The purpose of the Boy Scout Handbook

When asked the question, what is the purpose of The Boy Scout Handbook most people will say that it is needed for requirement sign offs and tracking. It is designed to make sure you stay on track for your advancement. Yes that is one of the purposes but have you every wonder what all the other pages are for. Well the Handbook is basically what I like to the call the "Scouting Bible" basically it covers pretty much all of the basics that you need to know to be a good Boy Scout. Yeah it is not going to go into a lot of detail but their are plenty of other books out their published by the Boy Scouts and various outdoor enhtusiasts that will take you to the expert level if you really want to. I am always encouraging the Scouts in my Troop to bring the Boy Scout handbook on every outing, meeting, or activity that we go on, because you never know exactly when you are going to need it. Personally My Handbook even though I have only had it for five years is fairly beat up, I did not get a coil bound handbook so their is tape holding the book binding together, their are pages that have been almost completely torn out, and finally it has a little bit of water damage. I did not purposefully go out and destroy my handbook, to make it look beat up. I just used it a lot in all sorts of differnet environments. Personally I can not wait to see what the 12th edition of the boy scout handbook is going to be like. It is suppose to be released sometime this year and I can not wait until it is availble to be purchased. I am not saying that the old handbook is not useful but what I am saying is that the new edition is going to contain more needed information due to requirement changes that took place. In order for me to be able to effectively facilitate lessons on the new requirements that I have not gone through, I need resource materials.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616