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Silver and Gold Party
I believe all Scouting units should support each other with the intent that all youth get the opportunity to experience Scouting. Some troops in a community see other troops as competition and refuse to help the other units improve. By having all... From Scoutmaster Musings 4 years ago |
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Tattoo Merit Badge Release
If your scouts have already earned the Exploration merit badge and are looking for something more interesting, it's your lucky day! The Tattoo Merit Badge was just announced and the merit badge pamphlet is available in scout shops and as electronic... From Scoutmaster Musings 5 years ago |
What is the Cub Scout Religious Emblems Program?
One of the tenants of Scouting is a reverence to God and a respect for all religions. And for Scouting families who want to go the extra mile, the Cub Scout Religious Emblems program is there. Read on to learn how your Scout can earn emblems in... From Cub Scout Ideas 5 years ago |
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Super Achievers
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... From Scoutmaster Musings 5 years ago |
How to Sew on Cub Scout Patches the Easy Way
Learn the easiest way ever to hand sew Cub Scout patches and badges onto uniforms. This sewing technique for attaching patches is super... From Cub Scout Ideas 5 years ago |
Alt Dot Philmont
Due to fire, many Philmont treks have been cancelled and the crew advisors contacted. In case you're still thinking of alternative adventures, or just to be aware for future treks, here's some other cool places to Scout around the country. Most of... From Scoutmaster Musings 5 years ago |
Webelos Super Achiever
The new Webelos Super Achiever patches have arrived and are available now. ClassB.com did a great job on them and they look super! A hundred have already been shipped out to folks that pre-ordered them so they'll have them well before their Blue... From Scoutmaster Musings 6 years ago |
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Super Achiever
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... From Scoutmaster Musings 6 years ago |
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Scouts of America
Well, that was fast! Starting next year (2018), girls will be part of the BSA scouting program, not just Venturing, Sea Scouts, Explorers, and STEM. What, you did not realize they were in all that already? Oh my, it will be a busy year of updates -... From Scoutmaster Musings 6 years ago |
Taking Care of Your Property
As the 2017 National Jamboree wraps up, keep this point of the Scout Law in mind: A Scout is Thrifty. Take care of the possessions that you've brought with you to jamboree. Loss and theft unfortunately are always possible at a large event like... From Summit Blog 6 years ago |
Earn an Interpreter Strip
Scouts and leaders who are knowledgeable in a language other than English can test for an interpreter strip at the International Scouting Exhibit at Action Point. Strips can be earned for 11 different target languages including Arabic, Cantonese,... From Summit Blog 6 years ago |
Jamboree Volunteers Help West Virginia Save Lives
In 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that West Virginia's fatality rate for home fires was well above the national average, and growing. "For us, that's unacceptable," says Barry Simays, area lead for the 2017 National... From Summit Blog 6 years ago |
Summit Center Buzzing with Activity
Many fun activities are located at the Summit Center, a central hub across the lake from Base Camp Charlie. The myriad of activities and tents located near the gorgeous Goodrich Lake vary enough so every person walking around will find something to... From Summit Blog 6 years ago |
2017 Jamboree Bus Routes Now Available
Jamboree is on its way, and the thoughts of program, patch trading, and interacting with thousands around the country are exciting. While all the games, events, and adventure will be a blast, walking thousands of steps to get to each location can... From Summit Blog 6 years ago |
Patch slide
Sometime between 2012 and 2015 Time to make: .5 hours Finishing: none Got a spare patch hanging around? This is a quick and easy slide to make! Glue the patch to a heavy piece of cardboard and glue a loop to... From Channeling Whittlin Jim 7 years ago |
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MacGyver Patch
Last September, Boys' Life ran a MacGyver Challenge sweepstakes. Today, I received this photo of the patch from a participant in the contest. Doing a bit of research on the net, it looks like 1,158 people entered so all of them should have gotten a... From Scoutmaster Musings 7 years ago |
Bringing Science to the Summit: NOVA Award available at Jamboree
The jamboree will be full of opportunities to exercise a Scout's body and to challenge themselves physically. But did you know that there will be opportunities to challenge your mental capacity as well? Those with interest in a mental challenge... From Summit Blog 7 years ago |
Transportation to Jamboree
Jamboree is coming soon! Patch trading, zip lining, rock climbing, swimming and more. However, before everyone can enjoy their time at the Jamboree, they need to get there first. Transportation to the 2017 National Jamboree is designed to be as... From Summit Blog 7 years ago |
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World Conservation Award has new requirements, effective immediately
Whether you know the World Conservation Award as the "panda patch" or as the award that encourages Scouts and Venturers to think globally and act locally to improve and conserve our environment, there's something you need to know. The BSA National... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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In the darkest day for their family, Scouting stepped in
The instant you join Scouting, your family grows. Your circle of support widens. When John Halterman died unexpectedly in October 2015, the Cub Scouts and parents of San Diego Pack 624 showed the truth of that statement. It was March 2015 at the... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
Issue 510 â" December 13, 2016
________________________________________ Several regular readers wrote to me about the pack finances problem Kevin, in the Longhorn Council, was having. Check these out (they may help you, too!)⦠Hi Andy, This is for Kevin. Start with a pack... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
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NCT Hiking Patch
Check out my North Country Trail 100 Miles patch! Any scout can receive this patch and certificate by hiking at least 100 miles on the North Country National Scenic Trail by the end of 2016. So, you've got a month remaining to get out on the trail... From Scoutmaster Musings 7 years ago |
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Social Justice?
I am going to do my very best to keep this post "Political Neutral". Â I am not soliciting debate or political opinion.. I have kept very quiet about the election and aftermath of election day in this blog. Â This blog is about positive solutions and... From The Scoutmaster Minute 7 years ago |
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The Summit Bechtel Reserve and West Virginia University: a match made in (almost) heaven
If you lived near the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, you'd want to return again and again. Its beautiful rolling hills, wide-open spaces and world-class adventure activities are magnetic. That must explain why West Virginia University -... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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Parker Scout Camp 75 Years
My good friend Bob recently send me a photo of a new patch available from the council office. The patch celebrates the 75th anniversary of Parker Scout Camp, our council's camp. Of course, I needed one for my collection. He picked one up for me and... From A Scoutmaster's Blog 7 years ago |
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Complete Angler Award
I was in the local Scout Shop last weekend and saw something new posted near the merit badges. There is an award called the Complete Angler that can be earned by Boy Scouts who love to fish. The requirements seem fairly simple. Earn three required... From A Scoutmaster's Blog 7 years ago |
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Those Knots
Every six months or so it seems that the discussion on knots come up. Â Now you all know that I am not talking about the bowline or two half hitches, or even a well placed figure 8. Â No I am talking about the knots that we wear on our uniforms,... From The Scoutmaster Minute 7 years ago |
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Why one troop in Illinois is sending 43 Scouts to the 2017 National Jamboree
When I got the email, I did a double take. Betsy Hough, committee chairwoman of Troop 48 out of Lake Forest, Ill., wrote that 43 Scouts from her troop - nearly half the troop's youth members - are registered for the 2017 National Jamboree at the... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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Lions and Tigers and Bears
Oh my, it's fun to have all three of those critters part of the Cub Scouting program now. The kindergarten Lion program seems to have been 'in the works' forever since our council has been piloting it for a few years now. Pretty much every pack has... From Scoutmaster Musings 7 years ago |
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The Rockwell Wall
Many Boy Scout councils use incentives during their Friends Of Scouting campaigns. During the last several years, our council has used special council strip patches to entice donors to give a little more. Each year's patch features a different... From A Scoutmaster's Blog 7 years ago |
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Hometown USA Award rewards Scouts for efforts to Keep America Beautiful
Always leave a place better than you found it. For more than 100 years, Scouts have followed that doctrine everywhere they go. It's in our DNA. And it's why the Boy Scouts of America has teamed up with Keep America Beautiful , a nonprofit devoted... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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The Uniform Police
We have all heard of the "Uniform Police" in our Scouting circles. Â I am not a member of the Police Force charged with making a scene about uniform violations and forcing a Council wide investigation on this patch or that.. tongue in cheek, but we... From The Scoutmaster Minute 7 years ago |
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The Life of a Serendipitist
I think it is important to have "Hero's" in life. People that we look up to or try to learn from chapters of their lives. William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt is one of my hero's. His love for the Scouting program drove him and in the end elevated... From The Scoutmaster Minute 7 years ago |
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Scouts, win big prizes and share your MacGyver-inspired projects
Trapped on a roof, MacGyver bent the steel shaft of a TV antenna and held on as he zip-lined down a rope to the ground. When he needed a plane, MacGyver built his own using bamboo poles, a tent, a lawnmower engine and - naturally - duct tape. And... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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Ducttape and Paperclips
Making things from old junk stretches the imagination of a boy and gives him freedom to invent, explore, and learn. I had access to lots of old equipment, building supplies, and junk while growing up on USFS ranger stations. I made some awesome... From Scoutmaster Musings 7 years ago |
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Jamboree Gateway Signatures
2001 National Jamboree Gateway In 2001, I served as the scoutmaster for Troop 1417 of the Central Minnesota Council for the National Jamboree, which was held at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. I had a great time. I also had great assistant... From A Scoutmaster's Blog 7 years ago |
Issue 499.5 â" September 1, 2016
_______________________________________ This issue is an extension of my earlier column this week (No. 499-8/30/16), thanks to four dedicated Scouters who have information expanding on or fine-tuning answers to three issues in that column: Bob... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
R U A Winner?
You won't be if you don't enter before midnight! Check out my contest page and take a shot to win one of three different prizes. It's free and spam-free, too. Here are a few more contests you might want to enter... Scouting magazine gives away... From Scoutmaster Musings 7 years ago |
Issue 499 â" August 30, 2016
________________________________________ In my previous column (Issue 498-August 16th) a parent had written about her son, a Life Scout, who was told that work on his project for Eagle "must have Scouts as helpers" and "a troop leader must be... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
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2017 National Jamboree subcamps will be named after national parks (with patches to match)
It's the National Park Service's 100th birthday, but you get the gift. 2017 National Jamboree leaders this week announced the creation of 22 special subcamp patches, each celebrating a different national park. As first reported on the Summit... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
Jamboree subcamps renamed in honor of the National Park Service centennial
August 25, 2016 is the one hundredth anniversary of America's National Park Service. Just two months after he signed the congressional charter for the Boy Scouts of America, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act,... From Summit Blog 7 years ago |
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Now hear this: 2016 Jamboree-on-the-Air, Jamboree-on-the-Internet dates set
On the third weekend in October, 1 million Scouts from 150 different countries will unite to celebrate the global power of Scouting. And they'll do it without leaving the neighborhood. Join the fun by involving your pack, troop, team, post, ship or... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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Five myths about the 2017 National Jamboree, debunked
With the 2017 National Jamboree a year away, many Scouts, Venturers and Scouters think they've missed their chance to attend this quintessential quadrennial Scouting event. But there's good news: The door to the jamboree is still very much open. In... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
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Summer Camp Review 2016
The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 have completed their weeklong summer camp for the year. Once again, the troop went to Many Point Scout Camp which is located northwest of Park Rapids in Minnesota. Only four Scouts of the troop attended camp... From A Scoutmaster's Blog 7 years ago |
Issue 494 â" July 5, 2016
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I have a problem with my grandson, who's a Star rank Scout. I'm an "old timer"-been in Scouting as an adult since 1988-and still proud of my Scout uniform. My wife (his grandmother) and I pay for my... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
Issue 493 â" June 28, 2016
________________________________________ Hi Andy, My question is about the 1910 Anniversary Ring patch that goes around the World Crest. At first, the 1910 patch was available to anyone who was BSA-registered at the time it was issued. But what... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
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What is Your Scouting Legacy?
You probably can't appreciate what your Scouting legacy will be a few years from now. Today you have your hands and your head full of getting things done; looking into the future may not be high priority. No matter how hopeful or difficult things... From Scoutmaster Clarke Green 7 years ago |
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Accept no substitutes: On June 15, 1916, Woodrow Wilson made the BSA official
In 1916, the 6-year-old Boy Scouts of America faced increasing competition from other organizations - groups that wished to capitalize on the growing interest in all things Scouting generated by the BSA. These imitators, Scouting magazine... From Aaron on Scouting Magazine 7 years ago |
Now's the Time to Sign Up!
Staff registration for the 2017 NSJ is open! July 14, 2017 may seem like a long ways away, but the next year will pass quickly â which makes today the perfect time to formalize your jamboree staff commitment by registering for jamboree staff. To... From Summit Blog 7 years ago |
Issue 489 â" May 31, 2016
________________________________________ Dear Andy, You recently answered a question about where the Doctorate of Commissioner Science patch could be worn. There is, in fact, a DCS "square knot" that can be worn on the uniform. It's Item #18093 in... From Ask Andy 7 years ago |
Know of a blog post on this topic that I missed? Let me know.