Boys’ Life Magazine is specifically published for the Boy Scouts of America, but you don’t have to be a Boy Scout to receive it. You can subscribe for a year (12 issues) for the price of $24.00. However, if you are a Scout, you get a discounted subscription rate through your local chapter.
This magazine is a lot of fun. Using the February 2007 issue as a model, let’s take a look at what features you can expect to receive.
The first thing that catches my eye is a sidebar recommending different books to supplement Black History Month, as well as little known facts about black athletes, musicians, and more. The books recommended are for ages 6-10, and there’s even one video on the list as well.
Next we read an article about a Boy Scout who wanted to do something about reckless driving. He discovered that twice as many teenage boys die in car wrecks than girls do, and with 16 girls dying a day, that meant 32 teenage boys were dying every single day. He got involved with a group called Keep the Drive, and helped to raise awareness of the dangers of reckless driving. Way to go!
We also have an article here about scouting in Iraq. Although scouting is a world-wide organization, for many years it was not allowed in Iraq. In 2003, a man named Chip Beck, a retired U.S. Navy Commander, traveled to Iraq and reorganized a troop out there. Today there are over 5,000 Boy Scouts in that war-torn country. What a wonderful way to give a thread of solidarity to an otherwise unstable country.
As I flip through the magazine, I see articles about Scouts all over the world. I see how they are helping those around them, how they are learning and growing, and I see recipes, games, instructions for obstacle courses, and even comic strips and jokes. There is something for every boy in here, and I’m so glad this resource exists, not only because I’m a Scout leader but because I’m a parent.
Related Blogs:
Homeschooling and Scouting: Using Scouting to Fulfill Academic Requirements
Young Men: the Road to Eagle Scout