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Merit Badges C-E

There are over 100 Merit Badges Boy Scouts can earn, so America Jane has divided them into five different pages, as follows:

Merit Badges A-B
Merit Badges C-E
Merit Badges F-G
Merit Badges H-O
Merit Badges P-R
Merit Badges S-W


Or, as always, you can click on individual items to jump straight to them:

Merit Badges Required for Eagle in Bold.
*Boys must earn Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
      AND
 Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling


American Business 
American Cultures
American Heritage
American Labor
Animal Science
Archaeology
Archery
Architecture
Art
Astronomy
Athletics
Atomic Energy
Automotive Maintenance
Aviation
Backpacking
Basketry
Bird Study
Bugling
Camping
Canoeing
Chemistry
Cinematography
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Climbing
Coin Collecting
Collections
Communications
Composite Materials
Computers
Cooking
Crime Prevention
Cycling*
Dentistry
Disabilities Awareness
Dog Care
Drafting
Electricity
Electronics
Emergency Preparedness*
Energy
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Environmental Science
Family Life
Farm Mechanics
Fingerprinting
Fire Safety
First Aid
Fish and Wildlife Management
Fishing
Fly Fishing
Forestry
Gardening
Genealogy
Geocaching
Geology
Golf
Graphic Arts
Hiking*
Home Repairs
Horsemanship
Indian Lore
Insect Study
Inventing
Journalism
Landscape Architecture
Law
Leatherwork
Lifesaving*
Mammal Study
Medicine
Metalwork
Model Design and Building
Motorboating
Music
Nature
Nuclear Science
Oceanography
Orienteering
Painting
Personal Fitness
Personal Management
Pets
Photography
Pioneering
Plant Science
Plumbing
Pottery
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
Shotgun Shooting
Skating
Small-Boat Sailing
Snow Sports
Soil and Water Conservation
Space Exploration
Sports
Stamp Collecting
Surveying
Swimming*
Textile
Theater
Traffic Safety
Truck Transportation
Veterinary Medicine
Water Sports
Weather
Whitewater
Wilderness Survival
Wood Carving
Woodwork

Camping Merit Badge:

  1. Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur while camping, including hypothermia, frostbite, heat reactions, dehydration, altitude sickness, insect stings, tick bites, snakebites, blisters, and hyperventilation.
  2. Learn the Leave No Trace principles and the Outdoor Code and explain what they mean. Write a personal plan for implementing these principles on your next outing.
  3. Make a written plan for an overnight trek and show how to get to your camping spot using a topographical map and compass, or a topographical map and a GPS receiver.
  4. Do the following:
    1. Make a duty roster showing how your patrol is organized for an actual overnight campout. List assignments for each member.
    2. Help a Scout patrol or a Webelos Scout unit in your area prepare for an actual campout, including creating the duty roster, menu planning, equipment needs, general planning, and setting up camp.
  5. Do the following:
    1. Prepare a list of clothing you would need for overnight campouts in both warm and cold weather. Explain the term 'layering'.
    2. Discuss footwear for different kinds of weather and how the right footwear is important for protecting your feet.
    3. Explain the proper care and storage of camping equipment (clothing, footwear, bedding).
    4. List the outdoor essentials necessary for any campout, and explain why each item is needed.
    5. Present yourself to your Scoutmaster with your pack for inspection. Be correctly clothed and equipped for an overnight campout.
  6. Do the following:
    1. Describe the features of four types of tents, when and where they could be used, and how to care for tents. Working with another Scout, pitch a tent.
    2. Discuss the importance of camp sanitation and tell why water treatment is essential. Then demonstrate two ways to treat water.
    3. Describe the factors to be considered in deciding where to pitch your tent.
    4. Tell the difference between internal- and external-frame packs. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
    5. Discuss the types of sleeping bags and what kind would be suitable for different conditions. Explain the proper care of your sleeping bag and how to keep it dry. Make a comfortable ground bed.
  7. Prepare for an overnight campout with your patrol by doing the following:
    1. Make a checklist of personal and patrol gear that will be needed.
    2. Pack your own gear and your share of the patrol equipment and food for proper carrying. Show that your pack is right for quickly getting what is needed first, and that it has been assembled properly for comfort, weight, balance, size, and neatness.
  8. Do the following:
    1. Explain the safety procedures for:
      1. Using a propane or butane/propane stove
      2. Using a liquid fuel stove
      3. Proper storage of extra fuel
    2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of lightweight cooking stoves.
    3. Prepare a camp menu. Explain how the menu would differ from a menu for a backpacking or float trip. Give recipes and make a food list for your patrol. Plan two breakfasts, three lunches, and two suppers. Discuss how to protect your food against bad weather, animals, and contamination.
    4. Cook at least one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner for your patrol from the meals you have planned for requirement 8c. At least one of those meals must be a trail meal requiring the use of a lightweight stove
  9. Show experience in camping by doing the following:
    1. Camp out a total of at least 20 days and 20 nights. The 20 days and 20 nights must be at a designated Scouting activity or event. Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. You may use a week of long-term camp toward this requirement. If the camp provides a tent that has already been pitched, you need not pitch your own tent.
    2. On any of these camping experiences, you must do TWO of the following, only with proper preparation and under qualified supervision:
      1. Hike up a mountain, gaining at least 1,000 vertical feet.
      2. Backpack, snowshoe, or cross-country ski for at least four miles.
      3. Take a bike trip of at least 15 miles or at least four hours.
      4. Plan and carry out a float trip of at least four hours.
      5. Plan and carry out an overnight snow camping experience.
      6. Rappel down a rappel route of 30 feet or more.
    3. Perform a conservation project approved by the landowner or land managing agency.
  10. Discuss how the things you did to earn this badge have taught you about personal health and safety, survival, public health, conservation, and good citizenship. In your discussion, tell how Scout spirit and the Scout Oath and Law apply to camping and outdoor ethics.
For more camping requirements and electives, see my guide Before You Go Camping.

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Canoeing Merit Badge:

  1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while canoeing, including hypothermia, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, insect stings, tick bites, blisters, and hyperventilation.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person. Explain how such conditions are recognized.
    2. Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.
  3. Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete the BSA swimmer test. Jump feet first into water over your head in depth, swim 75 yards or 75 meters in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl; then swim 25 yards or 25 meters using an easy resting backstroke. The 100 yards or 100 meters must be swum continuously and include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim, rest by floating.
  4. Discuss the following:
    1. The BSA Safety Afloat policy. Tell how it applies to canoeing activities.
    2. The most common weather and water-related hazards encountered while canoeing and how to deal safely with each one.
  5. Do the following:
    1. Name and point out the major parts of a canoe.
    2. Describe how the length and shape of a canoe affect its performance.
    3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different materials used to make canoes.
    4. Name and point out the parts of a paddle. Explain the difference between a straight and bent-shaft paddle and when each is best used.
    5. Demonstrate how to correctly size a paddle for a paddler in a sitting position and a kneeling position.
    6. Name the different types of personal flotation devices (PFDs), and explain when each type should be used.
    7. Show how to properly fit and test a PFD of correct size.
    8. Discuss the general care and maintenance of canoeing equipment.
    9. Discuss what personal and group equipment would be appropriate for a canoe camping trip. Describe how personal and group equipment can be packed and protected from water.
    10. Demonstrate how to load and secure equipment in a canoe.
    11. Using appropriate knots, demonstrate how to secure a canoe to a rack on land, a vehicle, or a canoe trailer.
  6. With a companion, wearing the proper PFD and appropriately dressed for the weather and water conditions, use a properly equipped canoe to demonstrate the following:
    1. Safely carry and launch the canoe from a dock or shore (both, if possible).
    2. Safely land the canoe on a dock or shore (both, if possible) and return it to its proper storage location.
    3. Demonstrate kneeling and sitting positions in a canoe and explain the proper use for each position.
    4. Change places while afloat in the canoe.
    5. In deep water, exit the canoe and get back in without capsizing.
    6. Capsize the canoe and demonstrate how staying with a capsized canoe will support both paddlers.
    7. Swim, tow, or push a swamped canoe 50 feet to shallow water. In the shallow water, empty the swamped canoe and reenter it.
    8. In deep water, rescue a swamped canoe and its paddlers by emptying the swamped canoe and helping the paddlers safely reenter their boat without capsizing.
  7. With a companion, wearing the proper PFD and appropriately dressed for the weather and water conditions, demonstrate the following paddling strokes as both a bow and stern paddler:
    1. Forward stroke
    2. Backstroke
    3. Draw
    4. Pushaway
    5. Forward sweep
    6. Reverse or back sweep
      For stern paddling only:
    7. J-stroke    
  8. Using the strokes in requirement 7, demonstrate the following tandem maneuvers while paddling on opposite sides and without changing sides. Repeat after switching positions and paddling sides:
    1. Pivot or spin the canoe in either direction.
    2. Move the canoe sideways or abeam in either direction.
    3. Stop the canoe.
    4. Move the canoe in a straight line for 50 yards.
  9. Wearing the proper PFD and appropriately dressed for the weather and water conditions, demonstrate solo canoe handling:
    1. Launch from shore or a pier (both, if possible).
    2. Using a single-blade paddle and paddling only on one side, demonstrate proper form and use of the forward stroke, backstroke, draw stroke, pushaway stroke, forward sweep, reverse or back sweep, and J-stroke. Repeat while paddling on the other side.
    3. While paddling on one side only, paddle a 50-yard course making at least one turn underway and one reverse of direction. Repeat while paddling on the other side.
    4. Make a proper landing at a dock or shore (both, if possible). Store canoe properly (with assistance, if needed).
    5. In deep water, exit the canoe and then get back in without capsizing.
  10. Discuss the following types of canoeing:
    1. Olympic flatwater
    2. Outrigger
    3. Marathon
    4. Freestyle
    5. Whitewater
    6. Canoe poling

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Chemistry Merit Badge:

  1. Do EACH of the following activities:
    1. Describe three examples of safety equipment used in a chemistry laboratory and the reason each one is used.
    2. Describe what a material safety data sheet (MSDS) is and tell why it is used.
    3. Obtain an MSDS for both a paint and an insecticide. Compare and discuss the toxicity, disposal, and safe-handling sections for these two common household products.
    4. Discuss the safe storage of chemicals. How does the safe storage of chemicals apply to your home, your school, your community, and the environment?
  2. Do EACH of the following activities:
    1. Predict what would happen if you placed an iron nail in a copper sulfate solution. Then, put an iron nail in a copper sulfate solution. Describe your observations and make a conclusion based on your observations. Compare your prediction and original conclusion with what actually happened. Write the formula for the reaction that you described.
    2. Describe how you would separate sand from water, table salt from water, oil from water, and gasoline from motor oil. Name the practical processes that require these kinds of separations.
    3. Describe the difference between a chemical reaction and a physical change.
  3. Construct a Cartesian diver. Describe its function in terms of how gases in general behave under different pressures and different temperatures. Describe how the behavior of gases affects a backpacker at high altitudes and a scuba diver underwater.
  4. Do EACH of the following activities:
    1. Cut a round onion into small chunks. Separate the onion chunks into three equal portions. Leave the first portion raw. Cook the second portion of onion chunks until the pieces are translucent. Cook the third portion until the onions are caramelized, or brown in color. Taste each type of onion. Describe the taste of raw onion versus partially cooked onion versus caramelized onion. Explain what happens to molecules in the onion during the cooking process.
    2. Describe the chemical similarities and differences between toothpaste and an abrasive household cleanser. Explain how the end use or purpose of a product affects its chemical formulation.
    3. In a clear container, mix a half-cup of water with a tablespoon of oil. Explain why the oil and water do not mix. Find a substance that will help the two combine, and add it to the mixture. Describe what happened, and explain how that substance worked to combine the oil and water.
  5. List the four classical divisions of chemistry. Briefly describe each one, and tell how it applies to your everyday life.
  6. Do EACH of the following activities:
    1. Name two government agencies that are responsible for tracking the use of chemicals for commercial or industrial use. Pick one agency and briefly describe its responsibilities to the public and the environment.
    2. Define pollution. Explain the chemical effects of ozone, global warming, and acid rain. Pick a current environmental problem as an example. Briefly describe what people are doing to resolve this hazard and to increase understanding of the problem.
    3. Using reasons from chemistry, describe the effect on the environment of ONE of the following:
      1. The production of aluminum cans or plastic milk cartons
      2. Sulfur from burning coal
      3. Used, motor oil
      4. Newspaper
    4. Briefly describe the purpose of phosphates in fertilizer and in laundry detergent. Explain how the use of phosphates in fertilizers affects the environment. Also, explain why phosphates have been removed from laundry detergents.
  7. Do ONE of the following activities:
    1. Visit a laboratory and talk to a practicing chemist. Ask what the chemist does, and what training and education are needed to work as a chemist.
    2. Using resources found at the library and in periodicals, books, and the Internet (with your parent's permission), learn about two different kinds of work done by chemists, chemical engineers, chemical technicians, or industrial chemists. For each of the jobs, find out the education and training requirements.
    3. Visit an industrial plant that makes chemical products or uses chemical processes and describe the processes used. What, if any, pollutants are produced and how they are handled.
    4. Visit a county farm agency or similar governmental agency and learn how chemistry is used to meet the needs of agriculture in your county.

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Cinematography merit badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Explain and demonstrate the proper elements of a good motion picture. In your discussion, include visual storytelling, rhythm, the 180-degree axis rule, camera movement, framing and composition of camera shots, and lens selection.
    2. Discuss the Cinematographer's role in the moviemaking process.
  2. Do the following:
    1. In a three- or four-paragraph treatment, tell the story you plan to film, making sure that the treatment conveys a visual picture.
    2. Prepare a storyboard for your motion picture (This can be done with rough sketches and stick figures.)
    3. Demonstrate the following motion picture shooting techniques:
      1. Using a tripod
      2. Panning a camera
      3. Framing a shot
      4. Selecting an angle
      5. Selecting proper lighting
      6. Handheld shooting
    4. Using motion picture techniques, plan ONE of the following programs. Start with a treatment, and complete the requirement by presenting this program to a pack or your troop, patrol, or class.
      1. Film or videotape a court of honor and show it to an audience.
      2. Create a short feature of your own design using the techniques you learned.
      3. Shoot a vignette that could be used to train a new Scout in a Scouting skill.
  3. Do ONE of the following:
    1. With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, visit a film set or a television production studio and watch how production work is done.
    2. Explain to your counselor the elements of the zoom lens and three important parts.
  4. Find out about three career opportunities in cinematography. Pick one and find out about the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor. Explain why this profession might interest you.

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Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge:

  1. Discuss with your counselor what citizenship in the community means and what it takes to be a good citizen in your community. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of citizenship, and explain how you can demonstrate good citizenship in your community, Scouting unit, place of worship, or school.
  2. Do the following:
    1. On a map of your community, locate and point out the following:
      1. Chief government buildings such as your city hall, county courthouse, and public works/services facility
      2. Fire station, police station, and hospital nearest your home
      3. Historical or other interesting points
    2. Chart the organization of your local or state government. Show the top offices and tell whether they are elected or appointed.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Attend a city or town council or school board meeting, or a municipal; county, or state court session.
    2. Choose one of the issues discussed at the meeting where a difference of opinions was expressed, and explain to your counselor why you agree with one opinion more than you do another one.
  4. Choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community; then do the following:
    1. Find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue.
    2. With your counselor's and a parent's approval, interview one person from the branch of government you identified in requirement 4a. Ask what is being done about this issue and how young people can help.
    3. Share what you have learned with your counselor.
  5. With the approval of your counselor and a parent, watch a movie that shows how the actions of one individual or group of individuals can have a positive effect on a community. Discuss with your counselor what you learned from the movie about what it means to be a valuable and concerned member of the community.
    Some suggestions:
    • Follow Me, Boys (G)
    • It's a Wonderful Life (G)
    • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (G)
    • Remember the Titans (PG)
    • October Sky (PG)
    • Mr. Holland's Opus (PG)
    • Hoosiers (PG)
    • Pay It Forward (PG13)
    • Braveheart (R)
    • The Patriot (R)
  6. List some of the services (such as the library, recreation center, public transportation, and public safety) your community provides that are funded by taxpayers. Tell your counselor why these services are important to your community.
  7. Do the following:
    1. Choose a charitable organization outside of Scouting that interests you and brings people in your community together to work for the good of your community.
    2. Using a variety of resources (including newspapers, fliers and other literature, the Internet, volunteers, and employees of the organization), find out more about this organization.
    3. With your counselor's and your parent's approval, contact the organization and find out what young people can do to help. While working on this merit badge, volunteer at least eight hours of your time for the organization. After your volunteer experience is over, discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
  8. Develop a public presentation (such as a video, slide show, speech, digital presentation, or photo exhibit) about important and unique aspects of your community. Include information about the history, cultures, and ethnic groups of your community; its best features and popular places where people gather; and the challenges it faces. Stage your presentation in front of your merit badge counselor or a group, such as your patrol or a class at school.

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Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge:

  1. Explain what Citizenship in the Nation means and what it takes to be a good citizen of this country. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of a responsible and active American citizen.
  2. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Visit a place that is listed as a National Historic Landmark or that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tell your counselor what you learned about the landmark or site and what you found interesting about it.
    2. Tour your state capitol building or the U.S. Capitol. Tell your counselor what you learned about the capitol, its function, and the history.
    3. Tour a federal facility. Explain to your counselor what you saw there and what you learned about its function in the local community and how it serves this nation.
    4. Choose a national monument that interests you. Using books, brochures, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country's citizens.
  3. Watch the national evening news five days in a row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Discuss the national issues you learned about with your counselor. Choose one of the issues and explain how it affects you and your family.
  4. Discuss each of the following documents with your counselor. Tell your counselor how you feel life in the United States might be different without each one.
    1. Declaration of Independence
    2. Preamble to the Constitution
    3. The Constitution
    4. Bill of Rights
    5. Amendments to the Constitution
  5. List the six functions of government as noted in the Preamble to the Constitution. Discuss with your counselor how these functions affect your family and local community.
  6. With your counselor's approval, choose a speech of national historical importance. Find out about the author, and tell your counselor about the person who gave the speech. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given, and tell how it applies to American citizens today. Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.
  7. Name the three branches of our federal government and explain to your counselor their functions. Explain how citizens are involved in each branch. For each branch of government, explain the importance of the system of checks and balances.
  8. Name your two senators and the member of Congress from your congressional district. Write a letter about a national issue and send it to one of these elected officials, sharing your view with him or her. Show your letter and any response you receive to your counselor.

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Citizenship in the World Merit Badge:

  1. Explain what citizenship in the world means to you and what you think it takes to be a good world citizen.
  2. Explain how one becomes a citizen in the United States, and explain the rights, duties, and obligations of U.S. citizenship. Discuss the similarities and differences between the rights, duties, and obligations of U.S. citizens and the citizens of two other countries.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Pick a current world event. In relation to this current event, discuss with your counselor how a country's national interest and its relationship with other countries might affect areas such as its security, its economy, its values, and the health of its citizens.
    2. Select a foreign country and discuss with your counselor how its geography, natural resources, and climate influence its economy and its global partnerships with other countries.
  4. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Explain international law and how it differs from national law. Explain the role of international law and how international law can be used as a tool for conflict resolution.
    2. Using resources such as major daily newspapers, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and news magazines, observe a current issue that involves international trade, foreign exchange, balance of payments, tariffs, and free trade. Explain what you have learned. Include in your discussion an explanation of why countries must cooperate in order for world trade and global competition to thrive.
    3. Select TWO of the following organizations and describe their role in the world.
      1. The United Nations
      2. The World Court
      3. World Organization of the Scout Movement
      4. The World Health Organization
      5. Amnesty International
      6. The International Committee of the Red Cross
      7. CARE
  5. Do the following:
    1. Discuss the differences between constitutional and non-constitutional governments.
    2. Name at least five different types of governments currently in power in the world.
    3. Show on a world map countries that use each of these five different forms of government.
  6. Do the following:
    1. Explain how a government is represented abroad and how the United States government is accredited to international organizations.
    2. Describe the roles of the following in the conduct of foreign relations.
      1. Ambassador
      2. Consul
      3. Bureau of International Information Programs
      4. Agency for International Development
      5. United States and Foreign Commercial Service
    3. Explain the purpose of a passport and visa for international travel.
  7. Do TWO of the following (with your parent's permission) and share with your counselor what you have learned:
    1. Visit the Web site of the U.S. State Department. Learn more about an issue you find interesting that is discussed on this Web site.
    2. Visit the Web site of an international news organization or foreign government, OR examine a foreign newspaper available at your local library, bookstore, or newsstand. Find a news story about a human right realized in the United States that is not recognized in another country.
    3. Visit with a student or Scout from another country and discuss the typical values, holidays, ethnic foods, and traditions practiced or enjoyed there.
    4. Attend a world Scout jamboree.
    5. Participate in or attend an international event in your area, such as an ethnic festival, concert, or play.

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Climbing Merit Badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur during climbing activities, including heat and cold reactions, dehydration, stopped breathing, sprains, abrasions, fractures, rope burns, blisters, snakebite, and insect bites or stings.
    2. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person.
  2. Learn the Leave No Trace principles and Outdoor Code, and explain what they mean.
  3. Present yourself properly dressed for belaying, climbing, and rappelling (i.e., appropriate clothing, footwear, and a helmet; rappellers and belayers must wear gloves).
  4. Location. Do the following:
    1. Explain how the difficulty of climbs is classified, and apply classifications to the rock faces or walls where you will demonstrate your climbing skills.
    2. Explain the following: top-rope climbing, lead climbing, and bouldering.
    3. Evaluate the safety of a particular climbing area. Consider weather, visibility, the condition of the climbing surface, and any other environmental hazards.
    4. Determine how to summon aid to the climbing area in case of an emergency.
  5. Verbal signals. Explain the importance of using verbal signals during every climb and rappel, and while bouldering. With the help of the merit badge counselor or another Scout, demonstrate the verbal signals used by each of the following:
    1. Climbers
    2. Rappellers
    3. Belayers
    4. Boulderers and their spotters
  6. Rope. Do the following:
    1. Describe the kinds of rope acceptable for use in climbing and rappelling.
    2. Show how to examine a rope for signs of wear or damage.
    3. Discuss ways to prevent a rope from being damaged.
    4. Explain when and how a rope should be retired.
    5. Properly coil a rope.
  7. Knots. Demonstrate the ability to tie each of the following knots. Give at least one example of how each knot is used in belaying, climbing, or rappelling.
    1. Figure eight on a bight
    2. Figure eight follow-through
    3. Water knot
    4. Double fisherman's knot (Grapevine knot)
  8. Harnesses. Correctly put on at least ONE of the following:
    1. Commercially made climbing harness
    2. Tied harness
  9. Belaying. Do the following:
    1. Explain the importance of belaying climbers and rappellers and when it is necessary.
    2. Belay three different climbers ascending a rock face or climbing wall.
    3. Belay three different rappellers descending a rock face or climbing wall using a top rope.
  10. Climbing.
    1. Show the correct way to tie into a belay rope.
    2. Climb at least three different routes on a rock face or climbing wall, demonstrating good technique and using verbal signals with belayer.
  11. Rappelling.
    1. Using a carabiner and a rappel device, secure your climbing harness to a rappel rope.
    2. Tie in to a belay rope set up to protect rappellers.
    3. Rappel down three different rock faces or three rappel routes on a climbing wall. Use verbal signals to communicate with a belayer, and demonstrate good rappelling technique.
  12. Demonstrate ways to store rope, hardware, and other gear used for climbing, rappelling, and belaying.


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Coin Collecting Merit Badge:

  1. Understand how coins are made, and where the active U.S. Mint facilities are located.
  2. Explain these collecting terms:
    1. Obverse
    2. Reverse
    3. Reeding
    4. Clad
    5. Type set
    6. Date set
  3. Explain the grading terms Uncirculated, Extremely Fine, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, and Poor. Show five different grade examples of the same coin type. Explain the term "proof" and why it is not a grade. Tell what encapsulated coins are.
  4. Know three different ways to store a collection, and describe the benefits, drawbacks, and expenses of each method. Pick one to use when completing requirements.
  5. Do the following:
    1. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know how to use two U.S. or world coin reference catalogs.
    2. Read a numismatic magazine or newspaper and tell your counselor about what you learned.
  6. Describe the 1999-2008 50 State Quarters Program. Collect and show your counselor five different quarters you have acquired from circulation.
  7. Collect from circulation a set of currently circulating U.S. coins. Include one coin of each denomination (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, dollar). For each coin, locate the mint marks, if any, and the designer's initials, if any.
  8. Do the following:
    1. Identify the people depicted on the following denominations of current U.S. paper money: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.
    2. Explain "legal tender."
    3. Describe the role the Federal Reserve System plays in the distribution of currency.
  9. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Collect and identify 50 foreign coins from at least 10 different countries.
    2. Collect and identify 20 bank notes from at least five different countries.
    3. Collect and identify 15 different tokens or medals.
    4. For each year since the year of your birth, collect a date set of a single type of coin.
  10. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Tour a U.S. Mint facility, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing facility, a Federal Reserve bank, or a numismatic museum or exhibit, and describe what you learned to your counselor.
    2. With your parent's permission, attend a coin show or coin club meeting, or view the Web site of the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer, and report what you learned.
    3. Give a talk about coin collecting to a group such as your troop, a Cub Scout pack, or your class at school.
    4. Do drawings of five Colonial-era U.S. coins.


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Collections Merit Badge:

  1. Prepare a short written report or outline for your counselor, giving a detailed description of your collection,* including a short history. Be sure to include why you chose that particular type of collecting and what you enjoy and have learned from your collection.
    *Stamp and coin collecting are excluded from eligibility for this merit badge.
  2. Explain the growth and development of your collection.
  3. Demonstrate your knowledge of preserving and displaying your collection.
    1. Explain the precautions that you need to take to preserve your collection, including
      1. Handling
      2. Cleaning
      3. Storage
    2. Explain how best to display your collection, keeping in mind preserving as discussed above.
    3. Explain to your counselor the events available for a hobbyist of this collection, including shows, seminars, conventions, contests, and museum programs or exhibits.
  4. Demonstrate your knowledge of collecting and investing. Discuss with your counselor
    1. How investing and speculation would apply to your collection
    2. What you would look for in purchasing other collections similar to yours
    3. What you would expect in return value in the event you decided to sell all or part of the collection
  5. Do the following:
    1. Discuss with your counselor at least 10 terms commonly used in your collection and be prepared to discuss the definition of each.
    2. Show your counselor any two groups from your collection. Explain how you organized your collection and why you chose that method. (Note: if your collection is too large to transport and your counselor is unable to view your collection directly, photographs should be available to share.)
    3. Explain how your collection is valued by other collectors and display to your counselor any price guides that may be available.
    4. Explain how your collection is graded for value, physical defects, size and age. Show the various classifications or ratings used in your collection.
    5. List the national, state, or local association responsive to your collection.
    6. Show the location of and explain to your counselor the identification number (if applicable), series, brand name (if any),and any special identification marks.
  6. Discuss with your counselor the plans you have to continue with the collection in the future.
  7. Discuss with your counselor why and how collecting has changed and how this applies to your collection.
  8. Find out about career opportunities in collecting. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Communications Merit Badge:

  1. Do ONE of the following:
    1. For one day, keep a log in which you describe your communication activities. Keep track of the time and different ways you spend communicating, such as talking person-to-person, listening to your teachers or the radio, watching television, reading books, and other print media, and communicating online. Discuss with your counselor what your log reveals about the importance of communication in your life. Think of ways to improve your communications skills.
    2. For three days, keep a journal of your listening experiences. Identify one example of each of the following, and discuss with your counselor when you have listened to:
      1. Obtain information
      2. A persuasive argument
      3. Appreciate or enjoy something
      4. Understand someone's feelings
    3. In a small-group setting, meet with other scouts or with friends. Have them share personal stories about significant events in their lives that affected them in some way. Take note of how each scout participates in the group discussion and how effective each one is in telling his story. Report what you have learned to your counselor about the differences you observed in effective communication.
    4. List as many ways as you can think of to communicate with others (face-to-face, by telephone, letter, e-mail, fax). For each type of communication discuss with your counselor an instance when that method might not be appropriate or effective.
  2. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Think of a creative way to describe yourself, using, for example, a collage, short story or autobiography, drawing or series of photographs, or a song or skit. Using the aid you created, make a presentation to your counselor about yourself.
    2. Choose a concept, product, or service in which you have great confidence. Build a sales plan based on its good points. Try to persuade the counselor to agree with, use, or buy your concept, product or service. After your sales talk, discuss with your counselor how persuasive you were.
  3. Write a five-minute speech. Give it at a meeting of a group.
  4. Interview someone you know fairly well, like, or respect because of his or her position, talent, career or life experiences. Listen actively to learn as much as you can about the person. Then prepare and deliver to your counselor an introduction of the person as though this person were to be a guest speaker, and include reasons why the audience would want to hear this person speak. Show how you would call to invite this person to speak.
  5. Attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) approved by your counselor where several points of view are given on a single issue. Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view. Present an objective report that includes all points of view that were expressed, and share this with your counselor.
  6. With your counselor's approval, develop a plan to teach a skill or inform someone about something. Prepare teaching aids for your plan. Carry out your plan. With your counselor, determine whether the person has learned what you intended.
  7. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Write to the editor of a magazine or your local newspaper to express your opinion or share information on any subject you choose. Send your message by fax, email or regular mail.
    2. Create a web page for your scout troop, school, or other organization. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration, and one link to some other web page that would be helpful to someone who visits the web page you have created. It is not necessary to post your web page to the internet, but if you decide to do so, you must first share it with your parents and counselor and get their permission.
    3. Use desktop publishing to produce a newsletter, brochure, flier or other printed material for your scout troop, class at school, or other group. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration.
  8. Plan a troop court of honor or campfire program. Have the patrol leaders' council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies.
  9. Learn about opportunities in the field of communication. Choose one career in which you are interested and discuss with your counselor the major responsibilities of that position and the qualifications, education, and preparation it requires.

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Composite Materials Merit Badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Explain the precautions that must be taken when handling, storing, and disposing of resins, reinforcements, and other materials used in composites. Include in your discussion the importance of health, safety, and environmental responsibility and awareness.
    2. Describe what a material safety data sheet (MSDS) is and tell why it is used.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Explain what are composite materials. Include a brief history of composites and how they have developed.
    2. Compare the similarities and differences between composites and wood, aluminum, copper, and steel. Explain the physical, electrical, mechanical, corrosive, flammability, cost, and other such properties. For each of these raw materials, give one example for how it can be shaped and used for a specific application.
  3. Describe how composite materials are made. Then do the following:
    1. Discuss three different composite reinforcement materials, their positive and negative characteristics, and their uses. Obtain the MSDS for each one and discuss the toxicity, disposal, and safe-handling sections for these materials.
    2. Discuss three different resins used in composites, their positive and negative characteristics, and their uses. Obtain the MSDS for each one and discuss the toxicity, disposal, and safe-handling sections for these materials. Include thermoset resins and thermoplastic resins in your discussion.
    3. For each of the three resins you chose for requirement 3b, think of a new application that might be worth developing.
  4. With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval do ONE of the following:
    1. Visit a company that manufactures or repairs products made with composites. Discuss what you learn with your counselor.
    2. Find three composites-related Web sites. Share and discuss what you learn with your counselor.
  5. Do the following:
    1. Use composite materials to complete two projects, at least one of which must come from the Composite Materials merit badge pamphlet. The second project may come from the pamphlet OR may be one you select on your own that has been approved by your counselor in advance.
    2. With your counselor's assistance, find an appropriate site where the projects can be safely completed under your counselor's supervision and/or the supervision of an adult approved by your counselor who is knowledgeable about composites.
    3. With your counselor, determine how the finished projects will be evaluated. Using those guidelines, evaluate the completed projects with your counselor.
  6. Find out about three career opportunities in composite materials. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Computers Merit Badge:

  1. Discuss with your counselor the tips for online safety.
  2. Explain how the invention of the computer has affected society, science, and technology. In your explanation, give a short history of the computer.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Explain four different uses of computers.
    2. Describe three ways you and your family could use a personal computer other than for games and recreation.
  4. Explain to your counselor the following:
    1. The major parts of a computer system
    2. How the types of files used to store text, sound, pictures, and video are stored in a computer's memory
  5. Do the following:
    1. Explain what a program is and how it is developed.
    2. Give three examples of programming languages, and describe their uses.
    3. Name four software packages you or your family could use, and explain how you would use them.
    4. Discuss ways you can help protect a computer from viruses and how to keep secure information that has been saved on a computer.
    5. Describe how computers are linked to form the Internet and the World Wide Web.
  6. Do THREE of the following:
    1. Use a database manager to create a troop roster that includes the name, rank, patrol, and telephone number of each Scout. Show your counselor that you can sort the register by each of the following categories: rank, patrol, and alphabetically by name.
    2. Use a spreadsheet program to develop a food budget for a patrol weekend campout.
    3. Use a word processor to write a letter to the parents of your troop's Scouts inviting them to a court of honor. Use the program's mail merge feature to make a personalized copy of the letter for each family.
    4. Use a computer graphics program to design and draw a campsite plan for your troop, OR design a flyer for an upcoming troop event.
    5. Using a software package of your choice, develop a short presentation about a topic that has been approved by your counselor. For your presentation create at least 10 slides.
    6. Using an Internet search engine, find ideas about how to conduct a troop court of honor or campfire program. Print out a copy of the ideas from at least three different Web sites. Share what you found with your counselor, and explain how you used the search engine to find this information.
    7. Using a digital camera, take a picture of a troop activity. Transfer the picture file to a computer and use photographic software to make it small enough to send easily as an e-mail attachment. Then, using a computer connected to the Internet (with your parent's permission), send an e-mail to someone you know. In your message, include the photograph as an attachment. Verify that the person received your e-mail and was able to view the attachment.
    8. Describe two computer chip-based devices, and explain how they are "smarter" because of the chip and its program.
  7. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Visit a business or an industrial plant that uses computers. Observe what tasks the computers accomplish, and be prepared to discuss what you have learned.
    2. Using a software package of your choice for computer aided design (CAD), create an engineering-style drawing of a simple object. Include the top, bottom, and at least one side view and the dimensions.
    3. Use a general purpose programming language to write a simple program application of your choice, subject to approval by your counselor.
    4. Design a Web page for your troop, patrol, school, or place of worship. You need not post the page to a Web site. However, if you decide to do so, you will first need to get your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, as well as permission from the host site.
  8. For each of the following categories, discuss several related terms: input and output devices, storage media, memory, processors and coprocessors, modems or network cards, networks, World Wide Web and Internet, electronic mail, Wi-Fi.
  9. Explain the following to your counselor:
    1. Why it is not permissible to accept a free copy of a copyrighted computer game or program from a friend
    2. The restrictions and limitations of downloading music from the Internet
    3. Why copyright laws exist
  10. Pick two career opportunities in the computer field that interest you. Find out what education, training, and experience those positions require. Report what you learn to your counselor.

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Cooking Merit Badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Review with your counselor the injuries that might arise from cooking, including burns and scalds, and the proper treatment.
    2. Describe how meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products, and fresh vegetables should be stored, transported, and properly prepared for cooking.
    3. Describe the following food-related illnesses and tell what you can do to help prevent each from happening:
      1. Salmonella enteritis
      2. Staphylococcal enteritis
      3. E. coli (Escherichia coli) enteritis
      4. Botulism
      5. Trichinosis
      6. Hepatitis
  2. Do the following:
    1. Illustrate for your counselor the food pyramid that fits you. Label the following food groups in the pyramid and how much of each you should eat each day.
      1. The food groups
        1. Grains
        2. Vegetables
        3. Fruits
        4. Milk, yogurt, cheese
        5. Meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts
        6. Oils (fats) and sugars
    2. Explain why you should limit your intake of oils and sugars.
    3. Explain the number of servings recommended per day from each group.
    4. Give your counselor examples from each food group.
    5. Describe for your counselor the measurements of servings for each food group.
    6. Describe to your counselor food preparation techniques that result in more healthful and nutritious meals.
  3. Plan a menu for two straight days (six meals) of camping. Include the following:
    1. A camp dinner with soup; meat, fish, poultry, or an appropriate substitute; two fresh vegetables; drink; and dessert. All are to be properly prepared. When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid.
    2. A one-pot dinner. Use foods other than canned.
    3. Using the menu planned for requirement 3, make a food list showing cost and amount needed to feed three or more boys.
    4. List the utensils needed to cook and serve these meals.
  4. Using the menu planned for requirement 3, do the following and discuss the process with your merit badge counselor:
    1. Prepare and serve for yourself and two others, the two dinners, one lunch, and one breakfast. Time your cooking so that each course will be ready to serve at the proper time.
      The meals for this requirement may be prepared for different trips. They need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge at summer camp should plan around food they can get at the camp commissary.
    2. For meals prepared in requirement 4a for which a fire is needed, use a lightweight stove or build a low-impact fire. Include support for your cooking utensils from rocks, logs, or like material. The same fireplace may be used for more than one meal. Use a backpacking stove to cook at least one meal. (Where local regulations do not allow you to do this, the counselor may change the requirement to meet the law.)
    3. For each meal prepared in requirement 4a, use safe food-handling practices. Dispose of garbage, cans, foil, paper, and other rubbish by packing them out and depositing them in a proper container. After each meal, clean up the site thoroughly.
  5. Plan a menu for one day (three meals) or for four meals over a two-day period of trail hiking or backpacking. Include the following:
    1. A breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a trail or backpacking trip where light weight is important. You should be able to store all foods used for several days without refrigeration. When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid.
      The meals for this requirement may be prepared for different trips. They need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge at summer camp should plan around food they can get at the camp commissary.
    2. Using the menu planned for requirement 5, make a food list showing cost and amount needed to feed three or more boys.
    3. List the utensils needed to cook and serve these meals.
    4. Figure the weight of the foods in requirement 4a.
  6. Using the menu planned for requirement 5a, do the following:
    1. Prepare and serve for yourself and two others, the trail breakfast and dinner. Time your cooking so that each course will be ready to serve at the proper time.
      The meals for this requirement may be prepared for different trips. They need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge at summer camp should plan around food they can get at the camp commissary.
    2. Use an approved trail stove (with proper supervision) or charcoal to prepare your meals.
    3. For each meal prepared in requirement 6a, use safe food-handling practices. Dispose of garbage, cans, foil, paper, and other rubbish by packing them out and depositing them in a proper container. After each meal, clean up the site thoroughly.
  7. Plan a menu for three full days of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to be cooked at home.
    1. When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid. All meals are to be cooked or properly prepared.
    2. Using the menu planned for requirement 7, make a food list, showing cost and amount needed to feed yourself and at least one adult (parent, family member, guardian, or other responsible adult).
    3. Tell what utensils were needed to cook and serve these meals.
    4. Prepare and serve a breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the menu you planned for requirement 7. Time your cooking to have each course ready to serve at the proper time. Have an adult verify the preparation of the meal to your counselor.
  8. Do the following:
    1. Find out about three career opportunities in cooking. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Crime Prevention Merit Badge:

  1. Discuss the role and value of laws in society with regard to crime and crime prevention. Include in your discussion the definitions of 'crime' and 'crime prevention'.
  2. Prepare a notebook of newspaper and other clippings that addresses crime and crime prevention efforts in your community.
  3. Discuss the following with your counselor:
    1. The role of citizens, including youth, in crime prevention
    2. Gangs and their impact on the community
    3. When and how to report a crime
  4. After doing EACH of the following, discuss with your counselor what you have learned:
    1. Inspect your neighborhood for opportunities that may lead to crime. Learn how to do a crime prevention survey.
    2. Using the checklist in this pamphlet, conduct a security survey of your home and discuss the results with your family.
  5. Teach your family or patrol members how to protect themselves from crime at home, at school, in your community, and while traveling.
  6. Help raise awareness about one school safety issue facing students by doing ONE of the following:
    1. Create a poster for display on a school bulletin board.
    2. With permission from school officials, create a page long public service announcement that could be read over the public address system at school or posted on the school's Web site.
    3. Make a presentation to a group such as a Cub Scout den that addresses the issue.
  7. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Assist in the planning and organization of a crime prevention program in your community such as Neighborhood Watch, Community Watch, or Crime Stoppers. Explain how this program can benefit your neighborhood.
    2. With your parent's and counselor's approval, visit a jail or detention facility or a criminal court hearing. Discuss your experience with your counselor.
  8. Discuss the following with your counselor:
    1. How drug abuse awareness programs, such as 'Drugs: A Deadly Game' help prevent crime
    2. Why alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are sometimes called 'gateway drugs' and how 'gateway drugs' can lead to the use of other drugs
    3. Three resources in your city where a person with a drug problem or drug-related problem can go for help
    4. How the illegal sale and use of drugs lead to other crimes
    5. How to recognize child abuse
    6. The 'three Rs' of Youth Protection
  9. Discuss the following with your counselor:
    1. The role of a sheriff's or police department in crime prevention.
    2. The purpose and operation of agencies in your community that help law enforcement personnel prevent crime, and how those agencies function during emergency situations.
    3. Explain the role private security plays in crime prevention.
    4. Choose a career in the crime prevention or security industry that interests you. Describe the level of education required and responsibilities of a person in that position. Tell why this position interests you.

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Cycling Merit Badge:

  1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while cycling, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, insect stings, tick bites, snakebite, blisters, and hyperventilation.
  2. Clean and adjust a bicycle. Prepare it for inspection using a bicycle safety checklist. Be sure the bicycle meets local laws.
  3. Show your bicycle to your counselor for inspection. Point out the adjustments or repairs you have made. Do the following:
    1. Show all points that need oiling regularly.
    2. Show the points that should be checked regularly to make sure the bicycle is safe to ride.
    3. Show how to adjust brakes, seat level and height, and steering tube.
  4. Describe how to brake safely with foot brakes and with hand brakes.
  5. Show how to repair a flat. Use an old bicycle tire.
  6. Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the following:
    1. Proper mount, pedal, and brake including emergency stops.
    2. On an urban street with light traffic, properly execute a left turn from the center of the street; also demonstrate an alternate left turn technique used during periods of heavy traffic.
    3. Properly execute a right turn.
    4. Demonstrate appropriate actions at a right-turn-only lane when you are continuing straight.
    5. Show proper curbside and road-edge riding. Show how to ride safely along a row of parked cars.
    6. Cross railroad tracks properly.
  7. Describe your state's traffic laws for bicycles. Compare them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.
  8. Avoiding main highways, take two rides of 10 miles each, two rides of 15 miles each, and two rides of 25 miles each. You must make a report of the rides taken. List dates, routes traveled, and interesting things seen.
    The bicycle must have all required safety features. It must be registered as required by your local traffic laws.
  9. After fulfilling requirement 8, lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.



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Dentistry Merit Badge:

  1. Using x-ray (radiographic) films and with your counselor's guidance, study the tooth structure and look for decay. Then do the following:
    1. Using the radiographs as a guide, draw a lower molar. Label its parts and surfaces. Show surrounding structures such as bone and gum tissues.
    2. Show on your drawing where the nerves and blood vessels enter the tooth.
    3. Show on your drawing where bacterial plaque is most likely to be found.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Tell or write about what causes dental decay and gum disease. Tell how each of the following contributes to dental decay and gum disease: bacterial plaque, sugars, and acid.
    2. Tell the possible causes for traumatic tooth loss, describe the types of mouth guards used to prevent tooth trauma, and list the athletic activities during which a person should wear a mouth guard.
    3. Explain the first-aid procedure for saving a tooth that has been knocked out.
  3. Arrange for a visit with a dentist. Before you go, ask whether your visit can include a dental examination and a plaque-control demonstration. Afterward, ask questions about things you want to know. Then tell your counselor what the dentist does in a checkup examination.
  4. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Name at least five instruments and five pieces of equipment a dentist uses.
    2. With the help of a dentist, prepare a dental stone cast using a vibrator, a mixing bowl, a water measure, a plastic measure, model stone, and a spatula.
    3. Keep a record of everything you eat for three days. Circle those items that could provide the sugars that bacterial plaque needs to make acid. List snacks that you should avoid to help maintain the best oral health.
  5. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the following:
    1. How fluorides help prevent tooth decay and the ways fluorides can be provided to the teeth.
    2. How the mouth is related to the rest of the body. Topics might include chewing, saliva, enzymes, nutrition, and speech.
  6. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Make a model tooth of soap, clay, papier-mâché, or wax. Using a string and a large hand brush, show your troop or a school class proper toothbrushing and flossing procedures.
    2. Make a poster on prevention of dental disease. Show the importance of good oral health.
    3. Collect at least five advertisements for different toothpastes. List the claims that each one makes. Tell about the accuracy of the advertisements.
    4. Write a feature story for your school newspaper on the proper care of teeth and gums.
    5. Make drawings and write about the progress of dental decay. Describe the types of dental filling and treatments a dentist can use to repair dental decay problems.
  7. Find out about three career opportunities in dentistry. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Disabilities Awareness Merit Badge:

  1. Discuss with your counselor proper disability etiquette and person first language. Explain why these are important.
  2. Visit an agency that works with people with physical, mental, emotional, or educational disabilities. Collect and read information about the agency's activities. Learn about opportunities its members have for training, employment, and education.
  3. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Talk to a Scout who has a disability and learn about his experiences taking part in Scouting activities and earning different merit badges.
    2. Talk to an individual who has a disability and learn about this person's experiences and the activities in which this person likes to participate.
    3. Learn how people with disabilities take part in a particular adaptive sport or recreational activity. Discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
    4. Learn about independent living aids such as service animals, canes, and teletypewriters (TTYs). Discuss with your counselor how people use such aids.
  4. Visit TWO of the following locations and take notes about the accessibility to people with disabilities. In your notes, give examples of five things that could be done to improve upon the site and five things about the site that make it friendly to people with disabilities. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
    1. Your school
    2. Your place of worship
    3. Your Scout camping site
    4. A public exhibit or attraction (such as a theater, museum, or park)
  5. Explain what advocacy is. Do ONE of the following advocacy activities:
    1. Present a counselor approved disabilities awareness program to a Cub Scout pack or other group. During your presentation, explain and use person first language.
    2. Find out about disability awareness education programs in your school or school system, or contact a disability advocacy agency. Volunteer with a program or agency for eight hours.
    3. Using resources such as disability advocacy agencies, government agencies, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and news magazines, learn about myths and misconceptions that influence the general public's understanding of people with disabilities. List 10 myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities and learn the facts about each myth. Share your list with your counselor, then use it to make a presentation to a Cub Scout pack or other group.
  6. Make a commitment to your merit badge counselor describing what you will do to show a positive attitude about people with disabilities and to encourage positive attitudes among others. Discuss how your awareness has changed as a result of what you have learned.
  7. Name five professions that provide services to people with disabilities. Pick one that interests you and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss what you learn with your counselor, and tell why this profession interests you.

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Dog Care Merit Badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Briefly discuss the historical origin and domestication of the dog.
    2. Describe some common characteristics of the dogs that make up each of the seven major dog groups.
    3. Tell some specific characteristics of seven breeds of dogs (one from each major group), OR give a short history of one breed.
  2. Point out on a dog or a sketch at least 10 body parts. Give the correct name of each one.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Explain the importance of house-training, obedience training, and socialization training for your dog.
    2. Explain what "responsible pet ownership" means.
    3. Explain what issues (including temperament) must be considered when deciding on what breed of dog to get as a family pet.
  4. For two months, keep and care for your dog.*   Maintain a log of your activities during this period that includes these items: feeding schedule, types of food used, amount fed, exercise periods, training schedule, a weekly body weight record, grooming and bathing schedules, veterinary care, if necessary, and costs. Also include a brief description of the type of housing/shelter arrangements you have for your dog.
  5. Explain the correct way to obedience train a dog and what equipment you would need. Show with your dog any three of these commands: "come", "sit", "down", "heel", "stay", "fetch" or "get it", and "drop it".
  6. Do the following:
    1. Discuss the proper vaccination schedule for a dog in your area from puppyhood through adulthood.
    2. Discuss the control methods for preventing fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites (worms) for a dog in your area from puppyhood through adulthood.
    3. Explain the importance of dental care and tooth brushing to your pet's health.
    4. Discuss the benefits of grooming your dog's coat and nails on a regular basis.
    5. Discuss with your counselor any seasonal conditions (like hot summers, cold winters, or extreme humidity) where you live that need to be considered for your dog.
  7. Do the following:
    1. Explain the precautions to take in handling a hurt dog.
    2. Show how to put on an emergency muzzle.
    3. Explain how to treat wounds. Explain first aid for a dog bite.
    4. Show how to put on a simple dressing and bandage the foot, body, or head of your dog.
    5. Explain what to do if a dog is hit by a car.
    6. List the things needed in every dog owner's first-aid kit.
    7. Tell the dangers of home treatment of a serious ailment.
    8. Briefly discuss the cause and method of spread, the signs and symptoms and the methods of prevention of rabies, parvovirus, distemper, and heartworms in dogs.
  8. Visit a veterinary hospital or an animal shelter and give a report about your visit to your counselor.
  9. Know the laws and ordinances involving dogs that are in force in your community.

Note: The activities used to fulfill the requirements for the Dog Care merit badge may not be used to help fulfill the requirements for other merit badges.  That's okay, America Jane likes the Dog Care merit badge anyway.



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Drafting Merit Badge:

  1. Format TWO sheets of drawing paper with proper borders and title blocks - one for your manual project (see requirement 2) and one for your lettering project (see requirement 5).
    1. Make a rough sketch of your project drawings to determine the correct size of paper to format.
    2. Using either single-stroke vertical or slant Gothic lettering, fill in all important information in the title block sections of the formatted paper.
  2. Using the formatted sheet of paper you prepared for your manual project, produce a pencil drawing as it would be used for manufacturing. Fill in all title block information. The manual drawing may be any one of the following drawing types:
    1. Architectural: Make a scale drawing of an architectural project. The architectural drawing may be a floor plan, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical service plan; elevation plan; or landscaping plan. Use an architect's scale and show dimensions to communicate the actual size if features. Include any important notes and considerations necessary for construction.
    2. Mechanical: Make a scale drawing of some mechanical device or interesting object. The mechanical drawing may be of the orthographic or isometric style. Use an engineer's scale and show dimensions to communicate the actual size of features. Include any important notes and considerations necessary for construction.
    3. Electrical: Draw a simple schematic of a radio or electronic circuit. Properly print a bill of materials including all of the major electrical components used in the circuit. Use standard drawing symbols for the electronic components.
  3. Produce a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing as it would be used in manufacturing. Fill in all title block information. The CAD drawing may be any one of the following drawing types:
    1. Architectural: Make a scale drawing of an architectural project. The architectural drawing may be a floor plan, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical service plan; elevation plan; or landscaping plan. Use an architect's scale and show dimensions to communicate the actual size if features. Include any important notes and considerations necessary for construction.
    2. Mechanical: Make a scale drawing of some mechanical device or interesting object. The mechanical drawing may be of the orthographic or isometric style. Use an engineer's scale and show dimensions to communicate the actual size of features. Include any important notes and considerations necessary for construction.
    3. Electrical: Draw a simple schematic of a radio or electronic circuit. Properly print a bill of materials including all of the major electrical components used in the circuit. Use standard drawing symbols for the electronic components.
  4. Discuss with your counselor how fulfilling requirements 2 and 3 differed from each other. Tell about the benefits derived from using CAD for requirement 3. Include in your discussion the software you used as well as other software options that are available.
  5. Using single-stroke slant or vertical Gothic lettering, (without the aid of a template or lettering guide) write a brief explanation of what you consider to be the most important benefit in using CAD in a particular industry (aerospace, electronics, manufacturing, architectural, or other). Use the experience gained in fulfilling requirements 2, 3, and 4 to support your opinion. Use the formatted sheet of paper you prepared in requirement 1 for your lettering project.
  6. Do ONE of the following (a or b):
    1. Visit a facility or industry workplace where drafting is part of the business. Ask to see an example of the work that is done there, the different drafting facilities, and the tools used.
      1. Find out how much of the drafting done there is manual, and how much is done using CAD. If CAD is used, find out what software is used and how and why it was chosen.
      2. Ask about the drafting services provided. Ask who uses the designs produced and how those designs are used. Discuss how the professionals who perform drafting cooperate with other individuals in the drafting area and other areas of the business.
      3. Ask how important the role of drafting is to producing the end product or service that this business supplies. Find out how drafting contributes to the company's end product or service
    2. Using resources you find on your own such as at the library and on the Internet (with your parent's permission), learn more about the drafting trade and discuss the following with your counselor.
      1. The drafting tools used in the past - why and how they were used. Explain which tools are still used today and how their use has changed with the advent of new tools. Discuss which tools are being made obsolete by newer tools in the industry.
      2. Tell what media types were used in the past and how drawings were used, stored, and reproduced. Tell how the advent of CAD has changed the media used, and discuss how these changes affect the storage or reproduction of drawings.
      3. Discuss whether the types of media have changed such that there are new uses for the drawings, or other outputs, produced by designers. Briefly discuss how new media types are used in the industry today.
  7. Find out about three career opportunities in drafting. Pick one and find out about the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Electricity Merit Badge:

  1. Demonstrate that you know how to respond to electrical emergencies by doing the following:
    1. Show how to rescue a person touching a live wire in the home.
    2. Show how to render first aid to a person who is unconscious from electrical shock.
    3. Show how to treat an electrical burn.
    4. Explain what to do in an electrical storm.
    5. Explain what to do in the event of an electrical fire.
  2. Complete an electrical home safety inspection of your home, using the checklist found in this pamphlet or one approved by your counselor. Discuss what you find with your counselor.
  3. Make a simple electromagnet and use it to show magnetic attraction and repulsion.
  4. Explain the difference between direct current and alternating current.
  5. Make a simple drawing to show how a battery and an electric bell work.
  6. Explain why a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips. Tell how to find a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker in your home. Show how to safely reset the circuit breaker.
  7. Explain what overloading an electric circuit means. Tell what you have done to make sure your home circuits are not overloaded.
  8. On a floor plan of a room in your home, make a wiring diagram of the lights, switches, and outlets. Show which fuse or circuit breaker protects each one.
  9. Do the following:
    1. Read an electric meter and, using your family's electric bill, determine the energy cost from the meter readings.
    2. Discuss with your counselor five ways in which your family can conserve energy.
  10. Explain the following electrical terms: volt, ampere, watt, ohm, resistance, potential difference, rectifier, rheostat, conductor, ground, circuit, short circuit.
  11. Do any TWO of the following:
    1. Connect a buzzer, bell, or light with a battery. Have a key or switch in the line.
    2. Make and run a simple electric motor (not from a kit).
    3. Build a simple rheostat. Show that it works.
    4. Build a single-pole, double-throw switch. Show that it works.
    5. Hook a model electric train layout to a house circuit. Tell how it works.

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Electronics Merit Badge:

  1. Describe the safety precautions you must exercise when using, building, altering, or repairing electronic devices.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Draw a simple schematic diagram. It must show resistors, capacitors, and transistors or integrated circuits, Use the correct symbols. Label all parts.
    2. Tell the purpose of each part.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Show the right way to solder and desolder.
    2. Show how to avoid heat damage to electronic components.
    3. Tell about the function of a printed circuit board. Tell what precautions should be observed when soldering printed circuit boards.
  4. Discuss each of the following with your merit badge counselor, and then choose ONE of the following and build a circuit to show the techniques used:
    1. Tell how you can use electronics for a control purpose, and then build a control device circuit.
    2. Tell about the basic principles of digital techniques, and then build a digital circuit. Show how to change three decimal numbers into binary numbers, and three binary numbers into decimal numbers.
    3. Tell about three audio applications of electronics, and then build an audio circuit.
    Show how to read the schematic diagram of the project you choose and, to the best of your ability, explain to your counselor how the circuit you built operates.
  5. Do the following:
    1. Show how to solve a simple problem involving current, voltage, and resistance using Ohm's law.
    2. Tell about the need for and the use of test equipment in electronics.  Name three types of test equipment. Tell how they operate.
  6. Find out about three career opportunities in electronics that interest you. Discuss with and explain to your counselor what training and education are needed for each position.

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Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge:

  1. Earn the First Aid Merit Badge.
  2. Do the following:
    1. Discuss with your counselor the aspects of emergency preparedness:
      1. Prepare for emergency situations
      2. Respond to emergency situations
      3. Recover from emergency situations
      4. Mitigate and prevent emergency situations

      Include in your discussion the kinds of questions that are important to ask yourself as you consider each of these.

    2. Make a chart that demonstrates your understanding of each of the four aspects of emergency preparedness in requirement 2a (prepare, respond, recover, mitigate) with regard to 10 of the situations listed below. You must use situations 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 below in boldface but you may choose any other five listed here for a total of 10 situations. Discuss this chart with your counselor.
      1. Home kitchen fire
      2. Home basement/storage room/garage fire
      3. Explosion in the home
      4. Automobile accident
      5. Food-borne disease (food poisoning)
      6. Fire or explosion in a public place
      7. Vehicle stalled in the desert
      8. Vehicle trapped in a blizzard
      9. Flash flooding in town or the country
      10. Mountain/backcountry accident
      11. Boating accident
      12. Gas leak in a home or building
      13. Tornado or hurricane
      14. Major flood
      15. Nuclear power plant emergency
      16. Avalanche (snowslide or rockslide)
      17. Violence in a public place
    3. Meet with and teach your family how to get or build a kit, make a plan, and be informed for the situations on the chart you created for requirement 2b.  Complete a family plan. Then meet with your counselor and report on your family meeting, discuss their responses, and share your family plan.
  3. Show how you could safely save a person from the following:
    1. Touching a live household electric wire
    2. A room filled with carbon monoxide
    3. Clothes on fire
    4. Drowning using nonswimming rescues (including accidents on ice)
  4. Show three ways of attracting and communicating with rescue planes/aircraft.
  5. With another person, show a good way to transport an injured person out of a remote and/or rugged area, conserving the energy of rescuers while ensuring the well-being and protection of the injured person.
  6. Do the following:
    1. Tell the things a group of Scouts should be prepared to do, the training they need, and the safety precautions they should take for the following emergency services:
      1. Crowd and traffic control
      2. Messenger service and communication
      3. Collection and distribution services
      4. Group feeding, shelter, and sanitation
    2. Identify the government or community agencies that normally handle and prepare for the emergency services listed under 6a, and explain to your counselor how a group of Scouts could volunteer to help in the event of these types of emergencies.
    3. Find out who is your community's emergency management director and learn what this person does to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate and prevent emergency situations in your community. Discuss this information with your counselor and apply what you discover to the chart you created for requirement 2b.
  7. Take part in an emergency service project, either a real one or a practice drill, with a Scouting unit or a community agency.
  8. Do the following:
    1. Prepare a written plan for mobilizing your troop when needed to do emergency service. If there is already a plan, explain it. Tell your part in making it work.
    2. Take part in at least one troop mobilization. Before the exercise, describe your part to your counselor. Afterward, conduct an "after-action" lesson, discussing what you learned during the exercise that required changes or adjustments to the plan.
    3. Prepare a personal emergency service pack for a mobilization call.   Prepare a family kit (suitcase or waterproof box) for use by your family in case an emergency evacuation is needed. Explain the needs and uses of the contents.
  9. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Using a safety checklist approved by your counselor, inspect your home for potential hazards. Explain the hazards you find and how they can be corrected.
    2. Review or develop a plan of escape for your family in case of fire in your home.
    3. Develop an accident prevention program for five family activities outside the home (such as taking a picnic or seeing a movie) that includes an analysis of possible hazards, a proposed plan to correct those hazards, and the reasons for the corrections you propose.

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Energy Merit Badge:

  1. Do the following:
    1. Find an article on the use or conservation of energy. Discuss with your counselor what in the article was interesting to you, the questions it raises, and what ideas it addresses that you do not understand.
    2. After you have completed requirements 2 through 8, revisit the article you found for requirement la. Explain to your counselor what you have learned in completing the requirements that helps you better understand the article.
  2. Show you understand energy forms and conversions by doing the following:
    1. Explain how THREE of the following devices use energy, and explain their energy conversions: toaster, greenhouse, lightbulb, bow drill, nuclear reactor, sweat lodge.
    2. Construct a system that makes at least two energy conversions and explain this to your counselor.
  3. Show you understand energy efficiency by explaining to your counselor a common example of a situation where energy moves through a system to produce a useful result. Do the following:
    1. Identify the parts of the system that are affected by the energy movement.
    2. Name the system's primary source of energy.
    3. Identify the useful outcomes of the system.
    4. Identify the energy losses of the system.
  4. Conduct an energy audit of your home. Keep a 14 day log that records what you and your family did to reduce energy use. Include the following in your report and, after the 14 day period, discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
    1. List the types of energy used in your home such as electricity, wood, oil, liquid petroleum, and natural gas, and tell how each is delivered and measured, and the current cost; OR record the transportation fuel used, miles driven, miles per gallon, and trips using your family car or another vehicle.
    2. Describe ways you and your family can use energy resources more wisely. In preparing your discussion, consider the energy required for the things you do and use on a daily basis (cooking, showering, using lights, driving, watching TV, using the computer). Explain how you can change your energy use through reuse and recycling.
  5. In a notebook, identify and describe five examples of energy waste in your school or community. Suggest in each case possible ways to reduce this waste. Describe the idea of trade offs in energy use. In your response, do the following:
    1. Explain how the changes you suggest would lower costs, reduce pollution, or otherwise improve your community.
    2. Explain what changes to routines, habits, or convenience are necessary to reduce energy waste. Tell why people might resist the changes you suggest.
  6. Prepare pie charts showing the following information, and explain to your counselor the important ideas each chart reveals. Tell where you got your information. Explain how cost affects the use of a nonrenewable energy resource and makes alternatives practical.
    1. The energy resources that supply the United States with most of its energy
    2. The share of energy resources used by the United States that comes from other countries
    3. The proportion of energy resources used by homes, businesses, industry, and transportation
    4. The fuels used to generate America's electricity
    5. The world's known and estimated primary energy resource reserves
  7. Tell what is being done to make FIVE of the following energy systems produce more usable energy. In your explanation, describe the technology, cost, environmental impacts, and safety concerns.
    • Biomass digesters or waste to energy plants
    • Cogeneration plants
    • Fossil fuel power plants
    • Fuel cells
    • Geothermal power plants
    • Nuclear power plants
    • Solar power systems
    • Tidal energy, wave energy, or ocean thermal energy conversion devices
    • Wind turbines
  8. Find out what opportunities are available for a career in energy. Choose one position that interests you and describe the education and training required.



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Engineering Merit Badge:

  1. Select a manufactured item in your home (such as a toy or an appliance) and, under adult supervision and with the approval of your counselor, investigate how and why it works as it does. Find out what sort of engineering activities were needed to create it. Discuss with your counselor what you learned and how you got the information.
  2. Select an engineering achievement that has had a major impact on society. Using resources such as the Internet (with your parent's permission), books, and magazines, find out about the engineers who made this engineering feat possible, the special obstacles they had to overcome, and how this achievement has influenced the world today. Tell your counselor what you learned.
  3. Explain the work of six types of engineers. Pick two of the six and explain how their work is related.
  4. Visit with an engineer (who may be your counselor or parent) and do the following:
    1. Discuss the work this engineer does and the tools the engineer uses.
    2. Discuss with the engineer a current project and the engineer's particular role in it.
    3. Find out how the engineer's work is done and how results are achieved.
    4. Ask to see the reports that the engineer writes concerning the project.
    5. Discuss with your counselor what you learned about engineering from this visit.
  5. Do ONE of the following:
    1. Use the systems engineering approach to make step-by-step plans for your next campout. List alternative ideas on such items as program schedule, campsites, transportation, and costs. Tell why you made the choices you did and what improvements were made.
    2. Make an original design for a piece of patrol equipment. Use the systems engineering approach to help you decide how it should work and look. Draw plans for it. Show the plans to your counselor, explain why you designed it the way you did, and explain how you would make it.
  6. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Transforming Motion. Using common material or a construction set, make a simple model that will demonstrate motion. Explain how the model uses basic mechanical concepts like levers and inclined planes to demonstrate motion. Describe an example where this mechanism is used in a real product.
    2. Using Electricity. Make a list of 10 electrical appliances in your home. Find out approximately how much electricity each uses in one month. Learn how to find out the amount and cost of electricity used in your home during periods of light and heavy use. Tell five ways to conserve electricity.
    3. Understanding electronics. Using an electronic device such as a mobile telephone or portable digital media player, find out how sound travels from one location to another. Explain how the device was designed for ease of use, function, and durability.
    4. Using materials. Do experiments to show the differences in strength and heat conductivity in wood, metal, and plastic. Discuss with your counselor what you have learned.
    5. Converting Energy. Do an experiment to show how mechanical, heat, chemical, solar, and/or electrical energy may be converted from one or more types of energy to another. Explain your results. Describe to your counselor what energy is and how energy is converted and used in your surroundings.
    6. Moving people. Find out the different ways people in your community get to work. Make a study of traffic flow (number of vehicles and relative speed) in both heavy and light traffic periods. Discuss with your counselor what might be improved to make it easier for people in your community to get where they need to go.
    7. Building an engineering project. Enter a project in a science or engineering fair or similar competition. (This requirement may be met by participation on an engineering competition project team.) Discuss with your counselor what your project demonstrates, the kinds of questions visitors to the fair asked you about it, and how well were you able to answer their questions?
  7. Explain what it means to be a registered Professional Engineer (PE). Name the types of engineering work for which registration is most important.
  8. Study the Engineer's Code of Ethics. Explain how it is like the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
  9. Find out about three career opportunities in engineering. Pick one and research the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.


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Entrepreneurship Merit Badge:

  1. In your own words, define entrepreneurship. Explain to your merit badge counselor the role of the entrepreneur in the economy of the United States.
  2. Identify and interview an individual who has started his or her own business. Find out how the entrepreneur got the idea for the business and how the entrepreneur recognized it as a market opportunity. Find out how the entrepreneur raised the capital (money) to start the business. How well is the business doing? Report what you learn.
  3. Do the following:
    1. Write down as many ideas as you can think of for a business. Get ideas from your family and friends. From your list, select three ideas that you believe are the best opportunities for you.
    2. Explain to your counselor why you chose these three ideas rather than the others on your list.
    3. For each of the three ideas that you chose, prepare a list of questions that you would ask potential customers.
    4. For each of your three ideas, informally interview potential customers, using the lists of questions from requirement 3c. Report what you learn.
    5. Using the information you have gathered, choose the one idea that you feel is your best business opportunity.
  4. Conduct a feasibility study of your business idea by doing all of the following (briefly writing or explaining each item to your counselor):
    1. Product or Service
      1. Identify your business goals.
      2. Tell how you will make the product or perform the service. Determine whether it is technically feasible (practical or doable).
      3. Determine how you can make enough of the product or provide enough of the service to meet your business goals. Explain how you will accomplish this.
      4. Identify and describe the potential liability risks of your product or service.
      5. Determine what type of license you might need in order to sell or to make your product or service.
    2. Market
      1. Determine who your customers are. Identify the type of person who would buy your product or service.
      2. Describe the unique benefits of your product or service.
      3. Tell how you will promote and sell your product or service to potential customers.
    3. Finances
      1. If you are selling a product, determine how much it will cost to make one prototype.
      2. Calculate the selling price of your product or service. Explain how you determined the price.
      3. Tell how you will sell your product or service and make a profit.
      4. Determine how much money you will need to start your business. Explain how you will get the money.
    4. Personnel
      1. Determine what parts of the business you will handle yourself. Describe your qualifications for the work. Determine how your business responsibilities will fit into your schedule.
      2. Determine whether you will need additional help to operate your business. If you will need help, describe the qualifications your helpers should have and what duties they will perform.
  5. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Sketch a prototype of your product or write a description of your service.
    2. Create the prototype. List all of the materials you used to make your prototype. Calculate the cost of all the materials and labor to compute the total cost of making your prototype.
    3. Design a promotional poster or flier for your product or service.
    4. Project (estimate) your sales through the first three months of operation. Calculate the profit you expect to make.
  6. When you believe that your business idea is feasible, start your own business. Show evidence that you started your business (sales receipts, for example, or photos of the product). Discuss with your counselor any ethical questions you have faced or think you may face in your business venture.

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Environmental Science Merit Badge:

  1. Make a timeline of the history of environmental science in America. Identify the contribution made by the Boy Scouts of America to environmental science. Include dates, names of people or organizations, and important events.
  2. Define the following terms: population, community, ecosystem, biosphere, symbiosis, niche, habitat, conservation, threatened species, endangered species, extinction, pollution prevention, brownfield, ozone, watershed, airshed, nonpoint source, hybrid vehicle, fuel cell.
  3. Do ONE activity in EACH of the following categories (using the activities in this pamphlet as the basis for planning and carrying out your projects):
    1. Ecology
      1. Conduct an experiment to find out how living things respond to changes in their environments. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
      2. Conduct an experiment illustrating the greenhouse effect. Keep a journal of your data and observations. Discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
      3. Discuss what is an ecosystem. Tell how it is maintained in nature and how it survives.
    2. Air Pollution
      1. Perform an experiment to test for particulates that contribute to air pollution. Discuss your findings with your counselor.
      2. Record the trips taken, mileage, and fuel consumption of a family car for seven days, and calculate how many miles per gallon the car gets. Determine whether any trips could have been combined ('chained') rather than taken out and back. Using the idea of trip chaining, determine how many miles and gallons of gas could have been saved in those seven days.
      3. Explain what is acid rain. In your explanation, tell how it affects plants and the environment and the steps society can take to help reduce its effects.
    3. Water Pollution
      1. Conduct an experiment to show how living things react to thermal pollution. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
      2. Conduct an experiment to identify the methods that could be used to mediate (reduce) the effects of an oil spill on waterfowl. Discuss your results with your counselor.
      3. Describe the impact of a waterborne pollutant on an aquatic community. Write a 100-word report on how that pollutant affected aquatic fife, what the effect was, and whether the effect is linked to biomagnification.
    4. Land Pollution
      1. Conduct an experiment to illustrate soil erosion by water. Take photographs or make a drawing of the soil before and after your experiment, and make a poster showing your results. Present your poster to your patrol or troop.
      2. Perform an experiment to determine the effect of an oil spill on land. Discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
      3. Photograph an area affected by erosion. Share your photographs with your counselor and discuss why the area has eroded and what might be done to help alleviate the erosion.
    5. Endangered Species
      1. Do research on one endangered species found in your state. Find out what its natural habitat is, why it is endangered, what is being done to preserve it, and how many individual organisms are left in the wild. Prepare a 100-word report about the organism, including a drawing. Present your report to your patrol or troop.
      2. Do research on one species that was endangered or threatened but which has now recovered. Find out how the organism recovered, and what its new status is. Write a 100-word report on the species and discuss it with your counselor.
      3. With your parent's and counselor's approval, work with a natural resource professional to identify two projects that have been approved to improve the habitat for a threatened or endangered species in your area. Visit the site of one of these projects and report on what you saw.
    6. Pollution Prevention, Resource Recovery, and Conservation
      1. Look around your home and determine 10 ways your family can help reduce pollution. Practice at least two of these methods for seven days and discuss with your counselor what you have learned.
      2. Determine 10 ways to conserve resources or use resources more efficiently in your home, at school, or at camp. Practice at least two of these methods for seven days and discuss with your counselor what you have learned.
      3. Perform an experiment on packaging materials to find out which ones are biodegradable. Discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
  4. Choose two outdoor study areas that are very different from one another (e.g., hilltop vs. bottom of a hill; field vs. forest; swamp vs. dry land). For BOTH study areas, do ONE of the following:
    1. Mark off a plot of four square yards in each study area, and count the number of species found there. Estimate how much space is occupied by each plant species and the type and number of nonplant species you find. Write a report that adequately discusses the biodiversity and population density of these study areas. Discuss your report with your counselor.
    2. Make at least three visits to each of the two study areas (for a total of six visits), staying for at least 20 minutes each time, to observe the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. Space each visit far enough apart that there are readily apparent differences in the observations. Keep a journal that includes the differences you observe. Then, write a short report that adequately addresses your observations, including how the differences of the study areas might relate to the differences noted, and discuss this with your counselor.
  5. Using the construction project provided or a plan you create on your own, identify the items that would need to be included in an environmental impact statement for the project planned.
  6. Find out about three career opportunities in environmental science. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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