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From Basketry to Robotics, merit badges are where Scouts meet the wider world. These posts share counselor tips, workbook debates, new badge announcements and the stories behind favorite badges.
637 posts · 2007–2020
A reading list that spans blogs and years.
Animal Science" merit badge covers a subject near and dear to many a carnivore's heart: where our agricultural meat comes from. OK, maybe not the "Horse Option", but everything else looks like farm food that walks. A century ago, most Americans were tied to the land somehow, raising their food to either support themselves or…
Here's a Cooking Merit Badge infographic that you may find helpful: Download a printable PDF of the Cooking Merit Badge Infographic The Facts: As of January 1, 2014 Cooking Merit badge is required for Eagle. A new set of requirements have been published and new book will be available in January.
The Sustainability merit badge was added as a new merit badge in the summer of 2013. This badge focuses on lifestyle adaptations which use our planet's natural resources more wisely. Either Sustainability merit badge or Environmental Science merit badge is required for the rank of Eagle.
This weeks merit badge is one of the most important subjects to have good knowledge about to succeed in the great outdoors. This is the Camping merit badge. This is an Eagle required badge. Here are the Requirements: Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur…
Setting the Stage (Moviemaking) It was the end of January. My Troop and I were going through the last few hours of an event called “Merit Badge College”. This was an annual event held at a local community college where experts in various fields came and taught different merit badge subjects over the course of…
First I want to thank all the readers of the blog and listeners of the podcast for having the confidence in me or at valuing my opinion. The reason I write this is because over the last year or so emails flood my inbox asking questions, giving me feed back, and asking for my opinion.
You find them in just about every council. They can take place once or several times a year. Sometimes they’re run by the council; much of the time they tie in with a local college, museum or company. They’re attended by dozens or hundreds of Scouts.
Following my proposed strategy for working through Advancement , the next step is to have a plan for completing merit badges. Here are my ideas for helping a Scout reach Life by the time he turns 14 (or very close). This perspective is mostly focused on required MBs since everybody needs them.
The long-awaited Walking merit badge requirements have been released today. Though not an Eagle-required badge, I expect this one will be one of the most popular badges to collect in 2015. Requirements for the Walking merit badge: Do the following: Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while walking, and what…
“Pioneering is practical and character building: the two essential ingredients of any program material for Scouts.” (Lord Baden-Powell) Pioneering Merit Badge, which as we all know used to be required for Eagle, should give Scouts a taste of pioneering! Of course they should be taught about safety and gain some general knowledge, but much more…
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Foreground: Rachel Brachman, public engagement specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Background: Holden Crater on Mars. (Background photo via NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) For a full portrait of Rachel Brachman’s passions and proficiencies, don’t look at her LinkedIn. Start with her merit badge counselor registration.
lambada/Getty Images You won’t find this adjective in the Scout Law, but it might as well be sculpted in stone, painted on a wall or embroidered in the finest thread. A Scout is creative . Yes, this means Scouts find unique ways to solve problems, serve others and explore the outdoors.
Update, October 1, 2021: The badge will be known as CItizenship in Society . Release date is expected sometime in November. Requirements are still being formulated. It is expected that counselors will be required to complete the BSA’s Diversity training. Update, January 7, 2021: The BSA has announced a delay in the implementation of the DEI…
You won’t find many Scouts clamoring for summer camp to be more like school. But what if the opposite could be possible? What if school could more closely resemble the high-energy, hands-on fun that makes Scout camp the greatest week of summer?
mediaphotos/Getty Images Maybe your Halloween plans this year include pumpkin decorating, virtual costume contests or other lower-risk ways to celebrate this fun family holiday. Or perhaps you, like me, are just planning a sugar binge until you crash at the crack of 9:30 p.m.
Last summer, more than 120 Scouts met at the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club’s clubhouse in New Lenox, Ill., to learn about the world of model trains. The 3,600-square-foot clubhouse features dozens of model trains that run through handcrafted terrain built by club members.
An eight-hour flight to Paris? Even in pre-pandemic times, that seems like a lot of work for a single merit badge requirement. But with the Louvre Museum just a click away, the Art merit badge is within reach during COVID-19.
If you consider Hercules Mulligan, John Laurens and the Marquis de Lafayette to be three of your closest quarantine companions, you aren’t alone. Now that the Broadway musical Hamilton is available to anyone for just $7 (the cost of a month of Disney+), this hip-hop history lesson is gaining an even wider audience.
When Avery Moore isn’t volunteering as Scoutmaster of Troop 11 in Rocky Mount, N.C., you can find him helping out at a local pediatric burn survivor aftercare program. It was during a virtual meeting for the latter that he discovered a need that could be met by the former.
“A Scout is…” Those three words of the Scout Law are just as important as the 12 points that follow. They mean that all Scouts and Scouters strive to exemplify those 12 traits at all times —both tranquil and turbulent.
Submit ideas, art and poems for Friday’s Facebook Live It takes cooperation from all groups and individuals to work together so that we can all get along. Learning to accept people for who they are, no matter what their background, makes good sense for us all.
Imagine getting free art lessons from the most accomplished illustrators from around the country. Maybe you want to ask them questions about their techniques. Maybe you’re looking for tips for your next art project. Maybe you’re bored and just want to draw along with the pros.
Francis Lawrence (top left) met with seven Scouts to teach the Moviemaking merit badge beginning in April. Like other merit badge counselors, Francis Lawrence brings passion, expertise and professional experience to this important volunteer role. It just so happens that Lawrence’s experience is as an accomplished Hollywood director.
Scouts are resourceful. So, while your troop may not be able to go on a weekend campout together during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time could be ideal to learn how to play a new game or work on the car or prepare a first aid kit for the family.
Daniel Free earned the Eagle Scout rank in 2017. At the time, the 15-year-old of Troop 489 in Germantown, Md., had earned 54 merit badges. But he didn’t stop there. The night of his court of honor, he made it a goal to earn all 137 available merit badges by his 18th birthday.
A Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary rescue worker holds an injured bald eagle that Scouts spotted. In these uncertain times as the country takes precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we know this is certain: Scouts will continue to help wherever and whenever they can.
So, you’re spending a little more time around the house than normal, but many of you are continuing your Scouting adventures, including making great progress on your merit badge work. Bryan pulled together a list of merit badges that can be worked on from home or your backyard, and, while it might not be possible…
New Merit Badge for Scouts
In times of crisis, Scouts find a way to adapt. We’re hearing from Scouts and leaders across the country who have found creative ways to keep on Scouting even while practicing social distancing (staying home and remaining at least 6 feet from others if you must go out).
Robots are everywhere. Car manufacturers use them on the assembly line. Doctors use them to perform intricate surgeries. You might have one to vacuum your house. Scouts with Troop 125 of Dallas, Texas, recently saw how robotics help Dr. Elizabeth Coronado, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Medical City Plano hospital.
I have just three words: Camping. Is. Back. After staking out a spot in seventh or eighth place in popularity from 2014 to 2018, the Eagle-required Camping merit badge jumped to third place in the 2019 rankings, released this month.
Smart, talented and brave. A friend to those in need. Someone who relishes learning new skills. While one group carries hiking sticks and the other lightsabers, I’d argue that Scouts and Jedi have more in common than you might think.
On a rainy Thursday at the 2017 National Jamboree, a Scout approached me and introduced himself. Jackson Rogers, then 15 years old, wanted to tell me about his seemingly impossible goal. He said he was trying to earn every available merit badge — all 138 a Scout could earn at the time.
Michaela Witgen’s initial reaction to the news that girls could join the BSA had nothing to do with merit badges. “The first thing I thought was, ‘Holy cow! I can get my Eagle!'” she says. “Both of my brothers are Eagle Scouts, and I want to be one, too.”
Richard (left) and Joseph Mercado of Troop 1439, Pathway to Adventure Council. Ask 12 Scouts to select the toughest merit badge they’ve earned, and you might get a dozen different answers. But ask two brothers, each of whom earned all 137 of the BSA’s available merit badges ?
Sure, your Scout can complete many merit badge requirements in a classroom setting. But where’s the fun in that? It’s time for Show and Tell , where Scouters show their favorite photos and tell the story behind them. This time, we want you to share how you or another counselor taught merit badge curriculum in a…
Outdoor retailers Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are an outdoorsman’s paradise. Most retail stores feature at least 80,000 square feet (many are a lot bigger) full of equipment for camping, hunting, fishing, boating and off-roading. This month, they’ll also have merit badge counselors.
Every merit badge tells a story. Examine each 1.5-inch circle, and you’ll find the tale of a Scout who discovered a new passion, conquered a fear or created something incredible. John Ucha can tell 139 such stories. And in his quest to earn every available Scouts BSA merit badge , his family has written quite a…
Actually, you can make this stuff up. We know that because it’s the same excuse fabricated by countless high schoolers who forgot to finish last night’s homework: “My dog ate it.” Only, this time, in the case of Jacob Sorenson of Troop 230 from Ames, Iowa, the statement is 100% trustworthy: “My dog ate the…
Boy Scouts of America has teamed with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and its award-winning environmental education program, Project Learning Tree (PLT). We’ve been working together to provide Scout leaders with ideas and outdoor, hands-on activities from PLT to help support Cub Scouting Adventures and Scouts BSA Merit Badges.
You find them in just about every council. They can take place once or several times a year. Sometimes they’re run by the council; much of the time they tie in with a local college, museum or company. They’re attended by dozens or hundreds of Scouts.
Better make room on your bookmarks bar. The BSA has refreshed and retooled a pair of online resources for Scouts BSA volunteers. The first is the Program Resources page . Think of it as your quick-start guide to Scouts BSA. Here, you’ll find a collection of links for starting a Scouts BSA troop, helping Scouts earn…
If your scouts have already earned the Exploration merit badge and are looking for something more interesting, it's your lucky day! The Tattoo Merit Badge was just announced and the merit badge pamphlet is available in scout shops and as electronic download.
New Merit Badge for Boy Scouts
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club All of the pieces lined up perfectly last week as a group of Scouts in St. Louis became some of the first girls in the country to earn the Chess merit badge. At the workshop, held Feb.
First Aid merit badge extended its reign atop the charts in 2018, while the Exploration , Animation and Bugling merit badges each saw double-digit gains in popularity. And how’s this for unusual: The exact same number of Scouts earned the Search and Rescue merit badge in 2017 and 2018: 10,107.
Early Life and Star badges from 1913 or 1914. From the BSA’s founding in 1910 until late 1914, the Eagle Scout Award had just two requirements: Earn the First Class rank Earn 21 merit badges from a list of 57 That’s it; that’s the list.
Two Boy Scouts check out an exhibit at the National Scouting Museum – Philmont Scout Ranch. Photo by Shane Mrozek When Scouting Heritage merit badge debuted in 2010, Scouts completing requirement 4B were asked to “write or visit the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.”
A Scout works with his counselor on the Animation merit badge. When Scouts earn merit badges, they get more than a small patch for their merit badge sash. They get hands-on experience in future career paths, college majors and hobbies.
One look at the requirements, and you’ll see why Invention was the least-earned merit badge in the history of the BSA. To earn it, Scouts had to “invent and patent some useful article” and “show a working drawing or model of the same.”
A steel-and-wood chess set crafted at summer camp by a Scout working on his Metalwork merit badge is now in the World Chess Hall of Fame. The one-of-a-kind creation is the work of Boy Scout Chandler Francis, who crafted the piece this summer at Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation in Gravois Mills, Mo., part…
Here’s a word problem to ponder: How can one homework assignment count twice? Easy. By getting credit for that work at school and in Scouts. Turns out several merit badge requirements align perfectly with schoolwork. And there’s no BSA rule against going for double credit.
Addison Foli thought he should head for a career in marine biology, but after one semester, he realized college wasn’t for him. Back to the drawing board. What job should the Gainesville, Fla., Eagle Scout pursue? His godfather — an electrician — suggested he look into a trade field.
Never heard of Fortnite? Your Scouts or Venturers can get you up to speed on the biggest videogame phenomenon in years. The Battle Royale game for computers, consoles and iOS devices pits 100 players against each other to be the last player standing on an ever-shrinking map.
The Boy Scouts of America’s National Advancement Team continuously reviews and updates matters of advancement across our programs. They work to keep requirements relevant and establish clear wording so the chances of misunderstanding are minimal. Part of their mission is to keep volunteers informed not only on new advancement opportunities, but also ways we can…
You might have seen the story about a Boy Scout from Utah who has Down syndrome and is working on his Eagle Scout rank. I wanted to clear up some misconceptions about this impressive young man. First, reports that Logan Blythe’s merit badges were revoked and that he was demoted to Cub Scout aren’t true.
Heather sent in this question: I have two boys one is almost done with all 137 Merit badge he is 15 and I know most of the merit badge go together. Now my 10 year old is now a boy scout and came to me the other day and said he to would like to…
Tracey sent in this form which can be used to keep track of counselors for merit badges. Space is included for the counselor's name, phone number, and email address. Badges required for the rank of Eagle Scout are highlighted in yellow.
Among the Boy Scouts of America’s 137 different merit badges , you’ll find some classics like Bugling, First Aid and Forestry. You’ll also find merit badges like Game Design, Digital Technology and Programming that couldn’t have existed last century. It’s those badges that caught the eye of the clue writers at Jeopardy!
With his day job and his evening volunteer gig, T’Challa keeps pretty busy. Sound familiar? But what if the King of Wakanda, also known as the Black Panther, found a free weekend or two to serve as a merit badge counselor?
