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Does your Cub Scout create culinary concoctions that wow his friends and family? Did your Boy Scout master the merit badge in Cooking? Is your young Venturer a regular Rachael Ray? If any of those is a “yes,” Top Chef Jr.
One of the most foundational imperatives we have as an organization is to provide and maintain a safe environment. You have heard that need underscored for youth, but it is just as important in the workplace so we are able to bring Scouting to more communities, families, and youth.
What is that Balloon Dog thinking? Write a funny caption and it could be printed in the March issue! What's going on in this picture? What is that balloon dog doing or thinking? If you can think of a funny caption for this photo, just post it in the comment form at the bottom of…
I just gave away 3 gifts this morning in my Monthly Give-Away and I'm waiting for the winners to claim them. You could win at the end of this month - if you just enter! If you're looking for some gift ideas, here's a few to consider: Reusable Handwarmers - Instead of throwing away hand warmers after…
2017 Time to design: 2 hours Time to print: 4 hours (your times may vary) Finishing: 3 hour Original designer: nemilya Try it yourself: Vostok Spacecraft (Gagarin) On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 became the first man to enter space and made one orbit around the earth.
Over the last few weeks, our offices at work have undergone some renovations, including removal of the 25-year-old wall coverings, painting, general cleaning and rearranging of the furniture. The good news is that I get a new office cubicle with more space and a bit more privacy, but the downside has been working in the…
Scout advancement is not adults judging Scouts… … it’s Scouts meeting requirements with the support of adult volunteers – in Scout advancement we are all on the same side. We did not write the requirements. We don’t personally embroider patches to present to them.
‘Tis the season for sipping hot chocolate, frolicking in the snow and selling Boy Scout Christmas trees. The popular holiday fundraiser can be a great way for a troop or crew to earn some money, work on salesmanship techniques and practice elements of the Scout Law.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Our Troop has a board of review process that operates very smoothly and places a high priority on making sure the content and discussion is beneficial to our Scouts and assists them along their advancement path. While at a recent campout, two of our newer Scouts completed their requirements for Tenderfoot rank.
They’re both responsible for memorable characters, heart-pounding tales of adventure and bringing joy to young people. But the links between Walt Disney and the Boy Scouts of America don’t end there. Disney was a Boy Scout until his family moved to Chicago and he had to drop out.
The official logo for the New Member Coordinator position. Joining a new Scout unit can be a little overwhelming at first. You’re presented with a calendar full of fun upcoming activities, but all the new people, places and things can seem like a lot to digest.
Congratulations to Joe Wiltrout, who will serve as Scout executive of Crossroads of America Council in Indianapolis, Indiana, effective January 1, 2018. Joe began his Scouting career as a district executive at Atlanta Area Council in Atlanta, Georgia. He moved on to become the council’s senior district executive, field director, and later, senior finance director.
Scoutbook users are about to love Scoutbook even more. The BSA’s official web app has always been a great tool for tracking a Scout’s advancement. It makes everything — “from the first knot tied to final hours of service performed” — easier and more rewarding for Scouts and their families.
The holiday season is a time of giving and Scouts are ramping up their community efforts in a tremendous way. For example, troops from Lincoln County are participating in Scouting for Food and they collected an amazing 15,000 pounds of food!
Calling all unit leaders—the Scoutbook Youth Advancement sync is officially underway! All Scouting units with active Scoutbook subscriptions have recently been invited to complete the Scoutbook Youth Advancement Sync with ScoutNet. The Scoutbook Unit Admins have been notified and given instructions on how to activate this sync by December 31, 2017.
Our Pen Pals program has about 1700 Scouting units signed up and scouts around the world are exchanging mail and electronic messages. A new Postcard Exchange has just been started. Scouts across the USA can collect postcards from scouts in every state.
Editor’s note: This guest blog post was written by Suzanne Tiernan, communications director for the Sea Base Alumni and Friends Association. First, there was Hurricane Harvey. The news was full of damage reports and people helping each other. Then came Hurricane Irma.
Adam's 7,500-brick Lego replica of the Antlers II Hotel in Colorado. Updated, 1:52 p.m. Dec. 8 with more info on his Eagle project. Some commenters have erroneously stated that Adam’s Eagle project did not meet the requirements for an Eagle project.
Anyone who attended the 2017 National Jamboree already knows it was one of the most successful Jamborees ever. Now we know it was likely the greenest Jamboree ever, too. For the first time in recorded National Jamboree history, Scouts, Scouters and staff recycled and reused more than they sent to the landfill.
Imagine two Scout troops, troop A and troop B. Both troops have “average” Scouts (whatever that means) who do what average Scouts do. Both have a well defined procedural approach to discipline and misbehavior. Troop A publishes a guide that defines the rules, how they are enforced, and penalties for breaking them.
Congratulations to Erin Eisner, who will be joining the executive leadership cabinet of the National Council as the Chief Strategy Officer for Culture and People. In this new role, Erin will oversee critical strategic priorities – people, culture and diversity – which are inherently intertwined and pivotal to our success as a movement.
Witnessing the mystical, colorful northern lights tops many people’s bucket lists, usually because it’s assumed the only place to see the natural phenomena is near the Arctic Circle. Another assumption is that the time to see them is just during the winter months.
Congratulations to Brett Bybee, who will serve as Scout executive of Blue Mountain Council in Kennewick, Washington, effective January 1, 2018. Brett began his Scouting career as a district executive for Grand Canyon Council in Safford, Arizona. He moved on to become district director in Yuma, Arizona, and later became field director, also with Grand…
You're Not Prepared For 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' - Here's Our Review! "The Last Jedi" twists in unexpected places, including one of Star Wars' most shocking reveals. Without spoiling anything, here's what you can expect.
They’re carried on Philmont’s trails and clipped to canoe thwarts at Northern Tier. You’ll find them on every Florida Sea Base trek and Summit Bechtel Reserve adventure, too. But you might be surprised to learn that Nalgene water bottles were created as lab equipment — not camping gear.
Enter to win 11 cool stocking stuffers for outdoorsy kids and a Boy Scouts of America stocking! These are perfect for any kids who love being outdoors.
With the holiday season underway, you’re decorating the office, sprucing up your desk in seasonal decor and taking part in the office potluck…but are you celebrating safely? Find out by reading the tips below. 7 Steps to a Safe Office Potluck Check for safe food-handling directions and guidelines Wash your hands thoroughly before and after…
No matter how we hard tried our Scout Troop planning seemed to be losing the battle for for space on crowded family calendars. Participation in our program was all over the map, some events would be well attended, only a handful of Scouts would how up for others.
December 2017 Time to make: 2 hours Boys Life "Slide of the Month" Dec. 1992, page 65 Original design: Jeff Springer A fun little slide with a dual purpose. The directions called for 1/4 " pine to make this but I happened to have some extra thin plywood left over from another slide (yet to be…
In one way, Troop 2690 is unique. Incorporating young men from three different Cleveland-area mosques, it’s the first all-Muslim Boy Scout troop in northeast Ohio. In another way, Troop 2690 is like every other Boy Scout troop in the country.
Think of a youth or adult in Sea Scouting who has gone above and beyond to support the program. Someone who is the first to volunteer to run special events or take on new responsibilities. Someone who exemplifies the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
As we roll over the calendar into the new year, councils will be beginning their fundraising efforts for 2018. Our part as volunteers and Scouting families is participation in the Family Friends of Scouting program. Most of us are familiar with the need to help fund our Scouting programs above and beyond the direct fees…
From left: Seven, Nick, Ollie and Leo Cantos. (Photo via National Capital Area Council, BSA) Blind triplets Leo, Nick and Steven Cantos didn’t take any shortcuts on their way to becoming Eagle Scouts. They completed the same rigorous requirements as everyone else who has earned Scouting’s highest honor.
Thank you for being a Scouter! Today I have a short story to share (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore) I first read on Podcast 248 to wish readers and listeners happy holidays. The story includes Scouters in neckerchiefs, silence imploring, settling ourselves for a long winter’s snoring.
Join us as we congratulate Mark Switzer, who will serve as Scout executive of Twin Rivers Council in Albany, New York, effective January 16, 2018. Mark was born and raised in Ithaca, New York, and began his Scouting career as a district executive at Del-Mar-Va Council in Wilmington, Delaware.
If you ever find yourself wondering if it is worth the effort being a BSA volunteer - this should take away any doubt you have. Listening to this young man might be the best way you have to spend 10 minutes today.
Josh Hughes admits he wasn’t the perfect Boy Scout. He participated in the program for only a couple of months, but his short time in Scouting made a lasting impact. The owner of Emerald Tattoo and Piercing ensures his three California shops give back through charity drives and donations to the community.
Lots of people have been asking about the Webelos Super Achiever patch. It has never been an official national BSA award, so it fell to individual units or councils to create or adopt the award locally. It was available in a handful of various designs and names, but has become difficult (impossible) to find.
Please join us in congratulating Wendy Shaw, who will serve as Membership Growth Group Director, effective February 1, 2018. Wendy is currently serving as Scout executive in the Coronado Area Council in Salina, Kansas. Before becoming a Scout executive, Wendy served as the Three Fires Council’s director of field service, and as assistant Scout executive…
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, how Scouty are thy branches. Charles Boone, an Eagle Scout from Dormont, Pa., showed off the Scouting-themed Christmas tree he’s rocking around this year. Instead of traditional ornaments, Charles embellished his tree with patches earned during his years in Scouting.
The holidays are a special time to look back on the Scouting memories of the past year. Thank you to all of the leaders, volunteers, Scouters, and families who have helped make our mission of serving the youth of America a reality — the fun, adventure, and leadership offered through the Scouting program wouldn’t be possible…
Here we are again on the last page of the calendar. As the year draws to a close, we enter into a wonderful time of celebration, giving and reflection. Looking back on this year, our organization has so much to celebrate.
Story contributed by Mary Matelich, VP of Public Relations for the Montana Council Bob Lester affectionately remembers the new pajamas he received on Christmas Eve as a child growing up. Waking up that Christmas morning he recalls the special cozy feeling being nestled in the warm, soft pajamas.
BSA’s official web app , Scoutbook, is gearing up to roll out a new solution in mid-2018 that will leverage core components of the Scoutbook platform to make Internet Advancement tracking easier than ever before! The current Internet Advancement platform will be retired and replaced by a new online tool called Scoutbook Lite.
Daniel Konzelman, a 24-year-old Eagle Scout, was driving to work with his girlfriend when he noticed an Amtrak train zipping past him. He was cruising along at 60 or 65 mph, so he knew the train was going faster than that.
Today is the best day of the year for Astronomy merit badge and worst for Photography. :-) At 10:28am Central time today, the winter solstice occurs. For the next six months, we'll be getting more and more sunlight each day in the northern hemisphere while our Scouting friends down under are losing it.
The BSA announced it will release Scoutbook Lite, a new tool for quickly inputting advancement data, in the second quarter of 2018. This free solution will replace the current Internet Advancement platform, which will be retired. Scoutbook Lite will feature a slick new user interface.
Fishing has been a part of Scouting since the very beginning. In fact, Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell once said, “every Scout ought to be able to fish in order to get food for himself.” That longstanding angling tradition — coupled with the sport’s continued popularity today — makes this contest opportunity one I simply had to pass…
The Inspiration Awards are looking to honor a young person age 16 to 21 whose leadership skills and passion for the outdoors inspire us all. Reading that description, it shouldn’t surprise you that a Boy Scouts of America member has won the Youth category each of the three years of the award’s existence.
A Scout hike likely conjures up images of journeying by a pristine lake, hiking staff in hand, surrounded by tall trees with a view of snowcapped mountains in the distance. Or for one Ohio Scout, it could mean touring the streets of downtown Manhattan.
As we count down the final days, hours and minutes of 2017, I wanted to share a little countdown of my own. Today we’ll look at the 10 Bryan on Scouting stories with the most clicks in 2017. You might call them “the posts with the most.”
If you want to see which institutes of higher learning place a high value on the Eagle Scout Award, simply follow the money. That trail might take you to Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia. Eagle Scouts who attend Hampden-Sydney, the 10th oldest college in the U.S., receive an automatic scholarship worth $5,000 per year for four…
Here is our year-end camp summary for 2017: 1) Jan – 3rd annual Winter backpacking on snowshoes in Little Cottonwood Canyon 2) Feb – Last minute change to Fivemile Pass* 3) Mar – Yurt experience at East Fork of the Bear River** 4) Apr – 3rd annual Spring outing to White Rock near Dugway 5) May – 8th annual backpack…
Before Eagle Scout Jeremy Fogg tries to Beat Bobby Flay on the popular Food Network series, let’s look back on a similarly tough cooking competition. I’m referring, of course, to the Dutch Oven Cobbler Cookoff at summer camp. At the time, Fogg was an adult leader in Troop 787 of Winter Springs, Fla.
