The boy scout handbook ($10) is pretty important to have as your boy passes off achievements. He can keep track of his tasks and merit badges in the front, and his leaders sign them off in the back.
The rank advancements go in this order: Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class. (These are the ones he will work on as a New Scout. He should be able to get to the rank of 1st Class by the time he is 12. I have seen several boys get to Star before they turn 12.) Then Star, Life, Eagle.
Then Bronze Palm, Gold Palm, and Silver Palm. These are for extra merit badges after the Eagle is earned.
The BSA shirts can be expensive ($35), try looking for one on ebay, Deseret Industries, Craigslist, etc. My sons had outgrown their youth size large shirts by the time they were 13. You might not want to pay full price for a new one until he gets bigger.
Campouts are critical for advancement for the first three levels of scouting. Make sure to go on them every chance you get.
Get a three-ring binder, some baseball card sheet protectors and some folders. You can keep the merit badge worksheets in the folders and the merit badge cards (blank or filled-out) and your rank advancement cards in the baseball card holders quite nicely.
If your son gets the First Aid or Swimming merit badges while he is a New Scout, then he will also have passed off the requirements in the 2nd and 1st Class rank advancements for the swimming and first aid.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Scouts Requirements Book
This book has all the requirements in it for the rank advancements and the merit badges.
It costs $5 at the scout store. It would be in addition to the Scout Manual.
I recommend it for scout leaders or merit badge counselors or parents of scouts.
I refer to it as my Bible of scouting. You can look up any merit badges and find the requirements for them. I take this one camping with me, so I can look up any merit badge like nature or camping and work on them while we are camping.
It also has requirements for mile swim badge, leave no trace, etc.
It costs $5 at the scout store. It would be in addition to the Scout Manual.
I recommend it for scout leaders or merit badge counselors or parents of scouts.
I refer to it as my Bible of scouting. You can look up any merit badges and find the requirements for them. I take this one camping with me, so I can look up any merit badge like nature or camping and work on them while we are camping.
It also has requirements for mile swim badge, leave no trace, etc.
Campouts
You need :1 troop campout to achieve Tenderfoot.
Two troop campouts to achieve 2nd Class.
Three troop campouts to achieve 1st Class.
You need 20 days/nights of camping with your troop to get Camping merit badge.
Camping merit badge is required for Eagle.
Keep track of all the campouts, and keep it in your scout binder. (Where you went and dates of campouts)
I suggest you go on EVERY troop compout that you can. Once you turn 14, you get too busy to do scouts until you are 17 1/2, and then you panic frantically to get it all done.
Two troop campouts to achieve 2nd Class.
Three troop campouts to achieve 1st Class.
You need 20 days/nights of camping with your troop to get Camping merit badge.
Camping merit badge is required for Eagle.
Keep track of all the campouts, and keep it in your scout binder. (Where you went and dates of campouts)
I suggest you go on EVERY troop compout that you can. Once you turn 14, you get too busy to do scouts until you are 17 1/2, and then you panic frantically to get it all done.
Required merit badges
The list of Required merit badges is a list of 15.
You have to do at least 12.
If you don't like to swim, you may choose bicycling or hiking and emergency preparedness.
You have to get either: Swimming, Bicycling, or Hiking.
You have to get either Lifesaving or Emergency Preparedness.
Those are the only ones that can get replaced.
If you have Swimming and Hiking, you may use them as 2 required merit badges towards a rank advancement until you are going for the Eagle, then you have to move the second one in the one area to the electives column.
If you have swimming, hiking, lifesaving, and emergency preparedness, they would count as 4 required merit badges towards the rank of Star or Life. But when you go for Eagle, since they are 4 required from 2 lists, the second one earned of each "list" has to be counted as an elective.
You have to do at least 12.
If you don't like to swim, you may choose bicycling or hiking and emergency preparedness.
You have to get either: Swimming, Bicycling, or Hiking.
You have to get either Lifesaving or Emergency Preparedness.
Those are the only ones that can get replaced.
If you have Swimming and Hiking, you may use them as 2 required merit badges towards a rank advancement until you are going for the Eagle, then you have to move the second one in the one area to the electives column.
If you have swimming, hiking, lifesaving, and emergency preparedness, they would count as 4 required merit badges towards the rank of Star or Life. But when you go for Eagle, since they are 4 required from 2 lists, the second one earned of each "list" has to be counted as an elective.
Pow Wow
A gathering where the boys go to work on merit badges and hopefully pass off the requirements to get a merit badge.
The Community Center holds an annual Pow Wow (a place to earn merit badges) in August where the boys can come and earn 2 merit badges for like $23 and it includes lunch. They usually offer Swimming and First Aid and Lifesaving amongst others. If you are 11 or 12, I highly recommend you get the Swimming and First Aid first.
Our Stake puts on a Pow Wow every 4th Tuesday at 7:15 at the Stake Center. They have a required merit badge or an elective to choose from. If you get the assignments done before the class, you should be able to walk away with a signed merit badge. You can get the assignments from your Scoutmaster.
The Community Center holds an annual Pow Wow (a place to earn merit badges) in August where the boys can come and earn 2 merit badges for like $23 and it includes lunch. They usually offer Swimming and First Aid and Lifesaving amongst others. If you are 11 or 12, I highly recommend you get the Swimming and First Aid first.
Our Stake puts on a Pow Wow every 4th Tuesday at 7:15 at the Stake Center. They have a required merit badge or an elective to choose from. If you get the assignments done before the class, you should be able to walk away with a signed merit badge. You can get the assignments from your Scoutmaster.
Ranks
Tenderfoot
2nd Class
1st Class
These should be done by the time you turn 12.
Then,
Star
Life
Eagle
To earn the Star rank, you have to have service hours, merit badges, and a leadership position for 4 months.
6 service hours as a 1st Class scout.
6 merit badges 4 of which have to be from the required list and 2 electives.
(All six can be from the required list.)
leadership positions are listed on the requirements page in your scout book.
To earn the Life rank, you have to have service hours, merit badges, and a leadership position for 6 months.
6 sevice hours as a Star scout.
11 merit badges 7 required merit badges and 4 electives
leadership positions are listed on the requirements page in your scout book.
To earn Eagle rank, you have to have the leadership service project, (everyone calls it an "Eagle Project")
21 merit badges 12 of which are required from a list of 15. (see required merit badges)
leadership position for 6 months- this is specific to your age at the time of Life rank.
If you are 12 you would be a patrol leader; if you are 16, you would be called a president.
**Make sure your scout leader has given you a leadership position as soon as you become a 1st Class. There are only certain ones that count toward advancement, so make sure it is on the list in your book under the rank you are trying to achieve.
**If you get the Life rank, you need to keep track of the leadership positions you had and the dates you served as them. You will enter these dates on the application to become an Eagle Scout.
2nd Class
1st Class
These should be done by the time you turn 12.
Then,
Star
Life
Eagle
To earn the Star rank, you have to have service hours, merit badges, and a leadership position for 4 months.
6 service hours as a 1st Class scout.
6 merit badges 4 of which have to be from the required list and 2 electives.
(All six can be from the required list.)
leadership positions are listed on the requirements page in your scout book.
To earn the Life rank, you have to have service hours, merit badges, and a leadership position for 6 months.
6 sevice hours as a Star scout.
11 merit badges 7 required merit badges and 4 electives
leadership positions are listed on the requirements page in your scout book.
To earn Eagle rank, you have to have the leadership service project, (everyone calls it an "Eagle Project")
21 merit badges 12 of which are required from a list of 15. (see required merit badges)
leadership position for 6 months- this is specific to your age at the time of Life rank.
If you are 12 you would be a patrol leader; if you are 16, you would be called a president.
**Make sure your scout leader has given you a leadership position as soon as you become a 1st Class. There are only certain ones that count toward advancement, so make sure it is on the list in your book under the rank you are trying to achieve.
**If you get the Life rank, you need to keep track of the leadership positions you had and the dates you served as them. You will enter these dates on the application to become an Eagle Scout.
Court of Honor
This is the awards ceremony, like a pack meeting, where the boys get recognized for the work they've been doing in scouts.
The families should come and support the boy.
There is a flag ceremony, skits, and the awards and merit badges are presented to the boys.
The families should come and support the boy.
There is a flag ceremony, skits, and the awards and merit badges are presented to the boys.
Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class Ranks
Tenderfoot requirements are a lot like what the boy did as a Webelos Scout.
In order to get the Tenderfoot award, you have to go on 1 campout with the scout troop.
2nd Class is a little more in depth and includes basic first aid, cooking, and swimming skills.
In order to get this award, you have to go on 1 more campout with the troop, for a total of 2 campouts.
1st Class is even a little more in depth than 2nd Class in the first aid, cooking, and swimming skills.
In order to get this award, you have to go on 1 more campout with the troop, for a total of 3 campouts.
There are two pages of requirements for each of these advancements. Most of them have to be done with the troop. A lot of them can be done on your own, however.
***All three of these ranks can be worked on at the same time. You may even finish the 1st Class rank requirements before you complete the Tenderfoot requirements. However, you cannot get the advancement of the 1st Class until you have the ranks of Tenderfoot and 2nd Class. Most of the time, these three awards are given at the same Court of Honor. (awards ceremony)
***The LDS Church has a policy that the 11-yr-olds can only go on three campouts as an 11-yr-old.
We get around this rule by having the dads come on the campouts as often as they can. If the dad isn't there, it counts as 1 of the 3 allowed. If the dad comes with the boy, the boy can go on as many as the scout leader schedules, which helps tremendously when it comes to the required 20 nights of camping with the troop that are required for the Camping merit badge which is required for the Eagle award.
We count the Father's and Son's as one of the troop campouts as well as the Ward campout if the boys do a skit or something else as a troop.
Keep track in your scout binder of the campouts you have been on for the Camping merit badge.
In order to get the Tenderfoot award, you have to go on 1 campout with the scout troop.
2nd Class is a little more in depth and includes basic first aid, cooking, and swimming skills.
In order to get this award, you have to go on 1 more campout with the troop, for a total of 2 campouts.
1st Class is even a little more in depth than 2nd Class in the first aid, cooking, and swimming skills.
In order to get this award, you have to go on 1 more campout with the troop, for a total of 3 campouts.
There are two pages of requirements for each of these advancements. Most of them have to be done with the troop. A lot of them can be done on your own, however.
***All three of these ranks can be worked on at the same time. You may even finish the 1st Class rank requirements before you complete the Tenderfoot requirements. However, you cannot get the advancement of the 1st Class until you have the ranks of Tenderfoot and 2nd Class. Most of the time, these three awards are given at the same Court of Honor. (awards ceremony)
***The LDS Church has a policy that the 11-yr-olds can only go on three campouts as an 11-yr-old.
We get around this rule by having the dads come on the campouts as often as they can. If the dad isn't there, it counts as 1 of the 3 allowed. If the dad comes with the boy, the boy can go on as many as the scout leader schedules, which helps tremendously when it comes to the required 20 nights of camping with the troop that are required for the Camping merit badge which is required for the Eagle award.
We count the Father's and Son's as one of the troop campouts as well as the Ward campout if the boys do a skit or something else as a troop.
Keep track in your scout binder of the campouts you have been on for the Camping merit badge.
Merit Badges
You can start earning merit badges as soon as you register for Boy Scouts. Usually that is 11 years old.
The good ones to get as an 11-year old are Swimming and First Aid. (I
recommend you get as many as you can as an 11-yr-old.)
You can borrow merit badge pamplets from the library. These tell all the requirements for the specific merit badge, and have a lot of valuable information that helps pass off the merit badge.There is one pamplet for each subject/merit badge.
The steps to get a merit badge are:
1. Get your leader to sign a merit badge card letting him know what merit badge you are working on.
2. Find a Counselor for that merit badge, and find out what you need to do to earn it.
3. Work on the merit badge and keep track of your work with the worksheets that you can print out from meritbadge.org.
4. Call the Counselor again and arrange to meet with him/her; you must take a buddy. (a friend, parent, sibling, another scout, etc.)
5. The Counselor will go over the requirements to make sure they are complete, and sign the merit badge.
6. The merit badge application portion of the card goes to the Troop Advancement Chairman. You will need to keep your copy in your baseball card sheet protector for future reference. (I would like to say that the Adv. Chair never misplaces the mb app. card, but it happens. The applicant's record is proof that you got it done if your records ever get lost, and records getting lost is actually quite a common thing for scouting expecially if you move to a different town.)
The Community Center holds an annual Pow Wow (a place to earn merit badges) in August where the boys can come and earn 2 merit badges for like $23 and it includes lunch. They usually offer Swimming and First Aid and Lifesaving amongst others. If you are 11 or 12, I highly recommend you get the Swimming and First Aid first.
The Community Education offers merit badges throughout the year for like $12. You can sign up over the phone with a credit card or sign up on line.
The Stake puts on a Pow Wow every 4th Tuesday at 7:15. They have a required merit badge or an elective to choose from. If you get the assignments done before the class, you should be able to walk away with a signed merit badge. You can get the assignments from your Scoutmaster.
The good ones to get as an 11-year old are Swimming and First Aid. (I
recommend you get as many as you can as an 11-yr-old.)
You can borrow merit badge pamplets from the library. These tell all the requirements for the specific merit badge, and have a lot of valuable information that helps pass off the merit badge.There is one pamplet for each subject/merit badge.
The steps to get a merit badge are:
1. Get your leader to sign a merit badge card letting him know what merit badge you are working on.
2. Find a Counselor for that merit badge, and find out what you need to do to earn it.
3. Work on the merit badge and keep track of your work with the worksheets that you can print out from meritbadge.org.
4. Call the Counselor again and arrange to meet with him/her; you must take a buddy. (a friend, parent, sibling, another scout, etc.)
5. The Counselor will go over the requirements to make sure they are complete, and sign the merit badge.
6. The merit badge application portion of the card goes to the Troop Advancement Chairman. You will need to keep your copy in your baseball card sheet protector for future reference. (I would like to say that the Adv. Chair never misplaces the mb app. card, but it happens. The applicant's record is proof that you got it done if your records ever get lost, and records getting lost is actually quite a common thing for scouting expecially if you move to a different town.)
The Community Center holds an annual Pow Wow (a place to earn merit badges) in August where the boys can come and earn 2 merit badges for like $23 and it includes lunch. They usually offer Swimming and First Aid and Lifesaving amongst others. If you are 11 or 12, I highly recommend you get the Swimming and First Aid first.
The Community Education offers merit badges throughout the year for like $12. You can sign up over the phone with a credit card or sign up on line.
The Stake puts on a Pow Wow every 4th Tuesday at 7:15. They have a required merit badge or an elective to choose from. If you get the assignments done before the class, you should be able to walk away with a signed merit badge. You can get the assignments from your Scoutmaster.
Parental Involvement
In my own estimation and experience, I would say that 85% of boys whose parents do not get involved with their scouting, do not achieve Eagle.
The boy has a much better chance of getting his Eagle if the parents get involved and make sure the boy is getting it done early. Like before he turns 14.
At 14, he usually gets busy with high school sports,
schoolwork,
spending time with friends,
and an attitude.
The boy has a much better chance of getting his Eagle if the parents get involved and make sure the boy is getting it done early. Like before he turns 14.
At 14, he usually gets busy with high school sports,
schoolwork,
spending time with friends,
and an attitude.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Court of Honor schedule of events
Welcome
Prayer
Flag Presentation
Skits or songs or whatever
Presentation of awards by each troop, team, crew
Scoutmaster Minute
Retrieval of Flag
Prayer
Refreshments
You can add more if you feel like it.
You can show a slide show if you feel like it.
This is just to show what not to forget.
Prayer
Flag Presentation
Skits or songs or whatever
Presentation of awards by each troop, team, crew
Scoutmaster Minute
Retrieval of Flag
Prayer
Refreshments
You can add more if you feel like it.
You can show a slide show if you feel like it.
This is just to show what not to forget.
Eagle tips
Get a seperate binder to keep all your Eagle papers in.
***Keep track of every minute spent working on the Eagle project. If you don't your paper work will take twice as long to do as you try to remember every time you talked to someone and every time you went to the store to get supplies. Just keep track!
On your Eagle packet, you will have to be able to tell how much time you spent planning, so keep track of that.
You will have to be able to tell how much time you spent doing the project, so keep track. (Once you have the Eagle Project approval from the Distict Board, everything moves to the "doing the project" column.
You will have to be able to tell how much time others spent on planning, such as mom driving you to and from visits with the school Principal or City Manager or whoever. The principal's time signing his approval. The custodian telling you where to bury pipes or whatever. So keep track!
You will have to tell how much time others spent carrying out the project. This means every person that comes to help you do it. Write down each name and how long he was there.
Write a general description of what you did each day. You will need it later for the General Write-up.
You will need a "brag sheet." We titled it as "Brag Sheet."
Everything from what awards were achieved in cub scouts or
Elementary school to award in sports or music or art. And everything
relating to being a leader or leadership position, such as Deacon's secretary.
You will need a Goals Sheet.
Write everything from getting a 4.0 next quarter
graduating
going to the prom
getting married
going to college
going on a mission
going to the moon
***The goal sheet can be done way in advance of the Eagle project, and it will save you time when you are doing the paperwork.
***Keep track of every minute spent working on the Eagle project. If you don't your paper work will take twice as long to do as you try to remember every time you talked to someone and every time you went to the store to get supplies. Just keep track!
On your Eagle packet, you will have to be able to tell how much time you spent planning, so keep track of that.
You will have to be able to tell how much time you spent doing the project, so keep track. (Once you have the Eagle Project approval from the Distict Board, everything moves to the "doing the project" column.
You will have to be able to tell how much time others spent on planning, such as mom driving you to and from visits with the school Principal or City Manager or whoever. The principal's time signing his approval. The custodian telling you where to bury pipes or whatever. So keep track!
You will have to tell how much time others spent carrying out the project. This means every person that comes to help you do it. Write down each name and how long he was there.
Write a general description of what you did each day. You will need it later for the General Write-up.
You will need a "brag sheet." We titled it as "Brag Sheet."
Everything from what awards were achieved in cub scouts or
Elementary school to award in sports or music or art. And everything
relating to being a leader or leadership position, such as Deacon's secretary.
You will need a Goals Sheet.
Write everything from getting a 4.0 next quarter
graduating
going to the prom
getting married
going to college
going on a mission
going to the moon
***The goal sheet can be done way in advance of the Eagle project, and it will save you time when you are doing the paperwork.
Eagle tips for 17 year olds
You have to have ALL your paperwork turned in to the District Advancement Chair BEFORE your 18th birthday.
You can have your Board of Review after your 18th birthday, but the paperwork has to be turned in on time.
Get the letters of recommendation requests out while you are planning your eagle project or while you are doing it. These letters have to be turned in with the paperwork.
Double check each spelling and phone number before you print the application out to get it signed. This could be bad if you had to change something and the signature you need is out of town when you need it.
Ask lots of questions of your unit advancement chair every step of the way. the Eagle Board is pretty specific on how they want everything and your unit adv chair will know how to do it right the first time.
Goal Sheet
Brag sheet
Member Summary (copy of merit badges)
4 Letters of Recommendation
Leadership packet (Eagle Project) completely filled out and signed
Stats Sheet
Eagle Application (must be printed front and back, and not two separate sheets)
You can have your Board of Review after your 18th birthday, but the paperwork has to be turned in on time.
Get the letters of recommendation requests out while you are planning your eagle project or while you are doing it. These letters have to be turned in with the paperwork.
Double check each spelling and phone number before you print the application out to get it signed. This could be bad if you had to change something and the signature you need is out of town when you need it.
Ask lots of questions of your unit advancement chair every step of the way. the Eagle Board is pretty specific on how they want everything and your unit adv chair will know how to do it right the first time.
Goal Sheet
Brag sheet
Member Summary (copy of merit badges)
4 Letters of Recommendation
Leadership packet (Eagle Project) completely filled out and signed
Stats Sheet
Eagle Application (must be printed front and back, and not two separate sheets)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
New Scouts Activities
Along with the campouts, the New Scout has to attend "activities" to advance.
5 for 2nd Class
10 for 1st Class
This would include the campouts, going swimming, lashing stuff, shopping for the campout food.
Anything that is not just sitting and listening to classroom type lessons.
5 for 2nd Class
10 for 1st Class
This would include the campouts, going swimming, lashing stuff, shopping for the campout food.
Anything that is not just sitting and listening to classroom type lessons.
Badge Placement
Inside the covers of the scout handbook that each boy should have, there are pictures of where to put each badge on the shirt.
The scout store has packages of sticky stuff that are the right shape to stick these badges to the shirt. No sewing. I don't know how good this stuff is. It used to be that it wasn't strong enough and the merit badges would fall off and get lost. It used to leave a gunky residue on the shirt, so it made it hard to pass the shirt on or sell it later. I don't know if the new stuff does these things.
A stapler works great in a pinch.
I sometimes just baste straight across the three merit badges in a row if I'm in a hurry, then sew it on later when I have more time.
The scout store has packages of sticky stuff that are the right shape to stick these badges to the shirt. No sewing. I don't know how good this stuff is. It used to be that it wasn't strong enough and the merit badges would fall off and get lost. It used to leave a gunky residue on the shirt, so it made it hard to pass the shirt on or sell it later. I don't know if the new stuff does these things.
A stapler works great in a pinch.
I sometimes just baste straight across the three merit badges in a row if I'm in a hurry, then sew it on later when I have more time.
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