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2 Vote On Idea Would it be possible to secure similar web sites addresses to joincubscouting.org...so that when/if a prospective Scout parent or youth may be trying to type in the address: joincubscouting.org .....and for what ever reason types in something different: Example: joincubscouts.org / joinscouting.org / joinscouts.org / etc...
First I want to thank all the readers of the blog and listeners of the podcast for having the confidence in me or at valuing my opinion. The reason I write this is because over the last year or so emails flood my inbox asking questions, giving me feed back, and asking for my opinion.
Northern Star Council is reporting a record number of Eagle Scouts in 2008. In the past few years, many young men of Northern Star Council have been working toward Eagle rank. In 2006, as a newly-merged council, Northern Star celebrated 699 Eagle Scouts.
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Join us for a discussion about When I Grow Up, the Cub Scout theme for March, with insights on how to make the theme resonate for the boys in your den. And song leading is on the agenda as well.
As a part of what has been dubbed the largest food drive in America, 30,000 Scouts collect 1.3 million bags of food. "It really is a time when people are coming together … they know they're doing something good for the community and it just makes everyone feel really good."
This episode of the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast gives you two campfire favorites for the price of one. (Well, the price is free so I guess that does not really matter.) One song and one skit. From two different troop Laughs For Lunch Shows.
Now that I have attended my first 5 Star University and have received my Bachelor of Science degree in Scouting I feel that I have learned far more about the program than ever before. There some ideas and concepts that I have already been doing as an Asst.
This is a recap of January 2009 on Scouting News… Top Stories This Month This list is based on traffic as reported by Google Analytics. I suppose it is not a true image of the "top stories" since it gives preference to stories that have been online longer, however it is a nice snapshot, and…
I can't encourage troops and crews enough to know what your neighboring units have in the way of trained leadership. If you make contacts outside your own group, you stand to be able to provide a more diverse experience to your scouts.
The newest edition of Baloo's Bugle is now available in Word.doc and Adobe.pdf March is the month to explore career opportunities!! Your den or pack can host a career fair and invite adults to share what they do for a living and discuss how these careers may change with technological advances as boys grow up.
The strenuous activity of rock climbing works every muscle in the body.
A Scout is courteous. A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along. Bad manners are cool, they always have been. It has always been cool (at least to some people) to rebel against society, to challenge expectations, to…
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC) Life is a journey. One must be willing to take the first step in order to begin that journey. This journey is not for the fainted hearted and will not be easy but remember what choice do…
Here are some examples of the scout cartoon called Knot's Cartoons Which are published by: Rich Diesslin
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Chief Seattle Council developed a very effective council scouting marketing campaign with the theme of "words to live by." They have used the campaign for several years in conjunction with their council's joinscouts.net recruiting website. Now, BSA National has announced that it will soon be launching a new national recruitment campaign using the "words to…
The month of January really kicked off the new year to a busy start for our troop's (and this blog's) website. There was a total of 26,097 visits to the troop's website, with a total of 134,705 page views. This includes 10,682 hits to this blog's homepage.
2 Vote On Idea I think it would be neat to have a system set up nationally where potential charter partners could go for information about sponsoring a scout unit or LFL Group. They could then submit their information which could be forwarded to the corresponding council for follow up.
The BSA Licensing Insider, Vol. 2, No. 2, featured Officially Licensed Custom Postage Stamps available from Zazzle.com . Zazzle.com , under license from the Boy Scouts of America, features an exciting array of BSA postage stamps featuring Eagle Scout®, Order of the Arrow®, Wood Badge™, BSA 100th Anniversary™, Norman Rockwell Illustrations and Merit Badges™.
0 Vote On Idea For to long troops and packs have been asked to go to the Good turn for America website and document their service projects. How many times have they contacted the council office asking for their password because they forgot or lost it.
Who is the the original the founder of the Scouting Movement? Baden Powell Where did Scouting originally come from? United kingdom As many of you probably know the Boy Scouts celebrates its birth on February 8 but do you know when the World Organization of the Scouting Movement celebrates its Founders Birthday?
Homer:So, I realized that being with my family is more important than being cool. Dad, what you just said was powerfully uncool. Homer: You know what the song says: "It's hip to be square". Lisa: That song is so lame.
Steve Silbiger who writes a weekly Scouting News email called Advisor's Corner let us know Alvin Townley, author of Legacy of Honor, let us know that his second book Spirit of Adventure: Eagle Scouts and the making of America's Future will be launched or released on May 12, 2009.
Being a Scoutmaster is a great privilege, and one that I do not take lightly. At a recent Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster training event I was talking with a group of soon to be Scoutmasters and ASMs. We were talking about our roles as they apply to activities out side of Scouting.
0 Vote On Idea It would be nice if we could have applications that include the new $10.00 fee for Exploring. I had heard that these would be out back in October...and have yet to see them. Is there a reason for this? Comments (0) Category/Tags : Learning for Life (5) Mark as duplicate
The Jamboree Department of the Boy Scouts of America recently approved the formation of the Youth Services Team-a team of skilled volunteers, 21+ years of age, dedicated to the highest standards of fun, support, and safety for the nearly 1,000 16-17 year-olds who will serve as Youth Staff members at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.
Under the traditional Cub Scout program , non-leader parents (other than Tiger partners) were not encouraged to attend den meetings although they were permitted to do so if they asked to. Today, however, there may be a trend toward encouraging helpful parental presence at Cub Scout meetings and events.
0 Vote On Idea Especially during the fall recruitment, volunteers are attending training before the applications have been signed and the person is registered in the system. This makes it difficult to correctly record training. Is there not a way we can put someone in the system in a pending file?
The PLC knew that new scouts would be joining the troop at the end of the month. They were trying to come up with ideas on what to include in troop meeting agendas to get the new guys off to a good start.
1 Vote On Idea As most council do, we make every effort to do our FOS presentations at a Blue and Gold Dinner with each Cub Scout Pack. We have also developed and encouraged a Red and Green Dinner for Boy Scout Troops and a Green and Yellow Dinner for Venturing Crews.
After attending 5 Star University, I discovered that I still have much to learn about the scouting program and I always will as time goes by. Scouting is an ever changing program which constantly evolves into something new as progress is made in our technological society.
0 Vote On Idea I am constantly being asked "where do my patches go on the new uniforms?" This is especially relevant to the "Trained" strip and the Commissioner's Arrowhead. I've seen Trained strip in multiple locations... on the arm pocket flap, under the pocket, over the pocket.
9 Vote On Idea One of the primary functions of the Cub Scout Pack Committee is the control of finances for the unit, as subject to the regulations of the Chartered Organization. The position of "Pack Treasurer," serving as a member of the Pack Committee, should be formalized and required as part of the minimum…
6 Vote On Idea Make available Cub & Boy Scout handbooks in various languages besides English and Spanish i.e. Korean, Chinese, German, Japanese, etc. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Other (66) Mark as duplicate
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 6. A steadfastness of purpose to carry out a planned program with energy and perseverance, patience and good humor. The adolescent world is uncertain, unpredictable and capricious.
#172-Let's Dance How about an extra long show? Covering endangered and new Packs, Pinewood Derby awards, lone Senior Webelos, gift for outgoing Cubmaster, klondike, trusting parents to do their best, storage of Pack equipment and making sure your spouse stays happy.
I recently read a post by Jerry over at The Scoutmaster Minute Blog and I just wanted to expand on his ideas a little. The idea that adult leaders are basically adults leaders and role models 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year should also be expanded to include…
Back in September, Scouting News brought to your attention numerous merit badge requirement changes that would take affect in 2009. Paul Wolf, over at the U.S. Scouting Service Project, brought to our attention a few additional requirement changes: Archery Merit Badge Removed "A FITA/NAA Olympic (outdoor) round and make a score of 80 points" from…
See winter camping tips for general advice for cold weather camping. But, when it's really cold, like 20F below zero, there are more weird things that happen and stuff for which you might not be prepared: Shock cords in tent poles freeze and lose their stretch Lips freeze to metal spoons and tin cups Bananas…
Here are the top 10 most viewed posts for January 2009 (other than those solely about monthly theme items): 2009 Blue & Gold Emblem 2008-2009 Program Helps Free Maze Generator Sites Flying Colors Party Supplies Cub Scout Program Helps Online New Scout Sunday Patch 2009 Scout Sunday Emblem 2009 Pinewood Derby Emblem New Centennial Uniform Webelos…
Throughout the year we hold elections in the Troop. (Adults never get a vote) We elect Patrol leaders, Senior Patrol Leaders, and within the Patrols they hold all kinds of "elections" to get things done. There is one election we do each year that the boys seem to take just a bit more serious, and…
The Cub Scouts of the Central Minnesota Council will have quite a surprise when they attend Day Camp this year the Parker Scout Reservation. The medieval them will come to life like never before with the completion of the new Miller Castle.
New Award for Boy Scouts
New Award for Venturer scouts
Ever stop to think about what your pack's "Pinewood Derby" says about your unit? I know PWD's run the gamut from non-competitive play to competition (and parent) intensive ordeals to be endured. All of them are loud, too! We didn't have a pinewood derby for the first 3 years of our pack.
I don't know about your Scouts, but mine seem to be allergic to remembering their books, paper and something to write with, all at the same time. They often get 1 or 2, but rarely all 3. This messenger bag is from Scoutstuff.org (#62004) for $29.99, and will be recommended highly tonight.
I remember back in the day that camping was all about sleeping on the ground in a tent, cooking beanie weenies, and stargazing at night. Entertaining each other around the campfire and incinerating marshmallow in some strange sacrificial rite. There's nothing like a marshmallow cooked to a cinder over an open campfire.
As a result of the expansion of Peanut Corporation of America's (PCA) Salmonella related recall to include all peanut ingredient products produced in their Blakely, Georgia facility since January 1, 2007, Weaver Popcorn Company has issued a precautionary voluntary recall for the following product: • 9.5 oz.
6 Vote On Idea I actually have several concerns about administering Internet Tour Permits. 1. Currently Internet Tour Permits are sorted by Unit ID Number. It would be more convienent to the Tour Permit Administrator if they were sorted by status with the recently submitted tour permits at the top of the list, since these…
Once again, this note is more for myself then anyone, but this blog reached a total of 75,000 visits today (since the counter began in June 2007). It has only been a bit over four months since it reached 50,000 visits.
The CNNMoney.com site has a quiz titled "Are you smarter then a Boy Scout?" It has ten questions about finances based on the personal management merit badge. I gotta tell you, a couple questions could be a little tough. I just took the quiz for the fun of it, and was doing well until the…
Gather wood, prepare tinder, kindling and fuel. Strike a match (maybe two) and we make fire. Preparing, building, lighting and maintaining a fire involves interdependent skills, knowledge and actions that constitute a process. Comprehending and executing a process requires process intelligence.
Trapper Trails Council is pleased to announce the third annual Whitney M. Young and Vale la Pena! awards banquet will be held on February 6, 2009 at the Weber State University's Sky Room in Ogden. The Trapper Trails Council will present the Whitney M.
The February 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 March " When I Grow Up " theme.
You say that your are bored. You say that you have nothing to do. Played all of the video games and mastered each and every one without breaking into a sweat. Well, cheer up bunkie . I have the perfect solution for you.
Yesterday, Weaver Popcorn Company issued a precautionary voluntary recall for some of its Trail's End 9.5 oz. Carmel Corn with Nuts due to the salmonella outbreak at Peanut Corporation of America's facility in Blakely, Georgia. The full press release is at the link below. Link [ Via Scoutingnews.org ] Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Fundraisers
I often talk, or write, about developing the value of selfless service or giving back in our Scouts. In our Troop we have a couple Scouts that are in the process of earning their Eagle Award. If you look at the requirements for earning the Eagle Award you will find that it requires the Scout…
12 Vote On Idea Recently, the Innovation and Strategy Group received a request from the Action Sports Association, a non-profit organization focusing on increasing awareness, education, promoting activities and preserving awareness for the action sports industry especially, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, and bmx biking.
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It is time for the scoutmaster conference for the Boy Scout's latest rank advancement. We sit down and review his progress. When we get to Scout Spirit I ask him to repeat the Scout Oath or the Scout Law. The Scout suddenly looks confused.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense , who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
Hello fellow Scouters, A good friend in Scouting, Scoutmaster Steve B., had a great post recently on pictures, and it got me thinking. If I had a couple of minutes with a new leader, one of the things I would tell them is to take pictures of the den everywhere they go.
Every Friday five posts from Scoutmaster worth reviewing. This week the subject is Patrol Development Making Patrols Work ... integrating the patrols by age is important. Any Scoutmaster would admit that encouraging Scouts of different ages to work together is an ongoing challenge.
Simon Kenton Council's Buckeye District roundtable packet for March 2009 ( When I Grow Up ) has been posted on the SKC website. The Buckeye District puts together a great roundtable packet each month. It has games, cooking ideas, crafts, songs, skits, ceremonies, and more. Link (pdf) Posted in CUB SCOUTS, When I Grow Up
The front page of the National Council Website is sporting a new look. The first thing you will notice is a more bold color scheme which gives the site a more patriotic feel. The new design puts more of an emphasis on the feature stories.
As I am a student of leadership, always wanting to know more and constantly on the look out for examples of good leadership, we have recently been handed a great example. Last month Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed a fully loaded airplane on the Hudson river.
I was recently reminded of the Tradtion of the Ashes. For those that may not have heard of the tradition. This was passed to me at my Wood Badge class. ( long live SR-923! Long Live the Beavers!) Campfires are a tradition in Scouting.
OK, I'll give it a try: Scoutsigns on Twitter .
0 Vote On Idea In the spirit of going green and saving money why not look into installing hand blowers in all the BSA bathrooms instead of the paper hand towels we use now. Not only would we be saving trees, but money as well.
It's time to, if you haven't already, start looking at summer camp ideas for your scouters. Here are a few of our favorites. I just talked to the summer program director last night and it sounds like this summer is going to be a blast!
4 Vote On Idea I love the old TV ads that ran encouraging boys to join Scouting. It would be a great bit of nostalgia to re-air some of these ads as a "Happy 100th Birthday" salute campaign. Comments (0) Category/Tags : 100th Anniversary (20) Mark as duplicate
2 Vote On Idea I expect a large push back on this but what if we could deliver Scouting online via the current Lone Scout Program? The GSoUSA seem to have a similiar program where girls can join online and complete badges and such.
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! Today's Friday Funny was overheard on Twitter, John ( @JohnShepard ) over at JohnScout 2.0 has been getting ready for a Pinewood Derby Race tomorrow.
The Irving, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau and Gondola Adventures teamed up to support the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Capitol Area Council (CAC) with a gondola row on Austin's Lady Bird Lake on Friday, February 6. The expedition was designed to raise awareness of the Boy Scouts 60th annual Report to State Parade on…
February 2009 Bulletin Let's Get Ready for the Jamboree! There have been many calls and e-mails concerning the new BSA medical form that must be completed between July 27, 2009, and May 1, 2010, in order to participate in the jamboree.
Anniversary Year for BSA What are you and your council going to do for the 2010 100th anniversary of the BSA. Event though the 99th anniversary has not passed it is not too early to start planning the 2010 anniversary since this will be the 100 year mark.
Boy's Life Contest Participants that wish to participate in this contest are to submit a video that they create about the following aspects of smoking: Smoking is a drug addiction that kills people Smoking makes everything smell bad Remember" A Scout is clean!
Marcus Dean Cooper, Jr. has earned his the Venturing Gold Award and Venturing Silver Award. Marcus is the son of Marcus and Pieper Cooper of Kaysville and is currently serving as Crew Guide of Crew 438, Kaysville Crestwood LDS. Marcus worked at Camp Hunt this summer as a High Adventure Ranger and Lifeguard and is…
Congratulations to Nathan T. on becoming an Eagle Scout last Monday night. Over the years I watch Nathan work hard toward earning 31 Merit Badges and scouting's highest rank. Three memorable experiences I'll remember the most I shared with Nathan are doing our OA ordeal and Brotherhood together, along with our high adventure trip to…
1 Vote On Idea Hello, This requests comes not only from myself but also my voulenteers. It is very frustrating being a MAC user and not being able to access any myBSA information when I am at home. Not just MAC but not being able to do the recharters on Firefox web browser.
So what is so great about Walmart? 1. Most Walmart stores are open 24/7 now. 2. You can sleep in the parking lot of Walmart. 3. You can get everything you need there (besides your climbing gear) 4. Walmart has bathrooms that you can use (great for that little sink shower that all the dirtbag…
The National Scouting Museum is hosting a Pinewood Derby Race on February 28, 2009. According to the Flyer there will be fun & prizes and admission to the Museum is $3 for everyone. Reservations are required, call 972.580.2467 to make a reservation.
We all know the 12 Laws of a Boy Scout and this weekend we should all have honored the 12 law...A scout is Reverant. This 12th point should actually be the first law a scout remembers as in the scout oath we say Duty to God and Country.
It is the beginning of the month, and that means that I am late with this and that it is time for another ten questions from the 1984 Scout Mania trivia book. The theme this month is "People and Places".
Today is Scout Sunday for our faith, some faiths celebrate it next week, but I believe that most are today. Today, also, is one of the days that is more or less, specifically in line with being reverent. It was brought up at church by the priest, and mentioned in the halls before and after.
-1 Vote On Idea As a very recent graduate of PDL-1, and a Scouter with over 20 years in the program, I would suggest allowing a Council to be run by DE's that recently graduated PDL-1, with guidance from an experienced Council Scout Executive and/or Field Director.
The ScoutParents.org website was recently relaunched . Although the new website is less colorful than its predecessor, the site is now better organized and easier to navigate . Link [ Via Scoutingnews.org ] Posted in CUB SCOUTS, ScoutParents
For the past 4 years, our troop has been travelling across the city to Ft. Snelling Veterans Cemetery to team up with other local troops in an Order of the Arrow sponsored service project. In one day, the scouts remove all the wreaths that were placed by veterans' headstones before Christmas.
Nominations opened yesterday for the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership . The National Hall of Leadership is an opportunity for anyone to recognize outstanding leadership by a Scout, registered Scout leader, or Scouting volunteer who made a significant difference in the life of another by the extraordinary service they have given…
Scout Leaders are renowned for collecting Scouting memorabilia, especially badges. The traditional thing to do is put them on a blanket which is used when camping. There is always the competition to see who has the most badges or the most rare, but everyone is interested to see who has what.
Way back in 1988, I began video taping Boy Scout courts of honor and troop activities to create programs to air on our local community access television station, Mel-TV, and thus promote Scouting in the community. These shows were recorded with a large hand-held camcorder that used VHS tapes, which should have a 10-20 lifespan.
Well it was another great weekend of Scouting. Busy, but lots of fun and I got to do what I love to do the most in Scouting... Recognize those Scouts that work hard and participate in this wonderful program. First, our Order of the Arrow Chapter held it's annual Pow Wow weekend.
0 Vote On Idea Many councils carry accident insurance for their units and collect the fee at recharter time. But their is no place for insurance fees due on the charter renewal form and it is not calculated when rechartering online.
0 Vote On Idea We need to stop putting units from the same Council in the same Sub-Camps. I got to attend the 2001 Jamboree as a youth. My Troop was placed in Sub-Camp 20, the "All American" Sub-Camp as it became known, while the other 6 Troops from my Council were all placed with…
2 Vote On Idea It is not a small or insignificant change, if, as I believe, it would: 1. Increase Cub Scout retention, as parents see greater value in the program's values. 2. Increase Cub Scout parent interest in having their son stay in Scouting and become a Boy Scout.
Founders Day February 22, 2009 Founder's Day is to celebrate the birthday of Lord Baden Powell. Hopefully your unit will decide to do something about this day. It would be a great to to spread the word about scouting to others that are not involved or you could involve inactive scouts in your program.
-1 Vote On Idea Change the fiscal year end to June 30. Many Councils raise a huge portion of their budget in the fall with product sales, and have no time to recover if they encounter problems. This could also possibly reduce auditor fees because we would engage them during thier 'off season'.
Can't get to the National Scouting Museum for the 2009 Pinewood Derby ? Then check out Museum U. at the National Scouting Museum. Here are the announced Merit Badges for March and April: Art March 1, 2009 3:00pm - 4:30pm April 26, 2009 3:00pm - 4:30pm Citizenship in the Nation April 11, 2009 2:30pm - 4:00pm April 25, 2009…
One of the biggest attractions of Cub Scouting for boys is the chance to shoot bb guns and bows and arrows. I have met few Cub Scout-age boys who don't get excited about shooting sports. But as Cub Scout leaders, we need to remember BSA restrictions on shooting sports in the Cub Scout program : "Archery…
