To assist parents and leaders in tracking rank advancements, coordinating events and providing communications, Pack 279 has subscribed to a powerful online tool, Scoutbook. The following information is provided to allow you and your son get the most out of your Scoutbook experience.
Instructions: - Sign in to the Scoutbook account created for you via your email invitation. It’s important that you sign-in using the Login and Password listed in that email. Please DO NOT create a new Scoutbook account on your own.
- Change your temporary password by selecting "My Dashboard", then select "My Account". On the "My Account" page, you can select "Password" to change your temporary password to something you'll be able to remember.
- Also from the “My Account” page, select “Edit Profile". In this area you may choose a User Name, confirm you home address and ensure your phone numbers are correct (especially your mobile phone). If you see a BSA Member Number, please DO NOT alter it. These are used to keep track of training info, etc. After your “Edit Profile” changes are complete, update/verify your other “My Account” info too, especially the “My Connections” with your son.
- Update your son's info by selecting his profile from “My Account” > “My Connections”: Select “Edit Profile” and correct your son's birthday, if needed. Again, please do not alter your son's BSA Member Number.
Using Scoutbook:
Scoutbook has become a “one-stop” tool for everything having to do with Cub Scouts of Pack 279. Here are some of its current features:
- Keep track of den and pack calendars.
- RSVP to help leaders plan events
- Send messages to leaders
- Receive messages from leaders
- Record adventures your son completes, keep track of his progress towards earning rank.
- Den leaders will sign off on completed adventures, they will order awards and be ready to present those at upcoming pack meetings.
- Participate in pack and den forum discussions.
- Keep track of who is in your den and in the pack.
- Keep your profile info current and complete.
- Add your profile photo. Photos are helpful for scouts, leaders and adults.
- Leaders keep track of training according to BSA standards.
Frequently Asked Questions: - As a parent, must I use Scoutbook to have my son participate in Cub Scouting? Absolutely Not! Although Scoutbook will be a very helpful tool for the both the leaders and parents of Pack 279, all boys will fully enjoy their Cub Scout experience regardless if their parent/guardian ever logs into Scoutbook.
- Does this replace handbooks? No. However, den leaders will approve or "sign-off" on advancement requirements with Scoutbook rather than in the handbooks.
- How much does it cost for my family to use Scoutbook? Nothing. Pack 279 has purchased a subscription for use by the entire pack. Individual families and dens should not make any additional purchase.
- How do I access the records for my Scout in Scoutbook? Pack 279 administrators enter a profile into Scoutbook for each Scout. A separate profile is also entered for each parent. Finally, a connection is made in Scoutbook between the parent profile and the Scout profile, which gives the parent full access to the record for his/her Scout.
- What do I do once I have signed in and connected with my son? Please complete the empty fields in the profile for both you and your scout. If you wish, you can record past advancement info, awards earned, service hours, camp days, etc.
- Why are some of the awards missing from Scoutbook for my scout? Don't worry. All the rank requirements for your son are safely logged within the BSA registry, however, depending on how past requirements and awards were recorded, they may have not all imported into Scoutbook. You may work with your den leader to input any requirements or awards you wish to display on the profile home page for your son.
Learning More:To help familiarize you with some the features within Scoutbook and how to setup your account, below are four links to YouTube videos related to core functions of Scoutbook. In total, all four videos equal less than 20 minutes in length.
- Scoutbook Parent Account Setup (https://youtu.be/x8mO3N0M0Mc)
- Scoutbook Awards Demo (https://youtu.be/rBngU97C280)
- Scoutbook Advancement Demo (https://youtu.be/th6ebrY6Dms)
- Scoutbook Calendar (https://youtu.be/g6dOfghtOCs)
In addition to the above videos, Scoutbook itself has countless blog and forum entries to help guide you through different features of Scoutbook.
Finally, please don't hesitate to reach out to your son's den leader or Cubmaster for any questions you may have concerning the use of Scoutbook.