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Packs can have a simple Raingutter Regatta by turning it into a Recycled Raingutter Regatta! For this environmentally friendly activity, you don't need kits--just stuff from your recycling bin and a few supplies.
One of the most popular sections of Boys’ Life magazine is Scouts in Action , a cartoon-style retelling of a true story of life-saving heroism. What you might not know is that it’s sometimes difficult to convince a heroic Scout to let the BL editors tell his story in the magazine.
Learning the Scout Oath and Law is fun for your Cub Scouts with these simple puzzles made from craft sticks. Perfect for gathering activities or any time. Do any of you remember playing the game Pick Up Sticks where you dropped a handful of sticks on the table then tried to pick them up one ...
It’s Groundhog Day, and there’s just one question on everyone’s mind: Will Scouting magazine release a list of the top five merit badges to celebrate this essential holiday? The answer: Yes. Mammal Study Ah, the groundhog. Marmota monax. America’s cuddliest rodent.
February 2018 Time to design: 3 hours Time to print: 4 hours (your times may vary) Finishing: 3 hour Original design: Bill Macfarlane Try it yourself : Voskhod slide The Voskhod space capsule was a larger modified version of the Vostok capsule large enough for two cosmonauts.
A funny thing happened on our way to the tepee… Well, actually not so funny. While visiting our daughter (one of three) who lives in Colorado, my bride Linda fell and fractured the top of her femur, requiring immediate surgery and now about two weeks of physical therapy before she can get onto a plane.
As the old joke goes, meetings are the place where the minutes are kept and the hours are thrown away. But meeting minutes – the written record of the business conducted – are probably the most important, yet the most ignored, aspect of our meetings.
For 108 years, “the Scouts have never failed to live up to the motto: Be Prepared. So are they prepared for the challenge of a changing America?” And so began the Feb. 4, 2018, episode of CBS Sunday Morning . The 90-minute newsmagazine, which averages between 5 million and 6 million viewers a week, made the…
Congratulations to Clint Scharff, who will serve as Scout executive of Three Fires Council in St. Charles, Illinois, effective March 1, 2018. Clint began his Scouting career as a district executive at Southwest Florida Council in Fort Myers, Florida. He moved on to become field director and later director of support services with Lincoln Heritage…
Thinking of Scouters as coaches … … can help us understand our role in the game. These are just analogies – we aren’t actually coaches, and Scouting isn’t actually a game. Analogies are not exact copies, they only resemble what they represent. What a Scouter does may be similar to coaching, but Scouters hold an unique role in…
Updated with final results. Three members of the Team USA delegation competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics are Eagle Scouts, the National Eagle Scout Association has confirmed. The list includes two members of the luge team — one in singles and one in doubles — and one bobsledder.
Join us as we congratulate Matt Myers, who will serve as Scout executive of California Inland Empire Council in Redlands, California, effective March 1, 2018. Matt began his scouting career as a district executive at Oregon Trail Council, in Eugene, Oregon.
As kids raced pinewood derby cars and lined church pews for Scout Sunday last weekend, CBS News profiled the changing face of the Boy Scouts for its "Sunday Morning" cover story. Those changing faces include the girls of Pack 203 in the Pacific Northwest and Burmese refugees in Troop 1262 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Taylor Morris’ progress toward the Eagle Scout rank was lagging when his parents made him a deal. Finish Eagle, they said, and you’ll get your driver’s license. That did the trick. Morris earned Eagle in 2009, as a member of Venturing Crew 2834 of South Jordan, Utah.
I’ve said it before to numerous people over the years, that you can’t take it too personally when someone else doesn’t put as high a priority to the thing that you put at a premium, be it an item, activity, cause, hobby, fandom, or other interest.
Why should my child be a Cub Scout?" Experiencing new things, developing character, setting goals, learning skills, and of course, being outdoors are the top five reasons why my son is a Cub Scout.
Justin Krewson is one of the world’s best at sliding 80 miles an hour down an icy track. So good, in fact, that he’ll represent Team USA in the luge doubles event at the 2018 Winter Olympics this month. Before he was into sliding, Krewson was into Scouting.
The Boy Scouts of America turns 109 years young on Feb. 8, 2019. What do you get the youth movement that has everything? A list of 109 Scouts who became famous. The list includes presidents and Pulitzer Prize recipients, astronauts and athletes, celebrities and CEOs.
Eagle Scout Chris Fogt (right) with fellow bobsledder Justin Olsen. It doesn’t get much more all-American than this. Chris Fogt, 34, is an Eagle Scout. He’s a three-time Olympian in bobsled. And he’s a major in the U.S. Army who spent a year deployed in Iraq.
Today, Venturers everywhere have the green light to party. That’s because today is the Venturing program’s 20th birthday! The BSA’s executive board created the older-youth program on Feb. 9, 1998. In the 20 years since, Venturing has enabled more than 1 million young men and young women to choose their own adrenaline-packed adventures.
As anticipated, the Boy Scouts of America has issued some major updates to our landmark Youth Protection procedures. The program is being expanded and strengthened, and will include youth training in youth protection for the first time (aside from our traditional A Time to Tell and It Happened to Me programs).
What do you want to be when you grow up? We ask children that question all the time. It’s a tough question because it requires children to bring together their interests, experiences and visions for what they’d like their lives to look like; to create narratives about who they will become.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and the youngest son of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II, presents awards at a ceremony in Tennessee. Earning the Eagle Scout Award or Venturing Summit Award opens doors. The awards are a proven launchpad in the United States, sending a young man or young woman on…
Throughout your time as a Scouter, you’ve helped young people shine. You’ve watched them plan trips — and then driven them safely to their destination. You’ve mentored from the sidelines as they take on top leadership roles. You’ve smiled with pride as they enjoyed one life-changing adventure after another.
Longtime Boys’ Life readers watching the Winter Olympics on Saturday night heard a familiar name: Red Gerard. The world was captivated as the 17-year-old snowboarder soared, twisted and flipped his way to Team USA’s first gold medal of the Games.
Larry Bacow, a Distinguished Eagle Scout who is “one of the most experienced and respected leaders in American higher education,” will be the next president of Harvard University. Harvard announced the selection on Sunday , calling Bacow someone who has “the curiosity and keen intelligence of a scholar and teacher, the vision and steady hand of…
After the historic 2017 decision to offer our iconic programs to both to boys and girls in 2018, many people have had questions about what that means and how to introduce those expanded program offerings in their communities. The three key places where you can find answers to your questions about Family Scouting, including Cub…
Thinking of Scouts as players … … fills out the analogy of Scouting as a game. Players volunteer to participate in the game. The most important volunteers in Scouting have more power and influence than the highest official. Without their participation, Scouting would come to a complete halt.
First Aid? First place. Exactly 69,563 Scouts earned the Eagle-required First Aid merit badge in 2017. That’s good enough for a gold medal, and it marks three consecutive years of First Aid dominance. The silver medal went to Swimming (62,057 earned), and Citizenship in the World (55,917) took bronze.
A girl in a Lion den in an early adopter Cub Scout pack shows off her Pinewood Derby car. On the heels of a successful pilot that introduced new families to Scouting and raised retention rates, Lions, the BSA’s Cub Scout program for kindergarten-age youth, will become an official part of Cub Scouting this year.
The Cub Scout program has a vocabulary all its own! If your family is just starting out, you'll hear Cub Scout terms being tossed around at every den and pack meeting. This list of 25 terms will help you out as you become familiar with the program.
Today’s Wood Badgers can get by without a handkerchief, canvas wash basin or second spoon. But those were considered essential pieces of gear 70 years ago at the very first Wood Badge course in the U.S. It’s been seven decades since July 31, 1948, when 29 men descended on Schiff Scout Reservation in New Jersey…
Starting in the fall of 2018, Lion will join Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos as an official rank in the Cub Scout program. This latest news for the Lion program follows a recent vote from the volunteer-led National Executive Board to include Lions as a full part of Cub Scouting.
With his day job and his evening volunteer gig, T’Challa keeps pretty busy. Sound familiar? But what if the King of Wakanda, also known as the Black Panther, found a free weekend or two to serve as a merit badge counselor?
Scouting Alumni and Friends has named Joseph Weingarten of Fishers, Ind., its 2018 National Alumnus of the Year. The award is presented each year to one worthy alumnus who has made significant contributions to our country through his or her career, avocation, community service and service to the BSA’s alumni program.
A troop in Longview, Texas, has more than $2,100 in unclaimed funds in its name. In Riverside, Calif., there’s a pack that’s owed more than $700. Packs and troops in Punxsutawney, Pa.; Corvallis, Ore.; and Brownsburg, Ind. can collect more than $100 each.
Please join us in congratulating Aaron C. Gach, who will serve as the field service council executive of President Ford Field Service Council in Grand Rapids, Michigan, effective March 16, 2018. Aaron began his Scouting career as a district executive at Gerald R.
From left: Kevin, Mitchell, Katherine, Noah and Michael. Katherine Quinn, her sisters and her dad wanted to climb Guadalupe Peak, the tallest mountain in Texas. But when Katherine slipped on a loose rock during her descent and fell down hard, she couldn’t move another foot.
Thanks ever so much for your patience, folks…and special thanks to you all who sent best wishes to my bride! I’d started out today with every plan to get back to you with a fresh column before sundown, but that just wasn’t destined to happen.
Congratulations to Kyle Smith, who will serve as Scout executive of Coronado Area Council in Salina, Kansas, effective March 16, 2018. Kyle began his Scouting career as a district executive at Longhorn Council in Fort Worth, Texas. He moved on to become a senior district executive with Pikes Peak Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Is there a way to find out what project a Scout accomplished in order to become an Eagle Scout in the 1930’s? My sister and I are trying to get more information about Charles Frederick Day. Thanks! (Susan Day) In the 1930’s there was no specific “service project” requirement for Eagle.
The world needs more Eagle Scouts, and 2017 delivered in a big way. Exactly 55,494 young men became Eagle Scouts last year. That’s the most in a single year since 2013, and it’s the fourth-biggest Eagle Scout class in history (trailing 2012, 2010 and 2013).
The 2018 NextConnect Marketing Summits will connect key volunteers and membership, marketing, and communication professionals to help ensure they are informed and prepared to reach new audiences with the Family Scouting program. Presentations are designed to introduce the family program and provide attendees with information, strategies, tools, and resources to onboard chartered organizations, start new…
To show our thanks to all adult volunteers, unit leaders, and BSA staff members, the National Jamboree and Outdoor Adventures teams are excited to announce the first Adult Adventure Weekend, planned for June 20-24, 2018 , at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.
Recently, you may have seen positive national media coverage of Scouting in places like this story on CBS Sunday Morning , a show that reaches millions of viewers. Or you may have read this recent Associated Press article about Scouting that was syndicated in hundreds of media outlets nationwide.
After five years of steady increases, the average age of Eagle Scouts fell in 2017. It’s now at 17.21 years — or 17 years, 2 months and 15 days. That’s the lowest mark since at least 2009, the first year for which detailed Eagle Scout statistics were made available to me.
How many times has your Cub Scout misplaced his cap? How many water bottles have you purchased to replace lost ones? Easily keep up with all your Cub Scout gear by using Mabel's Labels!
When you hear the word “adventure,” what comes to mind? Maybe it’s a trek across new terrain. Perhaps it’s the wide-open sea. Or maybe it’s even a journey through the world of STEM. Everyone has a different idea of adventure, and just as every adventure is unique, so is every family.
Among the Boy Scouts of America’s 137 different merit badges , you’ll find some classics like Bugling, First Aid and Forestry. You’ll also find merit badges like Game Design, Digital Technology and Programming that couldn’t have existed last century. It’s those badges that caught the eye of the clue writers at Jeopardy!
After representing the Boy Scouts of America this week in Washington, D.C., the Report to the Nation delegates will leave with some amazing stories. But as I talked with each delegate today, one fact became clear: They arrived with some amazing stories, too.
NASA optical physicist Ray Ohl seemed pleasantly surprised. His opening question to the Report to the Nation delegates had been this: “Are any of you interested in a science or engineering or technical career?” Immediately, 10 hands shot into the air.
Tracey sent in this form which can be used to keep track of counselors for merit badges. Space is included for the counselor's name, phone number, and email address. Badges required for the rank of Eagle Scout are highlighted in yellow.
Scoutmaster Joe Hayes of Dallas, TX knows how impactful Scouting can be for children today – and that’s part of the reason he felt compelled to mentor and lead youth into becoming the leaders of tomorrow. He knows Scouting transforms youth into responsible members of society.
Suzy Peurach owns a one-eyed cat. Well, technically it belongs to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. But as the collections manager for the museum’s department of mammals, Peurach is responsible for the cat and another 600,000 specimens. The purpose of the cyclops cat, which floats in a jar of ethanol, isn’t to deliver…
In middle school and high school, Andrew Lee got tired of teachers and classmates telling him he “can’t do this and can’t do that.” So he became a Boy Scout. Then an Eagle Scout. “Boy Scouts was the first time someone told me what I can do,” he said.
Some aspects of the Scouting game look like flaws… … but they are features we must not alter. Games restrict or constrain play through rules, the laws of physics, or human limitations and Scouting is no exception. We Scouters often expend lot of effort trying to fix things that don’t need to be fixed, or smooth…
He entered the room like a general — commandingly but with magnetic charm. Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, Inspector General of the U.S. Army, welcomed the Report to the Nation delegates to his conference room inside the Pentagon on Monday. Before he sat down, he circled the room, shaking each visitor’s hand and asking where they’re from.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I’m concerned that the Boy Scouts of America has had a long relationship with the NRA, but today the NRA really is a political organization and is tarnishing the reputation of my beloved BSA. I think it’s time to sever ties with the NRA publicly!
The two most important people in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives aren’t Republicans or Democrats. They’re Julie Adams and Karen Haas. Adams, the Secretary of the Senate, and Haas, the Clerk of the House, run their respective chambers from behind the scenes.
