Increase your Scouting knowledge & skills to be a trained Boy Scout leader:

• Great print resources to help your Scouts do program planning:
  • Volume I (Aquatics, Athletics, Backpacking, Boating / Canoeing, Business, Camping, Citizenship, Communications, Cooking, Cultural Awareness, Emergency Preparedness, Engineering)
  • Volume II (Environment, First Aid, Fishing, Forestry, Health Care, High Adventure, Hiking, Hobbies, Leadership, Mechanics, Nature, Orienteering)
  • Volume III (Physical Fitness, Pioneering, Public Safety, Science, Shooting, Special Cooking, Sports, Tracking, Wilderness Survival, Wildlife Management, Winter Camping)
• BSA merit badge counselor form  People who want to be counselors are our most valuable asset in making a customized Scout program fitting to each boy. Here's the form, to complete and give to our Scoutmaster. We also have tips for exceptional merit badge counseling, so you can see how straightforward this is.

• BSA national e-learning programs (you'll need your registration number to use this site, and it's best viewed in Internet Explorer with a high-speed internet connection):
  • BSA Safe Scouting online, to prepare for each event
  • Fast-start Leader Training, providing an overview of Boy Scouting, troop organization & our programs
  • Youth protection training, including a link to record your training with the Council
  • Safe Swim Defense & Safety Afloat, with a provision to produce a card to carry
  • NEW! Planning and Preparing for Hazardous Weather, because tour permits require that at least one adult must have passed this training e-course provided by National BSA.

Good web sites about Scouting activities:

• Simon Kenton Council Get information about Council programs and resources and the Scouter newsletter.
• The Buckeye District Here's up-to-date information about our local district, who's who and what's what.
• Boy Scouts of America The national source for information on our national program.
• US Scouting Service Project One-stop shopping, volunteer-managed, for information about the entire Scouting trail from Cubs to Scouts to Venture, for youth and for adults.
• Order of the Arrow A super source for the elected Scout and Scouter membership of this national brotherhood in Scouting service.

Historic Scouting links you may like:

• The Pine Tree Web, with a focus on life & times of Lord Baden-Powell, leadership, international issues

Web sites about cool gear:

• The folks at Backpacker magazine have good tips and pick the best gear each year.
• Although it repeats its story themes after a while, Outside magazine has items you could put on your holiday shopping list and someone rich could buy things for you.
• For great shopping bargains, check out Campmor, or REI, or Eastern Mountain Sports.
• If you're a traditionalist and shopping for everlasting gear, check Duluth Pack.
• A hidden treasure for water play is NRS (Northwest River Sports) in Washington.
• And for outerwear and underwear that costs a lot but lasts forever, go to Patagonia.