Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2025 från Scout Life

Thank you for all the great articles and tips for Scouts like me. It was really cool to read about all the different ways to keep warm in the winter. It made me think about how much fun it would be to go camping in the snow and build a snow fort, especially because I live in Hawaii. Overall, I really like your magazine, and I look forward to reading more issues in the future. – Rob B., Honolulu, Hawaii Rob, I hope you can go on a cold-weather outing sometime soon. I think I speak for most of us when I say we are generally jealous of your beautiful Honolulu weather. But every Scout deserves a chance to see snow too. Be sure to read about Troop 280’s snowshoeing adventure…

Ava eagerly leaves New York City for an adventure in the Adirondack Mountains with her Auntie Raven in Stranded. She’s left alone in a secluded cabin when her aunt is called away. An early winter storm destroys the cabin, leaving her isolated with no cell reception. Will Ava have the survival skills to get through the winter? By Nikki Shannon Smith. Scholastic Inc., $7.99. Ages 8-12. After solving the Royal Rumpus case, the Misfits team is excelling in their missions for NOCK (the No One Can Know agency). However, they’re puzzled when their classmate Zeke receives threatening notes. As they investigate, unusual earthquakes and missing art in San Francisco lead the Misfits to suspect a larger scheme in The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrum. By Lisa Yee. Random House Books for…

To get a good night’s sleep in the cold, bring a tent suited for potential weather conditions, including winds or snow load. Pack an insulated sleeping pad or two, and bring a sleeping bag that will keep you warm. Sleeping bag temperature ratings aren’t usually accurate, says Steve Lutz, a designer for Alps Mountaineering and a Scouter who has taken Scouting America’s cold-weather leader training. “If it’s zero degrees when you camp, you won’t suffer harm in a zero-degree bag, but you’ll likely be a lot more comfortable in a negative-20-degree bag,” says Lutz. Most sleeping bags are rated for the extreme temperature you can use them in. Some also list a comfort rating. Get a bag rated for colder temperatures than you expect. And whatever bag you choose, always…

go.scoutlife.org/scoutingaround HANDBOOK HELP The Science of Racing If you’ve built and raced a Pinewood Derby car in Cub Scouts, you’ve dabbled in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineers design and construct machines, products and technology systems. If it has a moving part, a mechanical engineer has likely worked on it. A Pinewood Derby car is a wooden block on wheels. Pretty basic, but to race this simple machine down a track as quickly as you can requires some scientific knowledge about weight distribution, gravity, drag and friction. For most Pinewood Derby races, cars should not weigh more than 5 ounces, but getting the weight close to that number helps with the car’s speed. You might need to add weights to your car to do this. If you place those weights near…

EPISCOPAL SCOUTS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH by earning the following BSA awards: The Jesus and Me emblem is for Cub Scouts in kindergarten and first grade. This program introduces Jesus as the Son of God in familiar terms so that young children can see Jesus in their own day-to-day experiences as a storyteller, teacher, friend and healer. The God and Me emblem is for Cub Scouts in second and third grades. This program helps Episcopal Cub Scouts become best friends with Jesus and tell their story of “God and Me” together. The God and Family emblem is for Scouts in fourth through sixth grades. This program helps youth understand the importance of family and God’s role in a healthy family. God and Family provides an opportunity for…

CALENDAR Jan. 4 is Perihelion Day, when Earth is closest to the sun. Jan. 20 is a federal holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day. Keep an eye on Punxsutawney Phil! Feb. 17 is Presidents Day. On This Date Jan. 8, 1815: General Andrew Jackson leads U.S. troops in victory against the British at the Battle of New Orleans. Neither side is aware the War of 1812 officially ended two weeks before. Feb. 2, 1925: After mushing 674 miles, sled dogs arrive in Nome, Alaska, with a serum that stops a diphtheria epidemic. Lead dog Balto is later immortalized with a statue and movie, and this event inspires the creation of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. SEE IT Paddington and the Brown family set…

HOT ON ICE Eagle Scout Competes at World Cup BRENDEN SHEAN Age: 16 Hometown: Raeford, North Carolina Scout Rank: Eagle Scout (Troop 404, Raeford) Made Headlines: For competing in the Bauer World Cup ice hockey championship for two consecutive years. The Scoop: Brenden was selected to play for the elite youth team representing North America in 2023 and 2024. The North America Selects team consists of elite ice hockey players that are scouted from across the globe. In 2023, Brenden and the team won silver at the World Cup in Aosta, Italy, and in 2024, they placed sixth in Anglet, France. Brenden currently plays for the New Jersey Titans. Know someone who’s making headlines? Let us know! go.scoutlife.org/headliners 1. Open the Camera app on your phone. 2. Hold your phone…

Cycling Follow these precautions before every ride. Public Speaking Overcoming Stage Fright Practice your speech before getting in front of an audience. Then practice it again. And again. You don’t have to memorize the whole thing, but try to memorize the first few lines so you can start off on autopilot. Pretend you’re just chatting with a group of friends. Chances are, people aren’t there to criticize you. They’re there to hear what you have to say. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most people are their own worst critic. You’re probably much better at this than you think you are. go.scoutlife.org/meritbadge Surveying Surveying is about more than taking measurements.…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • Cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven • Bowl • Cooking utensils • Aluminum foil • Plates • Paper towels • Grill mitts or barbecue gloves • Protein like ground beef or chicken, or beans for a vegetarian option • Shredded cheese • Cooking oil • Taco seasoning • Tortilla chips • Black beans • Cilantro • Diced onions • Diced tomatoes • Guacamole • Salsa • Sliced jalapeños • Sour cream WHAT YOU’LL DO: STEP 1. BUILD A CAMPFIRE and let it burn down to hot coals. You want a nice, even heat to cook your nachos without burning them. Visit go.scoutlife.org/tag/campfires for instructions on how to build a campfire. STEP 2. GREASE THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SKILLET or Dutch oven with the cooking oil. While it’s…

TOSSING YOUR FRUITCAKE Fruitcake Toss Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated Jan. 3. It’s dedicated to having fun with leftover fruitcakes from the holiday season by tossing them as far as possible, often in a competitive setting. One city, Manitou Springs, Colorado, is celebrating Jan. 25 at its 30th annual Great Fruitcake Toss event. Contestants will compete for distance and accuracy using catapults, slings and other contraptions, but nothing’s more satisfying than just using your arm. SAFE SURFING THE WEB Safer Internet Day is observed on Feb. 11. You can do so many cool things on the internet: play games, connect with friends, shop and more. Safer Internet Day is a time to promote safe and responsible web use. Observe this day by discussing safe internet practices with your parents,…

My troop took a trip to the Nantahala River in North Carolina to go whitewater rafting and got a night at Camp Woodruff as a bonus. The hour-and-a-half drive to the river from Woodruff was filled with anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately, the Nantahala River dam wasn’t letting out enough water, so we got sent back to camp. The trip back was the longest ever, and it was filled with disappointment. The troop leaders tried to reschedule the trip for later that week but failed. When I returned home, I immediately got on my computer and researched rafting trips on the Nantahala River. I emailed my leaders my findings and hoped for a makeup trip. I got a response saying that if I could get enough people, they would make it…

Being super fit in one sport doesn’t mean you’re fully conditioned. You don’t work all your muscles with only one activity. Think about cross-training, which means playing other sports just for fun and doing other workout activities you don’t typically do. It helps you: • Change up your activities among aerobic conditioning, strength training, endurance and balance, and also vary the workouts in each of these areas. • Avoid overuse injuries to the muscles you train the most. • Improve overall performance. • Keep exercise routines from getting boring. Find out more about cross-training at: go.scoutlife.org/fitnessfirst…