Studies have shown time and time again how beneficial time spent in nature is for children (and adults!) But getting outside isn’t always an option, whether due to weather conditions or lack of access to outdoor spaces during the day. But even if we can’t always get outside, we can still bring the outdoors in.

My goal with Science Scouts was to create a fun, unique way to cover science topics. Approaching science lessons as part of a “Scouts” program can make children feel like they’re working towards something, especially if there’s a “badge ceremony” at the end of each unit! Here’s how we organize Science Scouts for our homeschool groups and in the classroom.

The Opening Celebration

To make this feel like more of a true scouts experience and not just another unit study, we begin with a little party! Since most of the scout units are based on the natural world, we like to have a camping themed opening celebration. Oven S’mores, or S’mores made in outdoor aluminum foil ovens, make-your-own trail mix bar, and “campfire” stories are all great ways to get kids excited about starting Science Scouts!

“Science Scouts” Notebook

Scientists know how to make good observations and keep their information organized, so Science Scouts must learn to do the same! Many of the activities are observations that take place over a period of time, so we choose a special journal to keep just for Science Scouts. Using old nature magazines I had collected, we had the kids make a collage on the cover of their Science Scouts notebook. We modge-podged the collages so the covers will hold up throughout the year. If you were to use our printable activities for Science Scouts, I recommend a spiral-bound notebook since they are a little bigger than the composition books. But if composition books are all you have, simply scale down the activities before printing to 75% and the cut-out observation sheets will fit.

Scheduling

There are eight different activities related to the science field we’re covering with each unit. We set a “Science Scouts” day every week where we complete two activities and read related story books that coincide with the specific activities that week. With many of the activities being observations that take place over the course of several days or several weeks, we’ve found stretching a unit for an entire month to be the most effective. If time doesn’t allow for an entire month, however, you could also consolidate this into a week by completing two activities per day.

The Badge Ceremony

Each of our Science Scouts units have a special “badge” children receive after they’ve completed the activities. There is a printable version included in the PDF file in our shop. Students can color the badge at the end of the unit and glue it on or into their notebooks. Or, you can order physical patches or iron-ons using the design we created to attach to a fabric vest or sash that the kids can wear when working on Science Scouts! (This requires a JPG file of the badge image, so if you want to order some for your group, email me at [email protected] and we’ll send you the file so you can order iron-ons at the online retailer of your choice!)

For more on each specific Science Scouts unit, visit the links below! Check back as we’ll be adding more throughout the year.

Botany