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With spring upon us, Cubcast takes to the outdoors as Eric Hiser, chair of the BSA's Leave No Trace Task Force, provides some great examples of how to make May's theme of "Leave Nothing But Footprints" fun and rewarding. Help your Cub Scouts treat the environment responsibly, and learn how the "Impact Monster" skit can…
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The January Cubcast features ideas for activities related to February's American ABCs theme, and we'll also take an in-depth look at Webelos-to-Scout transition with our national commissioner, Tico Perez.
Eagle Scout, Ben Pearce, received the 2008 Hero of Conservation Award from Field and Stream, in addition to the BSA's William T. Hornaday Award for conservation and environmental ethic. "Giving back to the community everything that it has done for him."
Once again, we find ourselves reviewing an element of the Scout Law. As we move into the new year, it's a good time to make one of our resolutions to be better to our fellow man, animals, our community, our nation, and our world.
Its always fun, and a good idea, to look back at the past year as the New Year approaches. With that in mind, here is a little recap of 2008 here on Scouting News: Top Stories for 2008 1. If You Don't Complete Your Ticket While this video was actually posted on December 29, 2007…
Yesterday, we looked at 2008 here at Scouting News , now to the future! "Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true."
I do not consider myself crazy (although their are some who think you need to be crazy to be a scoutmaster). For example, they are a number of people each year who decide they need to take a quick dip in a hole cut through the ice of a frozen lake in Minnesota.
Steve B. recently brought up the subject of Twitter so I went and took a look to see if people were tweeting about Scouting. Turns out, lots of people are mentioning Scouting all the time. Not much of a surprise there, so HalfEagle now includes recent Twitter posts about Scouting .
Happy New Year to all. Hopefully everyone made a new years resolution in each area of their life that they think is important. Those areas for me are Scouts, Family, and School. Making a new years resolution is very important because if we set goals we are more likely to achieve the tasks we want…
Just received the latest OA National Events Information Newsletter, if you haven't subscribed to get these valuable updates, you can subscribe to the National Events Information Email List . Here are the highlights: NOAC 2009 Will Be Theme Driven The 2009 NOAC will be the first National Order of the Arrow Conference to be driven by…
Every Friday five posts from Scoutmaster worth reviewing. This week the subject is Advancement; Holding Scouts Hostage - the 13 year-old Eagle? " Now I'll go further... To artificially and arbitrarily hold a Scout back from his own advancement goals is a form of hostage-taking.
One of the leadership positions that is rarely used or if used it is commonly misused is that of the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster or JASM. The JASM is a youth leader in the Troop that has the primary purpose of serving as the youth leader and scout advisor.
Each year the National Order of the Arrow Committee provides matching service award grants for a limited number of Lodge projects. The evaluators consider the innovative scope and design of the project, the number of Scouts impacted by they project, and how the project enhances Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting in the Council.
Here are the top 10 most viewed posts for December 2008 (other than those solely about monthly theme items): 2008-2009 Program Helps 2009 Blue & Gold Emblem Cub Scout Program Helps Online Webelos Activity Badge Worksheets Indoor Game Night New Centennial Uniform 2009 Pinewood Derby Emblem 2009 Scout Sunday Emblem 2008-09 Tiger Cub and Cub Scout…
Welcome to Friday Funny! Every Friday, Scouting News will share a Scouting related joke with our readers. Hopefully you find it just as funny as we did! This week's Friday Funny comes from a Jamboree Shouler Patch (JSP) that was issued by Buckeye Council for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.
I'm sure as leaders we all deal with this at one time or another, so I thought I would share what Scoutmaster had to say on this topic. Almost all of us have either had the personal experience of working with someone who displayed bad apple behaviors … When this process starts to unfold at work…
Hello fellow Scouters, There are several catapult plans on the Internet, for Webelos Engineer #9 requirement. Here's one using a mousetrap that I made twice with each of my Webelos dens, that I want to share with you. This one's not too complex to build, and having a miter saw and a drill press will…
The Boy Scouts of America National Council has relaunched the ScoutParents website. The new version is less interactive and more in line with other National Council websites. The ScoutParents website is now hosted on the same content management system as other National BSA websites.
0 Vote On Idea I believe it would be helpful if one were able to navigate directly to PAS Find from MyBSA rather than having to log onto Scoutnet. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (84) Mark as duplicate
4 Vote On Idea It would be so much easier for units rechartering online if after they enter all of the information for new adults and youth to have the option of printing out adult/youth applications with all of the information filled out except for the signatures.
5 Vote On Idea I just filled out a government form for student aid (the FAFSA) for a masters degree I am pursuing and the government allows you to sign up for an electronic signature. It would be so easy for us to do the same thing for rechartering especially since we ask a lot…
Regardless of the scouting unit level, a pack, troop, or crew all need those people behind the scenes who take on the business portion of the scouts. More often than not, we think of our committee chairs, and the members that sit with them, to be the serious parents in the troop.
The Florida Sea Base Alumni & Friends Association is planning the largest Sea Base reunion ever for 2010! The reunion will be held the weekend of October 8 - 12, 2010 at the Sea Base. This event will celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Sea Base and the 100 year anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.
The newest edition of Baloo's Bugle is now available in HTML, Word.doc and Adobe.pdf Let's tour the united States by the letters: Austin, Baton Rouge and Cambridge to Xenia, York, and Zion. This month, Cub Scouts will explore scenic and historic landmarks in this wonderful country.
As the new year begins I cannot help but think of A Scoutmaster's Blog and the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast . I have been writing posts to the blog for over two and one half years already. (Wow, time flies fast.)
To my mom and that other person that checks this blog - I'm back from vacation! My family returned last night (actually early this morning) from our once-in-a-lifetime trip to Brazil for Christmas and New Year's. I expect I'll be sharing thoughts and memories of the trip here for the next few days to get it…
The National Scouting Museum has announced its January and February Merit Badge schedule. Citizenship in the Nation January 10, 2009 2:30pm - 4:30pm January 31, 2009 2:30pm - 4:30pm Communications February 7, 2009 10:00am - 12:30pm February 28, 2009 10:00am - 12:30pm Emergency Preparedness February 14, 2009 9:30am - 1:00pm February 21, 2009 9:30am - 1:00pm Fingerprinting January 24, 2009 1:00pm-4:00pm…
For Troop 1616 the big holiday event that the Troop decides to put on, on a annual basis is that of the Lock-in. The Lock-in is event where the scouts show up on the evening of the first night and stay up as late as possible and then leave the following morning.
This Leave No Trace course is designed to teach participants to have the skills and information required to put on a Leave No Trace Trainer Seminar. This Seminar is designed to teach people how to give the LNT information to a wide range of audiences.
-3 Vote On Idea Soccer & Scouting is one of the fastest growing programs in the Boys Scouts of America. It is also fairly new and Council's across the country are facing many challenges on implementing the program in their local areas.
Chivalry is not dead! Our young scouts (boys and girls!) need to be taught that not only in word, but in action. We as their leaders need to remember to be courteous to others as we go through the day.
5 Vote On Idea It would be great if the U S Post Office did BSA stamps in 2010. Comments (0) Category/Tags : 100th Anniversary (15) Mark as duplicate
3 Vote On Idea I would like a way to provide to Units who is trained. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Volunteers (21) Mark as duplicate
A Scout is trustworthy. A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him. Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great.
I wish Delta would adopt the Cub Scout motto. In the older Boy Scout lingo, DELTA means Developing Ethical Leaders Through Action. But, today I'm talking about Delta Airlines. I figured I should vent about this tonight at the end of a long day of catching up and be done with my whining for the…
Who would dream a web-component company from a different country would help us? But that's exactly what KWizCom did!" exclaims Rob Potthoff, the IT Manager for the Yorkville Pack 340 website . The Illinois Yorkville Pack 340, like other Cub Scout packs across America, is dedicated instilling in their "cubs" a strong backbone of values and…
The January-February 2009 issue of Scouting magazine is now available at the magazine website. This issue has articles of interest to Cub Scouters on the following subjects: BSA Leave No Trace Master Educator Courses. Link Leave No Trace Principles. Link 2009 Philmont Training Center Courses.
#168-Couch Potato It's allergy season in Central Texas again and I'm feeling it! On the up side, we had the most people ever join in to the chat room during the live show!Tonight-Online tour permits, more on medical forms, how to download YouTube videos, and New Year's resolutions.
-3 Vote On Idea The BSA should allow qualified staff to be considered for an SE position in the Council they are currently serving. For instance, if a DFS in a Class 600 Council is a qualified candidate for the SE position in other Class 600 Councils he/she should also be considered for the SE…
1 Vote On Idea I love the medical form--a great positive step. However, we should update our BSA medical coverage to cover an annual physical, which it currently does not. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Internal (38) medical coverage Mark as duplicate
The January 2009 ( A-MAZE-ing Games ) Program Helps pages from BSA National are now available (free) for download. Program Helps is a great resource for crafts, games, activities and more for pack meetings and activities and Tiger, Wolf, and Bear den meetings.
5 Vote On Idea 2 years ago I worked for a National Company that was in all 50 states plus overseas. They had multiple offices in each state. They install Instant Messaging on our machines and it save tons of time.
1 Vote On Idea My council does all recharters starting Jan 1, but they don't get implemented until March 1. Before handing over the paper charters I'm going through a district membership report (excel spreadsheet) of all my adults blacking out dropped adults, typing in new adults, and changing positions and adding email addresses.
There has been a lot of talk in a few of the Scouting forums about some new online forms that can be found on the scouting.org site. I would like to write about two of them today - the tour permit and the medical form.
The Innovation and Strategy Group is exploring the possibility of lifting the ban on a few unauthorized activities. According to posts on the BSA Innovation Engine : Recently the Innovation and Strategy Group conducted a survey to determine the level of interest in various high adventure activities.
Jerry at The Scoutmaster Minute has an excellent post on the subject of "High Adventure" that is worth any BSA leaders time reading. Here are a few highlights……….. "the question came up as to what the definition of "High Adventure" was or is??"
The next Front Line Stuff question is: The BSA's 100th anniversary is less than a year away. What special efforts are packs, troops, and crews planning to gain visibility and bring more boys into the program? We are planning to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in three ways: Tell 100…
Lowe's Home Improvement Stores and the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation are teaming up once again to provide tips, tools, and tricks for the Pinewood Derby season. Robert Bosch Tool Corporation is offering a a "Pinewood Derby Accessory Kit" for Dremel rotary tools exclusively at Lowe's Home Improvement stores across the United States.
The News Briefs in the January-February 2009 Scouting magazine include the following stories of interest to Cub Scouters: 2009 Centennial Quality Award Program BSA Alumni Connection Program BSA 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership Nominations Link Posted in 100th Anniversary, CUB SCOUTS, Magazines, Quality Awards
1 Vote On Idea Tour permits have been around since the '60's (as far back as I can find) for national tours. Local Tour permit lore is fuzzy when they came to be. We are re-examining their use and would like to use the innovation engine to see if they are beneficial to a local…
4 Vote On Idea I have noticed and many of my volunteers have commented on how the new shirt does not stay tucked into the new pants. Can something be done about this? The solution that has worked for me is wearing sock/shirt garters.
I was recently made aware of a new documentary film in production, titled 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem . The film is a 72 minute documentary coming in the Spring of 2009. Film Synopsis 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem is an upbeat, family friendly verite-style documentary about the unexpected power of Scouting.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away - but it gets pretty boring eating an apple every day! In Brazil, I was introduced to a plethora of fruits that I'd never tried - papaya, mango, cashew, and at least 3 others I can't write or pronounce.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -John Quincy Adams (1825-1829); 6th US President Leadership in my opinion is not jsut the ability to demand others to do something.
4 Vote On Idea Once an executive has been approved by their Scout Executive to interview for Scout Executive they should be allowed to recieve the Friday report directly and not have to rely on getting it second hand. Comments (2) Category/Tags : Internal (39) Mark as duplicate
While this post was waiting to go live, Josh over at BoyandGirlScouts.com beat me to the punch - BSA Subscriptions and New Stuff . Check his post for details how to subscribe to the BSA Licensing Insider and other BSA emails and to see pictures of the new products.
The January 2009 Cubcast from BSA National is available (free). It has ideas for den meetings and more utilizing the February " American ABC's " theme. The program also has a number of suggestions on having an effective Webelos Transition . Link [ Photo: Wikipedia ] Posted in American ABC's, CUB SCOUTS, Webelos Transition
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 2. A zeal focused upon one point - the boy's happiness through his formative years - "A happy boy is a good boy, a good boy is a good citizen."
Back in November Scouting News introduced you to the Holiday Mail for Heroes program . The American Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. For the second year in a row, they are collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families…
0 Vote On Idea • Program focused on parent planning and delivery with youth participation • Specifically designed, age appropriate literature for kids • Adult Partners will learn basics of youth development The Lion Cub Scouts is a pilot program created to introduce a new Cub Scout program for boys age 5 or in Kindergarten and their adult…
0 Vote On Idea • Health & Wellness program addressing screen time, physical activity and balanced diet • Originally designed and tested by National Institute on Media and the Family • Using NIMF's current curriculum for Phase 1 & 2 of program • BSA only curriculum will be designed for Phase 3 using past results of pilot Summary: Switch is a…
9 Vote On Idea BSA National Scout Shops have gift card capabilities. Why not expand these capabilities to council Scout Shops and camp trading posts? Allowing all scouting retail operations sell and redeem gift cards using a central system could significantly improve our service to our membership.
16 Vote On Idea Let's centralize our credit card transaction processing to one supplier under one National Agreement. BSA's National Scout Shop and scoutstuff.org process hundreds of thousands of transactions annually and as a result have a lower transaction rate.
Last night the consolidation between Okaw Valley Council and Trails West Council was approved by both Councils. The new Council will be known as Lewis and Clark Council and will be headquartered in Belleviille, Illinois. Scouting News had brought word of a possible merger of these two Councils back in October of 2008 .
It has been over three months since we have last seen them on the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast , but they are finally back. Buttons, and his friends Randall and Bones, return for what is the last of the trilogy of bad jokes.
This is THE BOSS, Robin. She is one of our most dedicated leaders. She has personally overseen every long term campout that every single current boy scout in our troop has attended. Thank you Robin! We couldn't do it without you.
If you are in the Big Cypress District, and there are special leaders in your pack, troop, or crew, it is very important that you do something to get them recognized. The few minutes you can take to complete a form and nominate them is such a small task compared to the hours and hours…
What I carry away from this widely distributed AP Article is - The BSA is in the midst of a membership crisis owing to two basic factors - "...a still-standing ban on gay or atheist leaders, and scandals surrounding inflated membership numbers.
The National Learning for Life Conference is fast approaching! This conference is being held in San Diego, California on March 10-12, 2009. The theme for the conference is "Exploring 60th Anniversary," and will feature something for everyone. What to Expect The conference's opening session will feature Bill Milliken , Founder and Vice Chairman, Communities In Schools…
The March 2009 Cub Scout Monthly Theme is " When I Grow Up ." Here is the official BSA theme description: " Explore career possibilities of the 21st century this month. Host a pack career fair , inviting several adults to share what they do for a living and how these career opportunities might change as you grow up…
At the BSA Innovation Engine, an official description of the kindergarten Lions program pilot program has been posted. Here are some noteworthy items from the post: The Lions pilot program is scheduled to test for five years with 2008-2009 being the first year.
Hello fellow Scouters, Should you bother with leader recognition knots? Do they add any value to your Scouting program? Isn't it really about the boys, not us leaders? I hear these questions a lot when I discuss leader recognition. I say it does matter!
A fellow Scouting friend of mine, Jeff Cummings, writes a blog called The Trainer's Corner . It is one of the many Scouting blogs I visit and read. Recently he wrote an article about the reasons we as adult Scouters of the BSA should earn our knots.
Every year winter camp has a theme, this year was Super Heroes (Super Gator - Camp Strake). We as Adult leaders cut loose and have fun. We do GEO Cash to find the ToGator, teach merit badge classes, wear Super Hero Costumes, do the Scoutmaster cook off, and enter the Tall Tale Contest.
Making a personal first aid kit is a 2nd Class rank requirement that can be a fun activity. Every year, I show scouts that I have my kit and tell them I take it with me everywhere. I also give each of them a CPR mask and gloves from the Red Cross to start their…
Every Friday five posts from Scoutmaster worth reviewing. This week the subject is Camping Skills; Never-Fail Campfire Building This little film explains how to collect the three things needed to build a fire; tinder, kindling and fuel. Gathering the right kind of material in sufficient quantities assures quick, reliable campfire.
Did you notice that the January issue of Boy's Life had less advertising in it? According to a story by the New York Times, Prominent Magazines Lose Weight, Shedding Nearly Half Their Ads , January 2009 was less friendly than most January's for monthly magazines.
At the BSA Innovation Engine website is an announcement about a new pilot Cub Scout health and wellness program called "Switch." The program encourages kids to spend less time in front of a television or computer , to get more exercise , and to eat more fruits and vegetables .
We could learn a lot from crayons… Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
0 Vote On Idea It would be helpful to have the ability to run ScoutNet reports from the related MyBSA pages - for example, run an OPR or DTR from the MyBSA membership page. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (88) Mark as duplicate
1 Vote On Idea When units go through the online recharter process they are not able to add cell phone numbers to their roster. The adult application asks for this information, however it is up the registrars to then manually enter the information before posting or someone else to follow up with it later.
Annual Planning Meeting Monday January 5, 2009 For our Troop who has a PLC of four members and then a Troop of only about 6 t 9 more active scouts, I believe along with the rest of the adult leadership that I would be easier to conduct a Annual Planning meeting with the whole Troop.
Many people are probably going to say "What you are already thinking about summer camp, in January, are you crazy". My response to this statement is that in order to ensure a successful summer camp experience for as many scouts as possible, planning for summer camp should ideally in August of the year before camp…
2 Vote On Idea The new unit commissioner online tracking sheet is a great tool we can use in our district. We could create an online tracking for Webelos Leaders to enter tracking information online to let us know what troops the boys are crossing over to and if not let us know the reasons…
The January 2009 Baloo's Bugle (by Commissioner Dave) is available for free download. Baloo's Bugle is a monthly unofficial publication with games, activities, ceremonies, puzzles, crafts, and other ideas for den and pack meetings. This one covers the February " American ABC's " theme.
Everyone gets something different out of camping. For some, it's the relaxation, others, the adventure, while there are those who look at each campout as a learning experience. To me, the best part of camping is bonding with other people while enjoying nature.
Fortaleza, Brazil is a big city in a warm climate and has many poor people and lots of trash around. Many of them are too busy surviving to worry about the natural environment, much like large cities in our country.
Cubmaster Chris and I were talking about the PTC Media podcasts the other night when he brought up an interesting idea. He thought I should take some of the Melrose Scouting Productions videos, convert them to mp3 files, and begin an audio podcast.
AP – In this Friday, Aug. 15, 1997 file photo, an unidentified pair of visitors to the Yellowstone National … CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Run for your lives … Yellowstone's going to explode! Hundreds of small earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park in recent weeks have been an unsettling reminder for some people that underneath the park's famous geysers and majestic…
ScoutStuff.org is giving away a 2009 BSA Calendar with any online purchase. The listed retail price of the calendar is $9.99. To receive your free calendar, enter coupon code "C28948″ or "C28949″ at checkout. A 16-month calendar, starting in September 2008, is filled with colorful Scouting photographs, plus plenty of room to write in your…
BSA Supply Group's Winter 2009 catalog is now available. This one features lots of Pinewood Derby accessories as well as many new 100th Anniversary items . You can download the pdf here ( link ) or view the catalog online here ( link ). Posted in 100th Anniversary, Catalogs, CUB SCOUTS, Pinewood Derby
Kind isn't something we do only when someone can see us. Kind is more of a state of being and it comes from the heart. A kind nature is just that, it isn't something we can create. If someone pretends to be kind, but isn't, it show itself sooner than later.
I wanted to share something with you all. I don't think it will surprise any of you to know that we can look at the stats for this blog and see what posts are being looked at. Today, for the second time this month, one that I wrote just under a year ago got two…
A Scout is loyal. A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation. In the early years of our national history President John Adams signed a set of laws were enacted to prevent people from writing or speaking against the government.
Simon Kenton Council's Buckeye District roundtable packet for February 2009 ( American ABC's ) is now on the SKC website. The Buckeye District puts together a very good roundtable packet each month that they post on their website. It has games, cooking ideas, crafts, songs, skits, ceremonies, and more. Link (pdf) Posted in American ABC's, CUB SCOUTS
0 Vote On Idea This is a membership campaign for the spring to get Troops to go out and have meetings at Middle Schools to ask those boys that are not in a Cub Pack to consider joining the Boy Scouts. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Recruiting (6) boy scout recruiting Mark as duplicate
2 Vote On Idea Arnie Lanckton, Council VP of Administration, Revolutionary Trails Council, would like to suggest that National BSA prepare a proposal for the new administration to hire X number of professionals to deliver a Scouting program in the Scoutreach areas all across the US.
According to the Fall / Winter 2008 edition of the The Commissioner , based on the new Boy Scout Centennial Uniform design, it has been approved for the Commissioner Arrowhead Honor emblem to be worn on the left sleeve of the Commissioner's uniform immediately below the Council Strip.
Come take a look at the fun that Troop 483 had at Enchanted Rock in November. The last week in January, the Crew will have the opportunity to help boys from another troop complete portions of their climbing merit badge on this and other rocks faces.
