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Cub Scouting's Pinewood Derby is an exciting event! But sometimes, it can be a bit long for the younger siblings. Have the kids make Raisin Racers, a fun craft combined with a snack!
Scout spirit is mentioned in several of the requirements for Boy Scout ranks. But what is Scout spirit and how does a Boy Scout go about demonstrating it? For the Boy Scout ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle Scout and for Eagle Palms, a Scout must "Demonstrate Scout spirit by…
Read a lot, find your purpose and be yourself. Those were just a few of the nuggets of wisdom offered by the two top leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives: Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. In back-to-back meetings on Wednesday at the Capitol, each of these high-ranking members of Congress offered…
2018 Time to make: 3 hours Boys Life "Slide of the Month" April 1975 page 54 Original design: Bill Burch and John Taylor Bill Burch had been carving bolo slide for years and has been at many Scout functions including National Jamborees.
At a special Eagles on the Hill gathering in Washington, D.C., more than 100 people — most of them Eagle Scouts — gathered to celebrate Scouting. Among those who assembled in the stately Committee on Ways and Means Hearing Room on Wednesday were Eagle Scout congressmen, Eagle Scout congressional staffers, Eagle Scout students and Eagle Scout business…
One of the greatest virtues of the Scouting program is that it teaches young people how to solve problems in real time with the resources they have at their disposal. They’re not usually major problems – at least not to us, but to the Scouts, they can befuddle and confuse until they set themselves in the…
Heather sent in this question: I have two boys one is almost done with all 137 Merit badge he is 15 and I know most of the merit badge go together. Now my 10 year old is now a boy scout and came to me the other day and said he to would like to…
What’s the difference between Patrol system and Patrol method? I have never found any actual difference between those terms in Scouting literature, but I will share acouple of thoughts to differentiate between patrol system and patrol method in a way you may find helpful.
In every pack, troop, post, ship or crew, dedicated adults work behind the scenes to make the Scouts and Venturers look good. The same can be said for every Report to the Nation delegation. Orchestrating and supporting a week of high-profile visits in Washington, D.C., takes patience, flexibility and a pair of really good walking…
Before he became the mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., Tim Keller became an Eagle Scout. Keller, now 40, received Scouting’s highest honor on Aug. 10, 1995, as a member of Troop 285 in Albuquerque, part of the Great Southwest Council. The man in charge of New Mexico’s largest city (population: 559,277) took time out of his…
A den chief is a Boy Scout, Venturer or Sea Scout who assists a Cub Scout den…but this role is far more than meets the eye! Read on to learn more about this youth role and how to access training.
When the Cub Scouts of Pack 33 level up to the next rank, they pass their neckerchiefs and hats to the Scouts one rank behind them. This takes place in a yearly ceremony that’s equal parts sincere and chaotic. It’s sincere because it builds fellowship from each group as they help promote the den behind…
In a recent story we shared from the Associated Press , area Venturing president Maddy Agers, 18, shared how her experiences in Scouting have shaped her life. “When I joined Venturing, I was a shy and afraid little 14-year-old,” Agers told the AP.
The 2018 Council Market Analysis Reports are now available. These reports are prepared specifically for each individual council and include information about the youth and families each council currently serves and information about those who live in the council area who are not being served.
Most of us would be lucky to attend a single World Scout Jamboree. DeWitt Thompson attended four of them. His son, Jon Thompson, recently came across his father’s collection of incredible artifacts from the 1929, 1933 and 1937 World Scout Jamborees.
Photo by Kaitlyn Chaballa It’s one of the most relaxing, affordable and memorable ways to get to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. And thanks to a new federal grant, the Amtrak Southwest Chief will continue transporting Scouts to Philmont for the foreseeable future.
Via Rusty L. of Troop 380, Arlington, Texas. I could write a lengthy introduction to this blog post about Scouting-themed cake ideas. I could tell you how these 29 mouthwatering photos come from Cub Scout blue and gold banquets, troop anniversaries and Eagle Scout courts of honor.
Update Your Training by October 1, 2018 The Boy Scouts of America’s updated youth protection training doesn’t just talk about the dangers of child predators – it shows how they work to gain access to their victims. In early February, the BSA introduced newly updated youth protection training that is required for all volunteers before October…
Good news, Scout leaders. You now have the perfect response when someone catches you snoozing at camp (or, um, the office?). Just tell them afternoon naps are recommended by the BSA’s Health and Safety team. And that you ensured adequate adult supervision before letting your eyelids fall.
BSA’s Information Technology Group, along with many volunteer beta testers, are excited to announce the new Scouting mobile app , which is now available for both iPhone and Android devices. You can search for “Scouting BSA,” or click these direct links to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
How does Scout advancement achieve the main aim of Scouting? Todays talk about advancement continues our foundations series. I’ve written extensively in detail about many aspects of Scout advancement, but this is different. In this podcast I ask how Scout advancement fits into the overall game of Scouting.
March 2018 Time to make: 3 hours Design Bill Macfarlane Original concept: Bill Burch So while I was carving the Bill Burch slide of the month I got an idea. I was a Scout back in the 70's and I thought what if I did a Scout of that era.
Ask 12 people this question, and you’ll get a dozen different answers: What does “adventure” mean to you? To find out, the BSA isn’t consulting a dictionary. And it’s not asking a mere 12 people. It wants to hear from as many Scouts, Scouters and prospective Scouting families as possible.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, We just had three Scouts help out at a Wounded Warriors Hockey Game as the flag detail for the opening ceremony. After they’d completed this, they stayed and watched all or part of the game. One Scout was there for about a half-hour; the other two for an hour-and-a-half each.
Scouting adventures can happen anywhere. With the new Scouting app for iPhone and Android, you can track those adventures anywhere, too. The Scouting app, developed by the Boy Scouts of America, allows youth members and their parents to view and track advancement within Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting and Venturing.
The Wolf Cub Scout adventure, Running with the Pack, focuses on physical fitness with a dash of healthy eating. This fun dice activity combines a craft and a game to help make the adventure more exciting for the Scouts.
The BSA has announced bold, wide-ranging updates to its Youth Protection program as part of an ongoing effort to protect young people from child abuse. This starts with an enhanced online Youth Protection training course all volunteers and professionals must complete.
Congratulations to Nathaniel Thornton, who will serve as Scout executive of Allegheny Highlands Council in Falconer, New York, effective May 1, 2018. Nate began his Scouting career as a district executive at Chief Okemos Council in Lansing, Michigan. He moved on to become the district director with Southwest Michigan Council in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and later…
Today’s article comes to us courtesy of Sean Scott. Sean’s a long-time Scouter who I got to know through a Cub Scouting forum when we were both Cubmasters. Back in the day, Sean wrote: Yesterday I was getting ready for a new pack organization meeting.
Leave your good jeans at home. The Summit Bechtel Reserve’s Polaris ATV Trek , a new offering for 2018, puts Scouts and Venturers in control of their own all-terrain vehicle for a gritty week of riding the trails. Participants get hands-on-handlebars training in safe ATV operation before heading out for 60-plus miles of riding.
Why is Scouting designed around youth leadership? Most Scouters think a youth led troop is the brass ring of Scouting. What exactly do we mean when we talk about youth leadership? There’s much confusion and misunderstanding of this than nearly any other aspect of Scouting.
As Michael Wright planned his speech about the benefits of Scouting for Troop 721’s annual banquet last month, he decided to include an Eagle Scout’s perspective. He reached out to his son, Brendin, who is studying geology and geological engineering in college, to share some words from his days with the St.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I just read your column last week, and the piece about the Scouts who did an opening ceremony at a hockey game and then stayed to watch the game. I so rarely disagree with you, but this time I think you “dumbed down” the requirements so much and just gone too far when…
Christie Finch wasn’t the biggest fan of the way Pinewood Derby cars were judged in her pack and district. So she invented a better way. The new approach includes the youth, rewards Cub Scouts who work hard to design their cars with a parent or guardian, and builds excitement and fun on race day.
A new study shows yet another good reason to regularly experience the outdoors: it boosts children’s brain development. The study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has found that long-term exposure to green space during childhood is associated with structural changes to the brain that lead…
You might have seen the story about a Boy Scout from Utah who has Down syndrome and is working on his Eagle Scout rank. I wanted to clear up some misconceptions about this impressive young man. First, reports that Logan Blythe’s merit badges were revoked and that he was demoted to Cub Scout aren’t true.
It became one of the defining images of a tragic day: Tobias Ellwood, his face mottled with blood, trying to save a policeman who had been stabbed in the March 22, 2017, terror attack in London. Despite his best efforts, Ellwood, an Eagle Scout, was unable to save constable Keith Palmer.
Congratulations to Michael Vangelov, who will serve as Scout executive of Western Colorado Council in Grand Junction, Colorado, effective April 15, 2018. Mike began his Scouting career as a district executive at Utah National Parks Council in Provo, Utah. He then moved on to become a development director and, later, district director with Grand Canyon…
Can a butterfly flapping its wings in Washington, D.C., inspire a tidal wave of conservation across the country? Scouts from the National Capital Area Council seem to think so. Hundreds of D.C.-area Scouts have pledged to help save the monarch by planting milkweed.
Young helped introduce the Bank Street Classic Tales. Published in Boys’ Life four times a year, these tales reminded readers that “all you need is a book and a dream.” J. Warren Young, who helped generations of young people discover the joys of reading in his 32 years as publisher of Boys’ Life magazine, died…
Typical young people spend their spring break on the beach, the ski hill or the couch. Good thing members of the Order of the Arrow aren’t typical young people. A hundred Scouts and Scouters from 28 different states traveled to Puerto Rico this month to help rebuild Camp Guajataka, the beloved camp owned by the…
Join us as we congratulate Clinton Hammett, who will serve as Scout executive of Colonial Virginia Council in Newport News, Virginia, effective May 1, 2018. Clinton began his Scouting career as a district executive at Revolutionary Trails Council in Utica, New York.
Scouting discipline is constructive… … because it builds character through applying the Scout oath and law. When we think of discipline we often think of systems of rules and punishments. These things are more familiar to our Scouts than open-ended situation where they follow principles.
Slogging through ankle-deep, wet snow and facing 96 miles to the next checkpoint, Iditarod sled dog musher Tom Schonberger thought about his team of Siberian huskies. They trained for months ahead of the nearly 1,000-mile trek across the icy Alaskan landscape from Anchorage to Nome, which started March 3.
You and your entire family (yes, you read that right – the whole family!) are invited to experience the best that Philmont Scout Ranch has to offer by attending this summer’s new Philmont Scout Ranch Family Adventure program! Whether you’ve been to Philmont or not, this summer experience is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in Scouting.
________________________________________ Hi Andy! Your recent discussion about counting service hours brings up two issues we recently faced, and I’d like to get your take on them. At this year’s Scout Sunday, one of our Scouts, who regularly operates the electronic sound board in the sanctuary, wore a jacket over his uniform for the entire service.
BALOO stands for Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation. It’s the introductory training Cub Scout leaders should complete before taking Cub Scouts on an overnight camping trip. Recent updates to this two-part course make the content more impactful, useful and convenient.
Yesterday, we highlighted Tom Schonberger, an Eagle Scout and National Eagle Scout Association lifetime member, who got caught in unfavorable conditions while mushing in his first Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska earlier this month. Read his story here . He wasn’t the only Eagle on the 1,000-mile trail.
Photo by Clay Helfrick Those dense crowds, long wait times and expensive ticket prices can take a hike. This summer, choose the ultimate family vacation. Choose Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Philmont Family Adventure , new for 2018, gives families the chance to experience Philmont however they want.
Do you remember your first Pinewood Derby experience? The design and build of the car, the anticipation of the big race, and then finally that feeling of excitement as the car races through the finish line – these are the memories that stick with you for a lifetime.
Please join us in congratulating Chasity McReynolds, who will serve as Director of the Office of Philanthropy at the BSA National Service Center, effective April 1, 2018. Chasity has served with distinction in this department as a major gift director since January 2010.
The Webelos Cyber Chip requirements help the Scouts understand the potential impact of the internet in a more tangible way by using "Teachable Recipes." Learn how to easily integrate this Cub Scout Cyber Chip requirement into your den meetings.
