Embedded Files
Attention!
Scouts, before you progress through this page, we recommend you tap into the "Scouts" section by only clicking on the word "Scouts" at the top of the website. Going here will tell you some important information that you will need to know before proceeding. If you already read it, you are more than welcome to scroll on ahead!
Stepping into Scouting with the Scout Rank
The Scout Rank will be your first goal as a new Scout. This badge will introduce some of the things you will do later on, and will show you the basics of scouting. When you join our troop, we will usually have a short program of "Trail to Scout" that some of our older scouts will help with, so you know the people who are helping you know what they are doing. However, if you need extra help, you could ask any adult, or look into the Scouts section for advice, which you're probably doing right now! First in the Boy Scout Handbook, we'll go over a few of the requirements needed to rank up, starting with 1a, "Repeating the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan" and we'll jump from requirement to requirement from there.
1a. Repeating the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan
The first requirement, repeating the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan, will require you to memorize all of these things, as well as explaining them in your own words. This may seem intimidating at first, but trust me, it's a lot easier than it looks. You will also have to use what we call this bunch, "The Boy Scout Basics", much further on, even when you're becoming an Eagle Scout, so it's important for you to memorize these as soon as possible.
The Scout Oath
The Scout Oath is the first out of "The Boy Scout Basics", and should be something you should live by as a scout, even in everyday life. The Scout Oath is shown below.
"On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, to help people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."
The requirement 1a. not only pushes you to memorizing this phrase, but will also require you to explain this in your own words. Fortunately, this is very simple, but we'll help you to make this a little easier.
The first part, "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the Scout law", is all about remembering and following the code, and doing it for your country and to any religious figure you may follow, as well as following the Scout Law, which we will get into later.
The third section of the Oath, "help people at all times", is extremely easy to explain, and just means to help others whenever they need help, no matter the time.
Now for the last part, "to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight" is the most complex part in explaining the oath. Keeping yourself physically strong is straightforward, as it means for you to stay fit. Being mentally awake would mean that you are able to differentiate the bad ideas/actions from the good, as it would be extremely helpful in scouting, and in life in general. Lastly, keeping yourself morally straight, which would mean keeping your ideals, goals, and intentions as good-willed as possible.
Scout Law
The Scout Law is the second part the "Boy Scout Basics" that you will need to know. The Scout Law is very similar to the Scout Oath, but instead of teaching you how to live by in everyday life, it teaches you "How to live as a boy and as a man". The Scout Law is shown below.
"A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave clean, and reverent."
The Scout Law has more details in it than in the Scout Oath, so we'll try to go over them with haste.
To be Trustworthy is to be an honest person and to not only tell the truth, but to also follow the rules.
Being Loyal means to give loyalty to where it's due.
Being Helpful is to help other people at all times.
To be Friendly is to be a friend to all.
Being Courteous is being polite to everyone, regardless of age.
To be Kind is to treat others the way you want to be treated.
To be Obedient is to do what you are told and follow the rules, wherever they take place.
To be Cheerful is to look at the bright side of life.
To be Thrifty is to be money wise, and not throw your money around at things that don't matter.
Being Brave is to face danger, even if you are afraid.
Being Clean is to keep your body and your mind fit,
and finally, to be Reverent is to be faithful to any religion duties that you may have.
Scout Motto
The Scout Motto is only two words long, but it is extremely important on your scouting journey, as it is one of the most enforced things in our troop, and for good reason too. The Scout Motto is listed below
"Be Prepared"
That's the whole motto, and there's nothing else to it besides being prepared for anything. The reason that Troop 202 enforces this rule is because if you're not prepared for something, the chances of success for such thing drops significantly, and at Troop 202, our goal is to make you prepared for the future.
Scout Slogan
Despite the words Motto and Slogan being used interchangeably, the Scout Slogan and the Scout Motto are actually different phrases, as listed below
"Do your good turn daily"
Doing your good turn daily comes down doing something to help others everyday without expecting anything in return.
And that's requirement 1A. for Scout. Speak to an Assistant Scout Master (any of the adults wearing a troop uniform), tell them the information you learned here, and be on your way!
1c. Demonstrating the Boy Scout sign, salute, and handshake, and explaining how they're used.
Demonstrating the Boy Scout sign, salute, and handshake is extremely easy, and explaining them is very simple, so this requirement won't be as dense as requirement 1a.
Scout Sign
The first demonstration in the requirement 1c is the Scout Sign. The Scout Sign is very similar to the sign in Cub Scouts, as it has your right arm move to a 90 degree angle, and your pinky and your thumb touching. However, instead of only two fingers up, you have three. The Scout sign is displayed on the left if you need a tad more clarity.
The Scout Sign is used whenever you want to get someone's attention, (but only in Scouts, elsewhere people don't understand that doing the sign means their attention is supposed to be on you), or when you are repeating the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan.
Scout Salute
Second in line is the Scout Salute. The Scout Salute is also similar to the one in Cub Scouts, as it has your right hand touch the brim of your hat, or at the tip of your right eyebrow without your hat, but similarly to the Scout Sign, the Scout Salute adds a third finger to the two in Cub Scouts. The Scout Salute is displayed on the left.
The Scout Salute is used whenever you say the Pledge of Allegiance (but only if you are in full Scout Uniform), and it is also sometimes used as a greeting to other Scouts or Scout Leaders.
Scout Handshake
Finally is the Scout Handshake. The Scout handshake is extremely simple, as you have to shake someone's hand with your left hand instead of your right, and make sure that your grip is firm. (Please do not try to crush the other person's hand.) The Scout Handshake is displayed on the right.
The Scout Handshake's use is very obvious, which is to shake someone's hand with, however, you should only do this in Scouts, since outside of Scouts, you will have to use the common right hand shake.
With all three of those bits of Scouting information, you will be able to retrieve the requirement, and proceed forward with your Scouting journey!
1e. Repeat the Outdoor Code, and in your own words, explain what it means to you.
Repeating the Outdoor Code is something that is very easy, and explaining it in your words is also an easy task, so this should not take long. It is also used in a similar fashion as the Scout Oath and Law, however it does come in use at a later time, so make sure that you don't forget the Outdoor Code later on.
The Outdoor Code is a set of rules or ethics that should be followed whenever you are out in the wilderness. The Outdoor code is shown below.
"As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded."
The Outdoor Code is about conserving the environment, and giving the area longevity, so that others can enjoy the same place in the future.
If you want to be more descriptive of your information, than you can break the code down itself, starting with
"As an American, I will do my best..."
This means that you will follow these rules, as it is your duty as an American.
"... to be clean with my outdoor manners"
This phase means that you should clean up your camp, even when you didn't make the trash. Our troop does trash sweeps, but even when we don't do them, you should still pick up trash.
"... be careful with fire"
When you have campfires, you should make sure they are 100% out. But, the most important thing with fires is that you should be responsible with it. In other words, don't goof off with fire.
"... be considerate in the outdoors"
When hiking on a trail or camping, you should treat the land with respect and be respectful of others. You can do this by being polite to others, and not using a loud voice.
"... be conservation minded"
You should always keep conservation in the back of your mind and research the campsite or trail so you can share that information with your fellow campers/hikers.
With all of this information in your head, you can not only get this requirement, but also learn how to act in the outdoors.
Google Sites
Report abuse