About Scouts – Page 12 – Scout Life magazine

Get Free Admission to a National Park

Celebrate National Public Lands Day at a park near you.

The Chess MB is Live

You can now earn a merit badge playing one of the oldest games in the world.

Scouts Remember 9/11

Throughout 2011, Boy Scouts across the country have been paying their respects to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Scout Raises Money, Saves Lives

Nate Stafford, 13, raised $10,000 for Nothing But Nets.

What does ‘2 degrees of freedom’ mean in requirement 4b?

Thank you for your question. The 2 degrees of freedom refers to the robot not just the attachment. This is just to make sure the robot has some complexity. 2 degrees of

Is Electronics merit badge a prerequisite for Robotics?

This is a good question and one we discussed in our development group. Electronics is not likely to ever be a prerequisite for Robotics. There are many robotics platforms

Chess is among the oldest board games in the world, and it ranks among the most popular games ever created. Chess is played worldwide—even over the Internet. Players meet for fun and in competition, everywhere from kitchen tables and park benches to formal international tournaments.

Hiking Through A Hurricane

Appalachian Trail hikers survive Hurricane Irene.

Eagle Scout Enters Hall of Fame

Pat Gillick is the first Eagle Scout to enter baseball's Hall of Fame.

Don’t Be Strong — Be Scout Strong

Here's your chance to earn some rewards for getting — and staying — physically fit.

Be a Scout; Recruit a Friend

Now's the time to tell your friends about Scouting.

Take a Picture, Win a Trip

Just visit the federal recreation land nearest you and start clicking.

Scouts Build, Donate Bateau

California Scouts built their own historic boat.

Old Cabin, New Home

One of the oldest Boy Scout camps in America is getting a makeover.

Tips from the Appalachian Trail: Staying Motivated

Here's a great note about staying motivated during a long hike.

Time to “Like” the BL TV Show

In case you didn't know it, Boys' Life has a TV show.

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Boys’ Life

Celebrate our 100th birthday with us.

Scouts Blazing Trails at New Base

SummitCorps 2011 has begun.

The BSA Centennial Forest is Complete

The BSA has finished its nationwide tree-planting campaign.

PhilCast: Your Source for All Things Philmont

Check out PhilCast, Philmont's new weekly videocast.

Scenes from the Highland Games

Video of participants at the Highland Games, held at Camp Tahuaya near Belton, Texas.

Scouts Honor Country for Memorial Day

Scouts across the country honored the men and women who died while serving the U.S. Armed Forces.

12,060 Merit Badges, One Cool Video

Check out this video of the world's largest merit badge mosaic.

Eating Big on AT Trail

How much can you eat when you're hiking the Appalachian Trail?

Washington, D.C., Hosts International Scouting Day

International Scouting Day will be hosted by the National Capital Area Council and the Embassy of Sweden to the United States.

Do you all think that the Arduino kits would make a good match for this badge?

Yes, the Arduino controller would be a good choice. As a counselor, though, I would encourage Scouts to use what they have. If a Scout wanted to meet the requirements

Is the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit compatible with the requirements?

Any version of the Mindstorms kits gives you what you need to build a great

If you don’t want to use a kit, how do you start making a robot? Where do you get the supplies?

Taking apart an old radio control car is a great place to start. It has motors, a chassis and a battery already. All you need to do is find a processor of some kind and make sure your control signals work. While operating a radio-controlled car will not satisfy the requirements of the merit badge, taking an RC car, adding a controller (the computer brain that does the robot’s thinking) and some other mechanisms probably will. As always, talk to your merit badge counselor first to make sure that what you are planning is safe and will satisfy the requirements.

Watch a Time Lapse of Cub Scouts at the Brick Scouts Jamboree

Five Cub Scout packs came together last winter in Buckley, Wash., to see what kinds of things they could build with Lego bricks. Watch this video of one of their creations, or see photos of amazing Lego creations from around the world.

Scouts Raft the New River Gorge

On a 50-mile journey through the New River Gorge, Scouts come face to face with a mountain of trash, a challenging hike and one monster rapid that can make or break the entire trip. Check out video from their adventure.

AT Hikers Make Progress, Share Advice

Eagle Scouts Charlie Timberlake and Randy Wright know a thing or two about hiking. Here is their advice.

These Cub Scouts Have Not Lost Their Marbles

Cub Scouts from Mentor, Ohio, recently had the chance to earn their Marbles Sports Belt Loop and Marbles Sports Pin through their local library.

Scouts Honor Friend With AT Hike

Two Eagle Scouts have just begun an Appalachian Trail hike in honor of a friend who died of cancer.

Scouts Explore Rare Granite Cave Near Yosemite

Watch as California Scouts walk, jump, crawl and even swim through an underground passageway.

Zip Line at The Summit Looks Awesome

Check out this video that shows a zip line tour of The Summit Bechtel Reserve high adventure base.

Scout Helps Navy Families Be Prepared

Josh Hawken is sharing his emergency preparedness knowledge with families at a nearby Naval Air Station.

Start Earning Your Robotics MB Today

The Robotics merit badge is now live. Here's what you need to know.

Robotics

Learn more about Robotics merit badge! Click here to visit our interactive merit badge website where you’ll find resources, tips, expert advice, games and

Overview of the engineering design process

When developing a robot design, it is wise to follow an engineering design process. Essentially, the engineering design process consists of the following steps.

Robotics resources

ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS One of the best places to find the latest on various robotics competitions is http://robotevents.com, the website of the Robotics Education and

Fun Stuff

Take a break from all the programming and engineering to play fun robot-themed jokes, learn interesting robot trivia and discover fun facts.

BSA Scouts in Japan Aid Tsunami Victims

BSA Troop 77 in Japan has done a good deed in assisting victims of last month's earthquake/tsunami disaster.

Robot jokes

Robotics isn't all serious. It can also be the source of some pretty funny jokes. Laugh at some of these robot jokes, and then send us some of your own. If we use your joke, we'll send you a free Robotics merit badge launch patch.

What do you like best about robots?

I really like the fact that we are able to use robots to improve all of our lives by having them perform tasks that are either dangerous, dreary or difficult. Having said

How do I start a robot team in my troop?

Start by speaking to your merit badge counselor. He or she should be able to give you some idea about the types of robot competitions available in your area and what it takes

What should I study in high school to allow me to work with robots?

To prepare yourself for a college degree that will allow you to work with robots, you should study as much math as possible in high school. The best place for you to end up

Robotics merit badge launch events

The Boy Scouts of America will participate in many robotics events during the month of April to help celebrate the launch of the Robotics merit badge. Here are some of them.