July 2026 Newsletter
A Note from the Founder: The Best Summer Memories Are Usually Unplanned
When I look back on summers from my childhood, I don’t remember detailed schedules or elaborate plans. I remember catching bugs in the backyard, building forts out of whatever materials I could find, exploring places I wasn’t supposed to explore, and spending long afternoons outside with friends and family.
Those experiences taught me something important: curiosity doesn’t need a lesson plan.
As parents and leaders, it’s easy to feel like we need to fill every day with productive activities. But sometimes the best thing we can do is create opportunities and then get out of the way. Give kids a pile of cardboard and see what they build. Hand them a bucket at the beach and let them experiment with sand. Spread out a blanket for a picnic and see where the conversations lead.
Some of the most valuable skills kids develop — creativity, problem-solving, independence, and resourcefulness — grow naturally when they have the freedom to explore.
That’s one of the reasons I love summer. It gives us permission to slow down a little. To spend more time outside. To follow interests wherever they lead. To learn because we’re curious, not because it’s on a schedule.
Whether your family is traveling across the country, attending summer activity days with your troop or club, or simply enjoying a slower pace at home, I hope you’ll leave room for a little adventure this month.
You never know which simple summer activity will become the memory your kids are still talking about years from now.
— Kerry Cordy
New Badge Format!!
In mid July I will be changing the format for badge requirements. How you earn them will stay basically the same, but the requirements will be streamlined in a less confusing manner. Instead of starred requirements at each age level, which causes confusion, badges will now look like this:
- Preschool: Do requirements 1&2 plus one more
- Level 1: Do requirements 1-3 plus two more.
- Level 2: Do requirements 1-4 plus three more
- Level 3: Do requirements 1-5 plus four more
- Level 4: Do requirements 1-6 plus five more
- Level 5: Do requirements 1-7 plus six more
There will be a simple list of requirements numbered 1-30 or so. You will still do the exact same requirements you are required to do now, and they still spiral back and build skills the way they always have, but in an easier to understand format.
I am sure there will be glitches when I first make the switch so PLEASE email me with any typos, missing requirements or other issues you discover so that I can fix them as quickly as possible. Thanks!
New Badges Added
Fireworks Badge – Discover Science and Technology – Learn how fireworks work, including the chemistry behind colors and the physics of aerial shells, and explore the history of fireworks displays in America and around the world.
Sand Badge –Discover the Outdoors – Explore what sand is made of, how it forms, and why sand looks different depending on where it comes from.
Small Towns – Discover the World – Discover the history, culture, and unique character of small towns. Learn how these communities develop, the roles local businesses and organizations play, and what makes each town special.
Hands-On Activity: Sand Layers in a Jar
This activity pairs with the Sand Badge and gives kids a chance to observe how sand layers form — similar to geological strata — while creating a keepsake display jar.
Materials:
- A clear glass jar or bottle with a lid
- At least 4–5 colors of craft sand or colored salt (to make colored salt: mix table salt with a few drops of food coloring and spread on paper to dry)
- A spoon or small funnel
- Optional: small decorative items such as shells or small stones to layer in
Instructions:
- Decide on your color order before you begin. Talk about what real sand layers look like and what might cause different colored layers in nature (different minerals, different time periods, different environments).
- Carefully spoon the first color of sand into the bottom of the jar, creating an even layer about half an inch deep. Use a spoon handle to gently press the sand against the side of the glass to see the layer clearly.
- Add each subsequent color one at a time. For variety, you can tilt the jar slightly as you pour to create angled or wavy layers rather than flat ones.
- Fill the jar to the top and seal the lid tightly. If you are using a decorative bottle with a narrow opening, a small funnel is helpful.
- For older members: before starting, have them research what types of minerals cause different natural sand colors (red from iron oxide, white from quartz or coral, black from volcanic basalt) and try to replicate natural sand color sequences.
This activity works for all ages. Younger members focus on the fine motor skill of layering carefully. Older members add the science research component.
Seasonal Activities for July
July is the perfect month to take learning outdoors.
- Host a neighborhood picnic and work toward the Picnics Badge.
- Visit a beach, river, or lake and investigate the different types of sand you find.
- Attend a local Independence Day celebration and discuss the history behind the holiday.
- Spend an evening watching fireworks and talk about the science behind colors, sound, and explosions.
- Work on the American Heritage Badge or Patriotism Badge with a July 4th themed project or family discussion.
- Cool off with a backyard water day and combine it with the Water Games Badge or Fun at the Pool Badge.
The longer days and warm evenings make July one of the easiest months to combine family fun with hands-on learning.
Leadership Position Spotlight: Treasurer
The Treasurer reports the group’s current finances at each leadership meeting, helps prepare budgets for events, and logs all incoming payments with adult oversight. A member who holds this position learns to read a simple ledger, build a budget, communicate financial information clearly, and handle money responsibly — skills that carry directly into adult life.
Adult oversight is required for this position, and that is by design. A Treasurer who learns that accountability is built into the role is learning something important about how real organizations work. If your members are younger, consider adding a Treasurer-in-Training who shadows the role before taking it on fully.
Higher Award Spotlight: Outdoors Award
The Outdoors Award recognizes members who have completed a series of age-appropriate outdoor skills, with requirements tiered by level. It draws from badges across navigation, fire safety, camping, and outdoor cooking — which gives members a reason to try things they might not otherwise choose on their own.
Summer is the most practical time to work toward it. If your members have been earning outdoor badges independently, pull up the requirements and see how close they already are. Some may be further along than they realize.
Community Service: Adopt a Park or Trail for a Day
July is a good month for an outdoor service project. One of the most straightforward options for families and groups is a single-day park or trail cleanup.
Contact your local parks and recreation department in advance. Many municipalities have an adopt-a-park or volunteer cleanup program and can provide bags, gloves, and sometimes a trash pickup at the end. If your local government does not have a formal program, you can still organize a cleanup on your own — just bring your own supplies and dispose of collected trash properly.
This project works for all ages. Younger kids can pick up litter in an open grassy area with close supervision. Older members can take on harder terrain, document what types of waste they find, and think about where it came from and how it got there.
For an added learning component, pair this project with the Recycling Badge or the Zero Waste Badge. Have members sort what they collect into recyclables and non-recyclables, and discuss what changes in behavior or infrastructure might reduce the litter in that area over time. This is also a natural fit for Servant’s Heart hours. Photograph the before and after. Let members write a short reflection on what they observed. Older members can submit a write-up to a local newspaper, which connects to the Reporter leadership role.
Resource Spotlight: Area of Discovery Dividers
If your members are keeping a badge binder, the Area of Discovery dividers available on the Curiosity Untamed website are worth printing out. They separate badge records into the nine learning areas — Discover the Outdoors, Discover the Home, Discover Science and Technology, and so on — which makes it much easier to see progress at a glance and plan what to work on next. Each design features “Badger the Badge Hound”. The Curiosity Untamed mascot.
They are a small thing, but a well-organized binder is a lot more motivating than a stack of loose papers. Find them under the Resources tab along with binder covers and other printables.
Tips and Tricks for Leaders
Before your next meeting, ask each member to look up one fact about the badge topic that the group probably does not know yet. Give them the topic a few days ahead of time. When you open the meeting, go around the group and have everyone share what they found. It gets kids engaged before they walk in the door, it reduces the time you spend on introductory explanation, and it creates a habit of coming prepared. You will be surprised what some of them turn up.
Not a Member Yet?
Curiosity Untamed is a badge-based learning program built around hands-on exploration, real-world skills, service, and leadership. It is used by homeschool families as curriculum, by Frontier Girls troops and Quest Clubs as their badge program, and by individuals who just want a structured way to pursue what they are curious about.
There are no rigid requirements for how you participate. Families work at their own pace on topics that interest them. Badges cover everything from science and history to cooking, outdoor skills, art, and character development. All ages can participate together, with requirements that build by level. If you would like to learn more, visit curiosityuntamed.com.
