Anonymous wrote:I doubt there are that many bike badges, unless he joins a troop that does a lot of bike trips. Is it balance?

Out of 141 current merit badges, only one requires cycling, and it is called “Cycling.” There is a road-option or trails-option for completing the cycling MB.

https://wtop.com/virginia/2025/09/boy-scout-troop-saves-leader-after-cardiac-arrest-on-bike-trail/

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if a boy struggles with biking could cause issues down earning badges or many activities? It is coordination issue. He can rock climbing, hike, swim, kayaking etc but he just cannot do regular biking.

My don never learned to ride a hike and became an Eagle Scout. There are plenty of different badges to earn and none of the required badges require biking.

I doubt there are that many bike badges, unless he joins a troop that does a lot of bike trips. Is it balance?

Anyone know if a boy struggles with biking could cause issues down earning badges or many activities? It is coordination issue. He can rock climbing, hike, swim, kayaking etc but he just cannot do regular biking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is popular in my area. Many troops for Scouting America and Girl Scouts. Scouting America used to be Boy Scouts but now welcomes Girls hence the name change.

My daughter’s elementary school has multiple girls scouts troops for each grade. It is a discouragement that they limit the size. I don’t like that model. It is exclusionary. “Sorry - you didn’t join in Kindergarten- we are full now!” Girl Scouts should adjust this. Not a good way for recruitment. Otherwise we are enjoying it.

Scouting America has no limit and you can join anytime. My son loves it. Hopefully my daughter will switch.

Anyway, both are very popular here! I’m thinking all the boys on my street are in, but different packs/troops.

Scouting America welcomes boys, girls, and all other genders.

For now. Hegseth seems to have something to say about that.

Something to be said for going with the option that's not historically tied to all of the worst elements of US history and still beholden to them for funding, but YMMV.

The leaders of Boy Scouts seems to be willing to bend the knee.

So much for the girls the troops took in. I always felt you couldn't trust a group that was trying to sanitize their image.

The Secretary of War demands a return to "God and Country."

It's giving Hitler Youth vibes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is popular in my area. Many troops for Scouting America and Girl Scouts. Scouting America used to be Boy Scouts but now welcomes Girls hence the name change.

My daughter’s elementary school has multiple girls scouts troops for each grade. It is a discouragement that they limit the size. I don’t like that model. It is exclusionary. “Sorry - you didn’t join in Kindergarten- we are full now!” Girl Scouts should adjust this. Not a good way for recruitment. Otherwise we are enjoying it.

Scouting America has no limit and you can join anytime. My son loves it. Hopefully my daughter will switch.

Anyway, both are very popular here! I’m thinking all the boys on my street are in, but different packs/troops.

Scouting America welcomes boys, girls, and all other genders.

For now. Hegseth seems to have something to say about that.

Something to be said for going with the option that's not historically tied to all of the worst elements of US history and still beholden to them for funding, but YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scout troops in our local council Nation's Capital have to be open to at least 12 girls. 12 works with the required adults for ratios for Daisy's K & 1st. Troops can choose to be larger but will need extra registered and trained volunteers. It's crazy how many parents want Girl Scouts but won't volunteer at all. I've always been a registered extra helper for my older daughters troop and got cookout campout trained to help. That troop always had issues with getting enough help. We are disbanding in 5th grade because I can't find a second leader or cookie parent. Parents need to step up Council has been training simpler and now new troops get several preplanned and materials given for the first several meetings. There are also more council run events and older girl troops that put on events for younger girls to raise money for trips and higher award projects.

+1

Anonymous wrote:My son did Boy Scouts through elementary school. He enjoyed it but wasn’t self
Motivated enough to do Boy Scouts. He missed most of those meetings due to sport conflict and don’t follow thru on the badges.

I tried fo years to find a troop for my daughter, but they limited the size of them. The one t her school was full and the nearest was
Like 25 minutes away in traffic. It was also at a different school so not with her friends. That set up made no sense to me so she never joined.

Both groups rely on parent volunteers. If a troop is full, many times parents volunteer and start another one.

Here they go again.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5720505-scouting-america-pentagon-agreement-near/

“…The Defense Department (DOD) said that it has been reviewing its partnership with Scouting America over the past several months, arguing that the organization has made decisions in the last decade that “run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War, including an embrace of DEl and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”…”

Girl Scout troops in our local council Nation's Capital have to be open to at least 12 girls. 12 works with the required adults for ratios for Daisy's K & 1st. Troops can choose to be larger but will need extra registered and trained volunteers. It's crazy how many parents want Girl Scouts but won't volunteer at all. I've always been a registered extra helper for my older daughters troop and got cookout campout trained to help. That troop always had issues with getting enough help. We are disbanding in 5th grade because I can't find a second leader or cookie parent. Parents need to step up Council has been training simpler and now new troops get several preplanned and materials given for the first several meetings. There are also more council run events and older girl troops that put on events for younger girls to raise money for trips and higher award projects.

Anonymous wrote:It is popular in my area. Many troops for Scouting America and Girl Scouts. Scouting America used to be Boy Scouts but now welcomes Girls hence the name change.

My daughter’s elementary school has multiple girls scouts troops for each grade. It is a discouragement that they limit the size. I don’t like that model. It is exclusionary. “Sorry - you didn’t join in Kindergarten- we are full now!” Girl Scouts should adjust this. Not a good way for recruitment. Otherwise we are enjoying it.

Scouting America has no limit and you can join anytime. My son loves it. Hopefully my daughter will switch.

Anyway, both are very popular here! I’m thinking all the boys on my street are in, but different packs/troops.

Scouting America welcomes boys, girls, and all other genders.

Anonymous wrote:I hear people say boy scout camp or girl scout camp are wonderful for summer camp options. Do they refer to different area other than dmv area? I have checked some of the summer camp options sign-up, they do not sound as exciting or fun as I expect by reading website description. Amother biggest issue is the bathroom, why no flushabke toilet in many sites. And, some places look quite run down.

I've read that Western North Carolina has the most summer camps in the US, especially in the Asheville and Hendersonville area. Some of these camps have been around for over 100 years. They cater to wealthy New Englanders (and other families with $$$) and cost $2000 a week. Many of the sessions are 4 weeks for $8K and fill up early.

My grandson goes to a Boy Scout Camp in WNC and it is around $500 a week.

Years ago our daughter went to a GS Camp in the same area, which was about 25% of the cost of the legendary camps, but that camp is now closed. I'm sure there are other GS summer camps in NC.

One of the perks of your kids going to camp in WNC is that it's a perfect place for the parents to have an adult-only vacation for a week or two. It was 6 hours from Charlottesville, but easy to make it a road trip vacation for the whole family for a few days on the front and back end of the camp session. So many beautiful places to stay along the way.

I hear people say boy scout camp or girl scout camp are wonderful for summer camp options. Do they refer to different area other than dmv area? I have checked some of the summer camp options sign-up, they do not sound as exciting or fun as I expect by reading website description. Amother biggest issue is the bathroom, why no flushabke toilet in many sites. And, some places look quite run down.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a Cub Scout Bear but they don’t do much. They are doing pinewood derby next month and have random meetings every 3 weeks with all the grades K-5, but we have never gotten any patches. I don’t know how they are supposed to be earning badges or adventures or whatever? I thought each scout needs to complete the grade’s assigned adventures. They don’t need to do this every year to advance and become an Eagle Scout after the final project?

The badges and ranks for Eagle start when you join a Troop (5th grade or later). A lot more independent work at that point. Elementary is a good time to get used to and learn the skills needed at the troop level.

What are the skills needed at the troop level that your expect them to be working on at this stage? I’m not from a Scouts family at all but DS is very motivated by badges, levels, and little trinkets, along with outdoorsy stuff, so I thought Scouts would be up his alley.

NP, and a leader at our Scout Troop. We will welcome kids whether they were Cub Scouts or not, and teach them what they need to know ... but there are some things that they tend to catch on to more quickly if they did it as a Cub Scout.
- Basics of camping, how to set up a tent, being comfortable sleeping in a sleeping bag. In Cub Scouts, parents camp with their kids, but in a Troop, parents don't have to go at all. So it definitely helps if the kids show up with a tent that they have helped set up before.
- Some basic tool and pocketknife safety - these are covered in Cub Scouts, we do them again as a Troop but it's easier if they've seen it before
- How to dress for the weather
- What to bring with you on a hike (water bottle, clothing layers, etc)

Again, these are all things that they can learn in the Troop, they'll just be a lot more comfortable the first year if they've been exposed to it before (whether that's through Cub Scouts or family activities).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a Cub Scout Bear but they don’t do much. They are doing pinewood derby next month and have random meetings every 3 weeks with all the grades K-5, but we have never gotten any patches. I don’t know how they are supposed to be earning badges or adventures or whatever? I thought each scout needs to complete the grade’s assigned adventures. They don’t need to do this every year to advance and become an Eagle Scout after the final project?

The badges and ranks for Eagle start when you join a Troop (5th grade or later). A lot more independent work at that point. Elementary is a good time to get used to and learn the skills needed at the troop level.

What are the skills needed at the troop level that your expect them to be working on at this stage? I’m not from a Scouts family at all but DS is very motivated by badges, levels, and little trinkets, along with outdoorsy stuff, so I thought Scouts would be up his alley.