My Chipmunk and Home Scouting

I discovered that the BPSA-US has an unofficial section of their scouting for youth 4 and under, called the Chipmunks. I have a child under 5 who isn't old enough to become a BSA Lion Scout, but still loves scouting, so I decided to use the Chipmunk materials as a basis to introduce him to some of the more formal aspects of scouting, such as the oath, law, etc. It's been a lot of fun!

The first thing I did was download the booklet. Some BPSA Groups have the .pdf version of this booklet available on their websites, so I downloaded one and printed it off. The neat thing about Chipmunks is that the leaders get to decide what the proficiency requirements for the Chipmunks will be, so I created 7 of them and sewed corresponding badges that Jim can earn as a Chipmunk. These include:

1. Duty to God - Learn commandment "Love one Another" and do a good turn for 1 week.
2. Help family for 1 week - when sad, struggling, or with chores (or something similar).
3. Camp at least 5 nights with family.
4. Hike at least 10 miles.
5. While outdoors, collect interesting things for 1 cumulative month. Report to family.
6. Know cardinal directions, sunrise and sunset, and the North Star
7. Participate in Scout opening ceremony for 1 month. Describe the flag colors.

The Chipmunk program also includes investiture requirements, has its own simple motto, promise, and law, and its own sign. Since we're not near any BPSA-US Groups, Jim would be considered a 1st Lone Scout alongside myself. Good thing I made him that red necker!

Badges

I sewed simple badges for Jim to earn for his proficiencies. I was able to use a regular sewing machine for embroidery, and though it doesn't look as nice as professionally done badges, they're still pretty neat and I think he'll like them. I used a canvas bag that was sitting around doing nothing, and used Heat 'n Bond to bond two pieces of canvas together. This gave the badge a sturdy structure. After I sewed the borders and pictures onto the canvas, I carefully cut out the badges along the edges, and then added another piece of Heat 'n Bond. This gives the badge the stiff, strong quality you expect of Scouting badges.

Jim has already earned his Hiking Badge. I counted the times miles he's hiked with me while I used my Ramblr app on my phone, and he had already done over 10 miles. I was pleasantly surprised at how much hiking he's done!

Uniform

Typically Chipmunks wear yellow shirts. However, the only place I could find a yellow shirt was online, and I admit I didn't want to wait for one to be delivered. I decided to be a Thrifty Scout instead and use a blue shirt we already had available. Since it's not an official section and we're not in a Group, I think I can get away with it. Paired with his red necker, it looks good on him.

Scouting at Home

Because our BSA Pack isn't meeting due to all the coronavirus craziness, we started doing Scouting at home. We had been working on Scouting Adventures with our Lion since school closed, but last week we started doing formal Scout meetings, including an opening ceremony with the uniforms. This also helps Jim get more involved with Scouting.

Last week and this week we worked on the Gizmos and Gadgets Adventure. Last week we observed the movement of objects down a ramp and made neckerchief slides. This week my husband showed the boys his various tools and they discussed the functions of them. We then took a trip to Home Depot to pick up a few things for the new deck we'll be building behind our house.

I hope you enjoyed some of our Scouting experiences. See you on the trail!