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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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We love new badges in Scouting. We love ‘em even more here at the Summit if they are based on the great outdoors - and that's exactly where one of the newest Scouting merit badges, Kayaking, will take you. The skills you'll learn can take you anywhere from a lake to the wild whitewater or over…
Posted in Culture American Cultures Merit Badge for Boy Scouts Boy Scouts will learn to appreciate the rich cultural diversity of our country when they earn the American Cultures merit badge. Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and...
Whitewater Merit Badge for Boy Scouts Boy Scouts can choose between a canoeing option and a kayaking option when they earn the Whitewater merit badge. Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing [ This is a content summary only.
Rifle Shooting Merit Badge for Boy Scouts Many of our Boy Scouts earned their Rifle Shooting merit badges at our August campout. Shooting is always a popular activity for our Scouts. Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing [ This is a content summary only.
Earning the Traffic Safety merit badge will help Boy Scouts know how to stay safe, whether as drivers or pedestrians. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
I have always been a Scoutmaster that encourages advancement and using all of the methods of Scouting. I have always put a priority on the Scouts having fun, seeking new adventures and in the process, rank, merit badges, and other goodies will happen.
BSA has just released the Search and Rescue merit badge requirements. This new merit badge teaches Boy Scouts what is involved in search and rescue missions, so they will be prepared to help out if the need arises in their area.
Stamp collecting is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Boy Scouts can earn the Stamp Collecting merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
The search is over. The hotly anticipated debut of Search and Rescue merit badge - the BSA's 130th current merit badge - has finally arrived. Search and Rescue merit badge, or SAR for short, has an official earn date of Monday, Aug.
In the last blog post we answered some questions that were asked by participants and leaders at the Summit shakedown. This edition answers a few more. Garden Ground Mountain Trek The model for 2013 has some activities that are new for a national jamboree.
Aug. 20 is the date that the Search and Rescue merit badge will be available and ready to earn! You should start seeing the pamphlet and patch appear in Scout shops and online very soon. The best places for units and Scouts to start looking for merit badge counselors include local SAR groups, fire or…
Boy Scouts who like to tinker with their family cars can earn the Automotive Maintenance merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
For scouts attending WashJam this next week, they will have an opportunity to be some of the first scouts to possibly earn the new Search and Rescue merit badge . Via the WashJam Facebook page, I learned yesterday that one of the requirements is for scouts to take and pass FEMA’s ICS-100 online training and exam…
I realize the title of this post may raise a few eyebrows (and tempers) but let me explain. Last night I met with a young man in my ward who just turned 14, and his mother. This young man has just recently started coming back to church (good for him).
Earning the Scouting Heritage merit badge helps Boy Scouts learn about the history of the Scouting movement and understand how the Boy Scout program developed. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Boy Scouts will learn how to make their own paper when they earn the Pulp and Paper merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Last night at our Troop meeting I gave my annual Summer Camp talk with the Scouts. This is never a popular talk with the parents because I kind of go against the grain when it comes to conventional wisdom regarding "Camp".
Boy Scouts learn about the connection between living things when they earn the Nature merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
When a few of our Boy Scouts earned their Small-Boat Sailing merit badge a couple of years ago, they would yell "Pirate Adventure!" as they walked down to the waterfront at camp. They loved doing this badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Whitewater kayaking has been a part of the Whitewater merit badge, but now there is a merit badge for flat-water kayaking, which will make this one a good merit badge to earn while out on the lake at summer camp.
Whenever a new merit badge comes out, a handful of well-meaning volunteers usually ask that question. "If you're adding Welding merit badge ," they write, "which one will you take away?" For me, though, the beauty of the BSA's merit badge program lies in its diverse selection.
Boy Scouts who enjoy the design and beauty of outdoor spaces can pursue their interests by earning the Landscape Architecture merit badge. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
I am proud and excited to join in our announcement about the availability of our latest merit badge-Search and Rescue. We talk often about our Scouts being Prepared. For Life.™, but the meaning behind that identity jumps to an even higher level when it comes to learning the skills that may help save a life-or…
The requirements for the new Kayaking merit badge page are now available on usscouts.org http://usscouts.org/mb/mb149.asp .The page also contains some information from the pamphlet specifically aimed at counselors, and a link to the requirements for the Kayaking BSA award patch at http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/kayaking.asp .
You can always find the area of Boy Scout summer camp where they are working on the Leatherwork merit badge by the noise of boys busily stamping leather. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
When it comes to life-changing experiences, there's no substitute for camping. And when it comes to the Eagle-required Camping merit badge, there's no substitute for Requirement 9a. It reads as follows: 9. Show experience in camping by doing the following: a.
The Insect Study merit badge makes a good elective for Boy Scouts who enjoy watching butterflies and observing tiny creatures on the ground. [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
The BSA announced the new Search and Rescue merit badge today at a casino in Nevada. Why there? The 2012 National Search and Rescue Conference is going on there today, so it makes sense. The requirements aren't public yet, but should be available soon.
New Merit Badge for Boy Scouts
The Search and Rescue merit badge will be announced this week at the 2012 National Search and Rescue Conference . The conference is hosted by the National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) and the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
But that's a good thing. At least, it is for Scouts who love to mountain bike. The BSA has approved a mountain biking option for Cycling, a merit badge mainstay since 1911. So for the first time, Scouts who prefer fat tires instead of thin can earn the badge.
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! ]
