Comments on: Charlotte Mason and the Boy Scouts http://www.daftmusings.com/2008/05/04/charlotte-mason-and-the-boy-scouts/ by Carolyn Bickford Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:14:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: cjbickford http://www.daftmusings.com/2008/05/04/charlotte-mason-and-the-boy-scouts/comment-page-1/#comment-13710 cjbickford Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:01:21 +0000 http://www.daftmusings.com/?p=739#comment-13710 The homeschooling with the thought of including merit badges is only two weeks old, but I'd already say (at least for a Classical curriculum) that the badges won't cover everything, or in the majority of cases need a lot of supplementation. From what I can tell (and have heard from homeschoolers who do use them), they're excellent for citizenship and American government requirements, and the Boy Scout program is also excellent for the community service requirement (which is required in the California State curriculum, if you follow that.) The science badges seem to fit in well with a middle/junior high science course. Literature, mathematics, history and formal composition aren't in the Boy Scout program; on the other hand, it has a lot of badges that I could classify as advanced Charlotte Mason nature studies, i.e. Forestry, Surveying, White Water Rafting. I imagine someone doing unit studies or unschooling could use the badges as a basis better, but my method is still very structured around some academic subjects. Part of the rub is also that scouts are encouraged to focus on only a few badges at any one time. That said, the Boy Scout program is particularly good for homeschoolers, both with and beyond our "classroom." So I continue with my assertion that leaders need to be clued in to this, instead of thinking homeschooled scouts are oddballs who won't fit in with or do as well as institutionally schooled scouts. The homeschooling with the thought of including merit badges is only two weeks old, but I’d already say (at least for a Classical curriculum) that the badges won’t cover everything, or in the majority of cases need a lot of supplementation. From what I can tell (and have heard from homeschoolers who do use them), they’re excellent for citizenship and American government requirements, and the Boy Scout program is also excellent for the community service requirement (which is required in the California State curriculum, if you follow that.) The science badges seem to fit in well with a middle/junior high science course. Literature, mathematics, history and formal composition aren’t in the Boy Scout program; on the other hand, it has a lot of badges that I could classify as advanced Charlotte Mason nature studies, i.e. Forestry, Surveying, White Water Rafting. I imagine someone doing unit studies or unschooling could use the badges as a basis better, but my method is still very structured around some academic subjects. Part of the rub is also that scouts are encouraged to focus on only a few badges at any one time.

That said, the Boy Scout program is particularly good for homeschoolers, both with and beyond our “classroom.” So I continue with my assertion that leaders need to be clued in to this, instead of thinking homeschooled scouts are oddballs who won’t fit in with or do as well as institutionally schooled scouts.

]]> By: andrea http://www.daftmusings.com/2008/05/04/charlotte-mason-and-the-boy-scouts/comment-page-1/#comment-13673 andrea Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:46:06 +0000 http://www.daftmusings.com/?p=739#comment-13673 I LOVE the idea of using merit badges for homeschool. What else do you include in your cirriculum. My ds is only 9, and we are doing plenty of cub scout requirements along with school. I figure along with merit badges, I'll still need English and Math- how about science? history? can merit badges cover everything needed to learn? I LOVE the idea of using merit badges for homeschool. What else do you include in your cirriculum. My ds is only 9, and we are doing plenty of cub scout requirements along with school. I figure along with merit badges, I’ll still need English and Math- how about science? history? can merit badges cover everything needed to learn?

]]>