Scouting Activities During the COVID-19 Containment Period
This page is being continually updated. Please contact Meaghan Hurn if you have ideas for additions to this page! (Some pages may be incomplete or not available yet.)
Earn the Cyber Chip
The Longhorn Council highly recommends that all Scouts earn the age-appropriate Cyber Chip; earning this award will provide Scouts the tools and knowledge needed to stay safe on the Internet!
Cub Scout Activities
- Lions Scouts (parents can sign off on requirements)
- Tiger Cub Scouts (parents can sign off on requirements)
- Wolf Scouts (parents can sign off on requirements)
- Bear Scouts (parents can sign off on requirements)
- Webelos/AoL Scouts (leader(s) must sign off on requirements)
- General Cub Scout Activities and Information
Join Our Cub Scouts 30-Day Challenge Today!
Help your Cub 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.
Scouts BSA Requirements to Practice Remotely
- The 30-Day Scouts BSA Challenge from the Longhorn Council
- Scout Rank
- Tenderfoot Rank
- Second Class Rank
- First Class Rank
- Star Scout Rank
- Life Scout Rank
- Eagle Scout Rank
- View the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank here
- Jacqueline Gaston, of the Chickasaw Council staff, is working remotely at this time; please visit the Eagle Scout Resources and Forms page for more information
- Boards of Review
- The BSA has approved conditional extensions for Scouts pursuing the Eagle rank; learn more here
- Contact Jacqueline Gaston, at jacqueline.gaston@scouting.org if you have questions about an extension
- Board of review can be conducted in virtual spaces during this time; click here to see the Bryan on Scouting article about using web-conferencing platforms for boards of review
- There are a number of free platforms for video-conferencing, including:
- Zoom
- Free Conference Call
- Skype
- Google Hangouts
- Join.Me
- FaceTime (for iOS users)
- The BSA has approved conditional extensions for Scouts pursuing the Eagle rank; learn more here
Merit Badge Resources
- View all merit badges and requirements on the BSA website
- Use merit badge worksheets from the U.S. Scouting Service Project to keep track of merit badge requirements worked (note that all merit badge work must be pre-approved by the Scoutmaster, and Scouts must work with a registered merit badge counselor)
- Check out this list of merit badges that can be worked from home, from Bryan on Scouting
General Resources, Activities, and Opportunities
- Scout Share aggregates resources and ideas for all sorts of Scouting fun
- The Boy Scouts of America is offering a free year of Boys’ Life for a limited time
- Project ideas from Boys’ Life magazine to ease boredom
- Google Arts and Culture offers free virtual tours of dozens of the world’s best museums (perfect for completing an Art merit badge tour!)
- The New England Aquarium offers videos and activity ideas, including livestreams daily
- Listen to some incredible music from the Berlin Philharmonic
- NASA, in collaboration with Google, offer an amazing look at Mars
- The Animated Knots website has tutorials for dozens of knots, and it even includes a Scouting knots page!
- Explore the British Museum (the British Museum holds millions of objects of historical and artistic value from hundreds of countries and cultures)
- Explore the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Explore the collection of the Guggenheim Museum, in New York City
- The Metropolitan Opera is offering free live streams during April and May (culture and an opportunity to learn Italian!)
- Tour the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
- Explore the collection of the Musee du Louvre (the most visited museum in the world)
- National Geographic Kids has tons of games, quizzes, activities, brainteasers, and more
- Explore World Geography Games to stay up on your geography skills
- Explore the history of the universe at the Big History Project (geared toward older Scouts)
- Learn more about a variety of math and science topics with simulations from the University of Colorado at Boulder
- Keep all your academic skills sharp with help from Khan Academy
- Learn a new language from DuoLingo
- Explore coding at Code.org
- Check out some intriguing videos from The Kid Should See This
- Learn about a variety of topics from Crash Course
- Explore the TED Ed video collection for the brightest minds discussing everything from space travel to opera to sports to art
Digital Safety Guidelines
As local councils and units use digital and online resources, such as video conferencing, to continue Scouting meetings, projects and advancement during the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Council is providing guidance in this BSA Safety Moment that can be shared with anyone who has questions about topics such as video conferencing safety for Scouts and leaders. Note: This guidance is not comprehensive, and if it differs from the legal requirements of your state or local jurisdiction, please consult with your local council attorney.
Topics addressed for conducting online Scouting activities safely include:
- Follow all Youth Protection policies.
- Use business-oriented conference platforms instead of platforms with other primary purposes (such as gaming).
- Do not record online activities/meetings.
- Safeguard personal information.
- Collecting personal information from youth under 13 is not recommended.
For full details, view the Safety Moment, which is available publicly on Scouting.org.
ScoutTroop101 