All About Merit Badges

As you advance through your Scouting adventure, there are requirements for earning merit badges along the way.  Your Scout will have the opportunity to earn some during meetings or at camp but a lot of the badges will be earned by self-direction (with a little bit of parent direction mixed in of course).  Many will struggle with knowing where to start.   Never fear, here is a step-by-step path to earning a merit badge.

Step 1

Pick a merit badge that interests you from the list of more than 135 merit badges and download a worksheet.  The worksheets are designed to help the Scouts record their research and collect their thoughts on the requirements in preparation of meeting with their merit badge counselor.  A list can be found here.  Merit Badges | Boy Scouts of America (scouting.org) 

Step 2

Identify another scout who wants to do the same merit badge or an adult who is willing to meet with the merit badge counselor with you.  This is for youth protection purposes as even if you are working on the merit badge yourself, you do need another Scout or adult present.

Step 3

Obtain a blue card.  Either the actual cardstock blue card from the scout store or the online pdf version. Many of the merit badge counselors will have the cardstock versions available.  BSA Merit Badge Blue Card (fillable) (cccbsa.org)

Step 4

Talk to your scoutmaster and tell them what merit badge you are interested in.  They will sign the blue card for you to get the process started.  If needed, either the scoutmaster or the advancement coordinator will recommend at least one merit badge counselor for you to work with.  If you do not need a recommendation, you are welcome to work with a merit badge you've already coordinated with as long as you have scoutmaster approval.

Step 5

Start working on the merit badge requirements.  The requirements for each merit badge and a workbook can be found here. Merit Badges (boyscouttrail.com)

Step 6

Meet with the merit badge counselor and provide him/her proof that you have completed all the requirements.  Some merit badges may take multiple meetings with the merit badge counselor to complete.  Some merit badge counselors may want to meet with you prior to your starting the requirements and some may want to work on the requirements with you.  All merit badge counselors will want proof of completion of requirements whether the proof is a photo, a discussion, or a parent signature.

Step 7

The merit badge counselor signs your blue card as completed.  Once you have a completed blue card, turn that blue card into the advancement chair to be recorded in scoutbook.  You will retain the applicant portion for your personal records.

Step 8

The merit badge patch is awarded at a court of honor.