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In the loop: A guide to square knots, and how to wear them
You’ve been awarded a square knot. Congratulations! Now what? If you’ve been honored with one of the 34 square knots currently available (see the full list below), waste no time in sewing that badge...
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Radio-active JOTA participation reaches new heights
JOTA, I hear you loud and clear. More than 18,000 American Scouts participated in the 2012 edition of the Jamboree on the Air last month. That’s a whopping 482 percent leap over last year’s participant...
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The Scout Law for the Facebook and Twitter set
Seventy-six years before Mark Zuckerberg was even born, the original Scout Law appeared in Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys. No need for a new set of 12, though. Turns out those words — which the BSA...
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An easy way to honor one of your everyday heroes
The heroes I know don’t wear capes, and they can’t fly. Their utility belts hold pocket knives, not grappling hooks. But the heroes I know often have secret identities. That is, they’re the volunteers...
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Youth Protection: It really does begin with YOU
You might not enjoy reading this. But it could be the most important thing you’ll read today. As stated in The Boy Scout Handbook, “Child abuse is a serious problem in our society, and unfortunately,...
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Greatest hits: My 12 most-read blog posts of 2012
For Scouts and Scouters, 2012 had plenty of ups — and a couple of downs. We welcomed changes: new merit badges, new Eagle Scout requirements, a new Chief Scout Executive, and a new high-adventure base...
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Amateur radio operators: Wear your smarts on your sleeve
With apologies to the Buggles, I’m happy to report that the radio star is alive and well. Well, the ham radio star, at least. And now the BSA offers a special patch for licensed aficionados of amateur...
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Boy Scouts of America to reconsider national membership policy
Update (Jan. 31): The BSA has provided this page for leaving feedback about the membership policy. Alternatively, you can email feedback@scouting.org. The Boy Scouts of America is discussing whether to...
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The Boy Scouts of America’s ‘family discussion’ on our membership policy
When the Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its long-held membership policy last June after months of media coverage and national attention to the issue, some leaders thought that signaled an end to the...
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Sharp turn: TSA reverses ban on small pocketknives in flight
Effective next month, your Scouts and others traveling by plane will be permitted to carry on small pocketknives. The Transportation Security Administration said on Tuesday it was relaxing certain...
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Voice of the Scout membership-policy survey questions give Scouters, parents...
It’s mid-March. That means Phase 2 of the Boy Scouts of America’s three-month family discussion has shifted into high gear. The BSA calls this phase “Listening,” and that’s exactly what the...
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Find your path: Track down a National Trails Day event near you
The official National Trails Day patch. Get yours at ScoutStuff.org. Maybe you’ll walk in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers in Ohio, hike from scene to scene in an outdoor production of Snow White...
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Here’s one swimming record you could actually break
Can’t swim the 100-meter butterfly in less than 50 seconds? That’s OK — nobody but Michael Phelps can. But I did just hear about a swimming record you and your Scouts do have a chance to break....
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BSA membership policy resolution released, will be voted on in May
The Boy Scouts of America’s Executive Committee today released its membership policy resolution, which proposes removing the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation...
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Higher score, lower price: Get SAT and ACT test-prep software cheap
Pay attention, because there’ll be a test later. Boy Scout families — both current and former — can score $250 SAT or ACT test-prep computer programs for less than $20. That means the study materials,...
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How to monitor your Scout’s spending and benefit Scouting
With some teens, you might as well give their allowance directly to Best Buy, GameStop, or Cinemark, because it’s going straight there anyway. There’s got to be a better way. And now, there is. Harness...
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Ask the Expert: Can Scouts earn service hours outside of the troop setting?
Are all service hours created equal? If a Scout, say, builds a house with his church youth group or delivers meals with his school’s student council, can those hours count toward Boy Scout rank...
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BSA membership resolution passes with more than 60 percent of vote
After an extensive discussion within the organization, the Boy Scouts of America’s approximately 1,400 volunteer voting members chose to adopt the membership policy resolution and remove the...
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Make your life easier with next-gen troop program features
The new design for the Science program feature (above) and the old design. In Scouting, one size doesn’t fit all. So suggesting a month-by-month troop planning calendar on a national level, as in the...
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Learn how to work with Scouts from different economic backgrounds
Scouting isn’t free. Yes, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to be a Scout than to participate on a club soccer or lacrosse team. But there’s still a cost in Scouting — dues, uniforms, gear, activity fees,...
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