If you’re looking for a unique Value Project idea, check out The Sketchbook Project. Whether you’re an established artist or a working mom with scant artistic ability (ahem) or a young woman looking for a fun way to complete a Personal Progress requirement, I’m telling you, this is a fantastic idea.

Here’s how it works. You pick a theme and order a sketchbook. They mail it to you. You fill it with art, doodles or what have you. You send it back (by January 15, 2011) and your super duper fantastic sketchbook becomes part of a literal (and sometimes travelling) library of sketchbooks.

Your sketchbook will go on tour.

Your sketchbook can be checked out at the sketchbook library.

Your sketchbook gets its own bar code so you can see who’s looking at it.

Now, how is that not completely awesome?

You don’t have to be an “artist” to participate. Your sketchbook will not be juried. This is just a way to express your thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, fears and love for chocolate (or whatever) in a creative way.

I’m thinking this would make for a great Divine Nature or Individual Worth Value Project idea. Not to exclude the boys (or moms, ahem) this is a great idea for anyone. For a smaller-scale challenge, the same organization offers monthly sketchbook projects (with monthly themes).

Here’s a sampling of past sketchbook art:

everything is the same, by Wendy Cook

And Suddenly…#23, by Nicolas Healy  (see, boys can do it too!)

Solvent Transfer and Ink, by thermion7

From a million little, by Ashley Ivey.

What would you put in your sketchbook?

Kubla Kahn in the Throne Room at Kartchner Caverns

As part of our summer adventures this year, we took a trip to Kartchner Caverns south of Tucson in Arizona. Discovered by Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts in 1974 and kept a secret until 1988 to protect the cave from pilferers and vandals, Kartchner Caverns is now a State Park and a true delight.

Not only does it boast awe-inspiring formations in a series of impressive caves, this is a living cave. That means water still seeps through crevices, drips from stalactites and sometimes floods the muddy floor of the Rotunda Room.

This cave is still a work in progress (though we’d have to live a very long time to notice the changes) and it’s delicate environment requires a high level of protection.

Touch a nearby formation and you’ve stunted it’s growth forever. The process of growing layer upon microscopic layer of calcium deposits doesn’t work when the oil from human hands enters the equation.

Even lint from our clothing can be a problem. Airborne lint clings to the cave wall and offers a place for algae growth. Very rapid algae growth.

So my boys and I went down the corridor through three vault-style doors (to protect the interior of the moist cave from the dry Arizona air), walked through misters so lint wouldn’t fly off our clothes, and diligently kept our hands to ourselves and the railings in spite of the don’t-I-look-like-so-much-fun-to-touch formations we passed.

Fortunately for us, there’s a replica in the Discovery Center where we can feel to our heart’s delight:

Where does Xanadu come in?

The founders of these caverns needed a code word so they could discuss their find in public without betraying their secret. A friend, majoring in English, referred them to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” (or “A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment”).

The poem begins:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree

Thus their secret cave became Xanadu. After many months exploring Xanadu, Tenen and Tufts came over a ridge within the cave and discovered a vast inner room with a massive column in the center.

The young men began to giggle.

If this was Xanadu, then this was surely the King’s throne room and there in the center was Kubla Khan himself.

The highlight of this tour was the final light and music show in the Throne Room. Our tour guide called it rock music (har har) but really it was the inspiring Adiemus. Magnificent.

Or, as my 8-year-old son declared, “That was the most awesomest tour ever!”

Well put.

If you’ll be in the area this summer (or any time, really) I highly suggest a visit. If you’d like to see what’s closer to home, check out this directory of caves across the United States.

Don’t forget, visiting a State or National Park isn’t just a fun family adventure. It’s scout-friendly too. I was going to list some requirements to keep in mind as you make your summer plans, but that list got to be a tad long. So that’ll be in it’s own post, up next.

Don your gloves and grab your broom (I mean weapon!). Time to disintegrate the dust bunnies, power spray the dishes and unearth the floor in your children’s bedrooms.

They do have a floor, don’t they? It’s hard to tell in my house.

Like a lot of parents, we struggle to get any consistency going when it comes to chores. Our current system consists of me telling them what to do at random times and them doing it – sometimes right away but sometimes with a lot of stalling and whining.

It’s like a box of chocolates. I never know what I’m going to get.

Don’t forget the times when I just do things myself. Stuff they could or should be doing. That’s like getting the chocolate with the coconut filling.

Yuck.

Today I decided to gather together all the scouting and LDS youth program requirements that involve chores and the like. I decided to scout out (no pun intended) the best link to a free chore chart and maybe a handy list of age-appropriate chores. Once again, in all my searching I came across a little gem of a website.

Behold Painted Gold. Painted Gold doesn’t just have chore charts, she has advice on how to effectively use them. Apparently you can’t just hang up the chart and expect anything to happen.

Who knew?

Check out her five-step plan for getting kids to do chores. Five steps isn’t too bad, especially since the fifth step is celebrating your success!

Do you think it works? I don’t know, but we’ll be giving it a try. And (of course) passing off some requirements in the process.

Care to join us?

Related Requirements:

Faith in God – Developing Talents requirement 7: “List five things you can do to help around your home. Discuss the importance of obeying and honoring your parents and learning how to work.”

Tiger cub scout requirement 1F: “Think of one chore you can do with your adult partner. Complete it together. Complete the Character Connection for Responsibility.”

Wolf cub scout requirement 4e: “Talk with your family members. Agree on the household jobs you will be responsible for. Make a list of your jobs and mark off when you have finished them. Do this for one month.”

Wolf cub scout requirement 8c: “Help fix at least one meal for your family. Help set the table, cook the food, and wash the dishes.”

Wolf cub scout requirement 8d: “Fix your own breakfast. Wash and put away the dishes. ”

Webelos cub scout Family Member activity badge requirement 2: “Make a chart showing the jobs you and other family members have at home. Talk with your family about other jobs you can do for the next two months.”

Webelos cub scout Family Member activity badge requirement 9: “Learn how to clean your home properly. With adult supervision, help do it for one month.”

Webelos cub scout Family Member activity badge requirement 10: “Show that you know how to take care of your clothes. With adult supervision, help at least twice with the family laundry. ”

Webelos cub scout Family Member activity badge requirement 11: “With adult supervision, help plan the meals for your family for one week. Help buy the food and help prepare three meals for your family. ”

Citizenship belt loop requirement 1: “Develop a list of jobs you can do around the home. Chart your progress for one week.”

Personal Progress Good Works requirement 2: “Service is an essential principle of family living. Help plan your family’s menus, obtain the food, and prepare part of the meals for two weeks. During that time help your family gather to share mealtimes. Report to your class what you have learned.”

Duty to God – Deacon Family Activities requirement 5: “With the help and permission of a parent, prepare at least 2 meals for your family. Where possible, also wash and iron your clothes for 1 month.”

Family Life Merit Badge requirement 3: “Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days. Keep a record of how often you do each of them.”

One of my all-time favorite websites is Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). Here you get to discover such deep-space beauties as

the Carina Nebula

Spitzer’s Orion

and Thor’s Emerald Helmet.

That one gets extra points for an awesome name.

I think the universe is a fascinating place, so APOD gives me my little star-fix now and again.

Course you can always set up a telescope and do things the old-fashioned way.

My sons and I went on a constellation hunt one night while we were camping. Between the clouds and the nearly-full moon there wasn’t a lot of visibility, but something about standing on the earth and looking at the heavens together made for a great bonding experience (even if Orion’s belt was in short supply).

If you have sons in scouting, or even if you don’t, find inspiration in the following awards and put together your own star-friendly activity.

Astronomy Belt Loop and Pin – This is the one we were working on when we went looking for constellations.

Astronomy Merit Badge – Stargazing gets more challenging, what with sketching the position of planets and all. I’m liking the idea of a star party though. What kind of desserts would you serve at a party like that? Moon cakes? Big Dipper Punch?

I’m getting hungry.

See that there? That’s called a Travel Bug. See this…

This is a much cuter Travel Tag which apparently works the same way as a Travel Bug. I like it a lot more.

Boys may not care which is cuter, but this is my blog. So there you go.

Course, I’m having to start this post with pictures of the Travel Tags because I don’t have a picture of the Geocaching Merit Badge yet. It’s too new.

Oh yeah, this post is really about the badge, not the tags. Go to my site for the newly posted, official requirements for the Geocaching Merit Badge. (You’ll see Travel Bugs are part of it.)

Also, you may recall from a previous post that there are a total of five merit badges due to be released this year. Scuba diving is already live and Geocaching makes two. Inventing should have been out by now but it’s still in the draft stage. I’ll let you know when it’s ready to go.

Meanwhile, I’m pretty intrigued by geocaching (bugs and tags aside). I’ve been poking around on the geocaching.com site, which is also part of the merit badge requirements, and discovered there are several caches not too far from me.

We’re talking less than a mile in some cases. Some have travel bugs in them. One is a painted ammo can. I can see why this would be a fun hobby. It’s such a scouting thing to do, I’m surprised there wasn’t a merit badge for this sooner.

Well, no time like the present.

Happy Hunting.

Naturally when I find a site with simple, straightforward tips for gardening with kids, the thing that appeals to me most is not the carrots and bush beans, but rather the sunflowers.

Two feet of growth in one month. That’s my kind of gardening.

Maybe that’s because my previous attempts at gardening have been consumed by brutal desert heat, hungry birds and a persistent gopher.

Oh yeah. And neglect. I’ve decided that the things which are allowed to grow in my yard are those things which can survive without any attention from me at all.

This includes the rose bushes strategically placed near the water runoff from my washer.

Along with the bougainvillea bush which apparently needs no more water than our Southwestern location naturally provides. It’s positively thriving, but with no help from me, I assure you.

Vegetative casualties include multiple vegetable gardens, three grapevines (soon to be four), plum trees and countless rose bushes planted in more unfortunate parts of our yard. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but you get the idea.

All of this is to say that part of me cringes every time I see a cub scout requirement for gardening. I sing praises of hallelujah whenever these requirements are done in the den. You gotta love those den leaders. If my children learn anything about gardening, it most likely won’t be from me.

So it’s not surprising that I found this short and encouraging tidbit on gardening with children so appealing.

I have visions of blooming sunflowers lining my back fence. Radishes and snow peas don’t do anything for me, but I was intrigued by their description of potatoes as a “never-fail” crop.

Are you sure? Have you seen my list of casualties?

Well, no matter. Perhaps it’s worth a try. If nothing else, the gopher will have something new to snack on.

Related LDS Youth and Scouting Program Requirements:

Tiger Cub Scout elective 30: “Plant a seed, pit or greens from something you have eaten.”

The first four (out of five) options for the Wolf Cub Scout elective 15 are: “Plant and raise a box garden; plant and raise a flower bed; grow a plant indoors; and plant and raise vegetables.” Completing all of elective 15, Grow Something, also counts toward the Cub Scout World Conservation Award (or “the Panda badge” as it’s known around my house).

Bear Cub Scout elective 12e: “Collect eight kinds of plant seeds and label them.” [My kind of gardening project. Ahem.]

Bear Cub Scout elective 14a: “With an adult, help take care of your lawn or flower beds or help take care of the lawn or flower beds of a public building, school, or church. Seed bare spots. Get rid of weeds. Pick up litter. Agree ahead of time on what you will do.”

Bear Cub Scout elective 14d: “Build a greenhouse and grow twenty plants from seed. You can use a package of garden seeds, or use beans, pumpkin seeds, or watermelon seeds.”

Personal Progress Faith Value Project idea: “Read Alma 32:28-43. Think of faith as a seed as you help plant, care for, and harvest a vegetable garden. Record in your journal how you can nourish, care for, and strengthen your family.”

Finally, the Gardening Merit Badge includes (you guessed it) gardening.

Looking for General Conference packets for your kids?

The Church has a new website with a packet, bingo cards, coloring page and fun online matching games kids can play (one for the apostles and one for latter-day prophets). There’s also a handy topical guide to the previous conference as well as a quick link for leader biographies.

Magnify or Simplify is the originator of fabulous packets that spread through the email chains like wildfire. Her packets are pretty extensive and have lots of activities for children of all ages. She always updates to include the most current apostles as well. I’ll go ahead and say this is my favorite packet.

Sugardoodle, naturally, has her own conference packet which (amazingly) is also available in Spanish or Portuguese.

For a cute, little preschool-aged packet, try here.

Now, you’re wondering about those delectable-looking rolls, aren’t you? Aren’t you?

Of course you are.

These rolls are a treat and an Easter lesson all rolled into one, with a little “magic” added in for good measure. We plan on making these Resurrection Rolls on Easter between sessions.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Finally, this post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t give you a little heads up about the following:

Faith in God Learning and Living the Gospel requirement 4: “Read [or watch] a recent conference address given by the prophet. Decide what you can do to follow the prophet, and do it.”

Personal Progress Faith requirement 1: “The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Learn about faith from the scriptures and living prophets. Read Hebrews 11, Alma 32:17–43, Ether 12:6–22, and Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20. Read two general conference talks on faith. Exercise your own faith by establishing a habit of prayer in your life. Begin by saying your morning and evening prayers regularly. After three weeks of following this pattern, discuss with a parent or leader what you have learned about faith and how daily personal prayer has strengthened your faith. In your journal express your feelings about faith and prayer.”

Looking for something more for your kids than just a craft? Want your kids to learn art skills and express their creativity?

Me too.

Of course there are plenty of requirements in the LDS youth and scouting programs that encourage art (you knew that was coming right?). As usual, I have a handy list for you below.

But what I really want to do is highlight this fantastic website appropriately titled, Art Projects for Kids.

Here you’ll find step by step instructions for things like:

This abstract watercolor still life, which makes a perfect project for the beginning artist. Even younger siblings can get in on this act.

Teach shading as kids turn circles into spheres with the Spheres in Space art project.

According to Kathy (the left brain behind this right-on website), kids are often surprised at how well they can draw when they have an image to look at. I think this raccoon is pretty cute!

Or how about this Van Gogh-inspired Sunflowers? What I love about her posts is she tells you exactly how to do the project, without telling you exactly. She gives the theory behind the instruction without taking away your creative license.

You can search for projects by age, artist, medium or style.

While you go check her out, I’m going to go get a snack.

Recycled Ritz Man is making me hungry.

Related LDS Youth and Scouting Program Requirements:

Faith in God Developing Talents requirement 4: “Make an item from wood, metal, fabric, or other material, or draw, paint, or sculpt a piece of art. Display your finished work for others to see. ”

Wolf Cub Scout elective 12a: “Make a freehand sketch of a person place, or thing.”

Wolf Cub Scout elective 12c: “Mix yellow and blue paints, mix yellow and red, and mix red and blue. Tell what color you get from each mixture.”

Bear Cub Scout elective 9a: “Do an original art project and show it at a pack meeting. Every project you do counts as one requirement. ”

Bear Cub Scout elective 9a: “Find a favorite outdoor location and draw or paint it. ”

Bear Cub Scout elective 10a: “Make a simple papier-mâché mask. ”

See the many activity options for the Webelos Artist Activity Badge and Cub Scout Art Belt Loop and Pin.

Personal Progress Divine Nature value project idea #4: “Using an artistic skill or handicraft you have learned, make something for your current or future home. Record in your journal how being creative is part of your divine nature and how sharing your creativity has blessed others.”

Duty to God Priest – Educational, Personal and Career Development requirement 10: “Create at least 3 paintings or drawings, and, if possible, display them in a church, school, or community cultural arts event.”

Art Merit Badge requirement 3: “Render a subject of your choice in FOUR of these ways: pen and ink, watercolors, pencil, pastels, oil paints, tempera, acrylics, charcoal, computer drawing or painting.”

Screen shot of LDS Church Interactive Music Player

I discovered LDS Interactive Church Music Player as I was writing an upcoming post for this blog and thought it was awesome! If you have not yet discovered this site, you must go check it out.

Just about every hymn and children’s hymn is available for the player. It will play the hymn with music and words, just with the music or in the interactive mode.

Interactive mode is music only, but with a highlighted bar going across the sheet music in time with the notes. I assume that’s to help you learn how to play it on the piano.

Within the interactive player you can change the tempo and key.  Kinda fun if you want to hear the high-pitched version of “Give Said the Little Stream” at about 100 mph.

I’m sure there are more legitimate musical applications for those features, but I don’t know what they would be.

The LDS Church Music website has all kinds of cool helps, including tips for teaching songs to children and an interactive conducting course with videos to help you practice.

By the way, this a great resource for kids too. In fact, there’s a whole slew of requirements involving learning how to conduct a hymn or play a song. And because that’s what I do, here’s a convenient list for you.

Cheers and Happy Singing

Related LDS Youth and Scouting Program Requirements:

Faith in God – Developing Talents #2: “Learn to sing, play, or lead a song from the Children’s Songbook. Teach or share the song in a family home evening or at Primary. Discuss how developing talents helps prepare us for service to Heavenly Father and others.”

Faith in God – Gospel #9: “Learn to sing “Choose the Right” (Hymns, no. 239). Explain what agency is and what it means to be responsible for your choices. Discuss how making good choices has helped you develop greater faith.”

Bear Cub Scout Elective 8b: “Learn to play two familiar tunes on any musical instrument.”

Bear Cub Scout Elective 8d: “Play two tunes on any recognized band or orchestra instrument.”

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 8: “Play four tunes on any band or orchestra instrument. Read these from music.”

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 13: “Draw a staff. Draw on it a clef, sharp, flat, natural, note, and rest. Tell what each is used for.” (The LDS Church Music site has a guide to musical symbols and terms.)

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 14: “Show the difference between 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time by beating time or playing an instrument.” (See the interactive conducting course for all these time measures.)

Cub Scout Music Belt Loop requirement 2: “Pick a song with at least two verses and learn it by heart.”

Cub Scout Music Belt Loop requirement 3: ” Listen to four different types of music either recorded or live.”

Cub Scout Music Pin requirement 7: “Demonstrate conducting patterns for two songs using two different meters (two-, three-, or four-beat meter) while your adult partner or den members sing or play the songs you have selected.”

Personal Progress Knowledge requirement 6: “Memorize two of your favorite hymns from the hymnbook. Learn the correct conducting pattern for the hymns and then conduct them at least two times at a family home evening, in a Young Women or other Church meeting, or at seminary. Read the scriptures listed at the bottom of each hymn.”

Duty to God Teacher – Family requirement 5: “Memorize the words and learn to conduct at least 3 hymns each year, 1 hymn in 2/4 time, 1 in 3/4 time, and 1 in 4/4 time.”

Duty to God Priest – Quorum requirement 6: “Learn the basic skills of conducting music, memorize a hymn, and lead others in singing it during opening exercises of priesthood meeting at least once a year.”

Duty to God Priest – Spiritual Development requirement 5: “Learn to play the piano or organ well enough to accompany 2 hymns in a Church meeting.”

Music Merit Badge requirement 1: “Sing or play a simple song or hymn chosen by your counselor using good technique, phrasing, tone, rhythm, and dynamics. Read all the signs and terms of the score.”

Music Merit Badge requirement 4a: “Teach three songs to a group of people. Lead them in singing the songs, using proper hand motions.”

Welcome to the blog of the America Jane website. The site is a database of Cub Scout programs (Tiger, Bear, Wolf and Webelos) and Boy Scout programs (Scout and Tenderfoot through Eagle) as well as all the youth programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons) including Faith in God, Duty to God and Personal Progress.

The database includes every requirement needed to earn awards or rank advancements in those programs. I’ve also included requirements for all cub scout belt loops and pins, cub scout special awards, boy scout merit badges and boy scout special awards.

It’s a huge database, but I’m not done yet.

Phase Two will offer a resource unlike anything else on the web and should make it FAR easier for parents to help their youth successfully navigate these programs.

Follow the blog for tips, news, activities, site updates and whatever else comes to mind.