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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
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James Eager has supplied the USSSP with a new version of his Merit Badge Counselor Data Base. This is a ZIP file (approx 100 KB each), he developed for the Thunderbird District, Gulf Ridge Council, containing 3 files: (1) An empty Access Data Base, (2) An rtf file with instructions, and (3) a pdf file…
Why don't we have a sewing merit badge? There should be a skateboarding merit badge. When will we have a hunting merit badge? Have you ever had or heard similar questions? Well, BSA has posted an email address where you can start the process of creating a new merit badge.
We've added a few new items in the past few days which may be of interest to Scouts and Scouters: Awards -- see http://usscouts.org/awards.asp for these items: We now have information and the requirements for the " 2010 - A Year of Celebration " awards.
So for this week's merit badge corner I thought I'd talk about the Communications merit badge. Communication is arguably one of the most important things we do each day and being able to communicate effectively is a skill that a scout can use for the rest of there life.
I've decided to start another post series (I know another series for me to forget and neglect, just kidding). So this new series is going to be a weekly merit badge corner were I'll talk about a random merit badge, some eagle required some electives.
6 Vote On Idea Our Scouts would love to see a Spelunking Merit Badge. They have gone caving twice with professional spelunkers and Loved it! They have asked me about a caving badge and I have not even found a 'fun patch' for them.
Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your water-loving Boy Scout? Here's one: the Scuba Diving merit badge pamphlet, hot off the presses. The merit badge, the first new one in three years, will officially be released on Dec. 1 when it will be available in Scout Shops and online at scoutstuff.org .
0 Vote On Idea I propose to make Triathlon a merit badge. Swimming, biking and running are life long skills that every boy should know. There are many other elements involved in the sport. One must be prepared at any distance during a triathlon.
America loves movies. Even small towns have a movie theater with the latest films from Hollywood. Libraries loan DVDs and video stores abound. Netflix will deliver them to your mailbox or over the Internet. Need more? Youtube is one of the most popular sites on the Internet.
The sweet smell of gasoline? Chemistry. The sweeter smell of perfume? Chemistry. The bane of high school students all across the world? Yep, the same chemistry. Does physics get its own merit badge? Nope. Biology? Nada. This is the only science badge you can still earn in any high school in the country just by…
When I was a Boy Scout in central Alaska, I worked hard on the Canoeing merit badge. There weren't a lot of places to use a canoe aside from our Scout camp--at least for me. Only problem: I couldn't swim!
-7 Vote On Idea At a recent Scouting event that was attended by several Eagle Scouts, my wife was somewhat troubled by the way several of our young men, Eagle Scouts, were conducting themselves at the banquet table. It appeared they had no training on how to properly handle a fork in such a setting.
Camping is the backbone of the Boy Scouts of America. Super campers get to join the Order of the Arrow . We dream about it, look forward to it each month (you do camp each month, right?), teach the skills and walk the walk.
As we mentioned back in August, Scuba Merit Badge was approved and would be showing up later this year. Wait no longer. The details are now available. While the requirements and information have been released and will be pushed out through the Councils, it will take a little while for the merit badge pamphlet and…
Scouting magazine’s feature once called ‘Front Line Stuff’ has been renamed (I think) ‘What would you do?’ Here’s the current question; Many Scouts start and finish merit badge requirements in a reasonable amount of time, others do not. Often, at summer camp, boys begin badges but return home with partial completions.
Scouting magazine's feature once called 'Front Line Stuff' has been renamed (I think) 'What would you do?' Here's the current question; Many Scouts start and finish merit badge requirements in a reasonable amount of time, others do not. Often, at summer camp, boys begin badges but return home with partial completions.
Its been a while since I've done one of these recap posts, February to be exact, however I had a few requests from curious readers so here we go… This is a recap of September 2009 on Scouting News… First, I'd like to thank our September Sponsor: BoyScoutStore.com Boy Scout Store is an independent website…
Luck lets you wake up 2 minutes before the bugle starts to broadcast. Clear notes float through the woods, letting everyone know what time it is and to get their day started. Or to hunker back into their sleeping bag and groan.
We are fortunate to have an Audubon club in a nearby town. Each November, they have a multi-day event for the general public that includes hikes, vendors, several talks, and a great session with live birds (last year's was about raptors).
Last year, my wife got me the world's most useless Christmas present - a BSA Branding Iron (which, if you read the page, has a warning that it is not intended for children under 3 years due to choking hazard, but no mention of burn hazard ???)
Basketry is one of the merit badges we often encourage new Scouts to do. Young hands seem to be able to pull this off, even though it means sitting for hours to accomplish the final. With only a few requirements, it is a great way to teach the steps to earning a merit badge in…
One of my great pleasures in Scouting is backpacking . Our troop has segment-hiked 150+ miles of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) over the last 3 years, one weekend at a time. I would like for us to do more of it, but we need to balance camporees, summer camp, and the other special opportunities…
The National Council has been putting out the word to Councils about some new Merit Badges coming soon! Rumors of the majority of these being in developed starting surfacing back in March, but now they have been approved. So far we've heard about the following merit badges: – Robotics merit badge approved.
-17 Vote On Idea Videogames and Scouting don't mix. Or do they? Our council has used Videogame tournaments as a means to recruit new boys into Scouting for years. First, we find a Troop to host a videogame tournament (non-violent videogame).
At ScoutStuff.org you can purchase 100 merit badge blue cards for $7.00 - then you get to fill them out by hand. These work great for a scout or three requesting to start merit badges, but when summer camp comes around and 100 or more merit badge requests come up it gets painful.
Getting ready for summer we are looking at the merit badges offered at camp. It has been a long standing rule of mine that Scouts in their first year at camp take at least one Eagle Required merit badge. Something like Environmental Science or First Aid.
We had a wonderful, if somewhat damp, week at summer camp and our Scouts arrived home happily tired from having a great time. Merit Badge work is a big part of summer camp so there are usually some conversations about the quality of instruction and the effort extended by Scouts in completing requirements.
1 Vote On Idea Cooking is substantial skill that is needed everyday. Cooking Merit Badge should be required for Eagle. What do you think? Comments (0) Boy Scouting
2 Vote On Idea I had a leader ask me about how to know which merit badge books and their requirements are up to date and which are out of date. I told him that probably the easiest way would be to look in a current edition of the merit badge requirement book and take…
6 Vote On Idea I've been working on a special summer session of our normal merit badge classes here at the museum. I ran into some issues this past week with scouts wanting to take the Personal Management class that is this Saturday.
-9 Vote On Idea Let's take the information that is in our merit badge books and turn them into a series of 3-5 minute lessons that boys can view when needed. It is proven that people learn better through multimedia.
Interpretation of rank advancement requirements is often an entertaining endeavor. We interpret every word we read. Right now, you are reading and interpreting these words. I was reminded of something this weekend about the Star, Life, and Eagle merit badge requirements.
-3 Vote On Idea Technology series merit badges . Also, make this a whole group, like the citizenship group. Scouting Heritage Merit Badge. Studying history of our organization will develop greater meaning and appreciation for those who are interested. Comments (0) Boy Scouting
Don't forget to include the local scout shop on your list of places to go when gathering items for your vacations this summer. Have your scout ask the advancement chair to print a list of his merit badges and work with the scout to figure out what can be worked into the trip.
1 Vote On Idea Web & Database Development: Grow your knowledge of how websites really happen and how databases support the web and other applications. Learn about programming languages used, development principals and the career opportunities in this field. Video Game Design: Learn the ins and outs of this fast growing career.
0 Vote On Idea Experience the fun of exploring the history of Scouting – both nationally and in your own community. Explore the lives of Scouting's founders, interact with long-time Scouters in your community and learn about your unit's history and the evolution of Scout equipment and programs. Comments (0) Boy Scouting , merit badge
1 Vote On Idea Learn about the ancient and modern history of cryptography and codes and how they have been used in government, politics and business. Learn how to build and codes and how they are used in modern-day security. Comments (0) Boy Scouting , merit badge
0 Vote On Idea Learn about kites -- their history, the different types, how to construct them and how to fly them. Experience the fun of building and flying several types of kites. Comments (0) Boy Scouting , merit badge
1 Vote On Idea Learn about the history of disk sports and how to participate in the various disk sport disciplines of Disk Golf, Ultimate, and Freestyle. Comments (0) Boy Scouting , merit badge
-1 Vote On Idea Learn the skills necessary to effectively and safely use the internet. This badge would cover internet safety, internet terms, online shopping, email usage, the basics of web development, social networks and blogs. Comments (0) Boy Scouting , merit badge
Flight is one of mankind's oldest dreams. A toy glider has been found in the ruins of ancient Egypt. My eldest son's Scoutmaster 15 years ago, used to take the Scouts up in his personal craft and with a little instruction, turn the controls over.
There are a couple of fairly common references to Scouts and automobiles. It is one of the "fumes"--perfumes and car fumes. Eagle Scouts may have a driver's license in my house. Get busy. The American love of the automobile is legendary.
0 Vote On Idea Leadership across all cultures, across millennia, has employed he art of storytelling to transmit tradition, values and vision. Today, storytelling is said to be the "secret language of business leadership." Storytelling requires the use of imagination, memory, insight, and creative joining of words, meaning with sound for a meaningful presentation to…
-1 Vote On Idea Leadership frequently requires effective use of persuasive reasoning, oftentimes in an extemporaneous setting against an opposing point of view. Learn to think and communicate critically and effectively in a formal, organized manner using the techniques and tools of formal debate.
As soon as I discover how to actually add files to the side bar, these will be a permanent fixture to this blog. In the meantime, I want to be sure you all have quick access. I fully believe that the boy scouts of SHAC have the ability to make this happen.
-12 Vote On Idea There is a group of dedicated Scouters who were working with Richard Bourlon to create a Poison Prevention Merit Badge, from Tampa General Hospital, in Tampa Florida. They have created the verbiage, pictures, written format, and organized pages as found in exisiting merit badge books.
0 Vote On Idea The Boy Scout mission is "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes." And while we educate Scouts in values via the Scout Law, nowhere in Boy Scout advancements do we offer the opportunity to explore what it means to "Be Prepared" in the area of…
-3 Vote On Idea Merit badge focused on the importance of inventing and problem solving in creating sustainable development. Scouts will learn to observe, identify problems and develop solutions around practical scouting needs and then to extend those skills to other inventing areas.
0 Vote On Idea Recognizing the aging of the US population, this merit badge would increase a Scout's empathy and understanding of elderly citizen's needs, provide increased opportunities for Scouts to offer their service to others, and better prepare Scouts for the future. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Boy Scouting (26)
0 Vote On Idea Add a new merit badge for mathematics. Many current merit badges use mathematical concepts (Science, Chemistry, Model Rockets, Orienteering, etc.) yet none addresses the foundational nature of mathematics. A merit badge could help turn Scouts on to the value and fun of mathematics. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Boy Scouting (26)
