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.
Register now to participate in the Guinness World Record attempt for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, held at pools and lakes around the world at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 18. Continue reading
For anyone who’s seen a Boy Scout patrol return from grocery shopping with six family size bags of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips.
For anyone who has set out snacks for a Cub Scout den and seen the boys eat everything but the carrots and celery sticks.
Or for anyone who’s watched a Venturer finish two 32-ounce bottles of Gatorade during a three-mile hike.
For all those Scouters and more, the Healthy Kids Hub is for you.
In 2010, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So if the statistics hold up, one out of every three Scouts in your pack, troop, team, or crew has this common health problem, which could mean immediate and long-term effects on his or her well-being.
But it’s not all bad news. The BSA is one of nine extracurricular organizations that have joined up with Healthy Kids Out of School to develop guiding principles for turning this country’s worsening childhood obesity epidemic around.
What’s in it for you? The Healthy Kids Hub, which launched today. The Hub is a gold mine of resources developed by leading universities, after-school organizations, and nonprofits designed to be used by adults who work directly with kids.
These aren’t dull academic journal articles about obesity; these are graphically rich tools you can use right away.
The resources include easy-to-digest information on a wide range of topics, such as ideas to encourage kids to drink water instead of sugary sports drinks, suggestions for outdoor and indoor games, and low-cost, healthy snack ideas.
It’s all based around the three Healthy Kids Out of School guiding principles: Continue reading
(Update, April 2, 2013) Please read a special message at the end of the post.
Knives. They may be the source of the most confusion within Scouting circles.
I’ve heard people tell me sheath knives are banned in Scouting (they’re not), that Scouts can only carry one knife (not true), or that blades can’t be longer than five inches (wrong again).
Today, though, BSA Health and Safety team lead Richard Bourlon announced a new knife policy that changes things a bit. For the first time in the organization’s history, the BSA is mandating a maximum blade length for knives used within Scouting.
The magic number:
Max Keevill soon after crossing over into Boy Scouts.
Max Keevill had it all — and did it all.
The 16-year-old was a straight-A student, a member of the National Honor Society, a violist for his high school’s orchestra, a soccer player, and a Life Scout just a few months away from earning Eagle.
After Cub Scouts, Max’s Scouting career really blossomed. He liked the weekly meetings — for the most part — but what really captured his heart was camping, hiking and sitting around the campfire with his friends. His Scouting highlight was a trek at Philmont.
After high school, he hoped to attend college to study biotechnology and help the world. The plan after college was to marry his high school sweetheart, a fellow member of the orchestra and student council.
Tragically, all that ended on Jan. 15, 2011. Continue reading
Update | April 23, 2013: The TSA announced yesterday that it was postponing the rule allowing small knives on planes. There was no new date announced for the policy change, so stay tuned. The original post is below …
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 restrictions to allow small pocketknives, golf clubs, and other sports items to be carried on to planes, better matching international standards for air travel.
The changes take effect on April 25, 2013, meaning Scouts and Venturers flying to the jamboree, a high-adventure base, or anywhere else this summer may have one less thing to worry about at the airport.
Be careful — not all pocketknives are allowed as carry-ons. A knife is only allowed if: Continue reading
Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane …
It’s a floating ball of fire and fuel that could destroy acres of farmland or forest in a massive wildfire!
It’s a sky lantern — also known as a paper, floating, or Chinese lantern. Consider it a miniature, unmanned hot-air balloon.
Seeing several fill the night sky surely must be something to behold. (I’ve never seen them in person, but I did watch the Disney movie Tangled, so does that count?)
Beautiful as they may be, though, these tiny flame-mobiles have no place in Scouting, according to a new Health and Safety alert. Here’s why: Continue reading
One study says chocolate is good for you, while another swears it’ll kill you.
When it comes to information about nutrition and health, cutting through the fat to get to the good stuff online isn’t easy.
Enter the BSA’s new SCOUTStrong site. The news aggregator collects Scout-approved, health-related news articles, podcasts, and videos in one spot for easy viewing. The goal: making Scouts and Scouters physically strong, mentally awake, and completely prepared for the jamboree and other BSA adventures ahead.
After spending a few minutes on the site, any adult — leader, volunteer, parent — should feel empowered to pass on the lessons learned to their Scouts. Continue reading
In Scouting, knives are a double-edged sword.
Used safely, they’re part of a rite of passage for boys and a chance for leaders to impart important lessons to help Scouts become “Prepared. For Life.”
But inevitably, some Scout will do his best Crocodile Dundee impression and show up at summer camp with the 10-inch sheath knife his uncle bought him.
The BSA keeps its knife policy intentionally vague (see below), offering suggestions but leaving specific policies up to individual units.
Does your pack, troop, team, or crew have a policy? Continue reading
Parents in your troop expect you’ll help mold their boys into better young men.
They also have another, equally important expectation: that you’ll keep Scouts safe while doing so.
Before you drive Scouts to your unit’s next campout or other event, ask yourself: Am I safe behind the wheel?
Your life — and the lives of your Scouts — may depend on it. Continue reading
We know in graphic detail what happens when “happy mountaineers” use the restroom.
What we don’t know, until today, are other clever ways to remind Scouts — and ourselves — to remain hydrated in the great outdoors.
That’s why last month I asked Scouters like you to send in your best hydration slogans.
In all, I received 157 submissions. I made an initial cut, removing slogans that weren’t Scout appropriate or didn’t follow the contest rules. I sent the 85 remaining to Richard Bourlon, hydration hype-man (and BSA health and safety guru).
Here are Bourlon’s selections, in no particular order: Continue reading
