Merit Badge Know How!

1. Explain the proper safety procedures to follow when preparing surfaces and applying coatings.
2. Do the following:
   1. Explain three ways that coatings can improve a surface.
   2. Explain the differences between oil-based paints, acrylic-based paints, and water-based paints.
   3. Explain where you would apply enamel paint, flat paint, wood stain, and varnish, and explain the importance of sheen.
   4. Tell why each is best for these uses.
3. Prepare and paint two different surfaces using patching material, caulking, and the proper primers and topcoats. Suggested projects include an interior or exterior wall, a door, a piece of furniture, a concrete wall or floor , a porch rail, or a fence. Your counselor must preapprove the projects.
4. Prepare and paint an item using harmonizing colors that you have selected using the color wheel in this book.
5. Show the right way to use, clean, maintain, and store painting equipment.
6. Explain the importance of ladder safety, environmental responsibility, and personal hygiene when painting.
7. Explain some of the environmental and health issues concerning removing paint, applying paint, and discarding old paint.
8. Find out about career opportunities in the paint industry. Discuss the training and experience required, and explain why this profession might interest you.

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Personal Fitness Merit Badge:

NOTE: If meeting any of the requirements for this merit badge is against the Scout's religious convictions, the requirement does not have to be done if the Scout's parents and the proper religious advisers state in writing that to do so would be against religious convictions. The Scout's parents must also accept full responsibility for anything that might happen because of this exemption.

1. Do the following: 
   1. Before completing requirements 2 through 9, have your health-care practitioner give you a physical examination, using the Scout medical examination form. Describe the examination. Tell what questions the doctor asked about your health. Tell what health or medical recommendations the doctor made and report what you have done in response to the recommendations.
      Explain the following:
      1. Why physical exams are important
      2. Why preventative habits are important in maintaining good health
      3. Diseases that can be prevented and how
      4. The seven warning signs of cancer
      5. The youth risk factors that affect cardiovascular fitness in adulthood
   2. Have a dental examination. Get a statement saying that your teeth have been checked and cared for. Tell how to care for your teeth.
2. Explain to your merit badge counselor verbally or in writing what personal fitness means to you, including
   1. Components of personal fitness.
   2. Reasons for being fit in all components.
   3. What it means to be mentally healthy.
   4. What it means to be physically healthy and fit.
   5. What it means to be socially healthy. Discuss your activity in the areas of healthy social fitness.
   6. What you can do to prevent social, emotional, or mental problems.
3. With your counselor answer and discuss the following questions:
   1. Are you free from all curable diseases? Are you living in such a way that your risk of preventable diseases is minimized?
   2. Are you immunized and vaccinated according to the advice of your health-care provider?
   3. Do you understand the meaning of a nutritious diet and know why it is important for you? Does your diet include foods from all the food groups?
   4. Are your body weight and composition what you would like them to be, and do you know how to modify them safely through exercise, diet, and behavior modification?
   5. Do you carry out daily activities without noticeable effort? Do you have extra energy for other activities?
   6. Are you free from habits relating to poor nutrition and the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other practices that could be harmful to your health?
   7. Do you participate in a regular exercise program or recreational activities?
   8. Do you sleep well at night and wake up feeling refreshed and energized for the new day?
   9. Are you actively involved in the religious organization of your choice, and do you participate in its youth activities?
   10. Do you spend quality time with your family and friends in social and recreational activities?
   11. Do you support family activities and efforts to maintain a good home life?
4. Explain the following about physical fitness:
   1. The components of physical fitness
   2. Your weakest and strongest component of physical fitness
   3. The need to have a balance in all four components of physical fitness
   4. How the components of personal fitness relate to the Scout Law and Scout Oath
5. Explain the following about nutrition:
   1. The importance of good nutrition
   2. What good nutrition means to you
   3. How good nutrition is related to the other components of personal fitness
   4. The three components of a sound weight (fat) control program
6. Before doing requirements 7 and 8, complete the aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and body composition tests as described in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. Record your results and identify those areas where you feel you need to improve.

   Aerobic Fitness Test

   Record your performance on ONE of the following tests:

   1. Run/walk as far as you can in nine minutes. OR
   2. Run/walk one mile as fast as you can.

   Flexibility Test

   Using a sit-and-reach box constructed according to specifications in the merit badge pamphlet, make four repetitions and record the fourth reach. This last reach must be held for 15 seconds to qualify. (Remember to keep your knees down.)

   Strength Tests

   Record your performance on all three tests.

   1. Sit-ups. Record the number of sit-ups done correctly in 60 seconds. The sit-ups must be done in the form explained and illustrated in the merit badge pamphlet.
   2. Pull-ups. Record the total number of pull-ups completed correctly in 60 seconds. Be consistent with the procedures presented in the merit badge pamphlet.
   3. Push-ups. Record the total number of push-ups completed correctly in 60 seconds. Be consistent with the procedures presented in the merit badge pamphlet.

   Body Composition Test

   Have your parent, counselor, or other adult take and record the following measurements:

   1. Circumference of the right upper arm, midway between the shoulder and the elbow, with the arm hanging naturally and not flexed.
   2. Shoulders, with arms hanging by placing the tape two inches below the top of the shoulder and around the arms, chest, and back after breath expiration.
   3. Chest, by placing the tape under the arms and around the chest and back at the nipple line after breath expiration.
   4. Abdomen circumference at navel level (relaxed).
   5. Circumference of the right thigh, midway between the hip and the knee, and not flexed.

   If possible, have the same person take the measurements whenever you are ready to be remeasured to chart your progress.

7. Outline a comprehensive 12-week physical fitness program using the results of your fitness tests. Be sure your program incorporates the endurance, intensity, and warm-up guidelines discussed in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. Before beginning your exercises, have the program approved by your counselor and parents.
8. Complete the physical fitness program you outlined in requirement 7. Keep a log of your fitness program activity (how long you exercised; how far you ran, swam, or biked; how many exercise repetitions you completed; your exercise heart rate; etc.). Repeat the aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility tests every two weeks and record your results. After the 12th week, repeat all four tests, record your results, and show improvement in each one. Compare and analyze your preprogram and postprogram body composition measurements. Discuss the meaning and benefit of your experience, and describe your long-term plans regarding your personal fitness.
9. Find out about three career opportunities in personal fitness. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this professions. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

Personal Management Merit Badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Choose an item that your family might want to purchase that is considered a major expense.
   2. Write a plan that tells how your family would save money for the purchase identified in requirement 1a.
      1. Discuss the plan with your merit badge counselor.
      2. Discuss the plan with your family.
      3. Discuss how other family needs must be considered in this plan.
   3. Develop a written shopping strategy for the purchase identified in requirement 1a.
      1. Determine the quality of the item or service (using consumer publications or rating systems).
      2. Comparison shop for the item. Find out where you can buy the item for the best price. (Provide prices from at least two different price sources.) Call around; study ads. Look for a sale or discount coupon. Consider alternatives. Can you buy the item used? Should you wait for a sale?
2. Do the following:
   1. Prepare a budget reflecting your expected income (allowance, gifts, wages), expenses, and savings. Track your actual income, expenses, and savings for 13 consecutive weeks. (You may use the forms provided in the pamphlet, devise your own, or use a computer generated version.) When complete, present the results to your merit badge counselor.
   2. Compare expected income with expected expenses.
      1. If expenses exceed income, determine steps to balance your budget.
      2. If income exceeds expenses, state how you would use the excess money (new goal, savings).
3. Discuss with your merit badge counselor FIVE of the following concepts:
   1. The emotions you feel when you receive money.
   2. Your understanding of how the amount of money you have with you affects your spending habits.
   3. Your thoughts when you buy something new and your thoughts about the same item three months later. Explain the concept of buyer's remorse.
   4. How hunger affects you when shopping for food items (snacks, groceries).
   5. Your experience of an item you have purchased after seeing or hearing advertisements for it. Did the item work as well as advertised?
   6. Your understanding of what happens when you put money into a savings account.
   7. Charitable giving. Explain its purpose and your thoughts about it.
   8. What you can do to better manage your money.
4. Explain the following to your merit badge counselor:
   1. The differences between saving and investing, including reasons for using one over the other.
   2. The concepts of return on investment and risk.
   3. The concepts of simple interest and compound interest and how these affected the results of your investment exercise.
5. Select five publicly traded stocks from the business section of the newspaper. Explain to your merit badge counselor the importance of the following information for each stock:
   1. Current price
   2. How much the price changed from the previous day
   3. The 52-week high and the 52-week low prices
6. Pretend you have $1,000 to save, invest, and help prepare yourself for the future. Explain to your merit badge counselor the advantages or disadvantages of saving or investing in each of the following:
   1. Common stocks
   2. Mutual funds
   3. Life insurance
   4. A certificate of deposit (CD)
   5. A savings account or U.S. savings bond
7. Explain to your merit badge counselor the following:
   1. What a loan is, what interest is, and how the annual percentage rate (APR) measures the true cost of a loan.
   2. The different ways to borrow money.
   3. The differences between a charge card, debit card, and credit card. What are the costs and pitfalls of using these financial tools? Explain why it is unwise to make only the minimum payment on your credit card.
   4. Credit reports and how personal responsibility can affect your credit report.
   5. Ways to eliminate debt.
8. Demonstrate to your merit badge counselor your understanding of time management by doing the following:
   1. Write a "to do" list of tasks or activities, such as homework assignments, chores, and personal projects, that must be done in the coming week. List these in order of importance to you.
   2. Make a seven-day calendar or schedule. Put in your set activities, such as school classes, sports practices or games, jobs or chores, and/or Scout or church or club meetings, then plan when you will do all the tasks from your "to do" list between your set activities.
   3. Follow the one-week schedule you planned. Keep a daily diary or journal during each of the seven days of this week's activities, writing down when you completed each of the tasks on your "to do" list compared to when you scheduled them.
   4. Review your "to do" list, one-week schedule, and diary/journal to understand when your schedule worked and when it did not work. With your merit badge counselor, discuss and understand what you learned from this requirement and what you might do differently the next time.
9. Prepare a written project plan demonstrating the steps below, including the desired outcome. This is a project on paper, not a real-life project. Examples could include planning a camping trip, developing a community service project or a school or religious event, or creating an annual patrol plan with additional activities not already included in the troop annual plan. Discuss your completed project plan with your merit badge counselor.
   1. Define the project. What is your goal?
   2. Develop a timeline for your project that shows the steps you must take from beginning to completion.
   3. Describe your project.
   4. Develop a list of resources. Identify how these resources will help you achieve your goal.
   5. If necessary, develop a budget for your project.
10. Do the following:
    1. Choose a career you might want to enter after high school or college graduation.
    2. Research the limitations of your anticipated career and discuss with your merit badge counselor what you have learned about qualifications such as education, skills, and experience.

Pets Merit Badge

1. Present evidence that you have cared for a pet for four months. Get approval before you start.
   • Work done for other merit badges cannot be used for this requirement.
2. Write in 200 words of more about the care, feeding, and housing of your pet. Tell some interesting facts about it. Tell why you have this kind of pet. Give local laws, if any, relating to the pet you keep.
3. Show that you have read a book or pamphlet, approved by your counselor, about your kind of pet.
4. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Show your pet in some pet show.
   2. Start a friend raising a pet like yours. Help your friend get a good start.
   3. Train a pet in three or more tricks or special abilities.

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1. Explain to your counselor the precautions that must be followed for the safe use and operation of a potter's tools, equipment, and other materials.
2. Do the following:
   1. Explain the properties and ingredients of a good clay body for the following:
      1. Making sculpture
      2. Throwing on the wheel
   2. Tell how three different kinds of potter's wheels work
3. Make two drawings of pottery forms, each on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. One must be a historical pottery style. The other must be of your own design.
4. Explain the meaning of the following pottery terms: bat, wedging, throwing, leather hard, bone dry, greenware, bisque, terra-cotta, grog, slip, score, earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, pyrometric cone, and glaze.
5. Do the following. Each piece is to be painted, glazed, or otherwise decorated by you:
   1. Make a slab pot, a coil pot, and a pinch pot.
   2. Make a human or animal figurine or decorative sculpture.
   3. Throw a functional form on a potter's wheel.
   4. Help to fire a kiln.
6. Explain the scope of the ceramic industry in the United States. Tell some things made other than craft pottery.
7. With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, do ONE of the following:
   1. Visit the kiln yard at a local college or other craft school. Learn how the different kinds of kilns work, including low-fire electric, gas or propane high-fire, wood or salt/soda, and raku.
   2. Visit a museum, art exhibit, art gallery, artists' co-op, or artist's studio that features pottery. After your visit, share with your counselor what you have learned.
   3. Using resources from the library, magazines, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and other outlets, learn about the historical and cultural importance of pottery. Share what you discover with your counselor.
8. Find out about career opportunities in pottery. 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.

Public Health Merit Badge

1. Explain what public health is. Explain how Escherichia colt (E. coli), tetanus, AIDS, encephalitis, salmonellosis, and Lyme disease are contracted. Then, pick any four of the following diseases and explain how each one is contracted: gonorrhea, West Nile virus, botulism, influenza, syphilis, hepatitis, emphysema, meningitis, herpes, lead poisoning. For all 10 diseases, explain the type or form of the disease (viral, bacterial, environmental, toxin), any possible vectors for transmission, ways to help prevent the spread of infection, and available treatments.
2. Do the following:
   1. Explain the meaning of immunization.
   2. Name five diseases against which a young child should be immunized and two diseases against which everyone should be reimmunized periodically.
   3. Using the diseases you chose for requirement 1, discuss the diseases for which there is currently no treatment or immunization.
3. Discuss the importance of safe drinking water in terms of the spread of disease. Then, demonstrate two ways for making water safe to drink that can be used while at camp. In your demonstration, explain how dishes and utensils should be washed, dried, and kept sanitary at home and in camp.
4. Explain what a vector is and how insects and rodents can be controlled in your home, in your community, and at camp. Tell why this is important. In your discussion, explain which vectors can be easily controlled by individuals and which ones require long-term, collective action.
5. With your parent's and counselor's approval, do ONE of the following:
   1. Visit a municipal wastewater treatment facility OR a solid-waste management operation in your community. Describe how the facility safely treats and disposes of sewage or solid waste. Describe how sewage and solid waste should be disposed of under wilderness camping conditions.
   2. Arrange to meet with the food service manager of a food service facility (such as a restaurant or school cafeteria) and visit this establishment. Observe food preparation, handling, and storage, and learn how the facility keeps foods from becoming contaminated. Find out what conditions allow microorganisms to multiply in food and how conditions can be controlled to help prevent the growth and dissemination of microorganisms. Learn how microorganisms in food can be killed. Discuss what you learned with your counselor.
6. Do the following:
   1. Describe the health dangers from air, water, and noise pollution.
   2. Describe health dangers from tobacco use and alcohol and drug abuse.
7. With your parent's and counselor's approval, visit your city, county, or state public health agency. Discuss how the agency addresses the concerns raised in requirements 1 through 6 and how the services provided by this agency affect your family. Then do the following:
   1. Compare the four leading causes of mortality (death) in your community for any of the past five years with the four leading causes of morbidity (incidence of disease) in your community. Explain how the public health agency you visited is trying to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of these leading causes of illness and death.
   2. Explain the role of the health agency you visited related to the outbreak of diseases.
   3. Discuss the kinds of public assistance the agency is able to provide in case of disasters such as floods, storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other acts of destruction. Your discussion can include the cleanup necessary after a disaster occurs.
8. Pick a profession in the public health sector that interests you. Find out the education, training, and experience required to work in this profession. Discuss what you learn with your counselor.

Public Speaking Merit Badge

1. Give a three- to five-minute introduction of yourself to an audience such as your troop, class at school, or some other group.
2. Prepare a three- to five-minute talk on a topic of your choice that incorporates body language and visual aids.
3. Give an impromptu talk of at least two minutes, either as part of a group discussion or before your counselor. Use a subject selected by your counselor that is interesting to you but that is not known to you in advance and for which you do not have time to prepare.
4. Select a topic of interest to your audience. Collect and organize information about this topic and prepare an outline. Write an eight- to 10-minute speech, practice it, then deliver it in the conversational way.
5. Show you know parliamentary procedure by leading a discussion or meeting according to accepted rules of order; or by answering questions on the rules of order.

Pulp and Paper Merit Badge

1. Tell the history of papermaking. Describe the part paper products play in our society and economy.
2. List the trees that are the major sources of papermaking fibers. Then discuss what other uses are made of the trees and of the forestland owned by the pulp and paper industry. Describe the ways the industry plants, grows, and harvests trees. Explain how the industry manages its forests so that the supply of trees keeps pace with the demand, and tell about one way the industry has incorporated a sustainable forestry concept. Give two ways the papermaking industry has addressed pollution.
3. Describe two ways of getting fibers from wood, and explain the major differences. Tell why some pulps are bleached, and describe this process.
4. Describe how paper is made. Discuss how paper is recycled. Make a sheet of paper by hand.
5. Explain what coated paper is and why it is coated. Describe the major uses for different kinds of coated paper. Describe one other way that paper is changed by chemical or mechanical means to make new uses possible.
6. Make a list of 15 pulp or paper products found in your home. Share examples of 10 such products with your counselor.
7. With your parent's and counselor's approval, do ONE of the following:
   1. Visit a pulp mill. Describe how the mill converts wood to cellulose fibers.
   2. Visit a paper mill and get a sample of the paper made there. Describe the processes used for making this paper. Tell how it will be used.
   3. Visit a container plant or box plant. Describe how the plant's products are made.
   4. Visit a recycled paper collection or sorting facility. Describe the operations there.
   5. Using books, magazines, your local library, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and any other suitable research tool, find out how paper products are developed. Find out what role research and development play in the papermaking industry. Share what you learn with your counselor.
8. Find out about three career opportunities in the papermaking industry that interest you. 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.

Radio Merit Badge

1. Explain what radio is. Then discuss the following:
   1. The differences between broadcast radio and hobby radio.
   2. The differences between broadcasting and two-way communications.
   3. Radio call signs and how they are used in broadcast radio and amateur radio
   4. The phonetic alphabet and how it is used to communicate clearly.
2. Do the following:
   1. Sketch a diagram showing how radio waves travel locally and around the world. Explain how the broadcast radio stations, WWV and WWVH can be used to help determine what you will hear when you listen to a shortwave radio?
   2. Explain the difference between a DX and a local station. Discuss what the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) does and how it is different from the International Telecommunication Union.
3. Do the following:
   1. Draw a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum covering 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1000 megahertz (MHz).
   2. Label the MF, HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave portions of the spectrum on your diagram.
   3. Locate on your chart at least eight radio services such as AM and FM commercial broadcast, citizens band (CB), television, amateur radio (at least four amateur radio bands), and public service (police and fire).
4. Explain how radio waves carry information. Include in your explanation: transceiver, transmitter, amplifier, and antenna.
5. Do the following:
   1. Explain the differences between a block diagram and a schematic diagram.
   2. Draw a block diagram for a radio station that includes a transceiver, amplifier, microphone, antenna, and feed line.
   3. Explain the differences between an open circuit a closed circuit, and a short circuit.
   4. Draw eight schematic symbols. Explain what three of the represented parts do. Find three electrical components to match to three of these symbols.
6. Explain the safety precautions for working with radio gear, including the concept of grounding for direct current circuits, power outlets, and antenna systems.
7. Visit a radio installation (an amateur radio station, broadcast station, or public communications center, for example) approved in advance by your counselor. Discuss what types of equipment you saw in use, how it was used, what types of licenses are required to operate and maintain the equipment, and the purpose of the station.
8. Find out about three career opportunities in radio. 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.
9. Do ONE of the following: (a OR b OR c )
   1. AMATEUR RADIO
      
      1. Tell why the FCC has an amateur radio service. Describe some of the activities that amateur radio operators can do on the air, once they have earned an amateur radio license.
      2. Using proper call signs, Q signals, and abbreviations, carry on a 10 minute real or simulated radio contact using voice, Morse Code, or digital mode. (Licensed amateur radio operators may substitute five QSL cards as evidence of contacts with amateur radio operators from at least three different call districts.) Properly log the real or simulated ham radio contact and record the signal report.
      3. Explain at least five Q signals or amateur radio terms you hear while listening.
      4. Explain some of the differences between the Technician, General, and Extra Class license requirements and privileges. Explain who administers amateur radio exams.
      5. Explain how you would make an emergency call on voice or Morse code.
      6. Explain the differences between handheld transceivers and home "base" transceivers. Explain the uses of mobile amateur radio transceivers and amateur radio repeaters.
   2. BROADCAST RADIO
      
      1. Prepare a program schedule for radio station "KBSA" of exactly one-half hour, including music, news, commercials, and proper station identification. Record your program on audiotape or in a digital audio format using proper techniques.
      2. Listen to and properly log 15 broadcast stations Determine the program format and target audience for five of these stations.
      3. Explain at least eight terms used in commercial broadcasting, such as segue, cut, fade, continuity, remote, Emergency Alert System, network, cue, dead air, PSA, and playlist.
   3. SHORTWAVE LISTENING
      
      1. Listen across several shortwave bands for four one-hour periods - at least one period during daylight hours and at least one period at night. Log the stations properly and locate them geographically on a globe.
      2. For several major foreign stations (BBC in Great Britain or HCJB in Ecuador, for example), list several frequency bands used by each.
      3. Compare your daytime and nighttime logs ; note the frequencies on which your selected stations were loudest during each session. Explain the differences in the signal strength from one period to the next.

 
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Railroading Merit Badge

1. Do THREE of the following:
   1. Name three types of modern freight trains. Explain why unit trains are more efficient than mixed freight trains.
   2. Name one Class I or regional railroad. Explain what major cities it serves, the locations of major terminals, service facilities, and crew change points, and the major commodities it carries.
   3. Using models or pictures, identify 10 types of railroad freight or passenger cars. Explain the purpose of each type of car.
   4. Explain how a modern diesel or electric locomotive develops power. Explain the terms dynamic braking and radial steering trucks.
2. Do the following:
   1. Explain the purpose and formation of Amtrak. Explain, by the use of a timetable, a plan for making a trip by rail between two cities at least 500 miles apart. List the times of departure and arrival at your destination, the train number and name, and the type of service you want.
   2. List and explain the various forms of public/mass transit using rail as the fixed-guide path.
3. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Name four departments of a railroad company. Describe what each department does.
   2. Tell about the opportunities in railroading that interest you most and why.
   3. Name four rail support industries. Describe the function of each one.
   4. With your parent's and counselor's approval, interview someone employed in the rail industry. Learn what that person does and how this person became interested in railroading. Find out what type of schooling and training are required for this position.
4. Explain the purpose of Operation Lifesaver and its mission.
5. Do THREE of the following:
   1. List five safety precautions that help make trains safer for workers and passengers.
   2. Explain to your merit badge counselor why railroad rights-of-way are important for safety.
   3. List 10 safety tips to remember when you are near a railroad track (either on the ground or on a station platform) or aboard a train.
   4. Tell your counselor about the guidelines for conduct that should be followed when you are near or on railroad property. Explain the dangers of trespassing on railroad property.
   5. Tell what an automobile driver can do to safely operate a car at grade crossings, and list three things an automobile driver should never do at a grade crossing.
   6. Tell how to report a malfunction of grade crossing warning devices.
   7. List safety precautions a pedestrian should follow at a public crossing.
6. Explain the appearance and meaning of the following warning signs and devices: advance warning sign, pavement markings, crossbucks, flashing red lights, crossing gates.
7. Do EACH of the following:
   1. Explain how railroad signals operate and show two basic signal types using color or configuration.
   2. Explain the meaning of three whistle signals.
   3. Describe a way to signal a train for an emergency stop.
   4. Explain the use and function of the EOTD (end-of-train device) or FRED (Flashing rear end device) used on the last car of most trains.
8. Select ONE of the following special-interest areas and complete the requirements.
   1. Model Railroading
      With your parent's and counselor's approval, do TWO of the following:
      1. Draw a layout of your own model railroad or one that could be built in your home. Design a point-to-point track or loop with different routings. Include one of the following: turnaround orterminal or yard or siding.
      2. Build one model railroad car kit or one locomotive kit.
      3. Name the scale of four popular model railroad gauges. Identify the scale of four model cars or locomotives.
      4. Locate the Web site of four model railroad-related manufacturers or magazine publishers. Print information on their products and services and discuss the information with your counselor.
      5. Build one railroad structure (from scratch or using a kit), paint and weather the structure, mount it on your layout or diorama, and make the surrounding area on the diorama scenic.
      6. Alone or with others, build a model railroad or modular layout including ballast and scenery. Make electrical connections and operate a train. Describe what you enjoyed most.
      7. Participate in a switching contest on a timesaver layout and record your time.
   2. Railfanning
      With your parent's and counselor's approval, do TWO of the following:
      1. Visit a railroad museum, historical display, or a prototype railroad-sponsored public event. With permission, photograph, videotape, or sketch items of interest. Explain what you saw and describe your photos, sketches, or videotape.
      2. Purchase tickets and ride a scenic or historic railroad. Under supervision, photograph the equipment and discuss with your counselor the historic significance of the operation.
      3. Locate the Web site of four rail historical groups, then find information on the history of the rail preservation operations and purpose of each group. Talk with a member of one of the groups and find out how you might help.
      4. Plan a trip by rail between two points. Obtain a schedule and explain when the train should arrive at two intermediate points. Purchase the tickets and make the trip. Explain to your counselor what you saw.

Reading Merit Badge

1. Do EACH of the following:
   1. Learn how to search your library's card catalog or computerized catalog by author, title, and subject.
   2. With the assistance of your merit badge counselor or a librarian, select six books of four different types (such as poetry, drama/plays, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, etc.). Ask your librarian or counselor about award-winning books that are recommended for readers your age and include at least one of those titles.
   3. Find the books in the library catalog. With your counselor's or a librarian's assistance, locate the books on the shelves.
   4. Read each book. Keep a log of your reading that includes the title of the book, the pages or chapters read, the date you completed them, and your thoughts about what you have read so far. Discuss your reading with your counselor. Using your log as a reference, explain why you chose each book and tell whether you enjoyed it and what it meant to you.
2. Read about the world around you from any two sources - books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet (with your parent's permission), field manuals, etc. Topics may include sports, environmental problems, politics, social issues, current events, nature, religion, etc. Discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
3. Do ONE of the following:
   1. From a catalog of your choice, fill out an order form for merchandise as if you intended to place an order. Share the completed form with your counselor and discuss it.
   2. With your parent's permission, locate at least five Web sites that are helpful for your scouting or other activities. Write the Internet addresses of these sites in your log. Talk with your counselor or a librarian about safety rules for using the Internet.
4. With your counselor's and parent's permission, choose ONE of the following activities and devote at least four hours of service to that activity. Discuss your participation with your counselor.
   1. Read to a sick, blind, or homebound person in a hospital or in an extended-care facility.
   2. Perform volunteer work at your school library or a public library.
   3. Read stories to younger children, in a group or individually.

Reptile and Amphibian Study Merit Badge

1. Describe the identifying characteristics of six species of reptiles and four species of amphibians found in the United States. For any four of these, make sketches from your own observations or take photographs. Show markings, color patterns, or other characteristics that are important in the identification of each of the four species. Discuss the habits and habitats of all 10 species.
2. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the approximate number of species and general geographic distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the United States. Prepare a list of the most common species found in your local area or state.
3. Describe the main differences between:
   1. Amphibians and reptiles
   2. Alligators and crocodiles
   3. Toads and frogs
   4. Salamanders and lizards
   5. Snakes and lizards
4. Explain how reptiles and amphibians are an important component of the natural environment. List four species that are officially protected by the federal government or by the state you live in, and tell why each is protected. List three species of reptiles and three species of amphibians found in your local area that are not protected. Discuss the food habits of all 10 species.
5. Describe how reptiles and amphibians reproduce.
6. From observation, describe how snakes move forward. Describe the functions of the muscles, ribs, and belly plates.
7. Describe in detail six venomous snakes and the one venomous lizard found in the United States. Describe their habits and geographic range. Tell what you should do in case of a bite by a venomous species.
8. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Maintain one or more reptiles or amphibians for at least a month. Record food accepted, eating methods, changes in coloration, shedding of skins, and general habits; or keep the eggs of a reptile from the time of laying until hatching; or keep the eggs of an amphibian from the time of laying until their transformation into tadpoles (frogs) or larvae (salamanders).
   2. Choose a reptile or amphibian that you can observe at a local zoo, aquarium, nature center, or other such exhibit (such as your classroom or school). Study the specimen weekly for a period of three months. At each visit, sketch the specimen in its captive habitat and note any changes in its coloration, shedding of skins, and general habits and behavior. Find out, either from information you locate on your own or by talking to the caretaker, what this species eats and what are its native habitat and home range, preferred climate, average life expectancy, and natural predators. Also identify any human caused threats to its population and any laws that protect the species and its habitat. After the observation period, share what you have learned with your counselor.
9. Do TWO of the following:
   1. Identify at night three kinds of toads or frogs by their voices. Imitate the song of each for your counselor. Stalk each with a flashlight and discover how each sings and from where.
   2. Identify by sight eight species of reptiles or amphibians.
   3. Using visual aids, give a brief talk to a small group on three different reptiles and amphibians.
10. Tell five superstitions or false beliefs about reptiles and amphibians and give a correct explanation for each. Give seven examples of unusual behavior or other true facts about reptiles and amphibians.

NOTE: Scouts must not use venomous reptiles in fulfilling requirement 8a. Species listed by federal or state law as endangered, protected, or threatened must not be used as live specimens in completing requirement 8a unless official permission had been given. In most cases all specimens should be returned to the wild at the location of capture after the requirement has been met. Check with your merit badge counselor for those instances where the return of these specimens would not be appropriate.

Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, some plant and animals are or may be protected by federal law. The same ones and/or others may by protected by state law. Be sure that you do not collect protected species.

Your state may require that you purchase and carry a license to collect certain species. Check with the wildlife and fish and game officials in your state regarding species regulations before you begin to collect.

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