Limestone, Maine
Scouts BSA has a lot to offer, but don’t let the number of merit badges scare you away. With exposure to a uniquely hands-on learning experience and the opportunity to earn merit badges reflecting each Scout’s budding interests, youth unlock a world of discovery around them and forge a path for the future.
Additional training can be found for merit badge counselors at my.scouting.org.
Merit Badges
American Business
American Cultures
American Heritage
American Labor
Animal Science
Animation
Archaeology
Archery
Architecture
Art
Astronomy
Athletics
Automotive Maintenance
Aviation
Backpacking
Basketry
Bird Study
Bugling
Camping
Canoeing
Chemistry
Chess
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Climbing
Coin Collecting
Collections
Communication
Composite Materials
Cooking
Crime Prevention
Cycling
Dentistry
Digital Technology
Disabilities Awareness
Dog Care
Drafting
Electricity
Electronics
Emergency Preparedness
Energy
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Environmental Science
Exploration
Family Life
Farm Mechanics
Fingerprinting
Fire Safety
First Aid
Fish and Wildlife Management
Fishing
Fly Fishing
Forestry
Game Design
Gardening
Genealogy
Geocaching
Geology
Golf
Graphic Arts
Hiking
Home Repairs
Horsemanship
Indian Lore
Insect Study
Inventing
Journalism
Merit badges give scouts the opportunity to investigate around 120 different areas of knowledge and skills. The merit badge program plays a major role in the scouting advancement program and participation can begin as soon as a scout registers with a troop. Each scout can explore topics from American Business to Woodworking as they have interest. The only limitations are their ambition and availability of adult merit badge counselors to offer instruction.
The Scout plans their advancement and progresses at their own pace as they meet each challenge. The Scout is rewarded for each achievement, which helps them gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help a Scout grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others.
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Scout requests BLUE CARD and a Merit Badge (MB) Counselor to work with from the Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster.
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Scout meets with MB Counselor and works on requirements.
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Counselor signs off on completed requirements.
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Scout obtains sign off from Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster.
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Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster submits Advancement Report for MB.
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Scout stores the signed blue card showing MB completion separately from Scout book.
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Parent Hint: make a photocopy of the blue cards. Originals store perfectly in baseball card vinyl sheets in a 3-ring binder.
Required Merit Badges: A scout can begin taking merit badges as soon as they join a troop, but no merit badges are required for advancement until reaching First Class rank. Advancement to Star, Life, and Eagle all require completion of merit badges, service, and demonstration of responsibility. To reach Eagle rank, a scout must complete a total of at least 21 Boy Scout merit badges, 13 of which come from the Eagle-required badge list.
The Eagle Required merit badges are as follows:
(a) First Aid
(b) Citizenship in the Community
(c) Citizenship in the Nation
(d) Citizenship in the World
(e) Communication
(f) Cooking
(g) Personal Fitness
(h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
(i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability
(j) Personal Management
(k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
(l) Camping
(m) Family Life
Scouts must choose only one of the merit badges listed in categories h, i, and k. Any additional merit badge(s) earned in those categories may be counted as one of the eight optional merit badges used to make a total of 21.
Following is a list of ALL merit badges as of 2021:
Kayaking
Landscape Architecture
Law
Leatherwork
Lifesaving
Mammal Study
Medicine
Metalwork
Mining in Society
Model Design and Building
Motorboating
Moviemaking
Music
Nature
Nuclear Science
Oceanography
Orienteering
Painting
Personal Fitness
Personal Management
Pets
Photography
Pioneering
Plant Science
Plumbing
Pottery
Programming
Public Health
Public Speaking
Pulp and Paper
Radio
Railroading
Reading
Reptile and Amphibian Study
Rifle Shooting
Robotics
Rowing
Safety
Salesmanship
Scholarship
Scouting Heritage
Scuba Diving
Sculpture
Search and Rescue
Shotgun Shooting
Signs, Signals, and Codes
Skating
Small-Boat Sailing
Snow Sports
Soil and Water Conservation
Space Exploration
Sports
Stamp Collecting
Surveying
Sustainability
Swimming
Textile
Theater
Traffic Safety
Truck Transportation
Veterinary Medicine
Water Sports
Weather
Welding
Whitewater
Wilderness Survival
Wood Carving
Woodwork