Scouting — The Joy of Discovery

Growing up in public schools I somehow caught the idea that discovery was for the professional. For the explorer or the scientist or the mathematician, but not for me. I thought that a discovery was only worth making if it was a “first,” like being the first person to discover a new species of dinosaur, or the first person to discover an unexplored island. The idea that everything, when first encountered, is a discovery to the person observing it is a concept I first considered in Charlotte Mason’s writings. She states that the “newness” of the child is what constitutes the nature and the value of each discovery.

Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of discovery begins with observation through the senses, specifically in nature study. Scouting is the natural progression of that same idea, but teaches a skill set to give the scout a greater understanding of the things being observed and a framework to act upon that understanding. The scout learns first to marvel at the work of the Creator, the intricacy and intentionality of everything God has made and still holds together. He learns to really see the people around him and anticipate their needs and he then comes to understand the duty placed before him as a steward, with a part to play in his own particular time and place.

In this session I explore how scouting cultivates joy in the everyday discoveries and joy as the scout discovers himself capable of meeting the challenges placed before him.

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Recorded live at the 16th annual Living Education Retreat.

Brittney McGann is a wildflower gardener and aspiring sewist. She homeschools her three children and serves as a church administrator. Brittney and her husband met in California, married in Las Vegas and are now working together to restore native plants to their small parcel of land in North Carolina. Brittney has also authored Scouting For Wild Ones, a scouting curriculum for family adventures.

Copyright 2022 Brittney McGann