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When tragedies strike - be it a major accident, natural disaster, or act of violence - Scouts quickly answer the call to respond. It's in our DNA. That often manifests itself in drives for clothing, blood, and/or supplies. Nobody questions the value of these drives, but Scouters often wonder whether they're acceptable as Eagle Scout service projects.
Spring is here-so get outside! To help make sure you're ready for the adventures on your Scouting schedule, we've put together the Gear Up and Get Out Giveaway , featuring the Avila Hydrapak water reservoir ($60) and Road ID's Wrist ID Elite personal identification armband ($30).
Who doesn't love a good sequel? After last summer's successful premiere of the BSA's Visual Storytelling Workshops in Atlanta and at Philmont, the return engagement is almost upon us. Two more workshops are scheduled for 2013, including one set for this weekend - May 3 to 5 - in St.
If a Scout camps several nights with his troop before getting a signed blue card from his Scoutmaster, do those nights count toward his earning Camping merit badge? That's what a Scouter, who I'll call James, wondered last week in an email.
There's just one problem with all that Tweeting, Facebooking, and Instagramming Scouts and Scouters will do at this summer's national jamboree. All those Web-connected devices can only go as far as the batteries inside them. So, hook up with Samsung and AT&T, an official sponsor of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.
Pay attention, because there'll be a test later. Boy Scout families - both current and former - can score $250 SAT or ACT test-prep computer programs for less than $20. That means the study materials, shipping, student support, and streaming content can be yours for less than half what it costs to take the actual tests themselves.
They say this summer's National Jamboree will be the most-connected ever. Well, this is a great start. Version 1.0 of the Jamboree Summit App is available on Android devices. The app clocks in at just over 10 MB and costs $0.99 in the Google Play store .
It's a peculiar vision to see snow-capped mountains and dusty, hot sand all in the same line of sight. But these two geographic elements intertwine at the secret destination in the March-April "Where Am I?" contest . The location? The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve , 35 miles north of Alamosa, Colo.
Doing Your Best, even in adverse circumstances, is part of Scouting's core. So we shouldn't be too surprised that Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America IndyCar, finished third in Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - even after starting third-to-last.
Which merit badges had Scouts rushing to counselors and Moms and Dads rushing to the sewing machine last year? Here's your answer. In January 2012, I presented a list of 2011′s most- and least-popular merit badges based on sales numbers from the Supply Division.
A bit of good news from West, Texas, today. Longhorn Council Scout Executive John Coyle says he's learned the members of Pack 494 and Troop 494 in West are all safe and accounted for after the deadly explosion there Wednesday night .
The Boy Scouts of America's Executive Committee today released its membership policy resolution, which proposes removing the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone and maintaining the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America.
I was sickened to read about last night's deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, just 90 minutes south of the BSA's National Office in Texas. West, a tight-knit community of 2,700, is part of the Longhorn Council, and Longhorn Scout Executive John Coyle told me this morning that his council's…
Though certainly not a requirement for earning the Eagle Scout Award, an Eagle Scout Service Project video can be icing on the cake, celebrating and commemorating a boy's hard work and planning. And with HD cameras built into modern smartphones and inexpensive user-friendly, video-editing software available, it's easier than ever to produce high-quality videos like…
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, N.Y. Boy Scout log cabins, I've seen before. But a Scout cabin built inside a church? That's got to be one of a kind. Since its construction in February 1928, a Scout-built log cabin in the basement of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church has served as Buffalo, N.Y., Troop…
When two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon yesterday, Bruce and Bonnie Showstack were standing where they have for the past decade of races - two blocks from the finish line. The Showstacks, both longtime Scouting volunteers in the Boston Minuteman Council, have spent the past 10 to 12 years working in Section 12, the…
From top: Scout Executive Chuck Eaton, Council Commissioner Bruce Showstack, and Council Venturing Chair Bonnie Showstack I just got off the phone with Chuck Eaton, Scout Executive at Boston Minuteman Council, about yesterday's tragedy at the Boston Marathon. He said that Council Commissioner Bruce Showstack and his wife, Bonnie, the council's venturing committee chair, were…
Can't swim the 100-meter butterfly in less than 50 seconds? That's OK - nobody but Michael Phelps can. But I did just hear about a swimming record you and your Scouts do have a chance to break. Register now to participate in the Guinness World Record attempt for The World's Largest Swimming Lesson , held at pools…
There's more to a Scout trailer than meets the eye. Sure, a troop trailer with an eye-catching paint job or wrap - like the ones I featured in this post - can help recruit new Scouts and show onlookers that "Troop 123 is here."
Wood Badge + Philmont = Happy Land I interrupt my regular blog programming for this important Wood Badge Wednesdays announcement… I'm staffing Wood Badge this summer at Philmont Scout Ranch, and there's a spot on our course for you and your Scouting friends.
Last year's patch. This year's design hasn't yet been released. Maybe you'll walk in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers in Ohio, hike from scene to scene in an outdoor production of Snow White in Boulder, or bike through redwoods in California.
For anyone who's seen a Boy Scout patrol return from grocery shopping with six family size bags of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips. For anyone who has set out snacks for a Cub Scout den and seen the boys eat everything but the carrots and celery sticks.
Like The Hulk, you don't wanna see Scouts when they get angry. But it's a natural human emotion, so it's bound to happen in your troop. When it does, do you know how to respond? Learn how in this month's ScoutCast , the monthly podcast for Boy Scout leaders.
Cord-cutters, busy people, and the DVR-averse, lend me your ears. Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? is coming to DVD this summer. That's big news for a number of Scouting constituencies I heard from over the course of the six-episode season, which ended on Monday.
Scouting, in all of its many varieties, can build the foundation for a lifelong career of serving others. That's true in the traditional Scouting programs - Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Venturing - but also in the lesser-known ones, like Exploring . Consider Julia A.
Wilson's best 2012 finish was a win at the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway . Looking for one more reason to watch IndyCar this year? Try this: Justin Wilson, already a three-time winner on the IndyCar Series in his five-year career, drives the No.
Have a Youth Protection question you're not comfortable asking some stranger at the council or national level? Ever feel like Youth Protection is "too national" and doesn't directly apply to your unit? I hear you. And so does the BSA's National Youth Protection committee.
With summertime Scouting excursions on the horizon, it's time to make sure each Scout or Venturer has the supplies he or she needs in case of an emergency in the outdoors. If your troop or crew is getting ready for the jamboree in July, you'll recall that each Scout (and adult) should carry a personal…
All good television shows must come to an end. And so it is with a heavy heart that tonight we waved goodbye to Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? , the six-episode reality series that matched fresh-faced Eagle Scouts against 30- and 40-something adults looking to recapture their teenage glory.
Knives. They may be the source of the most confusion within Scouting circles. I've heard people tell me sheath knives are banned in Scouting (they're not), that Scouts can only carry one knife (not true), or that blades can't be longer than five inches (wrong again).
What's better than a new episode of Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? Two new episodes, of course. And that's just what we're getting as the Tougher season comes to a close Monday night, starting at 8 p.m. (7 Central) on the National Geographic Channel.
Did you see last night's episode of NBC's comedy The New Normal? It's a show about a gay couple living in Los Angeles. In that episode, titled "About a Boy Scout," the main character is an Eagle Scout who wants to reconnect with Scouting, but because he's in violation of the BSA's current membership policy…
Sandra says Wood Badge was the "most exciting and incredible experience" ever. Wood Badge builds lifelong memories, regardless of the setting. So whether you're at Philmont Scout Ranch ( where I'll be staffing a course this summer ), a council camp in the midwest, or even an island in the Caribbean, you're getting the same great course.
This just in: All jamboree youth participants are invited to register as National Hometown News Correspondents . An email home to Mom and Dad? These Scouts and Venturers will do one better, sharing their first-person jamboree experience with local news organizations back home.
It's kind of like finishing a marathon but heading straight for your car instead of stopping to pick up your medal. A Scouter from the St. Louis area - I'll call him "Tim" - emailed me last week with a problem: Three Scouts in Tim's troop finished all the requirements for the Eagle Scout award, but when…
What one tool could help the adults end their losing ways? If anything can, it's The Boy Scout Handbook . For the first time this season, the adult challengers on Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? were shown with copies of the preeminent Scouting text before embarking on their first challenge against the Scouts.
Both groups "make really good salespeople." That's the contention of Ken Krogue, an entrepreneur who wrote this interesting article over at Forbes.com last week. When looking for the best salesmen, you can toss out the research questionnaires, behavioral analytics, surveys, training manuals, business books, and more, Krogue says.
We've seen nine Scouts-vs.-adults challenges this season on Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? , and the adults have lost all but two of them. You could say it's been one lashing after another. But in Monday's new episode, we're in for a different kind of lashing - the diagonal, square, and round kind familiar to…
If a pregnant Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, can do it, so can you. I'm talking about getting trained, an important step for any Scout volunteer - whether a Cub Scout leader from California, a Scoutmaster from South Carolina, a Venturing advisor from Vermont, or, yes, even a member of the British royal family.
Can't attend the 2013 National Jamboree this summer? Consider the next best thing. Mark your calendars today for the 2013 editions of the Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet , held this fall. As the names imply, the events give Scouts a chance to communicate with fellow Scouts from across the country or…
Max Keevill soon after crossing over into Boy Scouts. Max Keevill had it all - and did it all. The 16-year-old was a straight-A student, a member of the National Honor Society, a violist for his high school's orchestra, a soccer player, and a Life Scout just a few months away from earning Eagle.
For teens, it just might be saying no - to tobacco, to drugs, and to alcohol. And now, courageous Scouts and Venturers who pledge to remain tobacco-, drug- and alcohol-free have the opportunity to to win an all-expenses-paid trip to any of the BSA's high-adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier, or Florida Sea Base.
Did we finally have a fair fight on our hands? After two weeks of pitting adults who didn't make Eagle against teenagers who did, Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? turned up the heat last night. Forget excuses like "I came three merit badges short" or "my troop folded."
What could possibly bring Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? to a screeching halt? See for yourself-no spoiler alerts, here-tonight at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central when the next episode of the National Geographic Channel's exciting new reality show returns, pitting adult former Scouts against current Scouts.
It's mid-March. That means Phase 2 of the Boy Scouts of America's three-month family discussion has shifted into high gear. The BSA calls this phase "Listening," and that's exactly what the organization is doing. Scheduled to last from March 1 to April 5, the phase includes, in addition to a lot of conversations with a…
What's on the menu for the revamped Cooking merit badge, served up next year? The BSA's volunteer-led team isn't ready to dish on the main course just yet, but I was authorized to give you a taste - an appetizer, if you will.
There's another side to Philmont where training, not trekking, takes center stage. The Philmont Training Center , the BSA's national volunteer education facility, hosts more than 5,000 Scouters and family members each summer for its signature weeklong courses. But even though everyone's heard of Philmont - aka "Scouting paradise" - not everyone knows about the conferences designed to…
Whoever said "less is more" apparently hasn't watched Episode 2 of Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? Tonight's episode of the new National Geographic Channel show was, to me, superior to Episode 1 because it gave us more of what we Scouters and Scouts love about the Boy Scouts of America.
More than 439,000 households tuned in to the premiere of Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? on Monday, meaning 439,000 homes got a firsthand look at the excitement Scouting offers boys and girls. ( Read my recap and review of the first episode .)
What do President Barack Obama, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, author Homer Hickam, actor Chuck Norris, and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal all have in common? No, they're not the five famous people I'd invite to a fantasy dinner party - though that would be interesting.
