Scout and Community Groups

Girl Scout Programs
Individual Scout Programs

Boy Scout Programs
Individual Scout Programs

Heritage Museums & Gardens offers special events and individual badge workshops for Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts throughout the year. All of these offerings are listed below. For more information on our Scout offerings, contact Kristen Hoeker at 508.888.3300, x-159, or E-Mail khoeker@heritagemuseums.org.

Girl Scouts

All badge programs are approximately 2 hours in length, and may be scheduled any day of the week to suit the group's schedule. Badge programs include hands-on activities, games and Make-it/Take-it projects. For an additional fees, troops get a tour of the museum buildings and grounds. Heritage offers opportunities for Teen Scout troops to complete community service by working with the Education department at the museum.

DAISY FUN

MUSEUM MYSTERY
Daisies will get an overview of a museum and its collections. Girls will touch real artifacts and learn their stories, take a scavenger hunt through the galleries, and complete several crafts based on the exhibits they have seen, plus have a ride on the carousel!

FLOWERING FUN
Take time to stop and smell the flowers as troops walk the trails of the gardens in search of unique plants. Girls will play a game to discover what plants need to survive, make leaf rubbings to look at different shapes and sizes, and plant their own flower seed to take home and grow.

BROWNIE TRY-ITS

ANIMALS
This program gives girls the opportunity to take an observation walk through some of the museum’s 100 acres of gardens looking for animals. They also take an “art safari” tour looking for the many different types of animals found in the Art Museum’s collections, complete a scavenger hunt, and play a game of animal charades.

COLORS AND SHAPES
Girls explore how artists use color in making art, and begin by using paint to try their hand at mixing the three primary colors to make their own secondary colors. Girls then make their own mobile and learn about the museum’s Nantucket basket collection before making their own paper-weaving project.

CREATIVE COMPOSING
The girls will explore the museum’s art collection to gain inspiration for creating a painting of their own. Next the troop will hear a poem about Nantucket baskets, and then will compose a very unique poem about another object. The girls will also compose their own work song and decode a secret message!

EARTH AND SKY
In this program the girls will take a walk around Heritage and learn about different creatures that fly. The troop will then learn about and view the effects of soil erosion before making their own sedimentary “rocks.” We will also talk about the sky before making a special cloud craft to take home.

ECO-EXPLORER
Girls will learn fascinating facts about butterfly habitats and how to plant a butterfly garden at home. They also make a pinecone bird feeder and take a discovery walk while completing a scavenger hunt checklist for both living and non-living things on the trails. They conclude the program with a craft project that allows them to create an animal and all of the elements of its habitat.

HER STORY
Scouts will begin by hearing about two famous women in American history and examining real artifacts from those time periods. Girls will then complete a traditional Native American craft and discuss ways they can shape the future.

LISTENING TO THE PAST
Girls will begin by listening to journal entries of children from the past before comparing them to their own lives today. Then they will explore the symbols found on gravestones before creating a gravestone rubbing. Finally, they will explore a variety of fun pastimes by making and playing games from the past.

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
Troops will discover secrets to cultures around the world by looking at their history and works of art first hand. Passports will be stamped as the girls complete games and projects from Africa, England, Australia, India, South America, and China.

PLANTS
Girls discuss the jobs of different plant parts and the important role of seeds. They use their five senses to explore some herbs and plant two different types of herbs to take home and monitor in a “seed race” experiment. After playing a leaf matching game and taking a tree tour, girls make rubbings of the leaves and bark of their favorite trees.

JUNIOR BADGES

FOLK ART
During this program, girls learn what folk art is and take a gallery tour to find some examples. They then explore the art of scrimshaw in-depth with real artifacts. The troop then listens to and learns a sea chantey sung by sailors aboard whaling ships. They conclude the program by creating their own scrimshaw-like work of art.

YOUR OUTDOOR SURROUNDINGS
Troops will discover fun in the outdoors while exploring the gardens and trails. Learn how to pack for a nature hike through the museum’s trails while creating minimal impact to the area. Use your senses and artistic skills to play several games and create crafts with outdoor objects collected along the way.

EARTH CONNECTIONS
What does it mean to be an ecologist? Learn the answer to this question as the girls become ecologists for a day! Discover the secrets of the trees on the nature trails, play eco-games, and explore the use of plants in our nation’s history while making a fun craft.

LOCAL LORE
Girls will explore local history by examining real artifacts, playing a map I-spy game, and completing a craft project to take home. The troop will also go on a “history’s mysteries” walk around Heritage.

TOYMAKER
What toys have children played with in the past? What toys do other cultures have? Discover the answers while making and playing games that are fun but also educational and good for the environment! If your troop is creative and hands-on, this is the program for you!

OUTDOOR CREATIVITY
Use our 100 acres of gardens and trails as inspiration to create several works of art, from a drawing to a sculpture to a poem, and even a magical work of art!

TEEN INTEREST PROJECTS

MUSEUM DISCOVERY
Girls take a behind-the-scenes tour to learn more about how the museum collects, protects and shares objects with the public. They discover how museums protect rare and delicate objects and explore the process of designing exhibits and programming.

PLANT LIFE
Participants in this program will test soil for pH, start at least three new plants they take home with them without using seeds, and learn about careers related to plants while visiting our botanical garden.

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
Teen Scouts will explore engineering with hands-on experiments and projects. These activities will involve several areas of the engineering field, including aerospace, civil, environmental, mechanical, and electrical.

FOLK ARTS
Girls will create several works of art, including masks, quilt pieces, a necklace, soap, and more as they explore the museum’s own folk art collection.

Prices include a special Heritage Museums & Gardens patch for each scout !
To Register your troop for any of the programs, please
Call Kristen Hoeker, at 508.888.3300, x-159, or E-Mail
Khoeker@heritagemuseums.org

Cub Scouts

Individual Pack Programs

All badge programs are approximately 2 hours in length, and may be scheduled any day of the week to suit the group's schedule. Badge programs include hands-on activities, games and Make-it/Take-it projects. For an additional fee, packs get a tour of the museum buildings and grounds. Heritage also offers opportunities for scout packs to complete community service projects with the Education Department and the Horticulture Department.

TIGERS

Rank Requirement: Making My Family Special
The boys will learn how the historic Native American families of the Northeast Woodlands lived and the different roles that men, women, and children had, with the help of hands-on artifacts. The Scouts will then listen to and act out Native American legends and create a dream catcher. The Scouts will also learn about the children of these tribes and some of the games they played, and will then create two games to take home and play with their own families.

Elective 21 & 36: The Show Must Go On
Participants will hear several legends inspired by the museum’s collection. After hands-on artifact time, the Scouts will create a puppet and give a performance based around one special museum exhibit.

Elective 41: Transportation, Req. 2F Maps
The scouts will get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s antique car collection and touch real artifacts and dress up in the Model T. Then the Scouts will look at a map of their community and plan a road trip, as well as design a postcard from their trip. Finally, the boys will be challenged to a scooter race!

WOLVES

Elective 10: Native American Lore
In this program, Scouts will learn about Native Peoples of North America. Using hands-on artifacts and a floor map, they will explore the concept of culture areas and see how the continent was divided into different groups. Participants will then create a traditional Native American home, necklace, musical instrument, and story.

Elective 12: Be an Artist
This elective allows the boys to use their imaginations to create works of art. They will begin this adventure by taking a tour and going on a scavenger hunt through the Folk Art Gallery in our Art Museum. Then they will create a sketch, painting, stencil, and poster, as well as experiment with different color combinations.

Elective 2: Be an Actor
Discover the history and fun of the stage! Scouts will learn theater basics, then create their own story, puppets, scenery, props, and music to put on a performance for the whole group!

BEARS

Achievement 3: What Makes America Special
In this program, Scouts will learn about the history of Heritage Museums & Gardens and the many interesting historical buildings on our grounds. In the American History Museum, we will explore some of the changes our country’s flag has gone through and some of the stories behind them. The Scouts will also discover and participate in the proper ways to display and fold the flag. Then they will go on a scavenger hunt through the gallery to take a closer look at the artifacts and create an American craft to take home.

Achievement 4: Tall Tales, Elective 10: Masks
Scouts will discover the truths and the silliness behind several tall tales in American history. They will play games, dress up, and handle real artifacts to enhance these stories before creating several masks to act out one of the tall tales.

Elective 9: Art
What is art? This is one question that the Scouts will think about as they take a tour of our Folk Art Gallery and play a game based on what they have just seen. The boys will then create four unique works of art to take home, such as “scrimshaw” teeth, imaginative sculptures, doorknob signs, and a mosaic.

Elective 24: Native American Life
For this elective, the Scouts will learn about Native Peoples and the culture areas of North America, with a focus on hands-on artifacts. They will learn about the different types of houses that Native Peoples lived in and will also make a model of a Wetu out of some fun materials. To finish their requirements for the elective, the boys will create and try out two games that were played by Native Peoples.

WEBELOS

Artist Activity Badge
Tap into your creativity for this badge program! Scouts will have a chance to learn about the color wheel and mix their own color creations. They will then create three different works of art to take home, including a mobile, sculpture, and silhouette.

Handyman Activity Badge
Scouts will not only get a special tour of the automobile collection, but will also get hands-on experience. The group will work with the curator to change a tire, check the oil, and other basics on an actual antique car!

Forester Activity Badge
Take an adventure around our back-trails to discover several native and exotic tree species on the property. Scouts will explore the layers of our forest floor, discover secrets of the tree rings, find uses of wood in the museum buildings, and pot a tree seedling to take home.

Engineer Activity Badge
Explore the diversity in the engineering field by performing experiments and projects in the chemical, aerospace, civil, and materials engineering fields. Discover the mechanical engineering area with the antique cars in the Auto Museum, then race a car of your own design.

Showman (Puppetry and Drama) Activity
Discover the history and fun of the stage! Scouts will learn theater basics, then create their own story, puppets, scenery, props, and music to put on a performance for the whole group!

*This program is offered for a limited time, so schedule your group as soon as possible

Program-Only Prices:
Scouts: $7.00
Non-Participating Siblings: $4.50
Adults: No Charge
Program PLUS Museum Admission:
Scouts: $10.00
Non-Participating Siblings: $4.50
Adults: 2 free chaperones per troop, $8.00 per each additional adult
Prices include a special Heritage Museums & Gardens patch for each scout !
To Register your troop for any of the programs, please
Call Kristen Hoeker, at 508.888.3300, x-159, or E-Mail
Khoeker@heritagemuseums.org

Please note: If programs are scheduled after museum hours, an additional $12.00 per hour will be added to the total group cost to cover the cost of museum security.