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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
15 posts
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.
