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Scouting at Home

BLAST OFF!

How can you explore the stars while staying close to home?

Build your own rocket to find out something about how real astronauts travel to space. Explore the night sky or peruse a map of the moon to get to know the world beyond our planet. Imagine setting out on a space mission—what skills do you need to master to be prepared? How would it feel to take a journey beyond Earth?

These are just some of the ways you can experience outer space from home—read on to discover more!

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Missed last week’s newsletter, or looking for more inspiring activities to try? Catch up on all Scouting at Home editions here!

Personal Achievement Badge of the Week

SPACE

Personal Achievement badges inspire individual creativity, and the chance to build your own unique adventure. What interests you? Challenge yourself to take on a completely new skill, or continue mastering a skill you’ve already tried. This week’s Personal Achievement badge is Space.

Take this opportunity to learn more about the moon, the stars and everything that makes up outer space. Many astronauts who have ventured into space are actually Scouts: shoot for the stars!

Take a look at the full selection of Personal Achievement badges for activities your child can do alone or together as a family:  

ENTER TO WIN!

Share an activity you’ve done to give back to others or your community, and you could win a Hotcore Mantis 2 Tent for your next adventure! Simply post a photo/video and description of your good turn on social media, and tag both @scoutscanada and a friend, challenging them to take action for others too!

Contest is open to everyone (Scouting members and non-members) and ends May 17 at 11:59am EDT.

We Recommend

There are lots of other great organizations creating resources for doing activities at home, so why not share them? Here are a few of our favourites!

NASA at Home

NASA at Home provides many engaging activities to learn more about outer space. You can even take a virtual tour around the International Space Station (ISS), or take on a citizen science project where you can get involved in real NASA science and data to help with new discoveries. How cool, right? Start off here with 10+ Things to Do with NASA at Home!

NASA AT HOME

Mad Science at Home

Have you been bitten by the science bug? Mad Science offers instructions for science experiments that can be done at home using household materials. There are lots of different activities for youth of all ages!

MAD SCIENCE AT HOME

#ScoutsDoStuff

Tag @scoutscanada in your #ScoutsDoStuff pics—let Scouting youth across Canada and around the world know how they can continue Scouting at home!


Cub Scouts from 10th Welland are mastering new kitchen skills—and cooking delicious meals for their families!


At least one family with the 1st North Gower Scout Troop was keen to get camping this spring!

Camping season is just about here—even if it’s only happening in our backyards! A Venturer Scout from 1st Bolton couldn’t wait to spend a night out in his tent this spring.


Lucas, a Beaver Scout with 18th Willowdale, is practising his sewing skills and helping the planet at the same time, crafting a tote from an old t-shirt.

Backyard Scouting

What is it really like to be in outer space? What would you need to do to be prepared to join a crew travelling to the International Space Station (ISS)? Use the Outdoor Adventure Skills competencies to find activities that could help set you up for success if you boarded the a space flight. That might sound out of this world, but join in on the fun. 

All Knotted Up

You need to be dexterous to work in space! Practise knots or other fine skills—but try completing them with thick gloves (ski gloves, for example) to mimic the barriers astronauts may face. How much harder does this make your task? 

Vertical Skills

View from Above

Test your map-reading abilities. Start simple by reading regular paper maps and spotting specific locations. Take it a step further and try reading satellite maps, or search what the world might look like from the International Space Station. You can even watch NASA Live for a live stream of the views from and inside the ISS.

Trail Skills

Navigate the Stars

Have you ever used a Global Positioning System (GPS)? Although we often use our phone for maps these days, a GPS helps us navigate when we don’t have access to internet; it’s what astronauts use for on-board navigation through space! Test your GPS knowledge and research how they work – you might be surprised.  

Scoutcraft Skills

Blast Off!

Activities

Astronauts are no strangers to isolation. They may spend weeks or months on board the International Space Station. As Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield reminds us, just like astronauts, we are all working towards a common purpose.

Physical distancing might seem hard right now, but think of what we’re achieving and the people we’re helping, just by staying home. Try out some of these space-themed activities and learn more about what astronauts are doing while they’re in space!

How do rockets work? Learn about rockets (on a small scale) and build your own rockets to launch in your backyard.

Try making a Sensory Deprivation activity and learn about how astronauts might feel if they cannot use one (or more) of their senses.

Go outside and try Stargazing. What constellations are visible? What’s the nearest star to Earth? What planets do you see? Continue your astronomical adventure and create your own constellation viewer

Exploring STEM

Did you know that all of the information for the Space Exploration STEM kit is available online? One of the best parts about the kit is that many of the activities can be done at home using materials that you probably already have around the house! Why not try making your own version of the CANADARM by building a Robotic Hand? Learn about the International Space Station and design a space station of your own!

If you’d prefer to learn about space while keeping your feet firmly planted on Earth, explore the surface of another planet with Piloted and Unpiloted Space Exploration! While you’re moon watching, learn about the phases of the moon and track them throughout the month! The next full moon is May 7, so plan ahead!

What Would an Astronaut Do?

To astronauts, living in isolation is nothing new. Physical distancing from friends, family and their community is expected of them when in space—and even when they first return to Earth. For astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS), isolation can last weeks, months and sometimes up to a year. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield gives us great advice on making the best of isolation, remaining healthy and taking care of ourselves in these unique circumstances.

READ MORE

Staying Safe

We recognize that a change to online and at-home activities creates a vulnerability for some children especially those in difficult or at-risk living conditions. In line with our safety culture and values, Scouts Canada continues to prioritize safety and offers support by providing access to various experts and resources. We encourage kids to reach out to Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) for 24/7 counselling. You can also visit Cybertip.ca for best practices on internet safety or review Scouts Canada’s Safety Tips on cyber safety and social media.

As always, be sure to keep the Two-Scouter Rule in mind, whether engaging in online conversations through email, virtual conversations with other Scouts or on social media, and by phone.