Book Review, Bobwhite Blather

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015

Troop Leader Guidebook now available

TLG1_200 The first of two volumes of the long-awaitedÂ Troop Leader Guidebook is finally available through the BSA Supply Division’s ScoutStuff.org website and at many Scout Shops in local councils.

TheÂ Guidebook,Â priced at $12.99, replaces theÂ Scoutmaster Handbook and is a wide-ranging manual that explains Boy Scouting to an audience that includes not only the Scoutmaster but committee members and parents as well. It is written without jargon and assumes that the reader has little or no familiarity with the Boy Scout program. Continue reading “Troop Leader Guidebook now available”

November 17, 2014November 17, 2014

The new Troop Committee Guidebook

tcg_old+new You may not have noticed, but earlier this year the Scout shops and Supply Division replaced the Troop Committee Guidebook with a new edition. The previous version, item 34505B, was originally published in 1998 and was reprinted several times since. The new version has a bright red and green cover with photos of Scouts in action, carries a stock number of 616928 and was published in 2013, though it didn’t become widely available until spring of this year.

Normally, revised publications have many changes and updates. Continue reading “The new Troop Committee Guidebook”

July 2, 2012

A resource for adventure

Where can a boy read, and get inspired, about getting fit, cooking a meal, riding a horse, exploring a cave, identifying trees, leading an expedition, gazing at the stars, catching a fish, and saving a life? If you’ve guessed the BSA Fieldbook, you either spend a lot of time at the Scout Shop or you already own a copy. Continue reading “A resource for adventure”

January 16, 2012

Book review: Beginning Boy Scouts

Every year, our troops usually pick up some new members as they cross over from Cub Scouting and set out on new adventures with us. At the same time, their parents, weary from several years of running everything from pack meetings and outings to fundraisers and banquets, make the decision of whether or not to become active in the troop. Part of that transition involves making what amounts to a 180-degree shift in the adult role, along with a completely new way of doing things for the boys as they go from being led by adults to by their peers. It can not only be extremely bewildering for the new parents, but difficult for those of us in the troop to try to explain it all to them. We try holding parent orientation sessions and writing parent handbooks or new member checklists, but invariably we miss a few things or don’t do a very good job of introducing our new families to Boy Scouts.

Enter a new book by the husband and wife Scouter team of Jeremy and Heather Reed titled Beginning Boy Scouts: An unofficial practical guide to Boy Scouting for parents and new leaders. Continue reading “Book review: Beginning Boy Scouts”