The Suwannee River Area Council is committed to keeping scouting alive and available in our communities. Through this webpage along with our facebook page and our council e-mail list, we will offer our Scouting units and families opportunities to participate in Scouting activities from the comfort of their own home! Check out the activities below, and visit this page often for updates!
Remember that any electronic communication involving a youth member must adhere to BSA’s “two-deep” leadership policies, and Scouts should first complete their Cyber Chip to stay safe online.
Click this link to read the statement from the Boy Scouts of America regarding precautions to take during the COVID-19 outbreak, and how the Scouting community can KEEP ON “SCOUTING AT HOME“!
BSA Virtual Camp Opportunities
Summer camp is a highlight for Scouts of all ages each year! Boys and girls yearn for outdoor programs that stir their imagination and interest! With shelter-in-place orders, stay-at-home orders and various “Opening America” phases affecting Scout camps nationwide, many council camps have turned to virtual gatherings to keep their Scout camp community engaged and encouraged.
While camp may look a little different this year, these virtual camps offered by BSA councils from across the country will continue to challenge and excite your Scout! They will be able to interact with Scouts from across the country, all while learning new Scouting skills.
For a list of Virtual Camps by Program Type, see the BSA Virtual Camp Opportunities page on scouting.org.
Join the 30 Day Scouting Challenge Today!
Help your Scouts keep their skills sharp by taking on our 30-day challenge with activities to help with adventure and elective requirements! Click the program logo below to download the 30-Day Challenge Calendars for each.
Cub Scouts 30 Day Challenge
Scouts BSA 30 Day Challenge
Help your Scout keep their skills sharp by taking on our 30-day challenge to help with adventure and elective requirements. Below we have individual challenges for the Scout through First Class rank and a more intensive challenge for older (or all) scouts.
The more intensive challenge includes merit badge requirements that can be worked on at home. Check with your Scoutmaster for approval before starting a new merit badge.
Venturing 30 Day Challenge
Below we have two Venturing challenges. The first is the official BSA version. The second is an option created by the Northeast Region Venturing Area 5 VOA. Both provide an fun and exciting challenge for Venturers of all ages!
Unit Meetings online
Looking for ways to keep in touch with your scouts during this time of social distancing and “Stay at Home” orders? Several of our units have taken to using online meeting tools. We took a look around the web and found a few free options that you can try out. We’ll add links below to their “pricing” pages, so that you can see what’s available in their “free” or “personal” options.
If you use any of these or have others that we may not have listed, please go to our facebook group and share your information or experiences with others.
Free Account Features Listed (most offer additional features for a paid account):
Cisco WebEx: Full featured, no time limit, allows up to 100 participants
FreeConferenceCall.com: Old standby for audio conferencing, can also share screen. Six-hour time limit, allows up to 1000 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
Some of these have options for both VoIP (computer audio) and telephone call in options. Look over the options carefully, both before you signup and during signup. Watch for checkboxes to turn off things that you don’t need, like toll free call-in (always a charge for that) or distracting features that participants can use to “disrupt” the meeting.
Hopefully your unit, den or group can find an option that works for you!
SRAC does not endorse any of these options. We are simply providing these links, as alternatives that you might use during this uncertain time and possibly into the future. Please use these tools with caution and ALWAYS, follow the Guide to Safe Scouting and Youth Protection Guidelines. Never have any one-on-one interaction with a scout, even online, via e-mail or on the phone.
DON’T JUST SIT THERE… KEEP ON “SCOUTING at HOME”!
How to use Zoom
Heather Rosenberg of Pack 6 gives us an introduction to setting up a Zoom account and running a meeting online. Thanks Heather!
Self-Guided Activities
We realize with schools closed for extended periods, kids and families will be looking for educational and fun activities. These are great opportunities to review the depth of the Scouting program and work on badges not in your particular unit’s schedule.
Scouts, be sure to talk to a parent or guardian before trying these at home.
Cub Scouts | Grade K-5
“Virtual Zoo” Activity Instructions
“Motor Away” Activity Instructions
“Games Tigers Play” Activity Instructions
“Picasso Self Portrait” Activity Instructions
“Outdoor Code & Leave No Trace” Activity Instructions
“Getting Knots Squared Away” Activity Instructions
The Importance of Washing Hands
Cub Scout Activities: Adventuring From Home Rank Challenges (blog)
Activity Videos:
Live Cameras at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Kim’s Game – Rudyard Kipling’s game
Bear Necessities- Build a Barometer
Scouts BSA | Ages 11-18
How to Boost Participation in Virtual Scout Meetings
The Importance of Washing Hands
“Getting Knots Squared Away” Activity Instructions
Activity Videos:
Doodles – Animation Merit Badge
Draw Every Day – Art Merit Badge
Learn to Splice – Pioneering Merit Badge
Cook a Meal for Your Family- Cooking Merit Badge
The Water Cycle- Weather and Environmental Science Merit Badge
Plan and Analyze Four Games- Game Design Merit Badge
Reinforce a Frame- Home Repairs Merit Badge
Conduct a Home Inspection- Home Repairs Merit Badge
Mime a Story- Theater Merit Badge
The Merits of At-Home Scouting: Councils Get Creative as Scouts are Required to Stay Home
Across the nation, councils are finding ways to help keep their youth members engaged and Scouting. These out-of-the-box, in-home activities are centered around providing advancement-related content to help keep kids safe, engaged and to help them make the best of home time. Here are just a few examples of what councils are doing:
- Advancement Academy: Virtual Resources for Keeping Scouts Advancing, Connected & Having Fun
Cascade Pacific Council, Portland, Oregon
Can’t get together as a group? Visit the Advancement Academy for a digital den meeting or merit badge class. Digital den meetings are offered through Zoom and promoted through Facebook. Participants are asked to sign up in advance. There is also great content for Scouts BSA, including sessions on How to Run Successful Digital Scout Meetings as well as online Merit badge sessions on Coin Collecting, Personal Fitness and more. The site also includes Facebook groups that anyone in the country can join: Cub Scout and Scouts BSA. https://www.cpcbsa.org/advancement-academy - Scouting at Home
Atlanta Area Council, Atlanta, Georgia
If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of things that Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA can do to Scout at home, this is it. The page features content directly from Scoutbook and includes ideas of other activities Scouts can do. Plus, suggestions for video platforms – and of course, reminders about the importance of following youth protection standards. https://www.atlantabsa.org/scoutingathome - ScoutShare
Seneca Waterways Council, Brighton, New York
Seneca Waterways Council has set up a site to share ideas on how to do Scouting remotely, plus suggestions on how to work on documents together, and how to hold meetings together if you’re not in the same room. http://scoutshare.org/Resources/Articles/category/remote-scouting - Spirit of Adventure Council
Boston, MA
This web site features an entire selection of content designed to let Scouts have adventures without leaving home. The site includes links for youth of all ages, from live cams at zoos, to a range of support resources and videos to help Scouts work on merit badges. https://www.scoutspirit.org/at-home/ - NOVA/STEM
Capitol Area Council, Austin, Texas
The council’s STEM Nova Committee is putting together a series of remote Scouting activities tied to the Nova Award and Hornaday-related merit badges. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/pg/CapitolAreaCouncil/events/ - ScoutTV
Alamo Area Council, San Antonio, Texas
Watch the Council’s live streaming broadcast site, including archived content like the Family Friday Scouting at Home Campout held the 4th Friday of every month. You can find this and other fun stuff on their Scouting at Home page.