scouting at home
Get Ready to Camp!!!
Calling all Scouts and their families! Get your tents, sleeping bags and cook gear ready and make your grocery list for Homecamping. You can participate in an on-line Webelos or Scouts BSA advancement program and Merit Badge classes during the week AND camp at either Goshen Scout Reservation or Camp Snyder on the weekend with your family.
As an added bonus, for those camping at Camp Snyder there will be a fun program to choose from, including flying drones and driving robotic cars, STEM kits, Wood Shop projects, Geocaching and Scouterhorn climbing. Plus, at both camps there is the great outdoors with hiking, nature trails, fishing, family campfires and more self-guided activities.
There will be COVID-19 virus precautions in place to protect the campers and staff during activities. Registration is open, so sign-up NOW for Goshen Scout Reservation and for Camp Snyder. We hope to see you at camp!
NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award for Unit Scouters!
In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the National Capital Area Council (NCAC)’s Scouting at Home Award was introduced to encourage Scouts of all ages to stay home and be safe, while continuing to be a Scout. Scouts seeking to earn the award are supported and mentored by Unit Scouters, who during the pandemic are going the extra mile to make a difference in their units, in Scouting families, and in their communities. The NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award for Unit Scouters recognizes these Unit Scouters for meeting the challenge of instilling the Scout Oath and Law in others while the pandemic requires social distancing to be in place.
Unit Scouters who lead their units in providing community service, promote Scout advancement during the pandemic, seek to improve as a leader by taking training, broaden Scouts’ capabilities by providing instruction in Scouting skills, provide Scouts opportunities through virtual meetings, and encourage Scouts to practice the Scout Oath and Law through individual acts of kindness, earn the Scouting at Home 2020 Award for Unit Scouters.
For specific details or to obtain the requirement sheet, see https://www.scoutingevent.com/082-scoutingathomeaward.
Mattaponi District Welcomes Pack 847
During the virtual Roundtable Meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2020, the Mattaponi District welcomed our newest unit, Pack 847. Sponsored by Tabernacle United Methodist Church, the families of Pack 847 have entered the Scouting World running! Leaders have attended PowWow and completed their trainings and Scouts have enjoyed hikes, field trips, achievements, and more. The Mattaponi District is happy to welcome them into our Scouting family and we look forward to celebrating their Chartering and other Scouting accomplishments in person soon.
How can your Scout STEM at Home?
“Seriously, STEM Labs, Nova, and Supernova are each different creatures. We need them all towards giving our Scouts the tools and opportunities to be the best they can be. STEM literacy is tantamount for future leaders. The labs are not a part of regular scouting. It’s not for everyone but for those that are interested, it should be a viable option.”
Marcus J Martin is the Associate Lab Manager of Junior Lab 9941, which pre-social distancing, would meet at the USPTO in Alexandria, VA. The sponsor organization for Lab 9941 is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – USPTO chapter.
STEM Scouts Labs
STEM Scouts is a BSA program focused fun ways for girls and boys to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics in tandem with character development, leadership training, and ethical decision-making. Through hands-on activities delivered to you, this program is challenging, thought-provoking and fun.
Program Structure: STEM Scouts has programming organized in 2 divisions: Junior Labs for grades 3-5 and Technology Labs for grades 6-8. Every meeting starts with the Scout Oath & Law, involves a hands-on experiment, and wraps up with discussion of a STEM Innovator.
Youth Leadership: Youth work in teams of three and rotate through roles of Principal Investigator, Co-PI and Project Manager.
What can you do during Covid-19?
Start this in your family or neighborhood, provided you are complaint with social distancing guidelines. Safety first! Activity kits are shipped in bundles for 5 youth, and lessons and lab journals are online in the STEM Scouts portal. Once you get the kits, host your virtual Lab through ZOOM!
Need help getting started?
NCAC STEM is here to help! To find out more, visit www.stemscouts.org or contact stem@ncacbsa.org.
Nova Awards
Nova Awards offer activities and recognition for youth in traditional programs: Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venture Scouts, Varsity Scouts and Sea Scouts. Read the requirements at www.scouting.org/stem.
What can you do during Covid-19?
Join NCAC’s STEM@Home program: https://scoutingevent.com/082-STEMatHome
STEM Committee volunteers and Nova Counselors are offering virtual STEM Nova events so your youth can advance in pursuit of Nova Awards.
Can you also work on Novas within your unit?
Absolutely! Be sure to work with a registered Nova Counselor. Contact supernova@ncacbsa.org with questions.
Supernova Awards
Supernova Awards offer recognition for youth in traditional programs who go the extra mile in their pursuit of STEM. Read the requirements at www.scouting.org/stem.
What can you do during Covid-19?
Check out the requirements online, then connect with a registered Supernova Mentor to get started! Contact supernova@ncacbsa.org to identify a Mentor
You can also join a STEM@Home Speaker Series event .
Note: Conversations with scientists or engineering professionals fulfills requirement 7 in Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova for Cub Scouts and Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova for Webelos. The conversation partially fulfills #6 in Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova for Scouts BSA and Dr Sally Ride Supernova for Venturers and Sea Scouts.
UPDATED – NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award for Cubs
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.
