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The criteria for the 2012 Council Standards of Venturing Excellence Award have been released. When all of the necessary requirements are completed during 2012, the council VOA leadership should complete and submit the form no later than Feb. 15, 2013.
Wayne's taken advantage of a quiet week to review some questions gathered over recent weeks, and shares his thoughts on key issues raised about Explorer Scouting, adult training and induction of new leaders.
One Explorer Scout tells us about his day at Scouts' Question Time
This month's troop outing was to be one day filled with several activities. The LPMRB, as it has become known by the Boy Scouts of Troop 68, starts with rollerskating and laser tag at the Skatin' Place in St. Cloud, about 35 miles from Melrose.
The National Council has set up a special section on their website to review progress of the 2011-2015 National Council Strategic Plan. If you never checked out the National Strategic Plan, you can check it out as a flipbook or a pdf download (pdf).
I have to admit that I have never been much of a roller skater. My kids really enjoy it though and it is a popular venue for birthday parties around here. So the Roller Skating belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program would make a great den activity.
Enjoy some aerial shots of the Summit Bechtel Reserve , as well as some great images of the progress being made on the ground in West Virginia. If you doubted such an amazing place could be ready by 2013, well, you're in for a surprise!
Here's what makes an Eagle Scout; A Scout completes the requirements as issued by the B.S.A. and is approved by a duly constituted board of review. That's it. So what about those oft discussed and argued qualities like maturity and leadership ability and active service?
Can a single click of your mouse change lives? Yep. That's all it takes to help Connecticut Crew 63 and Troop 63 assist impoverished American Indians in South Dakota. Unemployment on the Cheyenne River Reservation is 95 percent, per capita income is just over $9,000, and families there lack basic necessities like warm clothes for…
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we would like to give thanks to all of the former Traveling Trainer teams that paved the way, or hiked the trail so to speak, for their efforts in making the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program the success that it is today.
New Skit for Boy Scouts
Welcome back, in this show we answer a listeners email on gear. It is a peek into some of the gear I take and why. Hope you enjoy the show. I am looking for help with the 100th Show.. drop a voice mail to the SMMVoicemail Box by calling 503.308.8297 or you can email me…
Welcome back, in this show we answer a listeners email on gear. It is a peek into some of the gear I take and why. Hope you enjoy the show. I am looking for help with the 100th Show.. drop a voice mail to the SMMVoicemail Box by calling 503.308.8297 or you can email me…
I designed this simple trebuchet as a more stable, robust small trebuchet. The two opposite side frames are braced against each other so it doesn't need guy lines, which is the main problem with the older trebuchet design on Ropes and Poles.
Last weekend our Troop went caving up at the Dead Horse Cave. We had a great time. Here is a little video of mostly the adult Scouters of the Troop. Sorry, it was way to dark in the cave to get real good video. Enjoy! Have a Great Scouting Day!
Our council has several properties, but the one most Boy Scouts attend for summer camp is S bar F Scout Ranch. This is the S bar F Ranch grace. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Today as we gather together with friends and family to celebrate yet another year that we all have been so fortunate and blessed, let us reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. The list is long my friends.
Forget about the crowds, and enter the http://www.ScoutingNews.org Black Friday contest! There are three great prizes being given away: One lucky entrant will win a copy of Beginning Boy Scouts by Jeremy C. Reed and Heather R. Reed (Sep 1, 2011).
One Scout leader is walking and swimming from Hertfordshire to Morocco
Here is a Scoutmaster minute which is appropriate this time of year. Challenge your Boy Scouts to show their thankfulness for their freedom by doing more than just say the Scout Oath and Law, but by living them. [ This is a content summary only.
Jamboree at the Summit will deliver a world-class program experience – more diverse, more intense, higher energy and more physically challenging than ever before. My name is Russell Smart, and I am the volunteer team leader for all program activities at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.
If you aren't cooking in a dutch oven you are missing a lot of fun and some great food! Now nobody is going to carry a dutch oven backpacking; this is a ‘car camping' option for sure. Check out my illustrated dutch oven pineapple upside down cake recipe here (here's the cake recipe and some…
Marbled Orb Weaver Spider - Araneus marmoreus We spotted this spider during a hike in North Carolina.
Hey everyone! The e-tour hopes you had a fun, festive Thanksgiving. We know we did. Here are a few shots from our holiday time that we've been spending in Moab, UT. After a scenic trail ride Tara whipped up an incredible camp stove style Thanksgiving feast.
This meeting plan starts the Citizen activity badge. This is an important meeting, since Citizen is required for the Webelos badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
HalfEagle.com has a new feature to help answer questions about Scouting. " HalfEagle Answers " is a community of cheerful, adult Scouting volunteers and professionals ready to provide helpful answers to Scouting related questions. Members use their real identities and have to login via facebook connect.
How does one increase the trainings within one's unit (Troop, Pack, or Crew) without making it feel like one is constantly bombarding the unit's leadership, committee and scout parents with so much training in one year? Since most of the training is good for 2 years, I'm thinking they will get another training bombardment later.
At the beginning of the month I posted the requirements for the Photography belt loop from the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program. If your Cub Scout enjoyed that activity, maybe he wants to learn more about photography by earning the pin also.
It is not a secret. Some Boy Scouts get nervous when it is time to do a scoutmaster conference for a rank. As a scoutmaster I do my best to put the Scout at ease and we usually get through it without a problem.
As my son's worked to earn their genealogy Merit Badge they learned a lot about our family and as politically incorrect as it sounds, Our People. My dad has become a real student of our family history, he has spent the better part of 2 decades researching, studying, and collecting information on our family and…
It was a great Thanksgiving weekend.. we took advantage of some great weather and headed to the Mountain for a fun day of snow shoeing. The sun was bright and it the temps were nice. It was a fun time hanging out on Mt. Hood. Enjoy. Have a Great Scouting Day!
Is there any standard procedure regarding the letters of recommendation given to an Eagle candidate i.e. are they returned to the Scout or are they kept by the Board and disposed of later.
Wayne was tipped off about the successful launch of the Aber Anon Network in Wales, and wanted to learn more about the key to successâ
Last week, some of my Group's Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Leaders went to watch the Burdi Boys Gang Show from Potteries North District (which was kind of our old District before things were changed in 2005). For those who don't know, a bit of history of the Gang Show from Wikipedia - In 1931, Ralph Reader…
This is a very challenging game which combines lashing skills and teamwork. It would work well for an interpatrol activity at a meeting focused on pioneering skills. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Training boy leaders is the Scoutmaster's most important job, and that process has now been revised and updated in BSA's new publication Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops. ILST, as it's known in the acronym-crazy world of Scouting, succeeds Troop …
Want to know where the Summit Bechtel Reserve got the lumber used to construct buildings on site? We'll give you a hint: You don't have to look far. In true sustainable fashion, trees from the Summit, stayed at the Summit.
IN THIS PODCAST Working with the patrol leader's council KEEP IN TOUCH Contact Clarke Green Call and leave a voice mail comment or question at (484) 734-0002 Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Listen on your mobile device with Stitcher Smart Radio Follow us on FACEBOOK – TWITTER Subscribe to blog posts & the Scoutmaster Newsletter Join…
In recognition of Veterans Day, nearly 90 Cub Scouts from the Tecumseh Tribe of Pack 358 today contributed over $1,350 in hard-earned popcorn sales rewards to the Indiana National Guard Relief Fund as part of their inaugural Half to Heroes effort to help needy soldiers and their families.
The impact monster is apparently alive and well in Utah! Photo courtesy of Jeff Marion, Ph.D.
Rule No. 44 : Never argue with idiots. They'll drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Dear Andy, I'm a member of the National Scout Council in my country, Liberia, Africa. Scouting says, "We are volunteers, and non-political…" Why aren't Scouts permitted to participate in national politics when we're (supposed to…
A short show catching up on a few odds and ends in the Scouting world. Tonight's show sponsored by The Boy Scout Store Join the forum discussion on this post
As part of the Hobbies Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts, the Scouts will conduct a hobby fair to show of each Scout's particular hobby. Here are some things Scouts might want to consider when organzing and setting up the fair.
A question from a Facebook fan: My son just bridged over into Boy Scouts from Webelos. I feel he is losing interest, he keeps saying he doesn't want to go to the meetings or camp. My son and I have been active in cub scouts since he was a tiger.
In 2011 the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics introduced a new social activism and environmental stewardship campaign called the Backyard Sessions. Backyard Sessions take many forms, but most of all they bring together and activate local Leave No Trace communities to incorporate Leave No Trace into all of the ways we live and…
ClassB ® is honored to be the featured licensee in this year's October issue of BSA ® Licensing Insider. BSA ® Licensing Insider is a monthly newsletter that provides new information from the Licensing Department of Boy Scouts of America ® . Topics include: new products, featured vendors, program updates and events.
After just researching, planning, and training for the past few months, I finally set foot on one of the national scenic trails I plan to thru-hike in 2012. Over Thanksgiving break, I got a taste of the trail by hiking the Kewaskum and West Bend segments of the Ice Age Trail plus the connecting routes…
Over 3,040 people have committed to " Reach out and Philmont someone! " on Saturday December 3rd, 2011. Advertised on Facebook as an Event, over 4,200 individuals have been invited. The Facebook event page states that it "is a social experiment to see how many Philmonters are lurking around in our every day lives."
It is said that when one door closes.. another door opens. Much as one chapter of a book leads to the next chapter we had a door closed last night opening the door or moving on to the next chapter in the history of our Troop.
As you all aware I am a gear junky… It's time to replace my old MSR Whisperlite stove. I have had it since the mid '80′s and it has served me well. But its time for something new and improved.
The basic foundation of humanity is compassion and love. This is why, if even a few individuals simply try to create mental peace and happiness within themselves and act responsibly and kind-heartedly towards others, they will have a positive influence in their community. Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama
Boy Scouts love building fires. They can learn how to be safe around planned and unplanned fires by earning the Fire Safety merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
In the 1st installment of Adventures in Service: Wounded Warriors, we introduced you to Venturing Crew 911 from Cincinnati, Ohio, as they teamed up with the Wounder Warrior Project and the Challenged Athletes of West Virginia for a weekend at Snowshoe Mountain.
Most of us look forward to a cup of coffee in the morning. According to the National Coffee Association: Over 50% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day (150 million). Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the United States is 3.2 cups of coffee per day.
Want to know what last year's 4-H Grant winner did with their $500 ClassB® Community Improvement Grant? The Brown County 4-H SET Club's project was to place mile markers along 6 miles of the East River Trail System. In order to do this, they split into 6 teams and collected data along the trail using…
Freeport, ME . This weekend marks the final Leave No Trace Backyard Session of the 2011 season. Backyard Sessions provide a platform for Leave No Trace Master Educators, Trainers, volunteers, and supporters to find ways communities can incorporate Leave No Trace into all of the ways they live and play.
The Grinch is alive and well and living in St. Louis. Or at least a reasonable facsimile. Check her out - that's right, her - in this video surveillance footage from local TV station KTVI-Fox2. In 2009, this woman stole one Christmas tree from Boy Scout Troop 374 .
Although the 2011 season for the The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, as well as the Leave No Trace e-tour Team is winding down, they are conducting a few final training events across the country in December. For more information about these or to attend, visit their calendars.
