Open Forum

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

Hey Lexi!! 

Here at the National Model Aviation Museum, we have a close relationship with the local rocketeers club (yes, they are as cool as they sound!) who frequently do model rocket launch events for and with the Boy Scouts in the area so we often work together to provide the Scouts with campsites and activities. 

We actually invented one of the activities Boy Scouts have to do to earn their Aviation Merit Badge, so I'm certified as a Merit Badge Counselor for Aviation in order to provide that particular programming. By scheduling and attending a BSA tour, Boy Scouts are able to fulfill several requirements for the Merit Badge and I can write off the work in their handbooks. I'd recommend seeing what Merit Badges your institution can fulfill and getting in touch with your local BSA chapter!

------------------------------
Claire Aldenhuysen
Museum Educator
National Model Aviation Museum, Academy of Model Aeronautics
Muncie IN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

​I suppose it depends on the museum. We are a presidential museum ( Truman's Little White House - a 9000 sq ft historic house with one acre of botanical gardens) so we tie right into their Citizenship in the Community and Citizenship in the Nation merit badges. I have been registered in the past as a merit badge counselor with the local Boy Scout Council.  It's a simply process, but does require a little working directly with Scouts earning the badge.  We offer a big discount if the Scouts groups ( or other youth groups Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, 4 H, etc) to come visit  as a group. Hopefully to encourage them to visit museums in the future and sometimes to introduce their parents to the museum We have had the Scouts volunteer to do community service like clean up our grounds. Some Eagle Scout candidates have offered to label all the trees on our site,
All and all its great to see kids learning and doing good for their community.
My only word of warning, they are still young adults and some are kids don't expect them to become experts in maintenance.so keep volunteer projects simple

------------------------------
Robert Wolz
Director
Harry Truman Little White House SHL
Key West FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

Overnight comping aboard USS KIDD is a major source of revenue.  A significant portion of these groups are associated with scouting.  We draw on the interest of these groups to develop projects that they can do as groups or individuals.  As these scouts get older and start families, they recall with fondness their experiences here and are likely to bring their children to the Museum and get them involved in a program that organizes overnights aboard the ship, be they through scouting, churches or other groups.  We have recently updated our database of scouting organizations across the region in order to attract back groups who may have fallen off our radar due to changes in leadership and contact information.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 09:10 AM
From: Robert Wolz
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

​I suppose it depends on the museum. We are a presidential museum ( Truman's Little White House - a 9000 sq ft historic house with one acre of botanical gardens) so we tie right into their Citizenship in the Community and Citizenship in the Nation merit badges. I have been registered in the past as a merit badge counselor with the local Boy Scout Council.  It's a simply process, but does require a little working directly with Scouts earning the badge.  We offer a big discount if the Scouts groups ( or other youth groups Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, 4 H, etc) to come visit  as a group. Hopefully to encourage them to visit museums in the future and sometimes to introduce their parents to the museum We have had the Scouts volunteer to do community service like clean up our grounds. Some Eagle Scout candidates have offered to label all the trees on our site,
All and all its great to see kids learning and doing good for their community.
My only word of warning, they are still young adults and some are kids don't expect them to become experts in maintenance.so keep volunteer projects simple

------------------------------
Robert Wolz
Director
Harry Truman Little White House SHL
Key West FL

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

​We are a community museum. The museum was a point for people to take their old, worn flags for appropriate disposal. We have partnered with one of our local scout troops to do a flag retirement ceremony.

------------------------------
Karen Yaffe Lottes
Program Coordinator
Gaithersburg Community Museum
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 10:26 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Overnight comping aboard USS KIDD is a major source of revenue.  A significant portion of these groups are associated with scouting.  We draw on the interest of these groups to develop projects that they can do as groups or individuals.  As these scouts get older and start families, they recall with fondness their experiences here and are likely to bring their children to the Museum and get them involved in a program that organizes overnights aboard the ship, be they through scouting, churches or other groups.  We have recently updated our database of scouting organizations across the region in order to attract back groups who may have fallen off our radar due to changes in leadership and contact information.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 09:10 AM
From: Robert Wolz
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

​I suppose it depends on the museum. We are a presidential museum ( Truman's Little White House - a 9000 sq ft historic house with one acre of botanical gardens) so we tie right into their Citizenship in the Community and Citizenship in the Nation merit badges. I have been registered in the past as a merit badge counselor with the local Boy Scout Council.  It's a simply process, but does require a little working directly with Scouts earning the badge.  We offer a big discount if the Scouts groups ( or other youth groups Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, 4 H, etc) to come visit  as a group. Hopefully to encourage them to visit museums in the future and sometimes to introduce their parents to the museum We have had the Scouts volunteer to do community service like clean up our grounds. Some Eagle Scout candidates have offered to label all the trees on our site,
All and all its great to see kids learning and doing good for their community.
My only word of warning, they are still young adults and some are kids don't expect them to become experts in maintenance.so keep volunteer projects simple

------------------------------
Robert Wolz
Director
Harry Truman Little White House SHL
Key West FL

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

Good morning,
My son is an Eagle Scout. There are so many projects that I am sure are available for scouts at your museum. Our troop kept using local parks and finally we broke the mold. My son was able to paint a WWII tank in bad repair at a military museum. He and his friends, many years later, are still volunteering there and enjoy the friendship of the curators.

Make a list of projects that you could use help with and appeal to your local troops!

------------------------------
Lynn Leary
Visual Development Specialist
Enhance a Colour
Danbury CT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

Our Education Department offers several Scout programs - for Cub, Boy, and Girl Scouts at different levels. Mostly, we offer workshops that align with our mission (Bird Study Badge, Outdoor Art Apprentice, etc.), during which the scout fulfills all requirements for a specific badge. We also provide self-guided experiences for an institutional patch, special pricing for scouts in uniform, and a day-time event once a year where we highlight our scout programs. 

I'm glad to hear working with Eagle Scouts as volunteers has been fruitful to other organizations. We have found it difficult in that they are still young - we don't have a teen volunteer program - and aren't always the best with timelines and deadlines. We've suspended that program for now until we can come up with a better system on our end to help all parties involved.

------------------------------
Michelle Mileham
Director of Education
Tracy Aviary
Salt Lake City UT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2018 08:18 AM
From: Lynn Leary
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Good morning,
My son is an Eagle Scout. There are so many projects that I am sure are available for scouts at your museum. Our troop kept using local parks and finally we broke the mold. My son was able to paint a WWII tank in bad repair at a military museum. He and his friends, many years later, are still volunteering there and enjoy the friendship of the curators.

Make a list of projects that you could use help with and appeal to your local troops!

------------------------------
Lynn Leary
Visual Development Specialist
Enhance a Colour
Danbury CT

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------

Hi Lexy,
This is Kathy Larsen, the Education Manager at the Air Zoo. Mary Lawrence asked me to answer your survey.

• How your museum interacts with scouts - We have what we call Super Science Saturdays for Cub Scouts ranging from Tigers to Webelos, two Merit Badge programs for Boy Scouts, and Super Science Saturdays for Girl Scouts ranging from Daisies to Cadettes. In each of these programs the scouts do most of or all of the requirement for one or two badges depending on the program. We also have schedule-your-own overnights where Boy Scouts can earn Merit Badges but Cub and Girl Scouts just do fun activities in the area of flight, rocketry or mystery solving. Scouts can also schedule a private badge day. Finally, we have scout groups just come in for a fun day out.
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum - We feel it is important to engage with as many different types of groups as we can. Because scouts can meet requirements for some of their badges just by visiting the Air Zoo we are very popular with these groups. We think it's very important to engage children in hands-on STEAM activities that they might be able to get anywhere else.
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission - Our mission is to preserve the legacy of flight for present and future generations. We feel that educating scouts and other groups fulfills that mission.

------------------------------
Kathy Larsen
Education Manager
Air Zoo
Portage MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2018 07:31 PM
From: Lexi Ray
Subject: Museums and Boy Scouts

Hello!

I have been doing research and developing events for Boy Scouts to become more involved with museums in their community. It would be a great help if museum professionals could tell me more information on:

• How your museum interacts with scouts
• Why scouts are important to engage in your museum 
• How interacting with scouts furthers your mission 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Lexi Ray
Youth and Education Coordinator
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
Lawrence KS
------------------------------