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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
Showing 51–85 of 85 posts
Although the official industry launch of the new Kayaking merit badge won't take place until the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market event Aug. 2–5 in Salt Lake City, the "earn date" for the badge has been moved up to June 13 to accommodate Scouts who are heading to summer camp.
Boy Scouts learn about motor boat operation and safety while working on the Motorboating merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
New Merit Badge for Boy Scouts
The Athletics merit badge is an elective which might interest Boy Scouts who are involved in sports or concerned about fitness. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
We are seeking passionate Scouters who plan to attend the 2013 National Scout Jamboree (either full- or part-time) and need a job while there to consider helping support one of our newest merit badges, including Inventing, Robotics, Chess, Welding, Search and Rescue, and Game Design.
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.
Merit badges don't teach themselves. And with the 2013 National Scout Jamboree just 14 months away, the BSA's looking for a few good men and women to demonstrate their skills. The focus is on the six newest merit badges making a big splash at the Summit Bechtel Reserve next summer.
There are a lot of caves in our area, so many Boy Scouts do the requirements for the Geology merit badge in conjuction with a cave tour outing. Some of the cave sites have geologists on staff who can show the Scouts specimens and explain the material to them.
A new merit badge rewarding you for creativity, fun, and strategy? I'm game. Your Scouts will be too when the Game Design merit badge debuts next year. Approved and listed on my Guide to New Merit Badges for a month now, the new badge is still in the planning stages.
Boy Scouts who are interested in the operation and maintenance of farm machinery can earn the Farm Mechanics merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Thanks to The Hunger Games , archery is cool again. Your move, Scout leaders. In the megahit film and book, the character Katniss Everdeen (above) uses a bow and arrow to hunt for food. And she does it in style. Sounds like a great opportunity for Scouters to get their troop excited about Archery merit badge…
The Fly Fishing merit badge will teach Boy Scouts how to tie their own flies and then go after the big catch. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Earning the Energy merit badge will help Boy Scouts think about the supply and demand issues for energy in our modern world. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Boy Scouts make a carpentry project while working on the Woodwork merit badge. Our local carpenters union holds a skill center for this badge every year and the Scouts who have gone have really enjoyed it. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Our local Humane Society does a Dog Care merit badge skill center for Boy Scouts once or twice a year. Several of our Scouts have gone and been enthusiastic about what they learned. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Stumped when Scouts question you about new merit badges? I hear you. With so many new and exciting merit badges, keeping up isn't easy. That's why I created a guide to New Merit Badges - a concise, regularly updated information source.
Unless one of their relatives won last week's Mega Millions jackpot, your Scouts will need a job some day. Sorry. Just one of life's little realities. But here's the good news: Part of helping Scouts become "Prepared. For Life." includes giving young people hands-on experience that could lead to a career.
In 2010, BSA announced that it was going to discontinue the Bugling merit badge and merge it into the Music merit badge. The response to this announcement was so overwhelming that BSA reversed this decision and Bugling remains a separate badge.
Boy Scouts who enjoy building models from kits can challenge themselves further when they earn the Model Design and Building merit badge. For this badge they must build one model without starting from a kit. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Spending time with your Scouts on C.O.P.E courses is a wonderful experience. Scouts are challenged to step away from what they know is comfortable. The team building exercises and challenging tasks push Scouts to push themselves, not only for the sake of pushing themselves, but for the sake of the team.
Imagine, if you will, a "welding extravaganza." That's how the Heart of America Council recently cooked up the rollout of the BSA's Welding merit badge, with 24 Scouts becoming the first in the country to earn this award. I was in Kansas City recently to speak at the Mayor's Annual Prayer Breakfast, and had the…
I recevied this question recently via the website contact form. The email address given did not work so I am publishing the question and answer here. -Clarke I'm a assistant scoutmaster and was recently contacted by a dad of a scout that after one year is still at Scout rank.
Today (Feb 24, 2012) is the first day Boy Scouts can start earning the new Welding merit badge. Opportunities in the welding field are endless, and Scouts earning their Welding merit badge can not only explore the fundamentals of welding, but also learn about the different career paths within the...
Boy Scouts who are interested in conservation and tree identification will enjoy earning the Forestry merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Either the Cycling merit badge OR the Hiking merit badge OR the Swimming merit badge is required for the rank of Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts who earn more than one of these badges may count the additional badges as electives.
Day 4 Spent today doing some investing of time into our pack and troop. Sent out the list of requirements to the den leaders and den chiefs for the Den Chief Service Award . I think most of them have either earned it or are really close.
The wait is nearly over! Your Scouts can begin working on the BSA's newest merit badge-Welding-on Feb. 24. And, the new merit badge pamphlets are on their way to Scout shops as we speak. The merit badge, which was created through collaboration with the American Welding Society (AWS), the BSA Health and Safety Committee, and…
Geocaching is one of the newer merit badges offered to Boy Scouts. It was added in 2010. Geocaching is becoming more and more popular across the country, so this badge gives Scouts a way to learn about it. [ This is a content summary only.
Our district is holding its annual merit badge pow-wow in March and I've been handing out registration forms for the last couple weeks. One boy, a Life scout, asked me if it would they would let him sign up for three required merit badges (the pow-wow rules say a max of two).
Hot news: Welding merit badge is almost here! As I told you in November , the BSA turned to the American Welding Society to help create a new merit badge that will teach Scouts about a real-world field where demand for workers exceeds supply.
What were the hottest merit badges last year? I've got the answer. Maybe. So first, a caveat: The friendly folks at the Supply Division tell me there's no way to determine exact numbers of merit badges earned. That info is tracked by troops - not the National Council.
Our Boy Scout troop is planning a campout in the spring based on the Cooking merit badge. I am a counselor for this badge, so I am working with the youth campmaster to help him plan the activities. [ This is a content summary only.
The merit badge program of the Boy Scouts of America is a wonderful way to introduce boys to new hobbies, sports, crafts, and even possible careers. The awards require a Boy Scout to meet new people in the community who are the merit badge counselors.
The Citizenship in the World merit badge is required for Boy Scouts to earn the rank of Eagle Scout [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Boy Scouts who want to make an extra nice poster to promote their Student Council candidate or club event should look at the Graphics Arts merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
