Winter Merit Badges

 Winter Merit Badges:

Cycling

Skating

Oceanography

Chess

Pets

Dog Care

Camping

Hiking

Scouting Heritage

Bird Study

Pioneering

Backpacking

Landscape Architecture

Reading

Fingerprinting

December Scool is about Christmas Journaling for Fun-Schooling, makeup math homework, Merit Badges - point of interest and life intrest, and life with Christmas music and movies. And most of all celebrate Jesus Christ!

Countdown-Christmas-Journal-Coloring-Book

Amazon link to Coloring Book


Requirement left to complete the following Merit Badges and Rank Requirments.
The kids had me compile the following so they could find all their BSA homework in one place. My kids created a time slot in their school day for BSA schooling this is a term they call BSA lesson time at home. 


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Requirements for the 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. Discuss with your counselor what you have learned from what you read.
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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Requirements for the 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.
   6. Discuss with your counselor the considerations and advantages of spaying or neutering 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.
10. Learn about three career opportunities for working with dogs. Pick one and find out about the education, training, and experience required for this career, and discuss this with your counselor. Tell why this profession interests you.

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Requirements for the Bird Study merit badge:

1. Explain the need for bird study and why birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment. Describe how birds are part of the ecosystem.
2. Show that you are familiar with the terms used to describe birds by sketching or tracing a perched bird and then labeling 15 different parts of the bird. Sketch or trace an extended wing and label six types of wing feathers.
3. Demonstrate that you know how to properly use and care for binoculars, a spotting scope, or a monocular.
   1. Explain what the specification numbers mean on binoculars, a spotting scope, or a monocular.
   2. Show how to adjust the eyepiece and how to focus for proper viewing.
   3. Show how to properly care for and clean the lenses.
   4. Describe when and where each type of viewing device would be most effective.
4. Demonstrate that you know how to use a bird field guide. Show your counselor that you are able to understand a range map by locating in the book and pointing out the wintering range, the breeding range, and/or the year-round range of one species of each of the following types of birds:
   1. Seabird
   2. Plover
   3. Falcon or hawk
   4. Warbler or vireo
   5. Heron or egret
   6. Sparrow
   7. Nonnative bird (introduced to North America from a foreign country since 1800)
5. Observe and be able to identify at least 20 species of wild birds. Prepare a field notebook, making a separate entry for each species, and record the following information from your field observations and other references.
   1. Note the date and time.
   2. Note the location and habitat.
   3. Describe the bird's main feeding habitat and list two types of food that the bird is likely to eat.
   4. Note whether the bird is a migrant or a summer, winter, or year-round resident of your area.
6. Describe to your counselor how certain orders of birds are uniquely adapted to a specific habitat. In your description, include characteristics such as the size and shape of the following:
   1. Beak
   2. Body
   3. Leg and foot
   4. Feathers/plumage
7. Explain the function of a bird's song. Be able to identify five of the 20 species in your field notebook by song or call alone. For each of these five species enter a description of the song or call, and note the behavior of the bird making the sound. Note why you think the bird was making the call or song that you heard.
8. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Go on a field trip with a local club or with others who are knowledgeable about birds in your area.
      1. Keep a list or fill out a checklist of all the birds your group observed during the field trip.
      2. Tell your counselor which birds your group saw and why some species were common and some were present in small numbers.
      3. Tell your counselor what makes the area you visited good for finding birds.
   2. By using a public library, the Internet, or contacting the National Audubon Society, find the name and location of the Christmas Bird Count nearest your home and obtain the results of a recent count.
      1. Explain what kinds of information are collected during the annual event.
      2. Tell your counselor which species are most common, and explain why these birds are abundant.
      3. Tell your counselor which species are uncommon, and explain why these were present in small numbers. If the number of birds of these species is decreasing, explain why, and what, if anything, could be done to reverse their decline.
9. Do ONE of the following. For the option you choose, describe what birds you hope to attract, and why.
   1. Build a bird feeder and put it in an appropriate place in your yard or another location.
   2. Build a birdbath and put it in an appropriate place.
   3. Build a backyard sanctuary for birds by planting trees and shrubs for food and cover.
10. Do the following:
    1. Explain the differences between extinct, endangered, and threatened.
    2. Identify a bird species that is on the endangered or threatened list. Explain what caused their decline. Discuss with your counselor what can be done to reverse this trend and what can be done to help remove the species from the endangered or threatened list.
11. Identify three career opportunities connected to the study of birds. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss with your counselor if this profession might interest you.

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Requirements for the Pioneering merit badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you might encounter while participating in pioneering activities and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
   2. Discuss the prevention of, and first aid treatment for, injuries and conditions that could occur while working on pioneering projects, including rope splinters, rope burns, cuts, scratches, insect bites and stings, hypothermia, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sunburn, and falls.
2. Do the following:
   1. Demonstrate the basic and West Country methods of whipping a rope. Fuse the ends of a rope.
   2. Demonstrate how to tie the following knots: clove hitch, butterfly knot, roundturn with two half hitches, rolling hitch, water knot, carrick bend, sheepshank, and sheet bend.
   3. Demonstrate and explain when to use the following lashings: square, diagonal, round, shear, tripod, and floor lashing.
3. Explain why it is useful to be able to throw a rope, then demonstrate how to coil and throw a 40-foot length of 1/4- or 3/8-inch rope. Explain how to improve your throwing distance by adding weight to the end of your rope.
4. Explain the differences between synthetic ropes and natural-fiber ropes. Discuss which types of rope are suitable for pioneering work and why. Include the following in your discussion: breaking strength, safe working loads, and the care and storage of rope.
5. Explain the uses for the back splice, eye splice, and short splice. Using 1/4- or 3/8-inch three-stranded rope, demonstrate how to form each splice.
6. Using a rope-making device or machine, make a rope at least 6 feet long consisting of three strands, each having three yarns. Whip the ends.
7. Explain the importance of effectively anchoring a pioneering project. Describe to your counselor the 1-1-1 anchoring system and the log-and-stake anchoring methods.
8. With the approval of your counselor, demonstrate and use a rope tackle. Be sure the rope tackle is secured properly. Explain the advantages and limitations of using a rope tackle. Describe the potential damage that friction can do to a rope.

All pioneering projects constructed for this merit badge must comply with height standards as outlined in the Guide to Safe Scouting.


9. By yourself, build a trestle using square and diagonal lashings. Explain why trestles are used when constructing pioneering projects.
10. With the approval of your counselor and using appropriate lashings and pioneering techniques, build and use one full-size pioneering project from either group A or group B. Your project must comply with the requirements of the Guide to Safe Scouting. (Requirement 10 may be done at summer camp, at district or council events, or on a troop camp outing.)
    1. Tower OR bridge
       Anchor your project as appropriate and necessary. Explain how your anchoring system works.
       Group A projects may be worked on in a group and with others.
    2. Camp chair OR camp table
       Group B projects must be worked on individually.

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Requirements for the Scouting Heritage merit badge:

1. Discuss with your counselor the life and times of Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell. Explain why he felt a program like Scouting would be good for the young men of his day. Include in your discussion how Scouting was introduced in the United States, and the origins of Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting under Baden-Powell.
2. Do the following:
   1. Give a short biographical summary of any TWO of the following, and tell of their roles in how Scouting developed and grew in the United States prior to 1940.
      1. Daniel Carter Beard
      2. William D. Boyce
      3. Waite Phillips
      4. Ernest Thompson Seton
      5. James E. West
   2. Discuss the significance to Scouting of any TWO of the following:
      1. Brownsea Island
      2. The First World Scout Jamboree
      3. Boy Scout Handbook
      4. Boys' Life magazine
3. Discuss with your counselor how Scouting's programs have developed over time and been adapted to fit different age groups and interests (Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Exploring, Venturing).
4. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Attend either a BSA national jamboree, OR world Scout jamboree, OR a national BSA high-adventure base. While there, keep a journal documenting your day-to-day experiences. Upon your return, report to your counselor what you did, saw, and learned. You may include photos, brochures, and other documents in your report.
   2. Write or visit the National Scouting Museum. Obtain information about this facility. Give a short report on what you think the role of this museum is in the Scouting program.
   3. Visit an exhibit of Scouting memorabilia or a local museum with a Scouting history gallery, or (with your parent's permission and counselor's approval) visit with someone in your council who is recognized as a dedicated Scouting historian or memorabilia collector. Learn what you can about the history of Boy Scouting. Give a short report to your counselor on what you saw and learned.
5. Learn about the history of your unit or Scouting in your area. Interview at least two people (one from the past and one from the present) associated with your troop. These individuals could be adult unit leaders, Scouts, troop committee members, or representatives of your troop's chartered organization. Find out when your unit was originally chartered. Create a report of your findings on the history of your troop, and present it to your patrol or troop or at a court of honor, and then add it to the troop's library. This presentation could be in the form of an oral/written report, an exhibit, a scrapbook, or a computer presentation such as a slide show.
6. Make a collection of some of your personal patches and other Scouting memorabilia. With their permission, you may include items borrowed from family members or friends who have been in Scouting in the past, or you may include photographs of these items. Show this collection to your counselor, and share what you have learned about items in the collection. (There is no requirement regarding how large or small this collection must be.)
7. Reproduce the equipment for an old-time Scouting game such as those played at Brownsea Island. You may find one on your own (with your counselor's approval), or pick one from the Scouting Heritage merit badge pamphlet. Teach and play the game with other Scouts.
8. Interview at least three people (different from those you interviewed for requirement 5) over the age of 40 who were Scouts. Find out about their Scouting experiences. Ask about the impact that Scouting has had on their lives. Share what you learned with your counselor.

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Requirements for the Fingerprinting Merit Badge

Fingerprinting Requirments

Requirements for the Fingerprinting merit badge:

1. Give a short history of fingerprinting. Tell the difference between civil and criminal identification.
2. Explain the difference between the automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) now used by some law enforcement agencies and the biometric fingerprint systems used to control access to places like buildings, airports, and computer rooms.
3. Do the following:
   1. Name the surfaces of the body where friction or papillary ridges are found.
   2. Name the two basic principles supporting the science of fingerprints and give a brief explanation of each principle.
   3. Explain what it takes to positively identify a person using fingerprints.
4. Take a clear set of prints using ONE of the following methods:
   1. Make both rolled and plain impressions. Make these on an 8-by-8-inch fingerprint identification card available from your local police department or counselor.
   2. Using clear adhesive tape, a pencil, and plain paper, record your own fingerprints or those of another person.
5. Show your merit badge counselor you can identify the three basic types of fingerprint patterns and their subcategories. Using your own hand, identify the types of patterns you see.
   

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Requirements for the Landscape Architecture Merit Badge

Facebook link to Zoom Class
Landscape Architecture Rank Requirments

Requirements for the Landscape Architecture merit badge:

1. Go to a completed landscape project that a landscape architect has designed. Before you visit the site, obtain a plan of the design from the landscape architect if one is available.
2. After completing requirement 1, discuss the following with your merit badge counselor:
   1. Tell whether the design had separate spaces, a defined point of entry, a clear path system, and sun and shade variety.
   2. Discuss how any structures, the designated seating, eating, or parking areas suited the overall design.
   3. Explain how the design reflected consideration for the comfort, shelter, and security of the users.
   4. Discuss how the choice of trees, shrubs, and ground covers used in the project contributed to its appeal and function.
3. Identify five shrubs, five trees, and one ground cover, being sure that you select examples of different shapes, sizes, and textures. With the help of your counselor or a local nursery, choose plants that will grow in your area. Bring pictures of the different planting materials or, if possible, examples of their branches, leaves, or flowers to a group such as your troop or class at school. Be prepared to tell how you might use each in the design of a landscape and the maintenance that would follow.
4. After obtaining permission from the appropriate authority, look at and study a place of worship, school grounds, or a public building and identify where most people arrive by bus or car. Then do the following:
   1. Using a measuring tape, measure and draw the main site entry and its nearby area. Define the scale of your drawing. Be sure to include the driveway and sidewalk or path that leads to the building's main entry. Indicate any sidewalks, structures, trees, and plants, lights, drains, utilities, or other site furnishings within the study area. Make two copies of this plan and save the original, then do 4b and 4c using the copies.
   2. On one copy of your site plan, use directional arrows to indicate where the water drains across the site, where ditches occur, and where water stands for a longer period of time.
   3. Decide how you can make the place safer and more comfortable for those using it. Redesign the area on another copy of the plan. You may want to include new walks, covered waiting areas, benches, space-defining plantings of trees and shrubs, and drainage structures.
5. Find out about three career opportunities in landscape architecture. 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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Requirements for the Scouting Heritage Merit Badge

Scouting Heritage Class
Scouting Heritage Requirments

Requirements for the Scouting Heritage merit badge:

1. Discuss with your counselor the life and times of Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell. Explain why he felt a program like Scouting would be good for the young men of his day. Include in your discussion how Scouting was introduced in the United States, and the origins of Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting under Baden-Powell.
2. Do the following:
   1. Give a short biographical summary of any TWO of the following, and tell of their roles in how Scouting developed and grew in the United States prior to 1940.
      1. Daniel Carter Beard
      2. William D. Boyce
      3. Waite Phillips
      4. Ernest Thompson Seton
      5. James E. West
   2. Discuss the significance to Scouting of any TWO of the following:
      1. Brownsea Island
      2. The First World Scout Jamboree
      3. Boy Scout Handbook
      4. Boys' Life magazine
3. Discuss with your counselor how Scouting's programs have developed over time and been adapted to fit different age groups and interests (Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Exploring, Venturing).
4. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Attend either a BSA national jamboree, OR world Scout jamboree, OR a national BSA high-adventure base. While there, keep a journal documenting your day-to-day experiences. Upon your return, report to your counselor what you did, saw, and learned. You may include photos, brochures, and other documents in your report.
   2. Write or visit the National Scouting Museum. Obtain information about this facility. Give a short report on what you think the role of this museum is in the Scouting program.
   3. Visit an exhibit of Scouting memorabilia or a local museum with a Scouting history gallery, or (with your parent's permission and counselor's approval) visit with someone in your council who is recognized as a dedicated Scouting historian or memorabilia collector. Learn what you can about the history of Boy Scouting. Give a short report to your counselor on what you saw and learned.
5. Learn about the history of your unit or Scouting in your area. Interview at least two people (one from the past and one from the present) associated with your troop. These individuals could be adult unit leaders, Scouts, troop committee members, or representatives of your troop's chartered organization. Find out when your unit was originally chartered. Create a report of your findings on the history of your troop, and present it to your patrol or troop or at a court of honor, and then add it to the troop's library. This presentation could be in the form of an oral/written report, an exhibit, a scrapbook, or a computer presentation such as a slide show.
6. Make a collection of some of your personal patches and other Scouting memorabilia. With their permission, you may include items borrowed from family members or friends who have been in Scouting in the past, or you may include photographs of these items. Show this collection to your counselor, and share what you have learned about items in the collection. (There is no requirement regarding how large or small this collection must be.)
7. Reproduce the equipment for an old-time Scouting game such as those played at Brownsea Island. You may find one on your own (with your counselor's approval), or pick one from the Scouting Heritage merit badge pamphlet. Teach and play the game with other Scouts.
8. Interview at least three people (different from those you interviewed for requirement 5) over the age of 40 who were Scouts. Find out about their Scouting experiences. Ask about the impact that Scouting has had on their lives. Share what you learned with your counselor.

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Requirements for the Reading merit badge:
Reading Class
Reading Requirments

1. Do EACH of the following:
   1. Take a tour of a library. Discuss with your counselor how the library is organized and what resources and/or services are offered in the library.
   2. Learn how to search a library's card catalog or computerized catalog by author, title, and subject.
   3. In a library, search the card catalog or computerized catalog for six books of four different types, such as poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and biographies.
   4. With the assistance of your merit badge counselor or the librarian, see if you can locate on the shelves the six books you selected.
2. Do EACH of the following:
   1. Identify a book you have enjoyed. Find out what other books the author has written.
   2. Look at one or more "best books" lists. These can be based on year, subject, or even all time. Identify at least one book you would like to read.
3. Read four different types of books, such as poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or biographies. Do any ONE of the following for each book you have read:
   1. Write a review of the book. Include what you liked/didn't like about the book. Include if you would recommend this book, and if so, who might enjoy reading it.
   2. Watch a movie based on the book. What was the same between the book and movie? What was different? Which did you enjoy more? Discuss this with your merit badge counselor.
4. Read a nonfiction book or magazine that teaches you how to do something like cooking, wood-building projects, video game design, science experiments, knot-tying, etc. With your counselor's and parent's or guardian's permission, complete a project from the book. Share your experience with your merit badge counselor. Reading a merit badge pamphlet will not count toward completing this requirement.
5. Read about the world around you from any two sources: books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet (with your parent's or guardian's permission), field manuals, etc. Topics may include Scouting, sports, environmental problems, politics, social issues, current events, nature, religion, etc. Discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
6. With your counselor's and parent's or guardian'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.
   4. Organize a book swap in your troop, school, or place of worship.
   5. Organize a book drive to collect books. Donate them to an organization in need.
      

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Requirements for the Cycling merit badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while participating in cycling activities and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
   2. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while cycling, including cuts, scratches, blisters, sunburn, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, hypothermia, dehydration, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite. Explain to your counselor why you should be able to identify the poisonous plants and poisonous animals that are found in your area.
   3. Explain the importance of wearing a properly sized and fitted helmet while cycling, and of wearing the right clothing for the weather. Know the BSA Bike Safety Guidelines.
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 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 by removing the tire, replacing or patching the tube, and remounting the tire.
6. Describe your state's traffic laws for bicycles. Compare them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.
7. Using the BSA buddy system, complete all of the requirements for ONE of the following options: road biking OR mountain biking.
   
1. Road Biking
   1. Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the following:
      1. Properly 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.
   2. 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 for the routes traveled, and interesting things seen.
   3. After completing requirement b for the road biking option, do ONE of the following:
      1. Lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.
      2. Participate in an organized bike tour of at least 50 miles. Make this ride in eight hours. Afterward, use the tour's cue sheet to make a map of the ride.
2. Mountain Biking
1. Take a trail ride with your counselor and demonstrate the following:
   1. Properly mount, pedal, and brake, including emergency stops.
   2. Show shifting skills as applicable to climbs and obstacles.
   3. Show proper trail etiquette to hikers and other cyclists, including when to yield the right-of-way.
   4. Show proper technique for riding up and down hills.
   5. Demonstrate how to correctly cross an obstacle by either going over the obstacle on your bike or dismounting your bike and crossing over or around the obstacle.
   6. Cross rocks, gravel, and roots properly.
2. Describe the rules of trail riding, including how to know when a trail is unsuitable for riding.
3. On trails approved by your counselor, take two rides of 2 miles each, two rides of 5 miles each, and two rides of 8 miles each. You must make a report of the rides taken. List dates for the routes traveled, and interesting things seen.
4. After fulfilling the previous requirement, lay out on a trail map a 22-mile trip. You may include multiple trail systems, if needed. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in six hours.

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Requirements for the Hiking merit badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while hiking, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
   2. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while hiking, including hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sunburn, hyperventilation, altitude sickness, sprained ankle, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite.
2. Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including proper outdoor ethics, hiking safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
3. Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity. Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
4. Take the five following hikes, each on a different day, and each of continuous miles. These hikes MUST be taken in the following order:
   • One 5-mile hike
   • Three 10-mile hikes
   • One 15-mile hike
   You may stop for as many short rest periods as needed, as well as one meal, during each hike, but not for an extended period (example: overnight). Prepare a written hike plan before each hike and share it with your Scoutmaster or a designee. Include map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of items for a trail lunch. *
5. Take a hike of 20 continuous miles in one day following a hike plan you have prepared. You may stop for as many short rest periods as needed, as well as one meal, but not for an extended period (example: overnight).*
6. After each of the hikes (or during each hike if on one continuous "trek") in requirements 4 and 5, write a short reflection of your experience. Give dates and descriptions of routes covered, the weather, and any interesting things you saw. It may include something you learned about yourself, about the outdoors, or about others you were hiking with. Share this with your merit badge counselor.

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Requirements for the Backpacking merit badge:

1. Discuss the prevention of and treatment for the health concerns that could occur while backpacking, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, insect stings, tick bites, snakebite, and blisters.
2. Do the following:
   1. List 10 items that are essential to be carried on any backpacking trek and explain why each item is necessary.
   2. Describe 10 ways you can limit the weight and bulk to be carried in your pack without jeopardizing your health or safety.
3. Do the following:
   1. Define limits on the number of backpackers appropriate for a trek crew.
   2. Describe how a trek crew should be organized.
   3. Tell how you would minimize risk on a backpacking trek.
   4. Explain the purpose of an emergency response plan.
4. Do the following:
   1. Describe the importance of using Leave No Trace principles while backpacking, and at least five ways you can lessen the crew's impact on the environment.
   2. Describe proper methods of handling human and other wastes while on a backpacking trek. Describe the importance of and means to assure personal cleanliness while on a backpacking trek.
   3. Tell what factors are important in choosing a campsite.
5. Do the following:
   1. Demonstrate two ways to treat water and tell why water treatment is essential.
   2. Explain to your counselor the importance of staying well hydrated during a trek.
6. Do the following:
   1. Demonstrate that you can read topographic maps.
   2. While on a trek, use a map and compass to establish your position on the ground at three different locations, OR use a GPS receiver unit to establish your position on a topographic map and on the ground at three different locations.
   3. Explain how to stay found, and what to do if you get lost.
7. Tell how to prepare properly for and deal with inclement weather.
8. Do the following:
   1. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of backpacking stoves using at least three different types of fuel.
   2. Demonstrate that you know how to operate a backpacking stove safely and to handle liquid fuel safely.
   3. Prepare at least three meals using a stove and fuel you can carry in a backpack.
   4. Demonstrate that you know how to keep cooking and eating gear clean and sanitary, and that you practice proper methods for food storage while on a backpacking trek.
9. Do the following:
   1. Write a plan that includes a schedule for a patrol/crew backpacking hike of at least 2 miles.
   2. Conduct a prehike inspection of the patrol and its equipment.
   3. Show that you know how to properly pack your personal gear and your share of the crew's gear and food.
   4. Show you can properly shoulder your pack and adjust it for proper wear.
   5. While using the plan you developed for requirement 9a, carry your fully loaded pack to complete a hike of at least 2 miles.
10. Using Leave No Trace principles, participate in at least three backpacking treks of at least three days each and at least 15 miles each, and using at least two different campsites on each trek. Carry everything you will need throughout the trek.
11. Do the following:
    1. Write a plan for a backpacking trek of at least five days using at least three different campsites and covering at least 30 miles. Your plan must include a description of and route to the trek area, a schedule (including a daily schedule), a list of food and equipment needs, a safety and emergency plan, and a budget.
    2. Using Leave No Trace principles, take the trek your have planned and, while on the trek, complete at least one service project approved by your merit badge counselor.
    3. Keep a daily journal during the trek that includes a day-by-day description of your activities, including notes about what worked well and thoughts about improvements that could be made for the next trek.

Backpacking Worksheet
Backpacking Time Control Plan
Backpacking Injury Report

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Requirements for the Skating merit badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards associated with skating and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
   2. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while skating, including hypothermia, frostbite, lacerations, abrasions, fractures, sprains and strains, blisters, heat-related reactions, and shock.
2. Complete ALL of the requirements for ONE of the following options.

   Ice Skating

   1. Do the following:
      1. Give general safety and courtesy rules for ice skating. Discuss preparations that must be taken when skating outdoors on natural ice. Explain how to make an ice rescue.
      2. Discuss the parts and functions of the different types of ice skates.
      3. Describe the proper way to carry ice skates.
      4. Describe how to store skates for long periods of time, such as seasonal storage.
   2. Do the following:
      1. Skate forward at least 40 feet and come to a complete stop. Use either a two-footed snowplow stop or a one-footed snowplow stop.
      2. After skating forward, glide forward on two feet, then on one foot, first right and then left.
      3. Starting from a T position, stroke forward around the test area, avoiding the use of toe picks if wearing figure skates.
   3. Do the following:
      1. Glide backward on two feet for at leaast two times the skater's height.
      2. Skate backward for at least 20 feet on two skates.
      3. After gaining forward speed, glide forward on two feet, making a turn of 180 degrees around a cone, first to the right and then to the left.
   4. Do the following:
      1. Perform a forward shoot-the-duck until you're nearly stopped. Rise while still on one foot.
      2. Explain to your counselor the safety considerations for running or participating in an ice skating race.
      3. Take part in a relay race.
      4. Perform a hockey stop.

   Roller Skating

   1. Do the following:
      1. Give general safety and etiquette rules for roller skating.
      2. Discuss the parts and functions of the roller skate.
      3. Describe five essential steps to good skate care.
   2. Do the following:
      1. Skate forward with smooth, linked strokes on two feet for at least 100 feet in both directions around the rink and demonstrate proper techniques for stopping.
      2. Skate forward and glide at least 15 feet on one skate, then on the other skate.
   3. Do the following:
      1. Perform the crosscut.
      2. Skate backward for at least 40 feet on two skates, then for at least 15 feet on one skate.
      3. Skate forward in a slalom pattern for at least 40 feet on two skates, then for at least 20 feet on one skate.
      4. Skate backward in a slalom pattern for at least 15 feet on two skates.
   4. Do the following:
      1. Shuttle skate once around the rink, bending twice along the way without stopping.
      2. Perform a widespread eagle.
      3. Perform a mohawk.
      4. Perform a series of two consecutive spins on skates, OR hop, skip, and jump on skates for at least 10 feet.
   5. Do the following:
      1. Race on a speed track, demonstrating proper technique in starting, cornering, passing, and pacing.
      2. Perform the limbo under a pole placed at least chest-high OR shoot-the-duck under a waist-high pole and rise while still on one foot.
      3. Perform the stepover.
      4. While skating, dribble a basketball the length of the floor, then return to your starting position, OR push a hockey ball with a stick around the entire rink in both directions.

   In-Line Skating

1. Do the following:
   1. Give general and in-line skating safety rules and etiquette.
   2. Describe the parts and functions of the in-line skate.
   3. Describe the required and recommended safety equipment.
   4. Describe four essential steps to good skate care.
2. Do the following:
   1. Skate forward with smooth, linked strokes on two feet for at least 100 feet.
   2. Skate forward and glide at least 15 feet on one skate, then on the other skate.
   3. Stop on command on flat pavement using the heel brake.
3. Do the following:
   1. Perform the forward crossover.
   2. Perform a series of forward, linked swizzles for at least 40 feet.
   3. Skate backward for at least 40 feet in a series of linked, backward swizzles.
   4. From a b pace, perform a lunge turn around an object predetermined by your counselor.
   5. Perform a mohawk.
4. Do the following:
1. Perform a series of at least four one-footed downhill slaloms on pavement with a gentle slope.
2. Describe how to pass a pedestrian or another skater from behind.
3. Describe at least three ways to avoid an unforeseen obstacle while skating.
4. Describe two ways to get on and off a curb, and demonstrate at least one of these methods.

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Requirements for the Chess merit badge:

1. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the history of the game of chess. Explain why it is considered a game of planning and strategy.


2. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the following:
1. The benefits of playing chess, including developing critical thinking skills, concentration skills, and decision-making skills, and how these skills can help you in other areas of your life
2. Sportsmanship and chess etiquette


3. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know each of the following. Then, using Scouting's Teaching EDGE*, teach someone (preferably another Scout) who does not know how to play chess:
1. The name of each chess piece
2. How to set up a chessboard
3. How each chess piece moves, including castling and en passant captures


4. Do the following:
1. Demonstrate scorekeeping using the algebraic system of chess notation.
2. Discuss the differences between the opening, the middle game, and the endgame.
3. Explain four opening principles.
4. Explain the four rules for castling.
5. On a chessboard, demonstrate a "scholar's mate" and a "fool's mate."
6. Demonstrate on a chessboard four ways a chess game can end in a draw.


5. Do the following:
1. Explain four of the following elements of chess strategy: exploiting weaknesses, force, king safety, pawn structure, space, tempo, time.
2. Explain any five of these chess tactics: clearance sacrifice, decoy, discovered attack, double attack, fork, interposing, overloading, overprotecting, pin, remove the defender, skewer, zwischenzug.
3. Set up a chessboard with the white king on e1, the white rooks on a1 and h1, and the black king on e5. With White to move first, demonstrate how to force checkmate on the black king.
4. Set up and solve five direct-mate problems provided by your merit badge counselor.


6. Do ONE of the following:
1. Play at least three games of chess with other Scouts and/or your merit badge counselor. Replay the games from your score sheets and discuss with your counselor how you might have played each game differently.
2. Play in a scholastic (youth) chess tournament and use your score sheets from that tournament to replay your games with your merit badge counselor. Discuss with your counselor how you might have played each game differently.
3. Organize and run a chess tournament with at least four players, plus you. Have each competitor play at least two games.

Chess Worksheet

* You may learn about Scouting's Teaching EDGE from your unit leader, another Scout, or by attending training.

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Requirements for the Camping merit badge:

1. Do the following:
   1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while participating in camping activities and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
   2. Discuss with your counselor why it is important to be aware of weather conditions before and during your camping activities. Tell how you can prepare should the weather turn bad during your campouts.
   3. 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, snakebite, 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
   1. a compass
   2. a GPS receiver
   3. a smartphone with a GPS app
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. While camping in the outdoors, 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 a total of at least 20 nights at designated Scouting activities or events. One long-term camping experience of up to six consecutive nights may be applied toward this requirement. Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. 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 where, at some point, you are at least 1,000 feet higher in elevation from where you started.
      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. Take a non-motorized trip on the water of at least four hours or 5 miles.
      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. This can be done alone or with others.
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.

Read Bryan on Scouting for info about requirement 9a.

Camping Worksheet

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Requirements for the Oceanography merit badge:

1. Name four branches of oceanography. Describe at least five reasons why it is important for people to learn about the oceans.
2. Define salinity, temperature, and density, and describe how these important properties of seawater are measured by the physical oceanographer. Discuss the circulation and currents of the ocean. Describe the effects of the oceans on weather and climate.
3. Describe the characteristics of ocean waves. Point out the differences among the storm surge, tsunami, tidal wave, and tidal bore. Explain the difference between sea, swell, and surf. Explain how breakers are formed.
4. Draw a cross-section of underwater topography. Show what is meant by: (a) Continental shelf, (b) Continental slope; and (c)Abyssal plain.

   Name and put on your drawing the following: seamount, guyot, rift valley, canyon, trench, and oceanic ridge. Compare the depths in the oceans with the heights of mountains on land.

5. List the main salts, gases, and nutrients in sea water. Describe some important properties of water. Tell how the animals and plants of the ocean affect the chemical composition of seawater. Explain how differences in evaporation and precipitation affect the salt content of the oceans.
6. Describe some of the biologically important properties of seawater. Define benthos, nekton, and plankton. Name some of the plants and animals that make up each of these groups. Describe the place and importance of phytoplankton in the oceanic food chain.
7. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Make a plankton net*. Tow the net by a dock, wade with it, hold it in a current, or tow it from a rowboat. Do this for about 20 minutes. Save the sample. Examine it under a microscope or high-power glass. Identify the three most common types of plankton in the sample.
   2. Make a series of models (clay or plaster and wood) of a volcanic island. Show the growth of an atoll from a fringing reef through a barrier reef. Describe the Darwinian theory of coral reef formation.
   3. Measure the water temperature at the surface, midwater, and bottom of a body of water four times daily for five consecutive days. You may measure depth with a rock tied to a line. Make a Secchi disk to measure turbidity (how much suspended sedimentation is in the water). Measure the air temperature. Note the cloud cover and roughness of the water. Show your findings (air and water temperature, turbidity) on a graph. Tell how the water temperature changes with air temperature.
   4. Make a model showing the inshore sediment movement by littoral currents, tidal movement, and wave action. Include such formations as high and low waterlines, low-tide terrace, berm, and coastal cliffs. Show how offshore bars are built up and torn down.
   5. Make a wave generator. Show reflection and refraction of waves. Show how groins, jetties, and breakwaters affect these patterns.
   6. Track and monitor satellite images available on the Internet for a specific location for three weeks. Describe what you have learned to your counselor.
8. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Write a 500-word report on a book about oceanography approved by your counselor.
   2. Visit one of the following: (1) an oceanographic research ship or (2) an oceanographic institute, marine laboratory, or marine aquarium. Write a 500-word report about your visit.
   3. Explain to your troop in a five minute prepared speech "Why Oceanography Is Important" or describe "Career Opportunities in Oceanography." (Before making your speech, show your speech outline to your counselor for approval.)
9. Describe four methods that marine scientists use to investigate the ocean, underlying geology, and organisms living in the water.

* May be done in lakes or streams.