Thanks to the hard work and kindness of others (see below), the Varsity and Venturing page on the main America Jane website has been tweaked and improved. There you’ll find more information and more visuals, but the same easy-to-understand overview of these sometimes confusing, oft-misunderstood programs.

If you have a Teacher or a Deacon in the LDS Church, this page is for you, as your sons ARE either in the Varsity or Venturing program. Whether you know it or not.

While in the midst of major life upheavals (my family has gone through a death, marriage, and interstate move in the past six months), the wonderful Chad Fisher of Varsity Team Venue contacted me about my need to update the Varsity and Venturing page.

As we were knee deep in a family crisis, I had no time for such things just then.

Well, Chad and Tory Mathis (of Adventures and Accidents), being the upright scouts that they are, set about the task of writing out the needed updates for me.

What gents!

My only remiss is that I haven’t even had time to incorporate their changes to the website until now. I hope my copious praise, and plea for my faithful readers to haunt Chad and Tory’s blogs, will suffice as both apologies and thanks.

Thank you!

And don’t forget, check out the new Varsity and Venturing pages for a quick run-down of these two programs.

BSA makes a few changes to its requirements at the beginning of each new year and 2011 is no exception. The America Jane website has all the current information, but here’s the lowdown.

Life Rank:

Requirement 6 gains a subpoint. Boys can now use the EDGE method to teach three requirements of an Eagle-required merit badge. Awesome!

Note:

Apparently there was an error with the 2009 printing of the Boy Scout Handbook, in which Bugler was listed as an option for fulfilling leadership requirements for the Eagle Scout rank. This has been corrected with the most recent edition. That error never made it to the digital archives of America Jane.

Merit Badges:

Minor changes were made to the Sports merit badge (a wording change in requirement 2) and Archery (for options A and B, the distance requirements for f(2) changed from 10 yards to 15).

More extensive updates were given to the Astronomy, Horsemanship and Nuclear Science merit badges.

Scouts who have already begun these merit badges can complete their work using the former requirements.

Happy 2011!

Varsity Scout Awards

Funny how once I gave myself permission to ignore the America Jane website as needed, I suddenly got the huge burst of energy required to build pages for the Varsity and Venturing scout programs.

Maybe I should go ahead and give myself permission to not make a million dollars this year and see what happens.

Anyway, as I was saying, the America Jane website now includes requirements for the Varsity and Venturing programs.

If you’re LDS and you have young men ages 14 and up, this applies to you.

I don’t think all parents realize this.

In any case, I lay it all out for you right HERE.

Incidentally, the last construction sign is off the site and the Extras page is now live and has, you know, extras. Extra goodies.

Not chocolate goodies, I’m sorry to say. But goodies parents, leaders and youth may find handy.

Enjoy.

Here’s the latest of the new merit badges coming out this year. Scuba Diving and Geocaching have both gone live already. We’re still waiting on Inventing (not sure what the delay is there) and Robotics which is due out later this year.

The Scouting Heritage merit badge seems especially appropriate during BSA’s big 100 year bash. This new merit badge includes learning about BSA’s origins, talking to more… well… older scouters (over age 50) about their scouting experiences and what scouting has done for them, and playing a scouting game popular in days gone by.

The merit badge booklet will have information about that.

Can I just take this opportunity to say the merit badge booklets are almost always worth the trouble/money to get? There’s good stuff in those books. They help boys get the most out of earning their badges, instead of somewhat blindly following a list of requirements.

A requirement option that’s only good till the end of the year is visiting Adventure Base 100 while it’s on tour. Check out their schedule for the remainder of the year to see if they’ll be coming close to you and take advantage of it.

Okay folks, that’s it. Three down and two to go. Five new merit badges in one year is pretty cool, especially considering we haven’t had any new ones since 2006.

Have at it!

See that there? That’s called a Travel Bug. See this…

This is a much cuter Travel Tag which apparently works the same way as a Travel Bug. I like it a lot more.

Boys may not care which is cuter, but this is my blog. So there you go.

Course, I’m having to start this post with pictures of the Travel Tags because I don’t have a picture of the Geocaching Merit Badge yet. It’s too new.

Oh yeah, this post is really about the badge, not the tags. Go to my site for the newly posted, official requirements for the Geocaching Merit Badge. (You’ll see Travel Bugs are part of it.)

Also, you may recall from a previous post that there are a total of five merit badges due to be released this year. Scuba diving is already live and Geocaching makes two. Inventing should have been out by now but it’s still in the draft stage. I’ll let you know when it’s ready to go.

Meanwhile, I’m pretty intrigued by geocaching (bugs and tags aside). I’ve been poking around on the geocaching.com site, which is also part of the merit badge requirements, and discovered there are several caches not too far from me.

We’re talking less than a mile in some cases. Some have travel bugs in them. One is a painted ammo can. I can see why this would be a fun hobby. It’s such a scouting thing to do, I’m surprised there wasn’t a merit badge for this sooner.

Well, no time like the present.

Happy Hunting.

After a rather sputtering start, the historical merit badge program is finally live and ready to go.

In honor of their 100th Anniversary, BSA brought back four historic merit badges. There were plenty of discontinued merit badges to choose from, but the winning four are:

Carpentry

Pathfinding

Tracking (all introduced in 1911 and discontinued in 1952)

and Signaling (the longest running merit badge of the group, beginning in BSA’s debut year of 1910 and not falling out of the program until 1992)

Grab these up while you can. These historical merit badges are available this year only. That means all requirements must be completed in the year 2010, because after December 31st it’s bye-bye badges.

The idea of these badges is to give boys a taste of life in BSA’s earlier days. They’re asked to imagine what life was like in 1910. For the Pathfinding merit badge, scouts learn how to get around in their town but they also learn something of their town’s history. For Carpentry, boys are encouraged to fulfill their requirements the old-fashioned way (i.e. without power tools).

(Which is fine for the boys, but don’t ask me to do things the old-fashioned way. I’m rather fond of my washer and dryer.)

Since these merit badges are available for such a short time, BSA won’t be printing any merit badge booklets. Requirements are at the official site along with scans of the original merit badge booklets.

Now these are cool. If you have any doubt about the value of the merit badge booklets (then or now) these scans should change your mind. And if you want to know how to make an old-fashioned “candle light fixture,” page 17 of the Carpentry merit badge booklet is waiting for you.

One last little side note. The Tracking merit badge used to be called the Stalking Merit Badge.

They changed the name for obvious reasons.

Scuba Diving is the first of five new merit badges scheduled to roll out in 2010. Since BSA has only introduced six new merit badges between 1992 and 2006, this is kind of a big deal.

Other merit badges we’ll be seeing soon: Inventing (1st quarter 2010), Geocaching  and Scouting Heritage (2nd quarter 2010), and Robotics (4th quarter 2010).

I’ll keep you updated as these new merit badges become available.

The year 2010 brings 13 new belt loops and pins to the Cub Scout program. (Not sure what belt loops are? Check out my quick explanation here.) You can always visit my site for a list of complete requirements, but for your convenience here’s a brief rundown of what’s new.

Under the Academics program:

Disability Awareness Belt Loop and Pin

This is a great addition to the belt loop program, especially for kids who haven’t had many (or any) interactions with folks with disabilities. I especially like the second requirement for the belt loop, which encourages attendance at a disabilities event such as the Special Olympics or a performance with sign language interpretation. The pin includes an option to briefly experience what it’s like to limit your abilities by wearing a blindfold for two hours or binding an arm or leg so it can’t be used.

Family Travel Belt Loop and Pin

This looks like one I definitely want to do with my own children. I’m especially happy about another excuse to look up how much it would cost my family to travel to Italy (insert sigh about lifelong dream here). Other options include going on a family trip (obviously) and learning how to apply for a passport.

Good Manners Belt Loop and Pin

Good manners is a dying art in today’s society so I’m pretty happy about this one. These awards include opportunities to practice proper introductions and table manners, along with good manners (or sportsmanship) while playing games.

Nutrition Belt Loop and Pin

This belt loop and pin fits right in with several other activities cub scouts encounter at all stages of the program. Your son will automatically fulfill some of the requirements for the nutrition belt loop and pin if he is working on Wolf achievement #8 (Cooking and Eating), Bear achievement #9 (What’s Cooking), Webelos Fitness activity badge or Webelos Family Member activity badge. (Keep in mind, these new belt loops are effective January 1, 2010, so all requirements need to be done from that point in time on.)

Pet Care Belt Loop and Pin

This one gets the prize for cutest-looking belt loop. In addition to the obvious requirements, you’ll also see options for attending a pet show, talking to a veterinarian about their career and doing a service project for an animal shelter. (Keep in mind, with all these awards kids don’t have to do all the things I’m listing. There are typically three simple requirements for the belt loop, and the pin lists 12 or so options from which boys can pick any five.)

Photography Belt Loop and Pin

This would be great to earn during the Bear year, because there are arrow points focusing on photography in the Bear book. Picture taking, using photo-editing software and learning about a famous photographer are all options for this award.

Reading and Writing Belt Loop and Pin

This one is my personal favorite. In addition to options to write a letter, story, poem or joke, boys may also create a bookmark and learn the difference between a biography and an autobiography. If your children have a library card, they probably have the first belt loop requirement done already.

Video Games Belt Loop and Pin

Now I love the belt loop and pin program, I really do, but video games? Are you kidding me? To me, the purpose of these awards is to expose kids to new activities or foster better skills in an activity they’re already familiar with. It should be fun but also enriching. It should have inherent value.

I don’t think any of that applies to video games. I’m not anti-video games, but most kids get far more exposure to video games than they need. I don’t think they need any encouragement to play more.

My children each have a Nintendo DS and our home has a Wii. We allow video games on Fridays, Saturdays and during school breaks. Occasionally when I see my children getting too attached, we take a break for a few weeks or months. We don’t allow them to play games that are inappropriate for their age level or that glamorize questionable values.

Within those guidelines, I’m okay with my children playing video games. But they will not be earning the video game belt loop. Sorry BSA.

However, I realize other parents might feel differently and I’m A-Okay with that. The America Jane site still has the full list of requirements for this award if you and your children are interested.

Under the Sports Program:

Hiking Belt Loop and Pin

I’m not very athletic (read: I’m not at all athletic) but this is something I can actually do with my boys. It may help me shed the few extra pounds I’m carrying these days too. Hiking is a common theme in the BSA so it’s nice to see a version for the younger boys. They’ll learn about proper hiking equipment and safety. If they have earned (or are planning to earn) the Leave No Trace Award or the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award, those both count towards requirements for this pin.

Hockey Belt Loop and Pin

I can’t believe they didn’t have this sport as an option already. If your kids are interested in learning how to play, this belt loop and pin is a good reason to get started.

Horseback Riding Belt Loop and Pin

I want to earn this award myself! Is it too late? Am I too old? Does it matter that I’m a girl? Ah well. If you can’t tell, I think this would be a fun award to earn. In addition to riding, safety and all that good jazz, boys can learn about history’s famous horses. (Does Pegasus count?)

Kickball Belt Loop and Pin

The playground sport makes it to the belt loop arena. My cub scouts play this at school all the time, so they could probably earn this one no sweat.

Skateboarding Belt Loop and Pin

Practicing skills and learning about safety will earn cub scouts the belt loop. My favorite pin activity option (just because it sounds funny to me) is: “Figure out your skateboard stance — whether you are regular or goofy footed.” Now is that a legit skating term? Goofy footed?

So that’s what’s new in cub scouting’s belt loop and pin program. Keep in mind there are a total of 25 awards in the Academics section (from Art to Wildlife Conservation) and 28 in the Sports section (from Archery to Marbles to Volleyball), so in addition to these new ones, there’s plenty to choose from.

Tigers and Wolves and Bears, oh my!

For many of us, our first foray into the cub scouting world is a little disorienting. With all the scouting terminology flying around it’s easy to get confused about the difference between den meetings and pack meetings, trails and arrow points, belt loops and pins. Then there are day camps, Scout-o-ramas, and Blue and Gold Banquets.

What exactly IS all this stuff? And who in the heck is Akela, anyway?

At least, that’s how I felt at first.

If you’re a new scouting parent, you might want to take a look at my little cheat sheet for all this. It’s short, sweet and to the point.

Your eyes will never glaze over at the mention of “activity badges” again!

Last year the LDS Church added Virtue as the eighth value in the Personal Progress program. Supplemental inserts were published and distributed to leaders and young women.

In 2010, the Church published a new Personal Progress book with the new value added, a new look (think pink), a new matching cover for the journal and a few changes to existing requirements.

There are a few changes to the recognition materials. When a young woman completes all the requirements for a given value, she receives a Value Ribbon in recognition.

These slender ribbons were designed for use as scripture bookmarks, though I imagine some young women may choose to display them differently. I’d be interested to hear about ideas people come up with.

There is still a Young Womanhood Recognition medallion and certificate, and these have been updated slightly to show a young woman also fulfilled the requirements for Virtue.

Beyond that is a new recognition which reminds me of the scouting program’s Eagle Palms. After a young woman has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition, she may earn the Young Woman Honor Bee Charm by completing further requirements as outlined in the Personal Progress book (and on America Jane as well).

Mothers are now invited to earn their Young Womanhood Recognition alongside their daughters. The requirements are the same and they use their own book (their daughter’s may sign off on their requirements, which I think is pretty cool) but daughters should earn their Recognition before their mothers do.

As before, leaders may earn their Young Womanhood Recognition, with adjusted requirements as outlined in the Personal Progress book.

Also new this year, certificates are available for girls advancing to a new class (i.e. Beehive to Mia Maid). These are not connected to the Personal Progress program.

This isn’t a big overhaul like we’ve seen in years past, which is nice. At least for those of us trying to keep certain databases current.