BSA moms--if you have a "merit badge midway" near you, help!

[6packofun]

Dh and I are about ready to quit the troop that ds is in.  They offer so little explanation or help to newcomers and we don't know what these events are!  

 

Is the merit badge midway supposed to help them just FINISH off merit badges that they've already been working on?  Ds and I assumed that it was just a way to get started on some of these.  He hasn't done any of the requirements for the badges he chose and we had to sign up before space ran out, but they didn't even have specific information about the event until AFTER we signed up.  ARGHHH!!

 

Is Boy Scouts pretty much a you're-on-your-own type of organization?  Ds is very timid and we're trying to get him to be more assertive about doing merit badges but we still don't exactly understand the process.  Does he have to have a counselor working WITH him for every step of the requirements?  Does he just find one to sign off on them after he accomplishes parts of them?

 

Please point me in the right direction because I seem to be getting conflicting and/or incomplete information from every source!

[Miss Tick]

Ds has been in his troop for a month now, so I, too, am trying to get up to speed. Our merit badge midway has another name related to where it is held, but it sounds like they get you started on the badge(s) and close to done, but there will probably be a few requirements you have to finish up on your own. My understanding on the "finish up on your own" part is that it may need to be documented with pictures or at least discussed with a leader before they will sign it off. We'll be traveling during this spring one, so I'll be asking these questions again in the fall.

 

Our troop tries to give a lot of support to new scouts, and I still feel pretty lost!

 

In our troop, the first year scouts are put into their own patrol and assigned a mentor (older scout) to help keep them on track. We shall see how that plays out.

[raptor_dad]

You troop and especially the Scoutmaster should be offering more guidance on this.

 

http://www.scoutmasterbucky.com/ is a merit badge midway type program near us.They have lots of info and are well run. The general expectation is that the kid will have done much of the work in advance. They provide guidance and workbooks to fill out in advance and then the 3-4hr course is mostly about discussions and signing stuff off. Does your program offer something similar? You could look at their merit badge worksheets or the ones on http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Merit_Badges to see what ds might want to do in advance.

 

I have mixed feeling on these types of programs. They didn't exist in my area when I was a scout and I thought having to call and set up meetings and deal with lots of random adults to do badges was a benefit for me. The packaged events makes that easier and requires less initiative. On the other hand it is really no different from getting badges at camp.I'm pretty sure I'm just being an old grump, but some troops discourage these programs. Once my ds moves up to Boy Scouts I expect he will do a mix of these, camps, and independent badges.

[DawnM]

I haven't heard of a merit badge midway.  Is that like a merit badge university event?

[JFSinIL]

No idea what you are talking about. Here, when ds was in Scouts, he got the booklet and worked on the merit badge himself, getting signed off by a Troop adult as needed. Sometimes the troop had a parent skilled in a topic and held a series of weekend workshops for interested boys to help them get their badge in whatever the topic was. Other badges could be largely earned at summer camp or a campout. But the boys are expected to do the work, and take initiative in asking a Troop adult to oversee and sign off on the badge requirements.

Edited March 2, 2016 by JFSinIL

[mommybee]

We have something similar where the boys go to a workshop of merit badges for the day. For those, often times certain merit badges will have prerequisites. There will be things the boy has to get done before he comes to the workshop since they cannot be accomplished in a one day setting. But we've always had all the information.

 

The boys really have to take the initiative to find out who is a merit badge counselor in their troop and communicate with them. It does take time to get the hang of all of it. But it really is on the boy to know who is in charge and ask those questions. 

Edited March 2, 2016 by mommybee

[Loowit]

I am guessing it is a type of merit badge clinic type thing.  Each one I have seen is a bit different and should be explained on a flyer or have a contact person to talk to.  We have two coming up in a few weeks for our council.  They are put on by different groups around here.  The one that is further away gives a list of what merit badges are available to work on, along with a schedule and any prerequisites that need to be done ahead of time.  The one that most of our scouts are attending is more local and each boy can choose one from a list of offerings and they will work on those.  These do not require prerequisites, but will likely need to be finished at a later time with a merit badge counselor.

 

A lot of what needs to be done really varies by troop and by merit badge counselor, but must follow national guidelines.  I would recommend that you check out the guide to advancement because it will have a lot of information that would be helpful to you.

 

Ideally your troop has an advancement person that your son can talk to and ask questions.  I am the advancement person for my sons' troop.  In our troop if a scout wants to work on a merit badge they need to a talk to me or the scoutmaster, get a blue card signed by the scoutmaster to begin work, and are given list of merit badge counselors for that particular merit badge.  The scouts are expected to contact the counselor on their own and work through the merit badge with the counselor.  Each counselor has different levels of involvement that they want to have.  Some you can meet with once or twice, show your work and be done.  Others will want to be a bit more hands on.  Merit badge clinics and other merit badge days can be useful in that you can sometimes complete a merit badge in a day, but my preference is for most of the merit badges to be sought after by the scout because I find they learn more that way in general.

[6packofun]

 

In our troop, the first year scouts are put into their own patrol and assigned a mentor (older scout) to help keep them on track. We shall see how that plays out.

 

THIS is great!

[6packofun]

You troop and especially the Scoutmaster should be offering more guidance on this.

 

http://www.scoutmasterbucky.com/ is a merit badge midway type program near us.They have lots of info and are well run. The general expectation is that the kid will have done much of the work in advance. They provide guidance and workbooks to fill out in advance and then the 3-4hr course is mostly about discussions and signing stuff off. Does your program offer something similar? You could look at their merit badge worksheets or the ones on http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Merit_Badges to see what ds might want to do in advance.

 

I have mixed feeling on these types of programs. They didn't exist in my area when I was a scout and I thought having to call and set up meetings and deal with lots of random adults to do badges was a benefit for me. The packaged events makes that easier and requires less initiative. On the other hand it is really no different from getting badges at camp.I'm pretty sure I'm just being an old grump, but some troops discourage these programs. Once my ds moves up to Boy Scouts I expect he will do a mix of these, camps, and independent badges.

 

Ds found out about this on his own and when he mentioned going, the scout leadership was very encouraging.  But I thought, why wouldn't they have announced it more than a week before the event??  So, of course, ds doesn't really have any requirements done on the badges he chose, not sure how the event worked.  Apparently it's like a "merit badge trade show", whatever that means, and he will be linked to a counselor for going through the requirements--NOT all at the event.  

 

Which is good because I agree with you about ds learning to take the initiative to make the proper contacts, do research on his own, etc.  However, he is *starting* scouts at 14 and reallllly wants to make Eagle Scout.  He's very goal-oriented, as in why bother joining Boy Scouts unless you're going to try to make Eagle Scout?  LOL  We, too, will favor a mixed approach as you said.  Thanks!  (Also, just found out dh was able to sign up to attend for free so he is going to go and hang back while ds does his thing and also learn more as a Scout parent!  Whew!)

[6packofun]

I am guessing it is a type of merit badge clinic type thing.  Each one I have seen is a bit different and should be explained on a flyer or have a contact person to talk to.  We have two coming up in a few weeks for our council.  They are put on by different groups around here.  The one that is further away gives a list of what merit badges are available to work on, along with a schedule and any prerequisites that need to be done ahead of time.  The one that most of our scouts are attending is more local and each boy can choose one from a list of offerings and they will work on those.  These do not require prerequisites, but will likely need to be finished at a later time with a merit badge counselor.

 

A lot of what needs to be done really varies by troop and by merit badge counselor, but must follow national guidelines.  I would recommend that you check out the guide to advancement because it will have a lot of information that would be helpful to you.

 

Ideally your troop has an advancement person that your son can talk to and ask questions.  I am the advancement person for my sons' troop.  In our troop if a scout wants to work on a merit badge they need to a talk to me or the scoutmaster, get a blue card signed by the scoutmaster to begin work, and are given list of merit badge counselors for that particular merit badge.  The scouts are expected to contact the counselor on their own and work through the merit badge with the counselor.  Each counselor has different levels of involvement that they want to have.  Some you can meet with once or twice, show your work and be done.  Others will want to be a bit more hands on.  Merit badge clinics and other merit badge days can be useful in that you can sometimes complete a merit badge in a day, but my preference is for most of the merit badges to be sought after by the scout because I find they learn more that way in general.

 

Thank you, very helpful.  We were not sure about the whole counselor thing.  Do they need to contact a counselor BEFORE beginning any work on the badge?  He has his signed blue cards from the Scoutmaster, we just don't know if he can begin without having a counselor or if it differs with each badge.

[mommybee]

.  However, he is *starting* scouts at 14 and reallllly wants to make Eagle Scout.  He's very goal-oriented, as in why bother joining Boy Scouts unless you're going to try to make Eagle Scout?  LOL  

 

My oldest started at 13 and made Eagle Scout. It took him about a year to really understand how it all worked though cause we were newbies. I remember being clueless but once we got the hang of it things went well.

 

Now my other two boys were luckier cause they got to be cub scouts first. 

 

Going to camp is a good way to really get those merit badges out of the way quickly if he is aiming for Eagle.

[mommybee]

Thank you, very helpful.  We were not sure about the whole counselor thing.  Do they need to contact a counselor BEFORE beginning any work on the badge?  He has his signed blue cards from the Scoutmaster, we just don't know if he can begin without having a counselor or if it differs with each badge.

 

In our troop they do have to let the merit badge counselor know they are beginning the merit badge before they start.

[mamakelly]

If he's doing a merit badge "day", he doesn't need to contact the merit badge counselor ahead of time. He should read the booklet and print out the worksheet. If he has time to do the pre-reqs, that's great. If not, he can do them later, and contact the merit badge counselor to have it signed off.

 

My son started at 14 too. He asked tons of questions and did many merit badge days, to get caught up. I also made friends with some of the knowledgeable scout moms and they were super helpful.

[Alessandra]

I am not familiar with the term Midway, although I did notice it in the BSA Guide to Advancement. It sounded as though it might be another name for a merit badge fair.

 

In our area, a merit badge fair is a chance for boys to meet with mb counselors to review mb work that they have completed, or think they have completed, lol. It's convenient, because boys can get multiple mbs signed off in one day. Here, an hour is allowed for each badge review. Counselors are arranged at tables around a room and meet with boys individually or in perhaps two at a time, not large groups. YMMV. If the boys have not dome all the requirements, they would get a 'partial' and have to complete badge at a later date.

 

Usually, boys fill in worksheet, like the one from here

http://usscouts.org/advancementTOC.asp

But worksheets cannot be required. Oh, and all boys must get blue cards from SM. And don't forget to wear uniform!

 

The actual work on the mb should be done by the boys:

 

"Earning merit badges should be Scout initiated, Scout researched, and Scout learned. It should be hands-on and interactive, and should not be modeled after a typical school classroom setting."

 

That is from the Guide to Advancemen:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf

 

A good source of info is the BSA blog, Bryan on Scouting.

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/category/merit-badges/page/4/

 

For badges done independently, it is the boys responsibility to get blue card and contact counselor. Btw, many boys are timid, as you say. Ime, when a mb counselor answers the phone and there is silence on the line, he pretty much knows it's a call from a boy who generally communicates with new people by email or text, lol. I have listened in on conversations and had to quickly write down info for my ds, as he used to forget his own name in a panic. But that is a critical part of the learning process.

 

In an ideal world, the mb counselor would guide a boy, or a boy ands his buddy, through a mb step by step. But, in real life -- at least for us -- it is more common for a mb counselor to meet with a boy once, to approve mb work.

 

Going to a scout camp is a great way to earn badges. Some people will complain that camp badges are earned so quickly that the experience is not as thorough as it could be, but I think camp is a great opportunity, especially for badges like archery, shooting,first aid, lifesaving, etc. Sign up early to get the badges you want and remember to check for prerequisites.

 

In your own troop, talk to parents of older scouts -- usually a wealth of info. My personal advice, if you need official info, is to check with committee chair or other person on committee, not with Scoutmaster. Many SM are strict about their jobs -- they are there for scouts, not for parents. YMMV.

 

 

ETA Since your ds is pressed for time, make sure he knows about badges that involve extended time, like Personal Fitness, Family Life, Personal Management, Camping.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Alessandra

[Reefgazer]

DS just transitioned over to Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts, and DH (who is an Eagle Scout) said the tone of the two organizations is very different.  The expectation is that the boys will be self-motivated and take the initiative to find things out on their own or seek help on their own.  He said boys who have a father around who has been a Boy Scout and know the "ropes" have an advantage because they have someone to guide them on their journey.  I know squat about Boy Scouts, really, but DH knows the ropes and DS is having an OK time of it, so far.

Dh and I are about ready to quit the troop that ds is in.  They offer so little explanation or help to newcomers and we don't know what these events are!  

 

Is the merit badge midway supposed to help them just FINISH off merit badges that they've already been working on?  Ds and I assumed that it was just a way to get started on some of these.  He hasn't done any of the requirements for the badges he chose and we had to sign up before space ran out, but they didn't even have specific information about the event until AFTER we signed up.  ARGHHH!!

 

Is Boy Scouts pretty much a you're-on-your-own type of organization?  Ds is very timid and we're trying to get him to be more assertive about doing merit badges but we still don't exactly understand the process.  Does he have to have a counselor working WITH him for every step of the requirements?  Does he just find one to sign off on them after he accomplishes parts of them?

 

Please point me in the right direction because I seem to be getting conflicting and/or incomplete information from every source!

 

[Alessandra]

I can't seem to get a link to the exact post on my iPad, but Bryan on Scouting has a post called, 'This is how to earn a merit badge.' The post has a step by step guide. Be sure to read the comments as well as the post.

[mom2scouts]

Merit badges are very much a Scout initiated activity. We don't have "Merit Badge Midway", but we have similar things where Scouts can start and, depending on their motivation and work at home, finish a couple of merit badges. My dh told me that BSA National doesn't like these types of things because they want merit badges to be chosen and done by individual Scouts. Boys are supposed to be the one to choose the badge they want to earn, get a blue card from the Scoutmaster, ask for contact information for a counselor, arrange meetings with the counselor, and complete the merit badge with the help of their counselor. Most boys need a little more help and guidance though, so these events do help boys advance. This expectation that boys will take the required steps to earn merit badges is one of the things that makes Boy Scouts such a good leadership training activity.

[DawnM]

Merit badges are very much a Scout initiated activity. We don't have "Merit Badge Midway", but we have similar things where Scouts can start and, depending on their motivation and work at home, finish a couple of merit badges. My dh told me that BSA National doesn't like these types of things because they want merit badges to be chosen and done by individual Scouts. Boys are supposed to be the one to choose the badge they want to earn, get a blue card from the Scoutmaster, ask for contact information for a counselor, arrange meetings with the counselor, and complete the merit badge with the help of their counselor. Most boys need a little more help and guidance though, so these events do help boys advance. This expectation that boys will take the required steps to earn merit badges is one of the things that makes Boy Scouts such a good leadership training activity.

 

 

That would be great if the men who lead would actually respond to the boys and not tell them to WAIT and then never get back to them.

[DawnM]

If a boy has done work on a mb before getting the blue card signed, it is up to the mbc to decide if it will count. So, if you raised a lamb last year, through 4-H, but then start the mb, the mbc may or may not accept that work for the Animal Sci mb. Totally up to the mbc. The process is generally: get the blue card, discuss who might be the mbc, get the SM signature, contact mbc, start work! We live in a huge district, with a low population, so it's not uncommon to do a mb by Skype, email, phone, etc. It's not ideal, but when the closest mbs is 6 hours away...

 

My ds did a lot of mb universities/rallies/colleges as he earned all 135 mbs. There simply weren't mbcs for all those mbs without driving across the state. Ds would have the book read, have all the pre-reqs done (often the only boy who did), and then get 3-4 finished up in one day. It was a LOT of work! He only did 1-3 requirements at the rally. By staying an extra session after the morning and afternoon sessions, he could often get 3. 

 

As a DAC, I prefer the boys to not do Eagle requireds at mb rallies, but sometimes they have no choice. Our Council is now requiring YPT every year, rather than every other year. We've lost of 60% of our mbcs in the last two years. It's a source of much frustration for the boys and the leaders. 

 

 

How did you lose them?