 |
 The 9-by-20-foot historic poster is composed of individual strips glued to the wall with a wheat-based wallpaper paste. The border includes the images of 55 merit badges from the BSA's early years. |
 |
Edited by Jeff Piasky
The Wolf Cub Scout Book and Bear Cub Scout Book are both sporting a new look. The two new editions feature more illustrations and easier-to-read pages--but contain no changes in rank requirements.
A major attraction in each is a new, more animated characterization, by illustrator Robert Depew, of Akela the Wolf and Baloo the Bear, who guide the Cub Scout reader through their respective book's chapters.
The revisions were made to update the books for the 1990s, says Tommy Thomas, associate director of the Cub Scout Division.
The Wolf book (BSA Supply No. 33106) and Bear book (Supply No. 33107) are now available from local council service centers and the BSA National Distribution Center, (800) 323-0732. Each book costs $4.95.
Eagle Scout Erik Fridell, Mira Mesa, Calif., and Boy Scout Troop 323, Freeland, Mich., are among the 57 recipients of the 1998 Forest Service Chief's Volunteers Program National Awards.
Every year, the Federal agency recognizes about 50 individuals or groups for outstanding volunteer service to national forests.
Fridell was chosen for his Eagle Scout project in which he installed concrete telescope pads at an observatory campground. His work saved the Forest Service an estimated $10,000.
Troop 323 was recognized for a three-year project to restore a local lighthouse.
Fridell and Troop 323 were two of four top winners in the Youth Volunteer Service category. The total 57 winners were picked from 112 nominees in 15 different categories.
The awards ceremony was held in April, to coincide with National Volunteer Week.
In the 25 years since the Forest Service volunteer program started, 1,278,387 volunteers have performed work in national forests valued at $505.3 million.
Volunteers maintain trails, plant trees, clean campgrounds, greet visitors, give information, and perform other vital services for the public and the agency. In 1997, more than 112,300 volunteers contributed 2,193 "person-years'" worth of work, valued at $38.6 million, to Forest Service programs.
The National Scouting Museum in Murray, Ky., is attempting to preserve a 1914 Boy Scouts of America poster found inside a building in Mount Gilead, Ohio.
The 9-by-20-foot poster, called a billboard sheet in the 1916 BSA Supply catalogue, was used to promote Scouting. Susan Hardin, director of the National Scouting Museum, says it is probably the only one of its kind left in the United States.
Tom Whiston, who is the mayor of Mount Gilead, discovered the mural a year after he bought the building in 1993. The poster was still in one piece even though stored amid water-stained ceilings, crumbling plaster, and rotting wood.
Whiston contacted the museum and agreed to donate the mural. A curator hired by the museum verified its authenticity and estimated its removal cost at $12,000. (The poster was glued to the wall in strips and will have to be peeled away in this same fashion.)
The mural's main scene features Scouts on a hike. Two other scenes show a Scout helping an elderly woman across the street and a Scout protecting a dog, illustrating the Scout slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily," and two points of the Scout Law, always be kind and brave, respectively. Images of 55 merit badges in subjects such as blacksmithing, mining, and plumbing line the outside edge of the poster.
The National Scouting Museum is raising money for the poster's removal and remounting. Donations should be sent c/o Scout mural, National Scouting Museum, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071-3313. Checks should be made out to the National Scouting Museum.
|
The 9-by-20-foot historic poster is composed of individual strips glued to the wall with a wheat-based wallpaper paste. The border includes the images of 55 merit badges from the BSA's early years. |
|
The tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween night is a fun but sometimes dangerous time for children. Mishaps directly related to the nature of the activity--falls, burns, and automobile accidents--are responsible for the majority of injuries during the holiday, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
To help families avoid injuries, SAFE KIDS has compiled these tips for parents:
Junior and senior high school students are invited to enter the 1998 "Power Your Imagination" scholarship competition, sponsored by Duracell Inc. and the National Science Teachers Association.
More than $100,000 in U.S. savings bonds will be awarded to students in two categories (grades 7-9 and 10-12).
To enter, a student or pair of students in seventh through 12th grade must design and build a working device which is educational, useful, or entertaining and is powered by one or more Duracell batteries.
Each entry must include a descriptive two-page essay, a wiring diagram, clear photos of the device, and a completed entry form. The entry deadline is Jan. 15, 1999.
For more information and an official entry form, call (888) 255-4242 or look on the Internet at http://www.nsta.org/ programs/duracell.shtml.
Stephen Chervenak, an Eagle Scout from Big Flats, N.Y., was recently named one of nine national winners of the 1998 Discover Card Tribute Award.
Discover Card and the American Association of School Administrators present these scholarship awards to high school juniors who exhibit excellence in many areas of their lives, not just academics. More than 11,000 students apply for the awards each year.
Stephen received a $15,000 scholarship in addition to the $2,500 he won as a state winner in the awards program. Diagnosed with leukemia at age 6, he first developed his writing and drawing abilities while undergoing treatments for the illness. For his Eagle Scout service project, he implemented new techniques and programs to maintain the interest of younger Scouts in helping to reestablish Big Flats Troop 87.
Dehydration can be caused by not drinking enough fluids. To keep kids from becoming cranky, sick, or worse while they're in school, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) offers these tips:
The Federal government's free Consumer Information Catalogue lists more than 200 free or low-cost publications. Write Consumer Information Center, Dept. Source, Pueblo, CO 81009; call toll-free, 888-8 PUEBLO; or see the Web site, http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov.
It's Jamboree-on-the-Air time
The 41st annual Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA), sponsored by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, is scheduled for Oct. 17-18. Scouts around the world will team up with amateur radio operators for a weekend talkfest of Scouting and friendship. In 1997, more than half a million Scouts from 110 countries participated. The BSA International Division has special patches for participation and certificate cards for recording contacts. Also available is the "41st Jamboree-on-the-Air" fact sheet (Bin No. 22-218) and a booklet, "More About Jamboree-On-the-Air," designed to help Cub Scout, Webelos Scout, and Boy Scout leaders set up the event with local ham radio operators. For more information and to order the above materials, contact JOTA Coordinator, BSA International Division, S221, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079; (972) 580-2405. |
Books to NoteNorman Rockwell's Four Freedoms: Images That Inspire a Nation, by Stuart Murray and James McCabe [Berkshire House Publishers, 480 Pleasant St., Suite #5, Lee, MA 01238, (800) 321-8526].
The Learning Highway, by Trevor Owen and Ron Owston (Key Porter Books, distributed by Firefly Books). This fundamental guide, subtitled "Smart Students and the Net," shows students (and parents) how to go online for learning and research. It focuses on why the Internet is a valuable learning resource, what types of research can be done online, and how to do these effectively. 
Two food-related books from the American Dietetic Association and a third on lunch planning can, respectively, help leaders and parents plan nutritious snacks and meals for kids or better understand food allergies. Snacking Habits for Healthy Living shows how to make a variety of snack foods part of a healthy diet, with specific information on the snacking needs of children and teen-agers. Food Allergies offers information and advice on how to avoid problem foods and make substitutions that ensure a balanced diet, with a chapter devoted to children and food allergies. Brown Bag Success, by Sandra Nissenberg and Barbara Pearl, shows how to make creative lunches that are healthy and fun. All three are available in paperback from Chronimed Publish-ing, P.O. Box 59032, Minneapolis, MN 55459-0032, (612) 979-3600, fax (800) 443-2806. 
The 45 projects in More Incredibly Awesome Crafts for Kids offer the ideal combination of creating something "really cool" out of "old, ordinary stuff." Each project allows a child to apply some personal creativity and includes a list of materials, step-by-step photographs, special tips, techniques, and "Did You Know?" informative features. Projects include gifts, puppets, and items for fun, wearing, or painting. Published by Better Homes and Gardens Books/Meredith Books with a price of $16.95, the paperback is a sequel to Incredibly Awesome Crafts for Kids, from the same publisher. |
How to enjoy the world jamboree at home
Scouts unable to attend the 19th World Scout Jamboree in Chile, Dec. 27 to Jan. 6, can still experience some of the same activities by using Join In Jamboree program materials. 
Details on activities such as recipes for cooking, rules for wide games, and learning exercises are available on the world jamboree site on the World Wide Web, http://sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl/~scout/WJ99/joinin/joining.htm. By making available activities to any Scout group in the world, the Join In Jamboree aims to show the international dimensions of the Scout movement and stimulate a feeling of world brotherhood. 
The activities also encourage knowledge of other countries, particularly Chile, the nation hosting the jamboree. To that end, there's a recipe for maize tortillas, a wide game called "Inca Trails" which is filled with information and lore about the original inhabitants of that region of South America, and instructions for building floats and conducting a Scout carnival. |
| The Boy Scouts of America |  |
http://www.scouting.org |
Among the popular artist's most inspiring images were the illustrations for The Saturday
Evening Post of the four fundamental freedoms outlined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1941. This book tells how Rockwell, whose Scout calendar paintings and book covers have
inspired generations of Scouts and leaders, created "images rooted in the daily lives of
ordinary citizens that truly captured the essence [of the Four Freedoms] for millions of
Americans."