Boy Scout Troop 1018

Serving the Herndon, Reston, Dranesville, Sterling, and Great Falls areas of Northern Virginia

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• Helpful Scout and troop information, checklists, songs, recipes, forms, driving directions, and other goodiesThe Encyclopedia
• Lots of great information about merit badges, including a list of 1018 counselorsMerit Badge Info
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Merit Badge Information

List of Troop 1018's Merit Badge Counselors
Forms and Background Information on Specific Merit Badges
Click here if you would like to become a merit badge counselor, or want more information about merit badge counseling.

Tips and Procedures for Merit Badges

Merit badges are a great way to learn about a new subject, or to delve a little deeper into an area that interests you. While none is overly difficult, some require more preparation and time to complete than others. If you need a particular badge for advancement, make sure you allow enough time to complete it. (If there’s a requirement to keep a log for 90 days, for example, allow yourself longer than that to complete the merit badge).
Big, helpful hint!! --> The internet is a fabulous source for merit badge information. There are checklists, worksheets, background materials, and outlines available online for almost every merit badge. As I run across merit badge sites, I put links on the "links" page on this web site. Check it out . . . it may jump start your merit badge work.

Procedures for getting a merit badge are as follows:

1. Pick a merit badge. Sounds easy doesn’t it? It is, but make sure you have access to the merit badge manual and an approved counselor for that merit badge. Also, it's very important to make sure that the requirements of the merit badge are within your capabilities. For example, the Chemistry merit badge is best obtained after taking high school chemistry. Finally, a word of caution . . . merit badge requirements change from time to time, so make sure you have the most current edition of the merit badge book. If you need help finding a counselor, ask one of the troop’s adult leaders.
2. Get a blue card. Fill in your name, address, and the name of the merit badge (on all three parts).
   
3. Get the blue card signed by Mr. Donnell or one of the assistant scoutmasters.
   
4. Familiarize yourself with the requirements and contact the merit badge counselor. Ask for guidance on any areas you don’t understand. Remember, the counselor is there to provide assistance and to steer you in the right direction, not to serve as a substitute for studying the book. You and your counselor may decide on a number of progress checks to sign off on requirements as they're accomplished (particularly on some of the more complex or lengthy requirements).
   
5. IMPORTANT! If you visit a counselor you MUST always go with a buddy. This can be a friend, parent, or sibling, but you cannot go alone. A counselor cannot, by Boy Scout regulations, meet with a Scout (other than his/her own son) without another person present. When you visit, you’re expected to be prepared, polite, and dressed in a Class A uniform.
   
6. What's expected? You’re expected to fulfill the requirements of the merit badge -- nothing more, nothing less. The merit badge book has the background needed to answer questions relating to the requirements -- use it as your guide. Pay careful attention to the requirements. If it says, "demonstrate", this means "demonstrate", not "discuss".
   
7. After you have completed all requirements, the merit badge counselor will sign your blue card. He/she keeps one part, you keep one part, and the third part is turned in to the Advancement Chair (Mrs. Robertson). The ultimate responsibility for doing this rests with YOU! Until a blue card is properly completed and turned in, you have NOT completed the merit badge. Keep your copy! It's your record in case something gets lost (and that has been known to happen).
   
8. Your merit badge will then be presented at the next Court of Honor.

From my experience, the most common mistakes people make are 1) not having the Scoutmaster sign the blue card when starting to work on a merit badge, 2) not properly filling out the blue card (I’ve served as an adult leader at summer camp many times and each time I’ve gotten blue cards back at the end of camp with no name, or no merit badge name filled in), or 3) not reading the merit badge book -- the book is specific and comprehensive, and it’s pretty obvious when a Scout hasn’t taken the time to read it.

A few more tips . . .

• Merit badge workshops are generally "self-contained" -- that means they teach you what you need to know, give you materials to complete all projects, and evaluate your work. The idea is to walk away with a signed blue card. But, sometimes, there are requirements that must be completed in advance -- unless you do so, you’ll walk away with a "partial" and could likely find it very difficult to get back with a counselor to complete the requirements.
  
• To maximize the number of badges you get at summer camp, look carefully at the requirements and complete as much in advance as possible. At camp you will have access to a wide range of counselors who are more than happy to sign you off . . . but obviously can’t sign off that a badge is completed until all requirements have been met. Leaving even one requirement incomplete means finding a counselor when you get home to sign off that last requirement -- far better to walk away from camp with a completed blue card.
  
• When you complete a merit badge at camp, give the blue card to your acting scoutmaster. That way all blue cards get handed in and processed at the same time. Otherwise, they tend to disappear into corners of backpacks, jean pockets, or other strange places.
  

Good luck!!
SM Doug Donnell

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