Caving is a GREAT way to earn badges and awards. As part of their preparation for caving, girls may decide they would like to earn a badge. Girl Scout Juniors and Leaders in the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Drive Council created a scouts own badge for caving (link to http://www.gsvsc.org/sites/gsvsc.org/files/ooc_badge_caving.pdf). They outlined steps to earn the badge and worked with their council shop to get a junior badge specific to caving. Juniors there learn about caving safely and about protecting caves. They take a caving trip and identify the different types of formations.
Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts can earn the B Xtreme Interest Project (link to http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/interest_projects/b_xtreme.asp) using caving as their high adventure sport. There they would learn about caving as a sport, plan an overnight caving trip where they would plan out the details including the budget, where to stay, what to take and then finally going on the caving trip. They would also share their knowledge with other girls and the community.
Girls looking for a project for their Gold Award, may want to consider a project involving caving where they can further help the community.
Here are some examples girls can use caving to earn their Gold Award:
- Work with a commercial cave to help improve their cave system and hold an event to draw more people to the cave.
- Create an educational program teaching the community about bats and the benefits bats provide the build bat houses to provide alternate homes for bats.
- Create an educational program about caving introducing people to what caving is all about and why it is important. The event should incorporate activities where people will learn some of the skills necessary to go caving.
- Work with a cave owner to help reclaim a wild cave that has been polluted and vandalized.
Once girls learn about caving and attend a caving trip, their council shop can order them fun patches as a remembrance of their caving trip.
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