Bryan on Scouting
(Source: blog.scoutingmagazine.org)
The colorful connection between the BSA and Dennis the Menace
Scouts shouldn’t be menaces to their neighbors, but according to one cartoon, one got into his fair share of trouble. The “Dennis the Menace” comic debuted in March 1951. Since then, the mischievous 5-year-old that cartoonist Hank Ketcham created has been featured in...
2020 merit badge rankings: A list rewritten by the pandemic
The pandemic didn’t stop Scouts from earning merit badges in 2020, but it did cause a dramatic shift in which merit badges Scouts earned most. Ever since we started publishing merit badge rankings back in 2012, the top of the list has been dominated by merit badges...
Black Boy Scout troops joined in Scouting’s earliest days, though the first troop is difficult to pinpoint
From Scouting’s earliest days, adults quickly realized the movement’s ideals would be perfect for youth in their communities. Some formed troops before the Boy Scouts of America was even founded. That makes it difficult to identify the first Boy Scout troop in the...
At the Citadel, a three-step approach to keeping college-age Eagle Scouts involved
The saying, repeated at Eagle Scout courts of honor for generations, goes something like this: “The Eagle Scout Award isn’t the end of your journey. It’s the beginning.” It should sound like a challenge — something to remind young people that they remain Eagle Scouts...
Get ready for the Be the Change celebration and read a special digital edition of Scout Life
For more than 110 years, Scouts have been a positive change in their communities, building a legacy of servant leadership and making a difference in the world. Every year, thousands of these Scouts earn the Eagle Scout Award, the pinnacle rank in the Scouts BSA...
He installed carbon monoxide detectors while earning Family Life MB. A few months later, they saved his family
On the night of Dec. 30, 2020, Justin Tate, his sister and his parents were watching TV after enjoying an oven-baked dinner when a sudden loud beeping interrupted their show. Soon after that, a second beeping started. The sound was coming from a pair of carbon...
Celebrate the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts and their journeys
It’s been nearly two years since young women were invited to join Scouts BSA, the Boy Scouts of America‘s rebranded program for older youth. Scouts, especially those who were already close to their 18th birthday when they joined, have been working on merit badges and...
Let’s give an Emmy to this pack’s broadcast-quality virtual Pinewood Derby race
Chris Simpkins (Photo courtesy of the Simpkins family) At one point during the depths of pandemic-prompted boredom, Chris Simpkins and his family found themselves watching marbles roll down a track. Like the millions who have experienced Jelle’s Marble Runs on...
Scouting Show and Tell: Pandemic Blue and Gold
The blue and gold banquet is a special Cub Scout annual event, celebrating the founding of the Boy Scouts of America on Feb. 8. Packs roll out the red carpet, often hosting themed parties with food, awards and fun. Last year, Cub Scout Pack 555 of Midland, Ga., hosted...
Meet Harry Cooper of Missouri, who is believed to be the first Black Eagle Scout
He demonstrated proficiency in Scouting skills like first aid, pioneering and bird study. He earned 48 of the 59 merit badges available at the time. He met James E. West, the BSA’s first Chief Scout Executive. And though he likely didn’t know it at the time, he also...
She created a geocaching trail that links together 14 Eagle Scout service projects
With more than 50,000 Eagle Scout service projects completed every year, chances are good that you walk, bike or drive past one every day without even knowing it. “If you aren’t actively seeking out Eagle projects, they are easy to overlook because they fit in so well...
Remembering Mary Portis, believed to be the BSA’s first female Scout executive
The task of the Connecticut-based Housatonic Council committee back in 1990 was simple: choose three candidates to interview for their open Scout executive position. As they pored over the list of applicants, discussing the pros and cons of each, they kept coming back...
For her Eagle project, she wrote a book aimed at building empathy
During this protracted pandemic, we’ve all spent a lot of time staring at screens instead of interacting with others. It’s a necessary evil that concerns Ava Van Straten — and not just because she loves spending time outside with friends. This Lone Scout from De Pere,...
Unsung Hero: She thought quickly after her brother was burned by boiling water
This is Unsung Heroes, a Bryan on Scouting blog series celebrating under-reported acts of Scouting heroism. These are stories that don’t make national headlines — but should. That’s doubly true in this world that can always use more good news. Read the latest story...
To girls considering Scouts BSA, she says: ‘Don’t be afraid to do something that will change your life’
As the sister of a Cub Scout and daughter of an Eagle Scout, Jenna Scalia’s Scouting story begins in a familiar way. After years spent on the outside looking in, she finally got a chance in early 2019 to join the organization that means so much to her and her family....
Inside the Venturing Newsletter, a publication created by and for Venturers
In Venturing, young people write their own stories. That’s true at the crew level, where the youth (not the adults) plan weekend and weeklong adventures. It’s true at the national level, where the six young people on the National Venturing Officers’ Association make...
Scouts can help test a merit badge resource app
You found a cool link with useful information your Scouts could use for the First Aid merit badge. You could send it out in an email blast or post it on the troop’s social media page, but as time marches on, the link likely would get lost in those busy channels. If...
Eight century-old quotes about Scouting that are still relevant today
A lot has changed in the Boy Scouts of America in the past 100 years. In 1921, 1,306 young men earned the Eagle Scout Award. This year, tens of thousands of young men and young women will earn Scouting’s highest honor. In 1921, there were just 61 merit badges...
Get inspired by this never-ending list of virtual den meeting ideas!
If you loved exploring the ideas in our “Five games for virtual den meetings” post, the Cub Scout volunteer Facebook community is about to make your day! Cub Chat Live, our weekly Cub Scout-focused Facebook Live show, recently challenged viewers to create a list of 25...
Extreme Makeovers, Round 34: Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos
This is the 34th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here. COVID-19 note: Most of these Eagle projects were completed before the pandemic, meaning the photos may not...
Achievement unlocked: How to organize a videogame tournament for your Scouts
At first glance, videogames might seem antithetical to the spirit of Scouting. They’re often played alone, inside, in front of a screen. But a recent event put on by Troop 12 of Clinton, Miss. (Andrew Jackson Council), suggests that maybe it’s time to take another...
Illinois Scouter credits BSA health exam to saving his life
Greg Bedell had prostate cancer. He didn’t know, though. It was discovered thanks to the BSA physical exam that eventually led to the diagnosis. “Scouting saved my life,” he says. “This is not an exaggeration.” Before joining his son on a Philmont Scout Ranch trek in...
Friends across the pond: Florida Scouts become video pen pals with Scouts from England
In 1940, Scouting magazine encouraged volunteers to connect with troops in other countries and exchange “cheerful, friendly letters — filled to the brim with chatty, bright good news.” “Let there go out from America a great wish — a prayer that soon all may be well...
Deadlines extended for Eagle Scouts to apply for these NESA scholarships
Earning the Eagle Scout Award can open the door to many career opportunities, and as Scouts study for those careers, the National Eagle Scout Association can help. Several scholarship opportunities are available to active NESA members (click here to learn how to...
Hank Aaron, former Scout, baseball legend and lifelong friend of Scouting, dies at 86
Henry “Hank” Aaron, the baseball Hall of Famer who joined Scouting as a boy and continued to support the movement throughout his life, died on Friday. He was 86. Hammerin’ Hank is often incorrectly regarded as an Eagle Scout, but he was a Scout as a boy growing up in...
Unsung Hero: He saved his ‘Memaw’ from a kitchen fire
This is Unsung Heroes, a Bryan on Scouting blog series celebrating under-reported acts of Scouting heroism. These are stories that don’t make national headlines — but should. That’s doubly true in this world that can always use more good news. Read the latest story...
Before you meet, make sure you screen for COVID-19
There’s a lot about 2020 most of us would like to forget, but protecting ourselves and our Scouts from COVID-19 is something we all must remember to do. In surveys the BSA sent out to more than 14,500 unit leaders, two-thirds of those polled indicated they were...
20 ideas for unique Eagle Scout service project beneficiaries
Benjamin Meybaum was hiking with his family along the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania when he spotted the sign. The modest wooden marker, a little faded by its years outside, read: “This site was made as an Eagle Scout project.” It listed the Eagle Scout’s name...
Gather these supplies and tune in to the Great Science #TrekAt2 on January 25
Next week, Scout Life and #TrekAt2 are going all in on a science experiment you and your kids can do at home along with the show. Science Museum Oklahoma‘s museum educator Kirsten Therkelson will join the Facebook Live to demonstrate how to perform the “Magic Milk”...
Scouts can help protect the environment by earning the new Environmental Protection Agency award
When he taught merit badge classes at Woodland Trails Scout Reservation in Ohio, Andrew Wheeler wanted Scouts to know the importance of conservation and environmental issues we face. It’s still his mission as the 15th administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection...