Vilda Badge System
What is the badge system?
A fun way for kids to be recognized for the skills they have gained in Vilda. there are badges for firemaking, naturalist knowledge and other Vilda skills.
Mammals 1 Badge
How does it work?
Each program participant gets a badge booklet that tells them what they need to do to gain a badge. They can have any Vilda instructor initial a completed task/skill. Once they have all the tasks required for a badge they receive an iron on patch that they can put on a backpack, scarf, or Vilda hoodie.
Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to do it. No one is too young or too old. We can help modify it for non writers. Our instructor will be gaining badges too. We will not be introducing it for the 4-6 year old groups though they are welcome to do it if they find out from a sibling or friend.
Do all Vilda participants have to do it?
No. It is completely optional and supplemental. We will introduce it in the programs but kids can choose if they want to attain badges. It is supplemental to our curriculum. Our curriculum and how our days flow will remain the same.
Fire 1 Badge
Is it competitive?
Not inherently. Of course someone could make it competitive or brag about the badges. We will discourage that in the programs. In fact if someone is bragging about badges or getting too competitive we will ask them to take a break from the badges for a bit.
We do however think its time to recognize Vilda kids for the skills they have and the badges are a way to do that amongst other ways of course. We will therefore definitely celebrate badges when they are attained.
We will explain to each group that having more badges than someone else doesn't mean that one person is better than another. It just may mean that the other person had other things to do besides get badges. Or that they haven't been in Vilda long. Or that they have other skills that we don't have badges for because there isn't a badge for everything. We explain that even instructors can get badges but they don't have all the badges, does that mean they don't know anything? No they just don't have the badge yet for some reason.