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If you have a Fitbit, Garmin wearable or Apple Watch, you know that real-time tracking of your day’s movement can make you healthier and more active. Think of the Journey to Excellence scorecard as an activity tracker for your Scout unit.
You need just three ingredients to guide a Star Scout or Life Scout along the path to Eagle: pizza, soft drinks and conversation. Bob Czekanski has been there, tried that. And Troop 1 in Bolton, Mass. (part of the Nashua Valley Council) is better for it.
It’s one of the best visual gags in a movie filled with them. In the classic 1980 comedy Airplane! , two passengers are seen reading magazines. First, we see a nun reading Boys’ Life . Moments later, there’s a boy reading Nuns’ Life .
If the best things in life are free, what happened over the weekend is basically the best thing ever. The No. 19 Boy Scouts of America race car finished third in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 — the biggest racing event of the year.
Stephanie Shaw was raised in a house of women. She was an adult when she was first introduced to Scouting. That’s when she met the man who would become her husband. He’s an Eagle Scout, and both his dad and his grandfather were Scoutmasters.
Justin Cody is no outdoorsman. He’s forced to take a canoe trip in Canada with his grandfather, but he’d rather be at home texting his friends and playing videogames. But when Justin’s grandfather is kidnapped during the trip, the 13-year-old must learn canoeing and camping skills to save himself and his grandpa.
Some have names you know: Robert Baden-Powell, Charles Lindbergh, Hank Aaron. Others are Scouters whose names are less universally known but whose impact on Scouting has been just as transformative. Their common bond: the Silver Buffalo Award — the Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor for adult volunteers.
Saborn Va, right, and Michael Nebeker from the Great Salt Lake Council. Saborn Va was sitting in his Salt Lake City church a year ago when a group of church leaders asked for volunteers to help lead a Scout unit made up entirely of refugees.
Somewhere along the way, we forgot what Memorial Day is all about. The last Monday in May is still the day where we honor men and women who died in service to our country. But now it’s being crowded out by trips to the lake, family cookouts and mattress sales.
Ever since he was in Cub Scouts, Blake Deaton knew he wanted his Eagle Scout service project to help students with special needs. Students like his twin brother, Shane, who is autistic and legally blind. So when he became a Life Scout, Blake approached Savanna Hersh, Shane’s special-needs teacher.
Eagle Scout Alex Sims is all about helping other people. He participates in Scouting for Food drives. He volunteers to clean up his school and his community. And each month, he and some buddies head to the library to teach science to younger students.
Philmont is a land of starlit skies, aspen-covered hills and wind in whisp’ring pines. That’s how John Westfall, who wrote “The Philmont Hymn,” described the Scouting paradise in New Mexico. Westfall was a teenager in 1945 when he wrote the song.
If everybody’s in charge of watching kids in the water, that usually means nobody is watching. By selecting a single, responsible adult to be in charge of supervision, you could prevent drownings and save lives. Designate a water watcher — at both Scouting and non-Scouting events — whenever you’re in, on or around water.
In many cities and towns, the mission to grow Scouting begins at schools. That’s where lots of young people first learn about the Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops of which their classmates are members. The alignment is natural and robust.
Texting while driving is more than simply unsafe. In 46 states and the District of Columbia, it’s against the law. That includes all four states that are home to BSA high-adventure bases: Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico and West Virginia. Talking on a handheld cellphone while driving is banned in 14 states and the District of…
Accidents are quite rare in Scouting. But when one does occur, it probably didn’t happen while camping. It likely didn’t involve backpacking, canoeing or climbing, either. The majority of Scouting accidents happen on the way to or from Scouting activities.
Ever get that sinking feeling? Like you’re coming apart at the seams? Like the walls around you are caving in? I’ve got just the thing. Here are 49 photos sure to brighten your day. They come from a cardboard boat race I covered in 2014 at Winterfest , the massive annual event for Explorers and Venturers…
The Scouting Alumni Association has changed its name to Scouting Alumni & Friends , a reminder that the group is open to anyone who wants to help further Scouting’s mission — even those who were never in Scouting as young people. The Scouting Alumni & Friends name and logo are being officially unveiled at the BSA’s annual meeting next…
Why buy separate gear items when things already in your backpack or trunk can pull double (or triple) duty? A Scout is thrifty, after all. So here, courtesy of our friends at Thermacell , you’ll find a list of 5 camping items that can serve purposes beyond the obvious.
Jamboree shows are a big reason these quadrennial events are so epic. Tens of thousands of Scouts and Scouters gather to laugh, get inspired and rock out to some great music. Shows are a visual reminder that, as Scouts, we’re part of something bigger than our own troops and councils.
The leadership lessons learned in Scouting aren’t taught in schools, but you can find them in a book. That is, provided that book is the Patrol Leader Handbook or Senior Patrol Leader Handbook . These essential guides for Boy Scout leaders have been updated for 2017.
Never tell Bryan Zschiesche the odds. Two once-in-a-lifetime events were scheduled for the same Saturday afternoon this month. The likelihood he could attend both? Exceedingly slim. His Boy Scout troop was celebrating its 100th anniversary in Longview, Texas, with the party set to end around 2:30 p.m.
Venturers, with their green uniform shirts, stand out in a world of tan-shirted Scouts. And the eight Venturers who will receive the 2017 National Venturing Leadership Award stand out in the world of Venturing. The 2017 National Venturing Leadership Award recognizes great work done in 2016.
Scouting inspired Marcus Reynerson to become a naturalist, conservationist and environmental educator. And now Reynerson wants to use those talents to save a species. Reynerson and his colleagues are trying to prevent the extinction of the mountain caribou of the Pacific Northwest.
David Lynch’s bio — the one he uses on Twitter and sends to members of the press — is rather sparse. “Born Missoula, Mont. Eagle Scout.” But as you might expect with Lynch, the surrealist director of films like The Elephant Man and creator of the murder mystery TV series Twin Peaks , there are a lot more…
Consider for a moment how many images you come across in a single day. Add up each post on Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat and Instagram and Pinterest and … That’s the cluttered online landscape into which those of us who want to grow Scouting must venture.
Steven Holcomb, the Eagle Scout who piloted the U.S. four-man bobsled team to Olympic gold in 2010, has died. He was 37. The U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation said Holcomb died in his sleep on Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Upon hearing the Scout motto, someone asked Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell the inevitable follow-up question. “Prepared for what?” “Why, for any old thing,” he replied. In 1907, Baden-Powell, an English soldier, devised the Scout motto: Be Prepared. He published it in Scouting for Boys in 1908.
First, you Explain how it’s done. “I’m going to roast this marshmallow over the fire until it’s golden brown. Then I’m going to sandwich it between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate.” Then, you Demonstrate the steps you just explained.
We know fundraising fuels Scouting adventures. That means Scouts must be enjoying some epic adventures in and around Bartlesville, Okla.; Spokane, Wash.; Hagerstown, Md.; and Zanesville, Ohio. Councils based in those four cities earned the top spots as Camp Masters 2016 Fundraisers of the Year.
Rank advancement in Cub Scouting is not like rank advancement in Boy Scouting. And that’s by design. In Cub Scouting, advancement is grade- or age-based. It’s a rank-per-year system designed to offer age-appropriate fun and challenges as Cub Scouts progress through the program.
Just because school classrooms go dark in the summer doesn’t mean Cub Scouting has to. Extend the fun of Cub Scouting into the year’s hottest season by earning the National Summertime Pack Award . To be eligible, your pack must hold one activity per month in June, July and August.
In many packs, Cub Scouts finish their rank advancement just in time for the blue and gold banquet in February. This approach lets families gather to celebrate the Cub Scouts’ accomplishments well before the end of the school year. It also signals that it’s time for Webelos Scouts to begin their transition to Boy Scouting…
The Kicking & Screaming premise was tantalizingly simple: Pair 10 of America’s most hardcore survivalists with 10 “total divas.” Toss that tumultuous 20 into the wild and see what happens. Well, what happened was the one Scoutmaster in the group made it all the way to the end, besting seven other survivalists, many of whom are…
The best way to break down stereotypes about a person is to spend as much time with them as you can. In the case of Troop 4 of Worcester, Mass., that meant forming not one but three Special Olympics Unified Sports basketball teams.
Update : Many commenters have pointed out that it’s best to store propane tanks upright and on the outside of your trailer. In Troop 101, even the layout of the troop trailer follows the patrol method. Everything in the 6-foot-by-12-foot trailer is organized by patrol.
Update, May 4 : Added three more Scouting alumni: Rep. Jack Bergman (Mich.), Rep. Ted Budd (N.C.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), including one Eagle Scout (Fitzpatrick). Scouts reach some high places. They summit Mount Everest, walk on the moon, become CEOs and win Super Bowls.
A year ago, Troop 443 of North Carolina was on a weekend campout when the Scouts made a daunting discovery: They didn’t bring enough food. “We realized that our patrol members failed to plan for all our food needs,” writes Star Scout Miles L.
Want to experience the fun of the 2017 National Jamboree but can’t be there for the whole 10 days? Become a Jamboree visitor. Bring your family or friends and live the adventure for a day or two — or more. The Jamboree is July 19 to 28 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia; visitors…
The Fox reality show Kicking & Screaming pairs hardcore survivalists with people who have little experience in the outdoors. Now that Eagle Scout Terry Fossum has made it deep into the show, I’ll recap every episode until he’s eliminated … or wins?
Scouts who enter our nation’s military academies find themselves with a leg up on their classmates. Leadership, patriotism and service? Those are characteristics Scouts are known for. No surprise, then, that student applications from cadets and midshipmen at U.S. military academies reveal an impressive number of Eagle Scouts and former Scouts.
Evan Mario Macrone never let cancer hold him back from enjoying Scouting. And in a poem he wrote three months before he died, he encouraged all of us to let nothing hold us back from enjoying life. The poem is at the bottom of this post, but I first wanted you to learn more about…
This much I know to be true: Starbucks needs more Scouting-themed Frappuccino flavors. The coffee chain offers a seasonal drink called the S’mores Frappuccino , which blends marshmallow-infused whipped cream, milk chocolate sauce and a graham cracker crumble. It’s a campfire in a cup, and it’s quite tasty.
The fabled Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino is, apparently, a real thing . Even a Scout or Scouter with the most pronounced sweet tooth might think twice. Starbucks says it’s “made with a sweet dusting of pink powder, blended into a crème Frappuccino with mango syrup and layered with a pleasantly sour blue drizzle.”
Lucas Till, who plays MacGyver, hangs out on the set with the big winner. Justin Hires, who plays Wilt Bozer, sits with Jake. Leave it to MacGyver to craft a way inside an impossible-to-reach location. Jake G., a Boy Scout from Troop 565 of Round Rock, Texas, won the grand prize in the CBS MacGyver…
Venturing has named its six top youth leaders for the 2017-2018 term. These five young women and one young man will lead the BSA’s program for older youth beginning June 1, 2017. Their terms conclude May 31, 2018. The National Venturing Officers’ Association includes the national Venturing president, national Venturing vice president and presidents from…
Let’s say there’s a Boy Scout who has completed all the requirement for the Eagle Scout rank. He finished the merit badges, service project, active participation, Scout spirit, position of responsibility and unit leader conference. But he still lacks one step: the Eagle Scout board of review.
The Fox reality show Kicking & Screaming pairs hardcore survivalists with people who have little experience in the outdoors. Now that Eagle Scout Terry Fossum has made it deep into the show, I’ll recap every episode until he’s eliminated. New episodes air at 9/8 CT Thursdays on Fox.
For Dick Williams, the decisive moment came during a casual fishing trip on the Long Island Sound. In the distance, Williams and his cousin watched as a 40-foot clam boat burst into flames. The fire started in the cabin and was spreading fast.
Troop 387, like all the best Boy Scout troops, is youth-led. The adults are there for support and safety. So when the Scouts from Kingsport, Tenn., decided they wanted to earn the Welding merit badge, the adults simply said, “sounds good, how can we help?”
