Want proof as to how passionate Scout volunteers are about the Boy Scouts of America? Just look at my inbox. Last week, I provided answers to eight frequently asked questions, and at the end of the post, I provided information on how to ask your own Scouting-related question. (By the way, you can do so by emailing scoutingmag@gmail.com, subject “Ask the Expert.”) Well, 78 emails later, it’s time for Round 2 of my rapid-fire FAQs. I can’t answer every question, but I have answered nine more common ones below. This round will cover Cub Scouts earning merit badges, funeral services for a fallen Scouter...

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains Troop 10065 was featured in a story in the New Hampshire News (NHN) for their participation in Beyond Bars titled Girl Scouts Meet Behind Bars. Interviewing girls from the troop and their mothers, the story focuses on the positive impact that the program has on participants, as they grow closer -- even with the obstacle of incarceration. Girl scouts Alivia and Jade, 12 and 9 respectively, talked to the NHN about their improved relationships. Nicole Mullen, a member of the Green and White Mountain Council, emphasizes the value of peer understanding among...

Two key skills for Scouters – sometimes we all feel that plate spinning and/or cat herding is just about all we ever do!   Click to see full sized image PDF version of Two Key Skills for Scouters Two Key Skills for Scouters...

The Hyper Mid GTX by La Sportiva is a boot designed for technical backpacking, fastpacking and scrambling. It is an ideal and comfortable approach boot for getting through rocky and uneven terrain when reaching the base of climbs. The boot offers superior stability and a large cushioned sole provides all day comfort. Furthermore, the rubber on the bottom grips even the slickest rock offering stability on sketchy terrain. La Sportiva is one of the premier companies in rock, trail, mountaineering, and approach footwear. They set out to create a boot that was lightweight and breathable, yet able to stick and perform...

You may have seen news stories or blog post about Scouts Troops and Cub packs in the US loosing their Charter Organisations but for those of us Scouting outside of the USA the concept of the Charter Organisation may be completely alien. So I decided to ask someone who would know. The post Charter Organisation – What is is all About appeared first on Jabbering All Day Long. Related posts: The Last Words? A Boy Scouts Act Flexible Scouting...

If you have been following this blog of mine, you will have noticed that it is not a blog heavy about the things you should do to create a great Boy Scout troop, or about all the training you need to become a fantastic Boy Scout leader. No, this blog has basically been about my memories and experiences about being a Scoutmaster and Scouter in a small rural central Minnesota community. I have always thought of this blog being more entertaining then enlightening. Sometimes I think I should try to take these 800+ posts and try to make a book...

The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and the American Red Cross announced today a new partnership that provides Girl Scouts across the country access to Red Cross training at reduced rates under a nationally standardized agreement. This agreement allows for an easier, more streamlined process of signing up for preparedness courses to help save lives. Councils, who will have an appointed Red Cross representative to work with, can select either full service trainings (e.g. directly) from the Red Cross, or they can choose to have staff trained to work as authorized providers. Training options under the agreement include core...

BSA Wolf Supplemental Den Meeting Plan H – Even More Spare Time Fun Posted in Outdoor RecreationBSA provides Wolf den meeting plans for Cub Scout den leaders. In this den meeting plan Wolf Cub Scouts build and fly kites. Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in... [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]...

Effective Scouters are alert to possibility, to the challenge of the moment. If we aren’t watchful, though,  those transient moments of possibility become obscured by our preoccupation with competence. There’s no inherent virtue in being an experienced Scouter, after all if you stick with something long enough you become experienced. Hopefully experience leads to competence, but competence shouldn’t obscure possibility; As we get more experienced, we get better, more competent, more able to do our thing. And it’s easy to fall in love with that competence, to appreciate it and protect it. The pitfall? We close ourselves off from possibility. Possibility, innovation, art–these are endeavors...

You’re not always hiking and backpacking, as much as you wish you were. What’s in the bag – your day bag – the one that gets you from home to work to the trail, or from kids to soccer to weekend getaway, that makes it easy to move from here to there. This begins a series from some SBM contributors that answers that question. So what’s in your day bag? From Work to Bike to Hike to Dance – Skye Hansen Tell us about your survival kit. This is actually a transferable go-bag. I find that I do a lot of activities where...