For nearly a century, the Boy Scouts of America has been recognized as “a force for good” in our nation. Scouting has long been famous for training young boys to “do a good turn daily” and to perform acts of service in their communities. Scouting teaches boys a variety of skills and promotes the development of good character. And scouts learn selfreliance, personal responsibility, teamwork, and leadership. All this, and they have lots of fun too!

Indeed, it has been shown that many leaders in business, government, and the military had been scouts. Most men who have been scouts (including homeschool dads) have happy memories of their own time in scouting. As Christian homeschool parents, we are always looking for fresh and different ways to teach our children. A growing number of Christian homeschool families are discovering that scouting can be a great fit with the goals of homeschooling.

Education
According to David Richardson, Director of the BSA Relationship Division, “Scouting has been an educational program since its founding. The goals of scouting supplement homeschooling.” Many people are unaware that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is chartered as an educational program!

As Cub Scouts, boys between the ages of 6 and 10 participate in activities directed to their family and community. These can include field trips to fire and police stations, exploring the outdoors, and learning about health, nutrition, and safety. As the boys progress through the ranks of scouting, their activities become more complex and involved as their skill levels rise.

The Boy Scout program (ages 11 to 18) includes a merit badge program, which offers the boys educational opportunities in nearly 100 areas. Merit badges can be neat little “unit studies” that enable homeschooled scouts to get a “two-fer” for scout credit and schoolwork! These badges include Reading, Music, Nature, Insect Study, Weather, and Chemistry. Other badges, such as Pets, Dog Care, Home Repairs, and Gardening, enable the boys to turn family activities into scout credit. Many badges are directed to hobbies and sports, including Wood Carving, Photography, Golf, and Fishing.

Some merit badges are directed to career and professional interests, including Entrepreneurship, Engineering, and Farm Mechanics. In a famous example, Eagle Scout Steven Spielberg got his first start in moviemaking while earning the Cinematography merit badge! Many men have found career and hobby interests after working on merit badges as Boy Scouts

The Core Values of Scouting
Mr. Richardson of the BSA also points out that “Scouting’s values also line up with the values of Christian homeschoolers.” The values of Scouting are acknowledged in an endorsement from James D. Daley, President and CEO of Focus on the Family:

Greetings from Focus on the Family! It’s my privilege to offer a few words of support for the Boy Scouts of America, which plays a pivotal role in the lives of so many young men across the nation. I greatly appreciate the Scouts’ emphasis on God, along with [their] longstanding traditions of honesty, hard work, faith, and service to our fellow citizens. As our society becomes increasingly hostile to principles grounded in Scripture, it’s encouraging to see the Boy Scouts standing firm for the time-honored beliefs and values that so many Americans hold dear. I trust the Lord will continue using the Boy Scouts of America to help instill character in those who will one day become husbands, fa thers, citizens, and leaders. Richest blessings to you all!

Scouting’s core values are embodied in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, which every boy is required to learn upon becoming a scout. The Scout Law states that “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.” Surely all homeschool parents would like their sons to learn such qualities! Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting, modeled the original scout law on the medieval Knights’ Code and stated that scouts should be modern-day knights, abiding by the same standards of chivalry.

Scouting places a strong emphasis on “Duty to God.” Many Christian families find scouting to be a friendly community program in which their boys can grow in their Christian faith. Opportunities exist in scouting for boys to develop their Christian faith, such as the Bible-based “God and Country” program distributed by the PRAY organization.

Another primary focus of scouting is citizenship. In response to the state of Britain in 1907, Robert Baden-Powell wrote:

People say that we have no patriotism nowadays, and that our empire will fall to pieces like the great Roman empire did, because its citizens became selfish and lazy, and only cared for amusements … Do something yourself to help in keeping the flag flying.

Surely our culture today has come to a similar place. The goal of scouting is to help train the next generations of responsible citizens that will keep our nation strong. All levels of scouting teach boys citizenship and care and honor of the flag, as well as service to their local churches and communities.

Christian homeschool parents Craig and Pam Coffey are involved with Troop 85 in Owosso, Michigan. Pam reports, “This summer, amongst camp and jamboree, some of the 22 boys of the troop met on an early Saturday morning to paint new lines in the church parking lot, trim bushes, clean up trash, and re-paint the flag pole.”

Methods of Scouting
Scouting includes a number of “Aims” and “Methods” that motivate the boys to achieve success. With the Advancement method, the boys are given a “series of attainable goals” toward reaching the next level, or “rank,” from Tenderfoot to Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting. In this way, the scouts learn to set goals and to continue setting goals into adult life.

Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout can be the first major accomplishment for a boy—indeed, a résumé builder, which connotes hard work and good character to a potential employer. The military has traditionally awarded an additional pay grade (with the accompanying uniform stripe) to Eagle Scouts. Also, many college scholarships are available to Eagle Scouts.

Because he wears a Boy Scout uniform, the scout is provided with a positive group identity. Teenage boys very often seek a group identity, such as the currently popular “skateboard dude” image. The scout uniform establishes a wholesome image for a teen, long identified with good character and service to others.

Scoutcraft
Boy Scouting is primarily an outdoor program. Scouts often joke that “Outing is three-quarters of Scouting”! Scouts learn outdoor skills, such as responsible firemaking, safe handling of axes and other woods tools; and nutritious, hygienic outdoor cooking. Also, the boys learn to identify many animals and plants and learn to find direction from the sun, moon, and stars.

In so doing, the scouts learn to become self-reliant. In learning to pack for outings, they become responsible for their own needs. Eventually, they can do these things without being reminded! (And parents of 11-year-old boys know that this is itself an accomplishment!) In this way, the scouts learn to “Be Prepared,” the Boy Scout Motto.

The outdoor experience is more than just a fun little diversion from indoor life. Being out in the elements builds character in a boy. In addition to learning to stay warm and dry, the boys learn to overcome difficulties. Scouts sing songs to help them keep a cheerful attitude and high spirits in uncomfortable outdoor situations.

Such character-building was noted by Robert Baden-Powell, the English founder of Scouting, quoting an old Canadian scout and trapper:

There was a charm in the open-air life of a scout from which one cannot free himself after he has once come under its spell. Give me the man who has been raised among the great things of Nature; he cultivates truth, independence, and self-reliance; he has generous impulses; he is true to his friends, and true to the flag of his country.

Leadership
Once the scouts learn self-reliance, they then learn to be responsible for others. In the requirements for Second Class rank, the scouts learn to prepare and cook their own outdoor meal. In the requirements for First Class, they learn to prepare a meal for their entire Patrol, the group unit upon which the scouts are organized.

The core of Boy Scouting is the “Patrol method,” where the scouts themselves are responsible for their own leadership. The Scoutmaster and the other adult scout leaders are simply facilitators who help guide the boys quietly from the sidelines. In the “boy-led unit,” the scouts plan all their own outings, including meals, budgets, agendas, and required gear.

Leadership positions rotate frequently, with the older scouts leading the younger scouts. As observed by Sue Laprise, a scout leader with Troop 2407 in San Antonio, Texas, “I find it interesting that in scouting you take turns being leaders and take turns submitting to someone else’s authority. Not to mention that you’re supposed to do it cheerfully!”

Leadership is one of the principal benefits of scouting for homeschoolers. Mike and Kathy Kin, Christian homeschool parents, have been scout leaders for 16 years. Kathy notes that scouting activities have helped her sons have extracurricular activities and leadership positions to list on their college applications. Kathy says, “My son BJ is an Eagle Scout with his silver palm, from Troop 164 in Forest, Ohio. BJ has served on committees and on staff at our council’s summer camp at Camp Berry. I am proud to say that BJ has been awarded the Camp Staff $1,000 Scholarship this past summer, to be used at the college of his choice.”

Kathy believes that homeschoolers are especially suited for such leadership positions, being mature and responsible at an earlier age. She observes that BJ has worked with adults in various capacities, and they look at him as a very responsible young man.

Kathy makes this recommendation to Christian homeschool parents: “If you have not yet thought of Scouting as an opportunity for your homeschooler to shine in showing his leadership skills, make this year the year to try it out. Like we did, I am certain that you will see that your own sons will do an outstanding job at showcasing their abilities and working their way toward college with some scholarship money in hand.”

Family
Like the Kins, most Christian homeschoolers make scouting a family activity. Many homeschool parents become scout leaders in their sons’ scout units. Scouting can give parents, especially fathers, a special opportunity to get involved with their sons. Ron Hueter, a Christian father and Cubmaster of Pack 777 in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, shares this emphatic message for other fathers: “The dads need to get off their butts and get out there with their sons!”

Another approach to scouting is “family scouting,” in which every member of the family is included in the scout unit. Sue Laprise is the Committee Chair for a Christian homeschool family scout group in San Antonio, Texas, including a Cub Pack, a Scout Troop, a Venturing Crew, and an American Heritage Girls Troop, all numbered 2407. Sue says, “The reason our program works is because we aren’t ‘including the moms and sisters’ in the boy program but rather the family is the program. Scouting, BSA or American Heritage Girls isn’t our goal or the foundation for our program. The Word is the foundation, and building strong families is the goal. We have one committee that runs the entire program, one calendar, one set of field trips and campouts for the entire family.”

Scouting as a Church Youth Program
Many churches are discovering the economic benefits of scouting as a teen youth program. For a small chartering fee, a church youth group can be covered under the BSA’s insurance plan. This provides the church with inexpensive coverage for “high adventure” youth activities, such as rock-climbing and rafting. It also provides church groups with access to scout camps and other facilities all over the USA. And with the BSA’s coed Venturing program for older teens, the girls are included too!

Many Christian homeschool-based scout packs and troops have been sprouting up throughout the country, with reports from Ohio, California, Virginia, and South Carolina. It does seem clear that the Lord is moving through scouting in homeschool families. Many homeschool families are enjoying the benefits of scouting. Why not yours?

Visit ScoutBlog, an HSB weblog for Christian homeschool scout families, at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/ScoutBlog.

Jay Ryan is the author of Classical Astronomy Update, an email astronomy newsletter for Christian homeschoolers, and is currently working on a homeschool astronomy curriculum. Jay is Scoutmaster of Troop 777 in Cleveland, Ohio. His three sons are all involved in scouting. Drop Jay an email at jayfromcleveland@yahoo.com.