Earning a Merit Badge

1
Earning a Merit Badge
2
Find a Merit Badge You Like

• Or Need
• Want to be an Eagle? You must earn 12
  Eagle-Required merit badges, like Swimming and
  Family Life. Some Eagle-required merit badges
  have alternates. You do one OR the other.
  Lifesaving and Emergency Preparation is an
  example. You only must have one (but may do
  both). Only ONE of those counts for the 12.
• Have an interest?
• Like art, horseback riding, electricity, small
  mammal study, fingerprinting, pioneering (knots
  and lashings), cooking, small boat sailing, first
  aid? Theres a merit badge for that. Go to
  www.usscouts.org to get a comprehensive list of
  available merit badges.

3
Get a Blue Card and the Merit Badge Book

• You should always get a blue card BEFORE you
  start working on a merit badge.
• The Advancement leader or Scoutmaster have these.
• Ask them at the meeting, or by phone (to arrange
  to pick up or get at the next meeting) or by
  email (to arrange to pick up or get at the next
  meeting.)
• You should check with the merit badge counselor
  before starting a merit badge if you do not have
  the blue card. Some badges require a signed blue
  card before you perform requirements.

4
Read the Requirements

• The Scout Store has a book with all the current
  merit badge requirements in it a new one is
  published each year (Boy Scout Requirements.)
• Find out what it takes to do the merit badge
  BEFORE you start it.
• Make sure you are interested in it (or are
  willing to do the requirements for the
  Eagle-required badges).
• No requirements can be taken away or added to the
  requirements in the merit badge book by you or
  the counselor.

5
Ask a Buddy

• See if you can find a buddy to work on earning
  the merit badge the same time you do. This can
  make the merit badge more fun and makes it easier
  for two-deep leadership, as well as more
  efficient for the merit badge counselor. Do not
  meet alone with a counselor if another scout is
  not doing the merit badge with you, take along a
  friend, sibling or parent.

6
Find a Merit Badge Counselor

• Some parents in the troop are merit badge
  counselors
• Sometimes you have to go outside our troop to
  find a local counselor
• Check out Merit Badge Midway (usually you sign up
  on-line)
• Earn badges at summer camp (these should be no
  harder or easier to earn you just work on it in
  a GREAT setting)
• Ask the Advancement Chair to help you locate a
  counselor (see either your patrol leader, SPL or
  the Scoutmaster to figure out who the Advancement
  Chair is)

7
Meet with the Counselor/Do the Requirements

• Read the badge requirements carefully. Some
  require advance permission before doing one of
  the requirements you may not get the
  requirement signed off it you do it without
  approval AND you might waste time.
• Meet at the beginning of working on the badge (in
  person or by phone) with the counselor to make
  sure you understand the requirements.

8
Finish the Requirements

• Keep track of what you do consider using a
  folder or binder
• YOU KEEP THE BLUE CARD AS YOU WORK ON THE MERIT
  BADGE DONT LOSE THIS
• There are worksheets which you can use for most
  merit badges (www.usscouts.org has links to
  these). Using these helps both you AND the merit
  badge counselor.

9
Schedule a Meeting With the Counselor When You
Are Done

• Bring your stuff, folder, binder, worksheets,
  letters from people, etc.
• Discuss all the requirements with the counselor
  to determine that you have completed them.
• The counselor will sign your blue card and keep
  ONE section.
• YOU turn in the other two sections to the
  Advancement Chair.

10
Keep the Scouts Record

• Once you are done with earning the merit badge,
  you will be awarded the badge, usually at a Court
  of Honor.
• Attached to the badge is the record of completion
  (one section of the blue card OR a paper
  recording the information). Keep this because
  sometimes mistakes happen and you need to show
  you earned a badge. The BADGE doesnt count,
  only the BLUE CARD does.

11
Do Your Best

• Like everything you do in Scouting, do your best.
• Enjoy yourself choose badges that interest you,
  or that you like take advantage of them to
  learn about stuff you dont know about!!
• Be respectful to counselors they are
  volunteering their time wear your full field
  uniform when meeting with counselors (Class A)
  unless you are told otherwise.