernova mentor emailed it to the NCAC supernova address and waited.

After a period of time it was announced that the four Scouts had been awarded the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award and that the STEM committee had considered the digital applications exceptional! Truely, the Scouts hard work and determination exemplified the Scout motto, “Do your best.”

I would like to thank the parents for their support in helping their Scouts and my wife for supporting us all when we were all trapped inside.

As a bonus, I have created an example of our supernova submission with the PII removed (although a few photos of my son remain). You can find it here.

Congratulations to David Cohen, Olivia Cohen, Zander Collins, and Whit Stallings on their achievement!

Introducing the NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award!

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In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is encouraging Scouts of all ages to stay home and be safe, while continuing to be a Scout! Scouts are always prepared to explore, discover, learn, and grow, and serve our families and communities, no matter the situation, time, or place. The NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award recognizes Scouts for meeting the challenge of living by the Scout Oath and Law while the pandemic requires social distancing to be in place.

Cub Scouts who meet specific requirements for home conservation and preparedness, learn about STEM, pursue a Cub adventure, learn Scouting skills, participate in a den virtual meeting, and participate in community service earn the Scouting at Home 2020 Award patch.

Youth in Scouts BSA, Venturing, or Sea Scouts who meet specific requirements for home conservation and preparedness, assist with a family virus prevention plan, make progress toward advancement, learn Scouting skills, take part in a Patrol virtual meeting, and participate in community service earn the Scouting at Home 2020 Award patch.

For specific details, to obtain the requirement sheets, or to pre-order patches, see https://www.scoutingevent.com/082-scoutingathomeaward.

Cub Scouts Keep Advancing Despite Lockdown

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The boys from Dens 6 and 7 from Troop 1344 in Burke, Va. were able to complete one of their Arrow of Light Adventures last week, despite being in lockdown to address COVID-19.

The boys had already completed most of their requirements for the Build a Better World Adventure and had scheduled a meeting with Supervisor Pat Herrity of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to meet the final requirement. But when the shutdown of in-person events in the National Capital Area Council cancelled that meeting, Den Leaders Kim Painter and Craig Carroll decided to see what else they could do to keep the boys engaged and moving forward.

The boys met with Supervisor Herrity on a Zoom video conference, with everyone’s parents’ permission of course. The boys were able to learn about why local government is so important (especially now), some of the challenges of being a local leader, and ask questions about many issues facing our community. Many parents joined on the conference as well, and Supervisor Herrity told all the boys how important it was to keep on the path to Eagle Scout.

Not only are the Dens continuing advancement (with an online science experiment also scheduled for later this month and many boys targeting the Townes Supernova science award), but Pack 1344 Cubmaster Chris Yurasko is leading video Scoutmaster minutes and other dens are organizing virtual Den meetings and completing requirements.

Doing their best to deal with a challenging situation, Pack 1344 is charging ahead to ensure that the boys have fun activities, and keep advancing and learning.