Blue Card Blues (Boy Scouts)

[marbel]

Does anyone else have a Scout who can't seem to keep track of his Blue Cards? My son has a meeting tonight with a merit badge counselor and he can't find his Blue Card for the badge. He has several blank, unsigned cards (why? he doesn't know!) but not the one he needs.

 

If I can find just one other Scout mom who has this problem, I will feel better.

 

;)

[mamajudy]

My son (now an Eagle) kept a binder with those plastic pages with pockets for baseball cards. He put all his blue cards in there as he progressed through scouts. It made things really easy when it came time to do the paperwork for Eagle.

[marbel]

In our troop, the boys don't keep their blue cards. They meet with the merit badge counsellor to "open" a merit badge, then they do the work. They never see the blue card until the merit badge is awarded. They probably do it this way for the exact reason/problem you are having. (LOL)

 

That's interesting. I find the whole blue card thing very confusing.

 

In our troop, they are supposed to get a blue card signed by SM before starting anything. But in practice it seems to be a little different. When they work on a badge in a group, there's no sign of blue card till the end - as you say.

 

But when working independently on a badge, they are supposed to get the blue card ahead of time, signed by SM and presented to the counselor when they meet.

 

I think they should do it one way or the other - have the boys in charge of their cards, or not! But I'm not running the troop so I don't get to pick. ;)

 

My son (now an Eagle) kept a binder with those plastic pages with pockets for baseball cards. He put all his blue cards in there as he progressed through scouts. It made things really easy when it came time to do the paperwork for Eagle.

 

We have a similar system for completed cards. The advancement coordinator will also send (email) a copy of a Scouts' advancement record anytime they ask.

 

It's the ones in process that drive me crazy! ;)

[starwarsmomma]

My son loses them. It's a common thing for all the boys at that age. LOL.

 

In our troop, if the boys lose their blue card, they have to START COMPLETELY OVER.

 

Talk about motivation!

 

We have a few tactics in place to avoid losing them. We made a binder for all his open merit badges. It has his books, his worksheets, and a baseball card holder page to hold the blue cards.

 

When he has an appointment to meet with a MB Counselor, or has a MB class, he will take the binder with him to meet the counselor. When he's done, he puts the card back in the binder (hopefully, LOL) and it all stays together.

 

The binder stays on the shelf unless he needs it. (so it doesn't disappear into his room!) And when he finishes one, I take it out of the binder and put it in the COMPLETED binder.

 

Since we started doing this, it's really helped.

 

Good luck! :D

[higginszoo]

I have my boys keep pages with their in-progress cards and ones with their completed cards (the official card with the blue card stub behind it). So far, younger ds is better at keeping track than older ds, (we started this process mid-way with older ds). Ds1 can't even seem to keep track of the badges long enough to get them onto his sash.

 

When I was doing advancements, I kept a log of blue cards, and usually had to issue a duplicate or two for most badges for most boys, but the start date would be the date they pulled the first one.

[marbel]

My son loses them. It's a common thing for all the boys at that age. LOL.

 

In our troop, if the boys lose their blue card, they have to START COMPLETELY OVER.

 

Talk about motivation!

 

Glad to hear I am not alone. I didn't think I was. ;)

 

I'm interested in how the starting over works. I can see it on the practical things - swimming: retake the test, fishing: catch another fish. But on the more "academic" badges?

 

We think we solved the mystery of the unsigned cards. He asked for two cards for two badges to work on independently this summer. The SM was getting them for him, both got distracted, and he ended up with useless cards.

 

However he also found a signed but otherwise blank card which he will use for his meeting tonight. It feels like cheating but maybe this was the card he got for this badge anyway.

 

We're going to start (again) working on filing methods for the cards. Thanks for all the comments. Even though I know how to organize, it helps to hear how others do things like this.

[SilverMoon]

My ds keeps his stuffed inside his handbook. If he can find his handbook, he can find his blue cards.

[starwarsmomma]

Glad to hear I am not alone. I didn't think I was. ;)

 

I'm interested in how the starting over works. I can see it on the practical things - swimming: retake the test, fishing: catch another fish. But on the more "academic" badges?

 

.

 

IF the boy can bring proof that it was done (like completed work to show), or if the MB Counselor remembers signing off on certain things, they can get that signed off, but otherwise, the boys have to start over..

 

Same thing with the scout book on current rank. (which is why I scan the pages before big campouts, to prove what has/has not been done!)

 

There's a boy in the troop who is on his 4th try for Physical fitness. He kept losing the cards. If he loses this one, I think he wins a troop record! :D

[DianeW88]

Blue cards? I have an Eagle Scout and an 11 year old Scout, and never in my life have I seen any blue cards. If they complete a requirement for a merit badge, we sign the book. If they do it at their troop meeting, the leader signs the book. What the heck is a blue card? :lol:

[marbel]

Blue cards? I have an Eagle Scout and an 11 year old Scout, and never in my life have I seen any blue cards. If they complete a requirement for a merit badge, we sign the book. If they do it at their troop meeting, the leader signs the book. What the heck is a blue card? :lol:

 

Oh, I want to join your troop! :001_smile::001_smile:

[starwarsmomma]

Hmmmmm....I'm going to have to start asking some questions at the troop~

 

His old troop-- he kept the blue cards the whole time, he turned in completed signed in when done with the blue card. Blue card AND MB were returned at court of honor. He kept blue cards in binder.

 

His new troop-- he keeps the blue cards while working on them. He turns in completed signed cards when done with blue card. Blue card NOT returned with MB at court of honor...

 

I guess I need to ask about those blue cards!

 

PS-- oldest son needs to finish 3 (almost complete) merit badges and he is DONE with merit badges. Any others will be whatever he wants to do for fun.

Middle son just finished his first 2 merit badges and has a long way to go! :D

Edited June 26, 2012 by joyfulheart

[TammyS]

Well, I'm not a scout mom, so I don't have this problem. If makes you feel any better, though, disorganization seems to be a problem endemic to all boys, not just yours. We did a co-op this past year and there were these long tables this kids had their stuff on. Girls? All in nice neat piles in front of their chairs. Boys? Paper every. Even on the floor.

 

So, for the boys, organization is definitely a more learned skill.

[DianeW88]

Up until this year, some councils did not use blue cards. However, National has now said that they want to standardize the process (about time!) There is no book for each merit badge--well, there is the pamphlet, but you wouldn't have that signed as many boys will use the same mbp. The handbook signing is for advancement, not blue cards. The boys must show the blue cards (copies) for their Eagle books. I suppose it's possible that your Council Advancement Chair has been keeping them but I can't imagine THAT bookkeeping nightmare! Maybe your Adv Chair has been keeping them??? Just in our small (tiny) district, I do an EBoR about once a month. Multiply that by 21 badges (most have far more) X number of districts in council--ack!

 

Having a boy have a few extra unsigned blue cards is not a bad thing. Then, if the boy has a chance to start a badge and the adv chair isn't there (or the CC--I usually have a few extra) he can get his SM to sign right then. We prefer the boys keep their own blue cards--it DOES teach responsibility. Rarely will a boy have to restart a badge more than once from losing a card... :lol: Our boys have notebooks from the troop, with places for tracking meetings, PoRs, bylaws, etc. In them there are sheets for photos and also trading card pockets. The boys usually use them to put completed cards (remember the green card that they get from CoHs will NOT count for Eagle review!) but some use them to put in their ongoing folded cards. Most boys transition to a zip up binder after a bit--those front zip spots are quite handy for ye olde blue cards. Ds has a collection of 3-5 going at any one time... Hint--if they don't fold them they are far less likely to become detached.

 

btw, there's some new info on the next upcoming badges!

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/05/10/first-look-game-design-merit-badge-and-how-you-can-help/

 

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/merit-badge-calendar/#coming-soon

 

http://www.scouting.org/Media/PressReleases/2012/20120605.aspx

 

 

Ds just earned Kayaking and had a blast! 20 badges to go!

 

We do scouting through the LDS church and I don't even know what an Eagle Book is. My Eagle Scout did his Eagle project, filled out the application, turned it into the Scouting office (ten minutes away) and then had a board of review and got his Eagle.

 

The church pays for all scouting registration, materials, camps, etc. for the boys, so yes, each boy does get his own merit badge pamphlet if he wants it. Maybe that's what we used...I have no idea. I remember seeing blue cards with a merit badge stapled to it, but that's all they were.

 

But like I said, Scouting through the LDS church may be handled differently. I know we are the single largest sponsor of Scouting units (over 30,000 at last count) and over 13% of Scouts are LDS. We also have our own office with the Scouts (LDSBSA), so maybe that's where the differences lie. I'll be sure to ask about blue cards though the next time I talk with any of my son's leaders...because I don't think they exist here. :lol:

[DianeW88]

And here is a blue card:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/merit-badge-application-card-100-pack.html

 

I sometimes wonder why they picked blue...

 

LOL...Yep, we don't use those. In over 14 years of Scouting, I have never seen one. :lol:

 

Ok, just asked my Eagle Scout why I never saw any blue cards around here for his Merit Badges. "Oh, everyone kept losing those, so our Scout Master just kept track of our badges and then turned them in when we were done." :D Card loss...A universal teenage boy problem, apparently. :D

Edited June 26, 2012 by DianeW88

[marbel]

The boys must show the blue cards (copies) for their Eagle books.

 

Now, I did not know that! My scout has all his completed blue cards, but I assumed the official council record is what they'd go by for Eagle, not copies of blue cards. Well, I'm glad we have them, but I think it would be simpler just to go by the records than have to copy the cards.

 

It does sound like there is a lot of variation between troops.

[DianeW88]

National told us this winter that they want to have the LDS troops start using the blue card system now. I know lots of LDS have not used them, but they still have to go through Council. I have an LDS book on my kitchen table, as I'm setting up his EBoR. Councils are being told that they need to be using them--we'll see!

 

Yeah, disorganization of 13yo boys seems to be pretty universal! :lol:

 

Well, I'm definitely going to check into it with my 11 year old Scout. They actually look like they'd make things easier to keep track of...provided we can just keep track of the cards. :D

 

I may pick up a pack on my next trip to the Scout store. I didn't realize how few and far between those are for other people. You really have to travel SIX HOURS to get to one? :svengo: I will quit complaining about my 10 minute drive from now on. :lol:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Margaret - your experience with EBORs is quite different from anything I know about. My DS just began his eagle project so we haven't been through it yet so I cannot speak from his experience. However, the boys in the old troop who did earn eagle never kept blue cards and the MBCs were never verified. All of the information was taken from the advancement report sent from Council.

[nrg]

When I teach a merit badge, I staple the blue card to the paperwork packet so everything is together when the scout is ready to get the card signed or partially signed. I also provide a full sized pocket for the scout's notebook to put the paperwork and the merit badge book in. Then together we put the pocket into the scout's working binder. If the scout is not using a binder system, I get him started on one. After three eagle sons, I have found the system of one binder with card pockets for completed badges and one for work in progress to be the best system for having the scout take responsibility for his own paperwork.

 

Note: I have been involved in LDS scouting for 18 years and we have always used blue cards.

 

Another Note: Although electronic recording pf progress is much better now than it was 18 years ago, I recommend keeping the paperwork evidence of meeting requirements on file for all eagle-required merit badges. Stuff happens and records can get lost...