Merit Badges are where your scout really has the chance to show their personality. There around 137 Merit Badges to choose from and only 10 of those are absolute musts for Eagle Rank (7 more fall into either/or categories). Has your scout always been interested in animals? Have them earn the Veterinary Science Merit Badge to help decide if that a career they’d really like to explore. Is he or she still talking about being an astronaut? You might suggest they work on Space Exploration, Robotics, Aviation, and Composite Materials this summer.
The most important thing to remember about Merit Badges is that they are supposed to be fun. Some of the information can be dry but there is no reason for a scout to be bored out of their mind during an entire badge. The scout should be learning but they should also be enjoying themselves. Scouting is “fun with a purpose” and this definitely applies to Merit Badges.
8 Ways to Make Your Merit Badge Adventure Easier
1. If you don’t know how to make a spreadsheet, now is the time to learn
If you are planning to earn more than the 21 merit badges required for Eagle Scout (anyone doing all 137?), then a spreadsheet is your friend. Merit badges are the perfect opportunity to teach your scout how to organize information and input data. Any spreadsheet software will work but Google Sheets is free and has a tutorial page for those who feel completely clueless.
What data you track depends on the needs of your scout and the number of merit badges you are working on. Some examples of information in your spreadsheet may be:
Requirements completed
Requirements planned (with a date for completion)
Field trips needed
Badges to start next
or Counselor information
2. Turn vacations into a learning experience
Trips are great opportunities to fulfill requirements. Museum visits, nature observation, and some activities can all be done on vacation. Need to work on Citizenship in the Nation? Combine this with a trip to Washington D.C. Interested in railroading? The National Railroad Museum in activity-packed Oklahoma City should be your next stop. Oceanography, Chemistry, and Citizenship in the World all have requirements that are covered in the Disney YES classes at Disney World Epcot.
Call ahead to museums and see if the staff might be available to talk to your scout. Usually they are more than happy to help. If it is a low attendance time of the year, they may even set up a program for an additional fee.
3. Plan your Scout camps with a goal in mind
Merit badge camps and workshops are great places to get those Eagle-required badges done or any badges that need counselors with specific certifications. Camps also add an additional layer of fun to those badges historically labeled as “boring” or “hard.” Environmental Science, Pioneering, Wilderness Survival, Climbing, and the water or wintertime badges are even more fun in a group environment.
4. Turn Merit Badges into a curriculum
Merit badge requirements can give a good, in-depth introduction to a topic and are a wonderful resource for homeschoolers. Similar badges can be combined to form a strong curriculum. For example, you might base a Natural Science class on the following badges:
Insect Study
Mammal Study
Reptile and Amphibian Study
Bird Study
Plant Science
Oceanography
Nature
Environmental Science
Soil and Water Conservation
Forestry
Many merit badges also include hands-on lab activities and experiments as choices to fulfill requirements. This is great for a kinetic learner and can even be used as a supplement to a boxed curriculum.
Even if you don’t homeschool, doing a couple of similar badges over winter break or during the summer can prevent “brain drain.” Be sure to talk to your counselor first to review requirements.
5. It’s All in the Family
Why should scouts have all the fun?
Mom, Dad, and younger siblings can all learn these skills and participate in the process. Scouts BSA is all about family scouting and recognizes the importance of having a program with activities for every age group. You can often find similar overlapping requirements for your older and younger scouts.
Families also make a great audience for presentations and practice. Put your badge-earning scout to work teaching information and skills to siblings and adults and they’ll not only gain a stronger understanding of the concepts but they’ll also get to work on their communication skills.
6. Form some Merit Badge Mini Groups
Is there a badge that only a few scouts in your troop are interested in earning? Set up a few Saturdays or afterschool sessions with this subgroup. Every scout needs to fully engage with each requirement so a small group makes good use of a counselor’s time.
Some of our Venturing girls already have their own “mini-camps” planned to start after February 1, 2019!
7. Extracurricular Activities are your friend
Look for outside opportunites to introduce your scout to new skills and knowledge. There are many activities that have components that can be applied to, or even used to complete, a merit badge including:
Meet a scientist sessions at the museum
Community summer camps (one local museum had Wood Carving this year and another was teaching Nuclear Science)
Ice skating or horseback riding lessons
Bugle lessons
or Summer swim team
8. Want the best experience? VOLUNTEER
Merit badge counselors will always help you but imagine how much more your scout will learn if they volunteer a few hours to the counselor’s organization. Not only will they get their requirements done, but they’ll gain a deeper understanding of the subject and be giving back as a thank you for the help. With some exceptions, this service can be applied towards rank advancements and the Citizenship in the Community merit badge. Check the specific requirements for more information.
And 1 Thing NOT to Do When Earning Merit Badges
Don’t overdo it
The attention span and ability of most youth is only capable of handling about 3-4 merit badges at a time. Unless you have an amazing go-getter (in which case, don’t hold them back!), try not to work on more than 3-4 badges at a time. When combined with the rigors of school, merit badge learning can quickly become watered down and understanding held at a superficial level is you are attempting to teach too many at once.
Good luck and please comment below with your own tips!
Looking for the merit badge list and workbooks? Visit MeritBadge.org.
10 Ways You are Making Backpacking Hard