Please note that we are acting to preserve the health and safety of our Scout families and our community by canceling all Scouting gatherings (meetings, committee meetings, greenbars, religious emblem meetings, service projects, and camping events) until at least 12 April 2020. This is not only to allow us to avoid spreading disease, but much more importantly it allows us to minimize the risk of hospital-required injuries (car accidents, falls, tick-bites, etc.) that would put you in a possibly overwhelmed hospital system.
Please take this time to work as a family on your merit badges such as E-Prep or reading. Go online to locate the workbooks for various badges and start a few and simply fill out the workbooks to the best of your ability. You can contact Mr. O’Brien or Mr. Hillary at troop271advancements@gmail.com to help you contact (via phone/email) a meritbadge counselor to assist you. See the list below for a good place to get started.
Younger scouts can use this as an opportunity to work through their physical fitness points for Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class or to earn their CyberChip or many other items. Pitch a tent in the back yard and camp with your family – if you do Mr. O’Brien will count that as a night of camping to make up for the lost March camping trip so long as you cook and sleep outside and do not use electronics for anything beyond pictures.
Do your good-turn every day by helping your parents more than you usually would – this is a great opportunity to work on that cooking merit badge or cooking rank requirement!
Be creative, work on your advancements, and if you are in doubt if a task will count towards advancement please do it anyway and then email Mr. O’Brien or Mr. Hillary at troop271advancements@gmail.com and we will help find a way to have it count! This is a special opportunity for Scouts and families alike to bond and grow, so take advantage of it!
Mr. O’Brien
Here is a list of some merit badges that can be completed at home. As you read requirements ask yourself: did I already do this for school since joining Troop 271? Do my parents know a person that meets any of the interview requirements? (Remember interviews are easily done via phone, as long as a parent or other adult can listen in to meet two-deep leadership requirements.)
Bugling: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb032.asp
Chess: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb147.asp
Entrepreneurship: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb134.asp
Fingerprinting: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb049.asp
Traffic Safety (especially for Scouts nearing or at driving age): http://usscouts.org/mb/mb112.asp
Dog Care: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb041.asp
Pets: http://usscouts.org/usscouts/mb/mb082.asp
Photography: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb083.asp
Moviemaking: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb156.asp
Home Repairs: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb062.asp
American Heritage: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb016.asp
Collections: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb128.asp
Genealogy: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb056.asp
Painting: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb081.asp
Geology: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb058.asp
Scouting Heritage: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb143.asp
Weather: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb116.asp
Crime Prevention: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb131.asp
Digital Technology: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb154.asp
Signs Signals And Codes: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb157.asp
Reading: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb095.asp