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Throughout the years, methods of gathering ideas have run the gamut. From the aforementioned cocktail napkin to the erstwhile suggestion box, these methods have mostly fallen by the wayside as their respective levels of effectiveness have gone down. Recent studies have shown that only 2-3% of ideas in a suggestion box system are ever implemented.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I've searched your past issues, and couldn't find an answer to this question, so maybe I'm the first… I recently returned from the first of our two Wood Badge weekends, at which we were all given patrol emblems.
Stocking stuffers for boys are so hard to fine. I need inexpensive, but useful. Check out 10 Cub Scout stocking stuffers under $10!
In 2009, Nicholas Cobb started Comfort and Joy to provide coats to homeless families. That spawned an Eagle Scout project and much more.
A Philmont crew reunited to re-create a photo taken 34 years prior. This is the story behind the most-viral photo in Scouting magazine Facebook history.
Webelos Scout Jake Nimark will become a legend in the lunchroom thanks to NASCAR driver and BSA supporter Scott Lagasse Jr., who dropped Jake off at school.
Well, maybe not 'talk', but at least write or type! There are over 700 Scouting groups looking for Pen Pals on the Pen Pals page. There are over 700 international Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts units looking for new friends to exchange greetings.
Three Finger Salute So if you are scout you will have as some point in your life made the "scout sign" a three finger half salute held at shoulder level. You I would hope know the background of why we make that sign.
For a blog called Jabbering I don't do much talking
Here are time-tested and reliable choices that make great gifts for Scouts and Scouters! You can send a wishlist from this post too! You'll find it after the descriptions below. Pocket Knives High quality Victorinox Swiss Army Knives will last a lifetime.
Day 3 (Monday) - The day we finally get to NOAC! We woke up and had a quick continental breakfast, and then it was back on the bus again for the shorter drive from Kalamazoo to Michigan State University. We got to the dorm...and then had to wait for check-in.
During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Each Sunday I'll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you'll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas.
If you play a game that has a desired outcome or purpose it is important that you first know what that purpose is and then have some way of knowing if you achieved the results you were looking for. By and large that is the reason we have an Eagle Scout Board of Review.
Running Toward Danger," a new book, features 170 of the most exciting rescues in the history of the BSA's heroism awards.
I heard from a pack committee chair, who asked me: Our unit commissioner was helping me with our charter renewal and suggested that we register one of our den leaders as an assistant Cubmaster instead. He could still function as den leader, but it would make our Journey to Excellence numbers better. We'd get another
What if you aren't running the show? Not every Scouter is in a key position to effect change, not every scouter shares your exact understanding of the ‘right' way to do things, so how do you volunteer cooperatively? The answer isn't all that complicated, it's one you likely remind your Scouts of all the time.
The 18 th Annual President’s Marketing Awards (PMAs) are getting an earlier start! Entries are being accepted now through January 29, 2016, 5:00 p.m. (Central) and the submissions site is open at https://marketingawardsportal.scouting.org/Pages/default.aspx . The PMAs are the benchmark for excellence in highlighting great local council work across the country.
Marianna from Pack 377 in Fort Meade, MD sent in these two songs which she made up to help teach knots to her Wolves about square knots and overhand knots. She is an early childhood coach by day and a Den Leader by night so her den often learns with songs.
Ah yes, it is one of the best times of the year. Time to give thanks for all the amazing things we have in our lives. Time to give thanks to the family and friends we have for all that they do for us.
The BSA's Trained patch sends a clear message to Scouts, fellow Scouters and parents. It says, "I know what I'm doing." Here's who can wear it.
IdeaScale is pleased to announce that the deadline for the 2015 Innovation Management Awards has been extended! We know how busy things can get around the holidays, so we wanted to provide a little extra time to submit. Please be sure to send your final submissions now by Friday, December 4.
Councils and districts can now peer into the minds of more than 98,000 Scouts, parents, volunteers and chartered organization representatives thanks to the feedback and insights collected in October’s Voice of the Scout. The results can be found on your VOS dashboard, providing a structured, streamlined way to review feedback at both council and district…
Perhaps the greatest letter to the editor I have ever received. Boys' Life - and the BSA - works.
From the author who brought us the popular Scouting read, Four Percent, Michael S. Malone shares the untold stories of Scout courage in his newest book, Running Toward Danger: Real Life Scouting Action Stories of Heroism, Valor and Guts . Featuring 170 of the most exciting rescues in the history of the BSA’s heroism awards, the…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I just read your last week's issue (November 19th) regarding adult leader training. I may have missed reading it in your reply, but I thought Youth Protection Training was mandatory for all adult leaders who have contact with youth, and I thought this was a BSA-wide thing, as it is in our council.
How great would it be to receive ideas and insights straight from the BSA marketing experts? Well thanks to our new webinar series, NextConnect, you can! NextConnect is a monthly segment that provides valuable recruitment and marketing tools to council leaders around the country.
Who’s too busy? You and your family, that’s for sure – running from work to school, having family time, shopping for food or clothes and add in an occasional movie or visit with friends each week…your calendar is already full. Now let’s add an after-school activity!
Create a wishlist of books you can send to yourself and others at the bottom of this page! Here's a big selection of Scouting and outdoors books have helped me as a Scouter and outdoorsman, they have been a source of inspiration and learning practical skills, Scouting history, outdoor lore, and the Scouting program for…
Show me a team that is not performing at a high level and I will show you a lack of vision. The mark of a high performance team is a team that is heading in the same direction with the same purpose and goals oriented toward seeing a vision become real.
On one of his first episodes of the Scoutmaster Podcast, my friend Clarke Green offered an essay in tribute to Extraordinary people. I found it to be one of the most true-to-life descriptions of the kind of person who becomes a Scouter.
When 15-year-old Austin Secor of Broomfield, Colo., first proposed his idea for an Eagle project, he got some funny looks. The project, a musical instrument drive for foster children, was “met with a bit of skepticism, as it was a bit outside the box,” says Austin’s dad, Vincent.
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Looking for something worthwhile for scouts to do over their Christmas break to fill some of that down time? Through December 31, the Red Cross is offering FREE online first aid and CPR training. It doesn't result in any certification, but it's a great way for your troop to learn, review, or brush up on…
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on what we are most grateful for not only in the past year, but in our everyday lives. For me, it’s family. My wife and I really have enjoyed watching our three nephews grow over the years, and getting together for a huge holiday meal gives us all…
I heard about this More Than This, one day while listening to the Radio 2 bookclub on Simon Mayo's show. Patrick Ness was in talking about it.
Yes… Triangle Thingies.. that's what they are called. What do they do? Well, if you are like me and want to have an enjoyable time when you get into camp you find ways to stream line your set up and take down.
When we found the spear point and the potsherd under a sheltering wall of rock the dig began. An archaeologist's expert hand uncovered the story. A fire-blackened circle of stones, charcoal, fragments of bones. A dozen centuries ago our unmet friends sat around these stones sharing food, warming themselves against the cold.
I set up my Scouting Village today and decided to share the flyover video. (It takes a small drone to video this. lol)
What in the world is this ‘Patrol System'?" When I first seriously started studying Scouting and its history, I kept running across references to something called the "Patrol Method" or "Patrol System". They weren't just simply referring to a method of organizing Scouts, which is what I thought Patrols were for at first.
Whenever my Webelos sells Cub Scout popcorn, he writes thank you notes. We tape them to the product to make it easier to deliver. Find out how!
Cooking over an fire is probably the thing I like most about camping. Over the years I've tried a number of tools and techniques – here's some of my current favorites – You can send a wishlist from this post too! You'll find it after the descriptions below.
Earlier this month, I served on staff for another Wood Badge course… this time as Senior Patrol Leader. What another great occasion it was to be surrounded by amazing people with a desire to do their best in a program that was designed to change lives (and I thought being a Troop Guide was fun!).
There was a lot of hub bub over a decision that the outdoor retailer REI made to close it's stores nation wide on "Black Friday" encouraging their customers and employees to get outside on the that day and have an adventure.
During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Each Sunday I'll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you'll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas.
A baseball stadium, an aquarium with sharks swimming above and the camp where Friday the 13th was filmed are among the craziest places Scouts have camped.
As a unit commissioner and Friends of Scouting presenter, I have the opportunity to visit many troops and packs and get insight into how they operate. We commissioners also talk among ourselves about problems and issues in our units. One of the troops had an observation about a recent campout: …the boys were separated by
Make a classic tangram puzzle A tangram is a Chinese puzzle made by cutting a square of thin material into seven shapes that can be recombined in many different figures. WHAT YOU'LL NEED 1?4? x 8? x 8? square of smooth plywood.
Apples and oranges – I love a good idiom! A lot of us get caught making "apples and oranges" comparisons between our Scouts. It may be useful to remember t here are no comparisons in the Scout oath – only personal pronouns; on my honor I will do my best.
Jennifer sent in a Bobcat advancement ceremony to share with all of you: I recently helped put together a bobcat ceremony for our space derby. I couldn't find one I liked, so I incorporated a lot of different ideas I had found plus my own.
