Scouting Articles (most recent first)
Make getting outdoors with your family a tradition this #Campsgiving
Food, family and fellowship are Thanksgiving traditions. If you’re a Scouting family, enjoying the Great Outdoors is already something you appreciate. Adding a little outdoor adventure to your Thanksgiving this year will make it memorable, a lot of fun and could start a new tradition for your family: Campsgiving. So, what is Campsgiving? Campsgiving is…
Read MoreThis might be the best advice you’ll ever read about picking an Eagle project
When he started brainstorming Eagle Scout service project ideas, Ryan Kelley got a lot of advice. He heard from friends, family members, Scout leaders — each with suggestions for how Ryan could make a lasting impact on the community of Old Town, Maine. These generated lots of sparks, but no flame. The Life Scout from Troop…
Read MoreIf you speak a language other than English, here’s a patch you can wear with pride
Micaiah Balonek, who lives most of the year in India, wears a Hindi interpreter strip. Alejandra Opdyke wears an “Español” strip because she wants Spanish-speaking parents of prospective Scouts to know “that somebody might help them in their language.” Mike Anderson’s “Deutsch” strip, earned as a Scout five decades ago, caught the attention of an…
Read MoreDoes a Sleeping Bag’s Degree Level Matter?
Q: When choosing a sleeping bag, does the degree level really matter or is it just a recommendation for comfort?— Ethan, Springfield Township, New Jersey A: If you were dressed in a base layer of clothing and zipped up in your bag on a winter sleeping pad in a climate-controlled room then, yes, the degree…
Read MoreHow to include Scouting experience on a job or college application
Five letters can say a whole lot. By simply calling someone a “Scout,” you’re saying that person has strong moral character, is confident in the outdoors and has experience leading a team. In fact, the Scouting name is so synonymous with positive attributes that master storyteller Stephen King included BSA references in more than half…
Read MoreWhat is ranked-choice voting, and how can it revolutionize your next troop election?
This Election Day, make your voice heard: Encourage your Scouts BSA troop, Venturing crew or Sea Scout ship to try ranked-choice voting. When you switch to ranked-choice voting in the next election for senior patrol leader, Venturing crew president or Sea Scout ship boatswain, you’ll get the most-preferred candidate in the least time, teach young…
Read MoreBlast off for battleship-building fun with the Snap Ships fleet
It’s 2499, and humanity is locked in an epic battle for survival against an alien race. They have a secret weapon that your youth can construct to save the day: Snap Ships. Scott Pease and Jeff Swenty created the toy-building system after years of designing video games. One popular aspect of today’s video games is…
Read MoreKindness during COVID: Five times Scouts stepped up for their communities
In October, Nethra Srinivasan, a Health Care Explorer, received a 2020 Community Heroes Award from Assemblymember Kansen Chu at a socially distanced ceremony held outdoors. If you’ve watched the national nightly news during the pandemic, you’re familiar with the formula. They give you 29 minutes of stories about all the problems in the world, followed…
Read More2021-2022 preview: Philmont Scout Ranch
The COVID-19 pandemic closed Philmont Scout Ranch this past summer, but the high-adventure base is ready for its biggest season in 2021 with new construction of trail camps, trails, staffed program areas and other infrastructure, which will allow Philmont to enhance its already mitigated environmental impact practices to an even higher level. The base is best…
Read MoreScouts Find Adventure on the Peace River (Hint: It Wasn’t Totally Peaceful)
Jacob Shanahan tumbled into the chilly river. The 12-year-old Second Class Scout had been digging through his dry bag for a tasty granola bar when the current suddenly picked up, pulling his canoe straight into a large log and overturning it. Jacob screamed — with good reason. “Right before we flipped, we saw some gators…
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