The BSA Handbook goes digital

BSAHandbook-dot-org

Last week we told you about the new Boy Scout Handbook, available now online or at your local Scout Shop.

We detailed the new book’s firm embrace of the Internet to
provide Scouts with extra resources and interactivity beyond what’s in the
480-page book. Well, now those digital resources are live and available at bsahandbook.org, the official Web site
of the Boy Scout Handbook.

This eye-catching, all-new site carries the design elements
from the book into a highly interactive Web page. You’ll find the site is
organized into three sections, just like the book: Scoutcraft, Woodcraft, and
Campcraft.

But the site is more than just a carbon copy from the book
to the computer screen.

Let’s look at some examples. First, turn to the poisonous
plants section of your new Scout handbook, Page 138. There you’ll see two short
paragraphs and four photos of poisonous plants. On the Web site, however,
you’ll get that information plus
links to the Food and Drug Administration’s tips for treatment and the CDC’s
maps of where poisonous plants are found.

Or take the important subject of tying knots. The colorful,
easy-to-understand illustrations in the handbook are great for learning to tie
the bowline (Page 388) while at camp. But if you want to practice the tricky
knot in the comfort of your home, bsahandbook.org
links to a site where knots tie themselves before your eyes.

OK, so your Scouts will want their physical handbook
available when they’re away from the computer—which, we hope, is a lot of the
time. But for comprehensive information about Scouting and outdoor skills while
at home, bsahandbook.org should be
their first and only online stop.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.