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February 2018 Time to carve: 1 hour Finishing: .5 hour Boy's Life -August 1989, page 79 Design: Bill Andrews Oh boy, when I saw this slide in my notebook I was taken back to my days as a Scout trying to clean the remnant out of the fry pan after questionably cooked hamburger.
Lena and Jack Towne Technically, Scouts BSA launch day isn’t an official U.S. holiday. But don’t tell that to Lena Towne. The eighth-grader from Georgia, like countless girls in communities across the country, is celebrating today like it’s her birthday.
Learning the Cub Scout Bobcat requirements is the first step that all new Cub Scouts must take so that they can earn their Bobcat badge. Requirements are all listed here for your convenience, including a link to the pamphlet, How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide.
With females officially joining the Scouts BSA program today, I look forward to helping them get as much as they can out of their scouting experience. Most of my involvement is currently with adult leaders preparing for high adventures, but I anticipate some volunteer opportunities to help female scouts with outdoor skills.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably an adult volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America or another Scouting organization. We were the ones who took a step forward – or stayed in place when everyone else stepped back – and found ourselves in a job we didn’t know much about at first, other than it would…
I have come across a service called Plinky it gives what it calls prompts for you to answer and is aimed at helping you generate content. Look out for new posts from it.
Be Prepared for a better commute. With CubCast and ScoutCast, the BSA’s pair of monthly podcasts, you’ll become a more-informed Scouting volunteer as you drive to work, empty the dishwasher or walk your dog. Each month’s topic is so expertly timed to give you helpful information, you’ll think the team behind CubCast and ScoutCast can…
Hello and Welcome Back! Engaging youth leadership and helping them develop their skills is one of the most rewarding parts of our work. Scouting may have many things in common with other youth activities but it is unique. We apply what we know from our professions and our own experiences to training and mentoring youth…
New Award for Cub Scouts
You can get a Super Achiever patch for all Cub Scouts in each rank that earn all Adventure pins. The Webelos patch has been available for awhile, but now there's a patch for Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear. This Super Achiever patch is not an official advancement award, but is a popular way to recognize…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, In our pack, we have a Cub Scout who’s currently in the 6th grade (middle school), and he’s 9 years old. He started in our pack as a 3rd-grader, at age 6 (his school “skipped” him through kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades, based on their evaluations of his intellectual capacity), so, when he…
Step by step, how to make the cutest campfire cupcakes, using pretzels and hard candy. Fun idea for a camping birthday or the Blue and Gold Banquet!
Joe and Susan heard the troop committee would be mulling over whether or not to have a fall fundraiser this year at the committee meeting tomorrow night. They have some ideas on what should be done. When they asked fellow parents if they also were planning on attending, they were informed parents couldn’t attend troop…
Some days Calvin just hits the nail on the head.
Photo by Roger Morgan/BSA Scouts BSA launched Feb. 1, 2019, and reports of new Scouts and new troops are pouring in from across the country. In places like Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon and beyond, parents looking for a character-building, leadership-strengthening, outdoors-focused program for their sons and daughters are saying … “Scout Me In!”
Tom Mahany wanted to challenge his Scouts to learn and identify essential Scouting knots. So the assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 165, part of the Coastal Georgia Council, invented a brilliant solution. It’s called the Knot Recognition Game. Mahany’s invention is equal parts work of art and practical teaching tool.
With Scouts BSA troops formed in all 50 states, the excitement has officially spread from coast to coast. For the first time in history, families are registering both their sons and their daughters in the life-changing program formerly known as Boy Scouts.
First Aid merit badge extended its reign atop the charts in 2018, while the Exploration , Animation and Bugling merit badges each saw double-digit gains in popularity. And how’s this for unusual: The exact same number of Scouts earned the Search and Rescue merit badge in 2017 and 2018: 10,107.
With this smack-your-forehead, it’s-so-obvious, single-flag configuration, there’s no measuring the exact distance between where the clips will be applied to accommodate flags with varying spaces between their grommets. It’s a simplistic approach that works well in light conditions for shorter periods of time.
NASCAR’s biggest race of the year and kickoff to this season will be Sunday for the 61st running of the Daytona 500 . And leading the pack of more than 40 of the best drivers in the sport will be an Eagle Scout.
Please join us in congratulating Joe Carlson, who will serve as Scout executive of the Gateway Area Council in La Crosse, Wisconsin, effective March 1, 2019. Joe began his Scouting career as district executive at the Chippewa Valley Council in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I’m a former Boy Scout (Life rank) who got back into Scouting with my oldest son seven years ago. When he graduated from his Cub Scout pack three years ago, I allowed him to pick the troop of his choice, even though I knew it was poorly run—and still is—but that was his…
Montclair State University researchers Michael Esposito and William Davis at an observation of Wood Badge. A first-of-its-kind nationwide study will examine how Scouts and adult leaders work together and reveal ways the BSA can better support its adult volunteers as they deliver on the promise of Scouting.
Scouts BSA Troop 8222 of the California Inland Empire Council. There’s enthusiasm for the launch of Scouts BSA everywhere you look. You see it on social media, where young people are saying, #ScoutMeIn. You see it on the news as reporters highlight the BSA’s commitment to the whole family.
This fun Cub Scout Outdoor Code printable puzzle is a great way to introduce the Code to younger Scouts and helps the older Scouts memorize it.
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club All of the pieces lined up perfectly last week as a group of Scouts in St. Louis became some of the first girls in the country to earn the Chess merit badge. At the workshop, held Feb.
Left: The Troop 400 patrol leaders' council makes its decision over pizza. Right: Some of the members of Troop 440 stand proudly. If money talks, this gesture by some Scouts in Washington speaks volumes. The youth leaders in Troop 400 wanted to find a way to welcome Troop 440, a new Scouts BSA troop for…
February 2018 Time to make: 15 minutes Original design: A. C. This design was created by one of my Scouts (who's name I can't use because he is under 18). Back story, it was memorial day and we were gathering before the parade.
Scouting safety is important enough that the guideposts we must follow are continuously reviewed and updated. The Boy Scouts of America maintains the latest version of the Guide to Safe Scouting online and provides a new printed version every year or so.
Hello and Welcome Back! If you are reading this you are a volunteer, and probably not just for Scouting. Volunteering for Scouting returns more satisfaction and joy than we really deserve, but there’s always a danger of getting spread too thin.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Our brand new Scouts BSA troop for girls is growing faster than we imagined. We were just four potential Scouts before January and, as the real kickoff has happened, we’ll quickly be at 14! Where it liked like we might be a single patrol we’re going to start off with two!
You’re helping a relative clean their house, and as you’re digging through an old trunk in the garage, you discover a Scout campaign hat and a merit badge sash stitched with old-style badges. Your relative doesn’t want them; you don’t want them, so what do you do?
The official February 1, 2019, launch date for the Scouts BSA program is now behind us, but the launch is only the beginning. Though we’ve seen new Scouts BSA troops already forming in all 50 states and beyond , now is the time to build on that early success and momentum.
Congratulations to Matthew Bull, who will serve as Scout executive of the Baden-Powell Council in Binghamton, New York, effective March 1, 2019. Matthew began his career as a district executive at the Cape Fear Council in Wilmington, North Carolina. He later served as senior district executive, development director, and program director.
Behind every Eagle Scout, there’s a story. A story of perseverance. Of parents and adult volunteers offering guidance and support. Of merit badges, camping trips and service projects. Multiply each individual Eagle Scout story by 52,160 , and you’ll begin to see just how much impact Eagle Scouts had on their communities in 2018.
It’s a small red strip of cloth, but its significance is massive. The Founder’s Bar lets youth and adult leaders show off their status as original members of a new pack, troop, crew or ship. It’s a way to honor the hard work of these Scouting pioneers.
Your Scouts trust Jack Link’s to fuel their Scouting adventures. Now Jack Link’s wants to be your go-to choice for funding those adventures, too. With its BSA fundraising kits , Jack Link’s makes it easier for your Scouts to raise the money they need to do the things they want.
It’s a season of firsts for the Boy Scouts of America, and these history-making moments aren’t limited to the Feb. 1 launch of Scouts BSA . Earlier this month, a group of 18 Venturers from the Kansas City, Mo., area became some of the first young women ever inducted into the Order of the Arrow , Scouting’s…
When a potential popcorn customer says no, savvy Scouts make a follow-up pitch: “How about sending a bag of Scout popcorn to the troops?” It’s a great way to support two quintessential American institutions: the Boy Scouts of America and the U.S.
Please join us in congratulating Ty Page, who will serve as Scout executive of the Yucca Council in El Paso, Texas, effective March 1, 2019. Ty began his Scouting career as a district executive in the Grand Teton Council in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Earning the Eagle Scout Award is an awesome accomplishment, one any Scout would be proud to proclaim. For Eagle Scouts applying for college admission or their first job, it feels natural to highlight their Scouting accolades. But how long should “Eagle Scout” remain on your resume?
Zachary B. is a member of a Scouts BSA troop in the Boy Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council . He and his fellow Scouts were enjoying a day of whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River in North Carolina when they saw a boy in another raft fall into the river and become swept away by…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I’m a military veteran and former Scout. As Chair of the State of Michigan American Legion’s Scouting Committee, I regularly write articles for our Legion newspaper. I work hard at encouraging our Legion posts across the state to charter and sponsor Scouting units, but sometimes I feel I need a quote from someone…
When Brian Sweeney had the idea to start a drone-focused Explorer post in North Carolina, he figured he’d have no trouble filling the 10 available spaces. He was 100 percent correct. At least 28 young people expressed interest in joining Explorer Post 1194, and Sweeney accepted the first 10 who applied.
Last weekend my wife and I attended our council's University of Scouting event. We were there to take classes to learn what we need to know to start a new family pack in our area. It was mostly a good day.
A new book published by the Boy Scouts of America tracks the fascinating history of Wood Badge, from its founding by Lord Baden-Powell in 1919 to its current role as the BSA’s essential training program for adult leaders. The book, A History of Wood Badge in the United States by Kenneth P.
