Curiosity Untamed offers thousands of badges in nine different Areas of Discovery. The Discovery Award rewards those participants who embrace the entire program and earn at least one badge from each of the nine areas and combining badges is a great way to get started.
Areas of Discovery
- Discover Agriculture
- Discover Art
- Discover Character
- Discover Health and Safety
- Discover the Home
- Discover Knowledge
- Discover the Outdoors
- Discover Science and Technology
- Discover the World
Combining Badges
One of the benefits of the Curiosity Untamed program is that you can combine badges to see how subject matter interconnects in the real world. For example if you choose to make a bird house for the woodworking badge, you can also use that to fulfill a requirement for the bird badge. If you make a grass skirt for you Hawaii badge, you can also use that project to fulfill a requirement for the Knots badge.
For each project you do, think about what other badges you might be able to apply it to. This encourages kids to learn about topics they may not have chosen on their own. The Knots badge is a perfect example. If you learn how to tie an overhand knot as part of your Hawaii badge making grass skirts and a bowline earning your Camping badge while hanging your clothesline for drying, you have already completed two knots toward your Knots badge. While you may not have set out to learn about knots specifically, you suddenly discover how useful they are and so you may choose to earn the Knots badge simply because you already have a good start on it.
To Do: Choose a badge you earned recently and see how many other badges you completed requirements for in the process of earning it.
Combining Badges – How To
Finding ways to combine badges from all nine areas is a great way to approach the Discovery Award. Let’s use the Hawaii badge as an example. When my girls earned the Hawaii state badge, they decided to throw a luau. As a result we combined the following badges:
- Hawaii (state badge) – Discover the World: Used as the badge we based all other badges off of
- Hula (dance specific) – Discover Art: Learned to hula to entertain guests
- Costume Design – Discover Art: Designed a Hawaiian costume for our hula dance
- Knots – Discover Knowledge: Used knots to create our own leis and grass skirts
- Event Planning – Discover the Home: Planned a luau for friends and families
- Etiquette – Discover Character: Learned proper party etiquette
- Pigs (farm animal specific) – Discover Agriculture: Made Hawaiian style Kalua pork and learned about the role of pigs in Hawaii
- Food Safety – Discover Health and Safety: Used to prep food for the party
- Internet – Discover Science and Technology: Used the Internet to find facts about Hawaii and pigs, learn to hula, find recipes,e tc.
- Weather – Discover the Outdoors: Learned about the weather while planning a day and time for our outdoors luau
As you can see, earning the Hawaii badge was a jumping off point for earning other badges from each Area of Discovery. While not all requirements for every badge were completed in the process of throwing our luau, at least a few requirements for each of the above badges were completed. Finishing each of the remaining badges also took us into new directions as well. For example earning the Pigs badge also led to requirements being completed for the Farmer badge. Earning the Knots badge also led to requirements being completed for the sailing badge.
To Do: Try to interconnect one badge from each Area of Discovery to create a plan for working on your Discovery Award.
Broaden Your Thinking
For every activity you do or thing you learn about, there are usually multiple badges to apply it to. The key is to broaden your thinking and think about the world as a whole and how activities and knowledge can interconnect.
So expand your horizons. Earn some badges that you may not have ever contemplated. Earning your Discovery Award is a great place to start as it will force you to earn at least one badge from each Area of Discovery which will give you a broad overview of topics. What will YOU choose to learn about?
To Do: Choose an Area of Discovery you do not usually earn badges in and find a badge you can connect to something that aligns more with your interests. For example if you are not particularly artistic, but love the outdoors, think about how you might be able to learn about art in some way while pursuing your outdoor activities.
Hawaiian Activities and Resources
If you would like to follow the Hawaiian badge grouping listed above, here are a few great websites to help you in combining badges.
- Facts and Photos about the 50th State – National Geographic for Kids
- Learn to Hula – Basic steps on Youtube
- Traditional Hawaiian Costume – LoveToKnow
- How to Make a DIY Grass Hula Skirt – Budget101
- How to Plan a Hawaiian Luau – Spruce
- Party Etiquette for Hosts – Pottery Barn
- Kalua Pig Recipe – Allrecipes
- How to Cook, Serve, and Store Pork Safely – Pork Checkoff
- How to Search the Internet Effectively – Media Smarts
- 5 Fun Games That Teach Weather – Busy Teacher
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