Scouting Around

Austin Van Black, from Troop 374 in Liberty, Missouri, has earned 140 merit badges. That's a lot of badges.

The Boy Scouts of America and Jack Link’s® have teamed up on a multiyear partnership that will make Jack Link’s “The Official Protein Snack of the Boy Scouts of America” and the organization’s four national high-adventure bases.

A Boy Scout troop in Hannibal, Missouri, has come up with a unique fundraiser tied into an annual frog-jumping contest based on a 100-year-old Mark Twain story.

The staffers at Boys' Life were thrilled when the nice folks who run the Reading Rainbow website asked us to write a guest blog post. Check out what we came up with.

When their Scoutmaster broke his leg on a rafting trip three miles from the nearest takeout, the Scouts of Troop 26 in Great Falls, Montana, knew exactly what to do.

A group of Varsity Scouts helped rescuers lift an SUV in their efforts to safe the passengers trapped inside.

The Eagle Scouts Cycling Across America team is chugging along. So far, the group of Eagle Scouts whose goal is to bike all the way across the country, has made it from California into Colorado.

A 16-year-old Eagle Scout has climbed the fifth- and sixth-hightest mountains in the world.

The cycling trip of a lifetime for these Virginia Eagle Scouts begins this weekend, as they embark on a 4,000-mile journey.

There's a new movie out on DVD this month about the positive effects of Boy Scouts on kids. Grab a parent, watch the preview and then decide if you want to see more.

This Oregon Eagle Scout's act of kindness has touched the lives of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan over the last five years.

The Swimming merit badge has undergone some improvements just in time for summer.

A Boy Scout troop from Texas was prepared when a security guard suffered a heart attack. Thanks to their efforts, the man survived.

Visitor passes are now available to visit the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base for either one or two days.

BL Essentials: Everything You Need To Know. Check out these videos that go along with our super-helpful feature found in the May 2014 issue of Boys' Life.

The new Digital Technology merit badge is now available at Scout shops and online. Start working on yours today.

The next time it rains, think before you start slipping and sliding across the ground.

When it came time to choose an Eagle project, Devin Spangler used his passion for outer space to build four benches for the Orlando Science Center.

The Scouts of Troop 808 in Lakewood, Colo., helped refurbish a local park that was badly damaged by recent flooding.

The Cub Scouts from Bear Den 2 in Pack 800, Kissimmee, Fla., contribute regularly to Layers of Love For Children, a charity that provides no-sew blankets to children who are battling cancer.

Two New York Boy Scouts used an item they built based on instructions found in a BL Workshop article to represent their counties at the New York State Fair.

This summer, a group of Eagle Scouts from Troop 165 will bike from San Francisco, Calif., to Virginia Beach, Va. Fifty days; 3,691 miles, for an average of nearly 74 miles per day. And they're inviting any Eagle Scout out there to ride with them for any portion of the trip.

You may not know it, but mining is kind of a big deal. From communications, transportation, power, construction, agriculture, and medicine to education, entertainment, and recreation, nearly every aspect of society relies on mining. Learn more by earning your Mining in Society merit badge.

In the March issue of Boys' Life we told the story of Scouts from across the country rushing to help the community of Moore, Okla., after a devastating tornado ripped through the town last summer. Now, almost a year later, Eagle Scout Davin Ferren offers the following update on the recovery in his hometown.

Put on your winter jacket before you watch this video of a winter camping trip with Troop 289 in Madison, W.Va., and Troop 31 from Charleston, W.Va.

A couple of Eagle Scouts are representing the United States in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Does your Sea Scout ship have the right stuff to earn the National Flagship Award? Apply now and find out.

Troop 818 from Scottsdale, Ariz., went canyoneering in Zion National Park and came home with great memories ... and one snazzy video.

Thomas Brown, a Cub Scout from Pack 14 in Virginia Beach, Va., will be on the field just moments before the Super Bowl kicks off, handing the actual game ball to a real game official.

Illinois Boy Scouts paint cars that eventually be crushed in their attempt to "crush bullying."

Tennessee Boy Scouts feed the homeless with their Dutch oven goodness.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Council's Klondike derby featured 1,000 Scouts and parents participating in events from winter survival skills to sledding.

A California Boy Scout has performed a service for his community by writing an iPhone app with the support of his local historical society.

Scouts gather at Pennsylvania college to earn merit badges and discuss the history of violence in video games.

Troop 777 in Northville, Mich., gets hands-on training from local search-and-rescue experts.

For 10 years running, Troop 150 from Sparta, N.J., has been raising money to buy gifts for families in need. This year, they went above and beyond their goals.

A Minnesota Boy Scout is attempting to sleep outdoors every night for one full year.

With the National Jamboree in the rear-view mirror, the Summit is driving forward to become the Christen high-adventure base, which opens next summer as the fourth of the high-adventure bases operated by the BSA's National Council.

A Cub Scout pack in Birmingham, Ala., acting in a very K.I.N.D. manner by raising funds to help buy desks for schoolchildren in Africa.

Cub Scouts from Pack 327 in the Mid-America Council spent part of one Saturday at their local airport greeting soldiers who were arriving and departing for travel, and presenting them with American flags.

Learn what's new and what's staying the same when it comes to the Cooking merit badge, which will become Eagle-required on Jan. 1, 2014.