Youth & Family Opportunities

Scouts

Assisting Scouts Along Their Journey

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is proud to assist Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts along their journey of achievement and adventure!
Scouting provides boys and girls self-confidence, ethics and values that will stay with them throughout their lives. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is proud to assist Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts along their journey of achievement and adventure!

At Scouts@HMNS, we inject excitement and education in everything we do. In the words of Scout Programs Manager Michelle Connor: “Each merit badge is educational. We enhance it; if need be we add to it, to explain what the requirement is… I want there to be a spark in even the most serious of merit badges. You’ve got to make something so that the kids are enjoying it. If they enjoy something, they’re learning it.”

The HMNS Scouting Program offers badge classes for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as enrichment field trips and events at HMNS facilities in Hermann Park, Sugar Land and Brazos Bend State Park, home of the George Observatory. Classes take place on Saturdays during the school year and in week-long day camps during the summer. For more information about badges, classes or events, click below!

Generously Supported by OXY
Contact
Scouts Program Manager
scouts@hmns.org

Scout Program Schedule

Scouts@HMNS is proud to present classes to help Scouts of all kinds and levels meet requirements for Merit Badges, Adventures, Badges, and more!

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Download Schedule
Ancient Amulets Illustration
Cracked Urn

Scouts BSA Prerequisite Workbooks

Prerequisite Workbooks

There are certain merit badges that have requirements that cannot be completed in class using the virtual format. For these merit badges, please make sure you select the prerequisite workbook that corresponds with your class format.
 
Citizenship in the Community Prerequisite Workbook
Communications

Emergency Preparedness Prerequisite Workbook (PDF)

 
 
 
 
 
Personal Management Prerequisite Workbook

Reptile and Amphibian Study Prerequisite Workbook (PDF)

Scout Events

STEM Nova Day

Oct 14, 2023 from 8am – 12pm

Join us for a day of fun, no registration required! Experience the excitement of scouting right here at the museum. Experts and educators help you to discuss and complete various requirements throughout your day.

Registration is NOW OPEN for the STEM Nova overnight! Spend the night from October 13th-14th, and then stay for the STEM Nova event.

Click here for more information, then complete the registration form by October 2nd.

STEM Nova Day Instructions

STEM Professional Booths

Oct 14, 2023 from 8am – 12pm

This year, we will be offering the opportunity for STEM organizations to host a STEM Professional Booth to talk with scouts and their families about science, technology, engineering and math! At each booth, organizations will have a STEM activity or demonstration to share with STEM/Nova participants as well as the general public visiting HMNS on STEM/Nova Day. For more information on hosting a STEM Professional Booth, read through the Frequently Asked Questions for STEM Professional Booths. To host a booth, please fill out the application linked below!

FAQ STEM Professional Booths

Girls Exploring Math & Science

Saturday, November 4th, 2023

The Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council invite you to attend the annual Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS) event presented by CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The Houston Museum of Natural Science will be filled with hands-on science and math for everyone to experience. Local professionals will be at the Museum to answer questions about their careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). GEMS is open to anyone regardless of their involvement in a scouting program.

Join us Saturday, November 4, 2023 to see STEM in action! The GEMS event is included with admission to HMNS permanent exhibit halls.

There are several ways to participate in GEMS 2023! We are always looking for Community Organizations and Students to share their knowledge of STEM at GEMS! To participate as a Student STEM Ambassador or Community Booth, fill out the applications included below. If you would like to attend GEMS, fill out the Attendee Interest Form below, and we will send reminders and updates about GEMS 2023.

Student STEM Ambassadors
Student Information Packet
Student STEM Ambassador Application
 
Community Organizations
Community Booth Information Packet
Community Booth Application

The 2023 GEMS event is presented by CITGO Petroleum Corporation.

Overnights

Bring your scouts for a camp-in they’ll never forget! Join one of our annual events with other scouts or plan a private overnight where your troop or pack can have a night at the museum to call their own.

STEM Nova Overnight
Oct. 13, 6:30pm – Oct. 14, 9:00am

Thank you for your interest in STEM Nova Awards at HMNS. Registration for the STEM Nova Overnight on October 13th, 2023 Starts on September 1st.

Work toward fulfilling the requirements while you explore the museum after dark! The STEM Nova Overnight is designed for Cub Scouts ages 6-12 and will last from 6:30 p.m. October 13th  to 9 a.m. October 14th. We are offering morning Badge classes on October 14th exclusively for Overnight participants. Register for these classes when you register for the Overnight.

If you would like to be put on the distribution list for next year’s STEM NOVA Overnight or register for 2023 please email overnights@hmns.org 

GEMS Overnight
Nov 3, 6:30pm – Nov 4, 9:00am

The GEMS Overnight is designed exclusively for Girl Scouts ages 6-12 and their leaders.

Private Overnight Packages
Create an overnight experience that’s as unique as your pack or troop and camp out at the Museum! Plus, add a Badge on Demand to make the most of your time.

Badges on Demand

Book a private Badge on Demand for your troop

Available at HMNS at Hermann Park and HMNS at Sugar Land!
Can’t make it to a scheduled class? No problem! Get a group of at least 10 Scouts together, and you can all earn the Badge at the same time! Just fill out this Badge on Demand Request Form. Badges on Demand are offered during museum hours only.

BSA Classes:
 
GSA Classes:

FAQ

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Scouts BSA classes are 4 hour long classes from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 pm. Webelos, Cub Scout classes and Girl Scout classes are 2 hours long. They are usually from 10 – 12 p.m. or 1 – 3 pm. Girl Scout Journey classes run between 4 – 5 hours.

With a purchase of a scout class, one parent or chaperone is admitted with their scout into the museum and can visit the permanent exhibit halls before or after their class. HMNS asks for parents of scouts in 2nd grade and younger to stay with their scout in the classroom for school year classes. Younger siblings and extra parents will need to purchase a general admission ticket for the museum. Depending on the number of scouts and parents, extra parents and siblings may be asked to tour the museum during class time. For summer scout classes, parents are not allowed to stay in the room. Each class will have a teacher and teaching assistants to work with the scouts.

Prerequisites are requirements that cannot be completed in the class. These should be completed before the class, but can be done after the class. A list of prerequisite requirements by Merit Badge and their downloadable worksheets can be found on the Scouts BSA Prerequisite Workbooks page. Outside work is work that is assigned by the Merit Badge counselor for two-day and five day classes. This is work that cannot be done in the classroom or work that the scout needs to finish for a requirement. At the end of class, any incomplete work (partials) will need to be completed by the Scout afterwards and verified by the Scout Program Manager and HMNS staff merit badge counselors.

Please send a scan PDF of your missing requirements to scouts@hmns.org. After the work has been verified to show that the scout has met the requirements, a Merit Badge card will be sent.

Please note that this procedure is in compliance with the requirements dictated by the Boy Scouts of America and Sam Houston Area Council. We are unable to issue Merit Badge cards without verifying that all requirements have been met.

For Scouts BSA classes, HMNS issues pre-printed Merit Badge Cards detailing the requirements completed by the Scout during class and verified by the Merit Badge counselor. For Eagle-required Merit Badges, a Merit Badge Card signed by the Scoutmaster is required for the Scout to take the class. If the Scout does not have a Merit Badge Card signed by their Scoutmaster for an Eagle-required Merit Badge, the Scout may not be permitted by their troop to receive credit for the class. HMNS will not issue a refund in this instance. Scouts are responsible for submitting the completed Merit Badge Card to their troop after completion of the class. For Virtual Scouts BSA classes, scouts will need to send a pdf of their completed work to scouts@hmns.org. The workbook will be checked by a HMNS staff merit badge counselor for meeting the requirements as required by Boy Scouts of America and Sam Houston Area Council. A HMNS merit badge counselor will then send a scanned merit badge card by email.

HMNS scout program does not require scouts to wear their uniforms to class. Uniforms are required for Scouts BSA, during field trips to court houses, fire stations and other outside organizations during summer scout classes.