Scout Tours
The Ela Area Public Library offers tours and informational programs to local scout troops. To schedule a time for your group, please call Barb Kalchbrenner at (847)438-3840 x110.

Scouting Links
Boy Scouts of America - National Council website.

Northwest Suburban Council website - Includes a link to the Scout Shop.

Girl Scouts of America - The official website includes information for leaders & parents as well as a girl’s only area.

Sybaquay Council - Local Girl Scout Council

Virtual Cub Leader's Handbook - Includes tips on everything from planning a Blue and Gold Banquet to organizing a Pinewood Derby.  From a troop in Walnut, CA.

Need Some Help with Your Badges? 

Online Databases
We subscribe to several Online Databases that might be helpful in assisting scouts with their badge work. They include:

Culture Grams offering information related to countries, territories, and states.  Includes a World Edition, Kids Edition, States Edition, Photo Gallery, Famous People section, and Recipe Collection.

Chicago Tribune-Index offering full-text content of local and regional news (1985-Current).

Chicago Tribune Historical Index offering partial content from 1890-1946, including full page and article images with searchable full text.

New York Times Historical Index covering 1851-2001, including articles, classified ads, comics and cartoons, photos, maps, graphics, editorials, and commentaries.

These sites (and many more!) can be accessed at Online Databases page on the Library's website either in the library or from home.

Local History
If you are looking for local history, a good place to start is the Ela Area Public Library's local history page. It includes links to local photographs and online books.

The Digital Past website offers photos, letters and other materials gathered from communities around Lake County.

Local Resources
The Adler Planetarium is a great place to visit with your group. Plan your own troop trip during the day or camp "in" to earn merit badges at an Astrovernight.

Argonne National Laboratory offers Learning Labs and Scout Science for Cub Scouts and Junior Girl Scouts.

The Chicago Botanic Garden offers year round scouting badge workshops.

Elgin Public Museum offers hands-on programs for Cub Scouts (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelo), Daisy Scouts, Brownie Scouts, and Junior Girl Scouts.

The Lake County Forest Preserve District has programs for both Boy & Girl Scouts. They will also tailor programs in History and Environmental Education to meet you needs. 

The Museum of Science and Industry offers several Girl Scout badge sessions as well as Science Snoozeum for both Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts. 

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum hosts badge workshops for Girl Scouts at all levels.

SciTech Hands-On Museum in Aurora offers a variety of science and technology badge classes for Boy & Girl Scouts of all levels. 

These sites listed below don’t offer specific badge workshops however, they do offer workshops that might be of interest to scout groups.

Brookfield Zoo offers a Zoo World patch. 

Lincoln Park Zoo offfers docent led tours to group.

At the Chicago Children’s Museum your group will receive an in-depth guided tour of a specific exhibit in conjunction with a hands-on workshop led by a museum educator.

Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History offers Dozin’ with the Dinos, a sleepover with Sue as well other family programs.

Other sites
Codes and Ciphers–The International Marine Signal Flags site, created by the Australian Government, offers pictures of the flags used by ships at sea.