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Communication merit badge imparts an essential life skill

The silver border tells part of the story: It means Communication is one of the merit badges required for the Eagle Scout rank. But counselor Paul McDonald of Overland Park, Kan., thinks it’s even more...

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Take your Scouts to new heights with the Climbing merit badge

Climbing is one of the most exciting merit badges available. It’s also one of a dozen badges where counselors and supervisors must have special qualifications. To learn more, we talked with Rhonda...

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Carve out some time for the Wood Carving merit badge

In an age when Scouts can earn merit badges in high-tech fields like Animation and Robotics, a low-tech badge — Wood Carving — remains popular. Last year, it was the fifth most popular elective badge,...

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Moviemaking merit badge lets Scouts be the stars

Not coming soon to a theater near you: Humanic Park, The Dino Infection or Rexy. But these three short films, among the movies created last summer at Camp Josepho, could very well be springboards to...

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Make a splash with the Oceanography merit badge

Chris Lamie started teaching the Oceanography merit badge at the Merit Badge University at Harvard University when he was a Harvard sophomore. More than 15 years later, he’s still at it, teaching the...

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A path to earning the Hiking merit badge in a big city

District chairman and former Scoutmaster Mike DiTrani has completed five Philmont treks and frequently hikes in the Adirondacks, but some of his favorite hiking happens much closer to his Staten Island...

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Strike a chord with the Music merit badge

After the Omaha Symphony’s family concert last March, most musicians headed home or to dinner, or perhaps to a freelance gig. Not assistant principal bassist Bill Ritchie. The longtime Scouter walked...

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Tips for teaching Family Life merit badge today

As she drove the girls in her new Scouts BSA troop to a campout last spring, Heather O’Bannon heard plenty of stories of family distress and dysfunction. “I’m sitting there going, ‘Wow, Family Life...

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The sky’s the limit with the Astronomy merit badge

When the giant Magellan Telescope opens sometime in the next decade, it will be 10 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. But you don’t need billion-dollar equipment to introduce your...

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Answers to FAQs About Merit Badge Counselors

To earn a merit badge, a young person must work with a registered merit badge counselor. Here are some frequently asked questions about these important adult volunteers. What are the requirements to...

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How to bring the Scouting Heritage merit badge to life

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton wrote that in 1676; in 2016, the Scouting Heritage merit badge lets Scouts look further as well. It introduces them...

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An easy recipe for teaching the revised Cooking merit badge

Mike Holcombe has seen Scouts who were afraid to stir soup. Chip Goss has watched Scouts turn rice pilaf into charcoal, despite his frequent reminders to check the pot. Both have eaten enough...

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How to make earning the Photography merit badge picture-perfect

Jim Brown earned the Photography merit badge in 1959, not long after he had completed his first commercial assignment. So when the longtime Indiana photographer (and Boys’ Life and Scouting magazine...

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Tips for making First Aid merit badge lessons last

Descending New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock in October 2015, a hiker named Linda slipped and twisted her ankle. She might have been in serious trouble, but instead she was in luck. Not long after her...

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Tips for navigating the Orienteering merit badge

Orienteering is a high-energy sport in which the map is more important than the compass and your brain is more valuable than your brawn. It’s also the subject of one of Scouting’s more popular merit...

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Tips for teaching the Environmental Science merit badge

More than two decades after earning the Environmental Science merit badge, Eagle Scout Jonathan Marchal still remembers the hours he had to spend observing nature (to which he had not looked forward)....

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How to add color to the Art merit badge

ART WAS THE BSA’S 24th most popular merit badge last year, narrowly beating out Lifesaving. While most Scouts who earn the badge probably do so at summer camp, the badge is a great offseason option....

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Make the Personal Management merit badge really count

After he leaves your troop, a Scout might never cook over a campfire, hike into the wilderness or use CPR to save a life. But he will undoubtedly need to manage his time and money. How effectively he...

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The Exploration merit badge: To boldly go…

Antarctica. The Amazon rainforest. Remote sites like these are great places to explore and to expand mankind’s knowledge. But so is San Antonio, Texas, according to Exploration merit badge counselor...

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How to add interest to the Citizenship in the Community merit badge

To many adults, discussing citizenship is inspiring. To many Scouts, it’s sleep-inducing. Especially when working on the Citizenship in the Community merit badge. “If you just talk about ‘What does it...

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