BSA provides a set of Tiger den meeting plans for Cub Scout den leaders. There are 16 basic Tiger den meeting plans and then some additional supplemental Tiger den meeting ideas. This den meeting plan covers Tiger Elective 39 – Go to Work.

You can download the complete meeting plan from the BSA website: Printable copy of BSA Tiger Den Meeting Supplemental Plan K – Go See It: Work

Tiger Den Meeting Ideas - Go See It: Work

Preparation and Before the Meeting

To prepare for this meeting, arrange to visit the workplace of one of the adult partners. This is a good way to get another parent involved in your Cub Scout program. Chances are that one of the adult partners in your den works someplace which would be interesting for the Tiger Cubs to visit.

Gathering

Make thank you cards or a poster for the place you are visiting. Or see my gathering activities page for some other ideas.

Opening and Business

Keep it simple. You might not have a flag where you are visiting, but you could say the Cub Scout Promise.

Activities

You will be doing one of the Tiger Cub Scout electives:

Tiger Elective 39 – Go to Work: Visit the place where your adult partner or another adult works.

What you will do there depends on the location.  Depending on where you visit, you might be fulfilling one of these other Tiger electives also:

• Tiger Elective 38 – Bicycle Repair
• Tiger Elective 41 – Transportation
• Tiger Elective 42 – Fun at the Zoo
• Tiger Elective 43 – Pet Care
• Tiger Elective 44 – Dairy Products
• Tiger Elective 45 – Fresh Baking
• Tiger Elective 46 – Healthy Teeth and Gums
• Tiger Elective 47 – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Tiger Elective 48 – Go for a Ride
• Tiger Elective 49 – Your Government
• Tiger Elective 50 – Banking

Some of the other Tiger electives also might be worked into your visit. See the full list.

Closing

Keep it simple. Say the Law of the Pack.

After the Meeting

Have the Tigers thank the people at the workplace they visited. Don’t forget to arrange for some parents to help you prepare for the next meeting.

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The Plumbing merit badge will introduce Boy Scouts to some very practical skills and may interest them in a career in the field.

Plumbing, including pipe fitting, is an important and well-paid occupation. The industry is quite broad. It covers installations and repairs in homes, commercial properties, and factories. Plumbing pipelines are used for water supply, waste drainage, natural-gas heating, and many other purposes.

Plumbing Merit Badge Requirements

1. Do the following:
1. Describe how a properly working plumbing system protects your family’s health and safety.
2. List five important local health regulations related to plumbing and tell how they protect health and safety.
3. Describe the safety precautions you must take when making home plumbing repairs.
2. Do the following:
1. Make a drawing and explain how a home hot- and cold-water supply system works. Tell how you would make it safe from freezing.
2. Make a drawing and explain the drainage system of the plumbing in a house. Show and explain the use of drains and vents.
3. Show how to use five important plumber’s tools.
4. Identify and describe the use of each of the following: washer, retaining nut, plunger (rubber force cup), solder, flux, elbow, tee, nipple, coupling, plug, union, trap, drainpipe, and water meter.
5. Name the kinds of pipe that are used most often in a plumbing system. Explain why these pipes are used.
6. Cut, thread, and connect two pieces of steel pipe.
7. Under the supervision of a knowledgeable adult, solder three copper tube connections using a gas torch. Include one tee, two straight pieces, and one coupling.
8. Do the following:
1. Replace a washer in a faucet.
2. Clean out a sink or lavatory trap.

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Metalwork involves both art and science. Boy Scouts can learn all about it when they earn the Metalwork merit badge.

Scouts will begin their work on this merit badge by learning about the properties of metal, how to use simple metalworking tools, and the basic metalworking techniques. Then they will practice using these tools and techniques before concentrating on the more intricate skills of one of four metalworking options.

Metalwork Merit Badge Requirements

1. Read the safety rules for metalwork listed in the Metalwork merit badge pamphlet. Discuss how to be safe while working with metal. Discuss with your counselor the additional safety rules that apply to the metalwork option you choose for requirement 5.
2. Define the terms native metal, malleable, metallugry, alloy, nonferrous, and ferrous. Then do the following:
1. Name two nonferrous alloys used by pre-Iron Age metalworkers. Name the metals that are combined to form these alloys.
2. Name three ferrous alloys used by modern metalworkers.
3. Describe how to work-harden a metal.
4. Describe how to anneal a nonferrous and a ferrous metal.
3. Do the following:
1. Work-harden a piece of 26- or 28-gauge sheet brass or sheet copper. Put a 45-degree bend in the metal, then heavily peen the area along the bend line to work-harden it. Note the amount of effort that is required to overcome the yield point in this unworked piece of metal.
2. Soften the work-hardened piece from requirement 3a by annealing it, and then try to remove the 45-degree bend. Note the amount of effort that is required to overcome the yield point.
3. Make a temper color index from a flat piece of steel. Using hand tools, make and temper a center punch of medium-carbon or high-carbon steel.
4. Find out about three career opporuntities in metalworking. 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.
5. After completing the first four requirements, complete at least ONE of the options listed below.
1. Option 1—Sheet Metal Mechanic/Tinsmith
1. Name and describe the use of the basic sheet metalworking tools.
2. Create a sketch of two objects to make from sheet metal. Include each component’s dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
3. Make two objects out of 24- or 26-gauge sheet metal. Use patterns either provided by your counselor or made by you and approved by your counselor. Construct these objects using a metal that is appropriate to the object’s ultimate purpose, and using cutting, bending, edging, and either soldering or brazing.
4. One object also must include at least one riveted component.
5. If you do not make your objects from zinc-plated sheet steel or tin-plated sheet steel, preserve your work from oxidation.
2. Option 2—Silversmith
1. Name and describe the use of a silversmith’s basic tools.
2. Create a sketch of two objects to make from sheet silver. Include each component’s dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
3. Make two objects out of 18- or 20-gauge sheet copper. Use patterns either provided by your counselor or made by you and approved by your counselor. Both objects must include a soldered joint. If you have prior silversmithing experience, you may substitute sterling silver, nickel silver, or lead-free pewter.
4. At least one object must include a sawed component you have made yourself.
5. At least one object must include a sunken part you have made yourself.
6. Clean and polish your objects.
3. Option 3—Founder
1. Name and describe the use of the basic parts of a two-piece mold. Name at least three different types of molds.
2. Create a sketch of two objects to cast in metal. Include each component’s dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
3. Make two molds, one using a pattern provided by your counselor and another one you have made yourself that has been approved by your counselor. Position the pouring gate and vents yourself. Do not use copyrighted materials as patterns.
4. Using lead-free pewter, make a casting using a mold provided by your counselor.
5. Using lead-free pewter, make a casting using the mold that you have made.
4. Option 4—Blacksmith
1. Name and describe the use of a blacksmith’s basic tools.
2. Make a sketch of two objects to hot-forge. Include each component’s dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
3. Using low-carbon steel at least 1/4-inch thick, perform the following exercises:
4. Draw out by forging a taper.
5. Use the horn of the anvil by forging a U-shaped bend.
6. Form a decorative twist in a piece of square steel.
7. Use the edge of the anvil to bend metal by forging an L-shaped bend.
8. Using low-carbon steel at least 1/4-inch thick, make the two objects you sketched that require hot-forging. Be sure you have your counselor’s approval before you begin.
9. Include a decorative twist on one object.
10. Include a hammer-riveted joint in one object.
11. Preserve your work from oxidation.

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Boy Scouts from our troop often earn the Law merit badge at a skill center at the historic Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis – a great venue to see how law has shaped our history. They even get to have a mock trial in one of the courtrooms.

Earning this merit badge enables a Scout to learn about the history and kinds of laws, the purpose and methods of law enforcement, consumer protection agencies, emerging law, and careers in the legal profession.

Law Merit Badge Requirements

1. Define “law.” Tell some of its sources. Describe functions it serves.
2. Discuss two of the following:
1. Justinian’s Code, the Code of Hammurabi, and the Magna Carta
2. The development of the jury system
3. Two famous trials in history
3. Tell what civil law is; tell what criminal law is. Tell the main differences between them. Give examples of each.
4. Ask five people (not more than one from your immediate family) about the role of law enforcement officers in our society. Discuss their answers with them. Go to a law enforcement officer in your neighborhood and ask about his or her responsibilities and duties. Report your findings.
5. Tell about several laws that were passed to protect the consumer and the seller. Tell about several organizations that provide help to consumers and sellers.
6. Do ONE of the following:
1. Attend a session of a civil or criminal court. Write 250 words or more on what you saw.
2. Plan and conduct a mock trial with your troop or school class. After the trial is over, discuss it with the group.
7. Arrange a visit with a lawyer who works for a business, bank, title company, or government agency. Find out his or her duties and responsibilities. Report what you have learned.
8. Explain the requirements for becoming a lawyer in your state. Describe how judges are selected in your state.
9. Make a list of 15 jobs that deal with some aspects of law or legal processes. Tell which you prefer. Why?
10. Tell where people can go to obtain the help of a lawyer if they are unable to pay for one. Tell what you can do if you can afford a lawyer but do not know of any in your area.
11. Discuss with your counselor the importance in our society of TWO of the following areas of law that have recently emerged and are still developing:
1. Environmental law
2. Computers and the Internet
3. Copyright and the Internet
4. Space travel and satellites orbiting Earth

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The Fingerprinting merit badge is a pretty easy and fun badge for Boy Scouts to earn. It might be of special interest to Scouts who are considering a career in law enforcement.

In earning the Fingerprinting merit badge, Scouts will learn about and use an important technique that is used by law enforcement officers, along with other materials like matching dental records and DNA sampling, to help identify amnesia victims, missing persons, abducted children, and others.

Fingerprinting Merit Badge Requirements

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 bio-metric 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 your 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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Engineers use their knowledge to solve a wide variety of problems. Boy Scouts can investigate this profession by earning the Engineering merit badge.

Engineers use both science and technology to turn ideas into reality, devising all sorts of things, ranging from a tiny, low-cost battery for your cell phone to a gigantic dam across the mighty Yangtze River in China.

Engineering Merit Badge Requirements

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

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I took a drafting course  in college and enjoyed it. Boy Scouts can learn more about this precise way of drawing a design by earning the Drafting merit badge.

Drafting is a highly refined form of drawing used to communicate ideas to engineers, architects, and craftspeople. In earning this badge, Scouts learn the importance of accuracy and simplicity in developing a drawing that shows precise details in a simple format.

Drafting Merit Badge Requirements

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

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet and are the dominant feature of Earth. Wherever you live, the oceans influence the weather, the soil, the air, and the geography of your community. To study the oceans is to study Earth itself.

Oceanography Merit Badge Requirements

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:
   1.  Continental shelf
   2.  Continental slope
   3.  Abyssal plain
   4. Name and put on your drawing the following: seamount, guyot, rift valley, canyon, trench, and oceanic ridge. Compare the depts in the ocean with the heights of mountains on land.
5. List the main salts, gases, and nutrients in seawater. 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, lowtide 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. Oceanographic research ship
      2. Oceanographic institute
      3. 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.

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Boy Scouts who like to tinker with their family cars can earn the Automotive Maintenance merit badge.

Modern automobiles are important to many aspects of American life. Those who service automobiles must understand each principle, and how these principles interact to provide smooth, efficient performance. Owners of cars also benefit by understanding how their vehicles operate. This enables them to understand why certain periodic maintenance is required to keep their vehicles in tip-top shape.

Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge Requirements

You will need access to a car or truck and its owner’s manual to meet some of the requirements for this merit badge.

1. Discuss with your counselor the safety equipment, tools, and clothing used while checking or repairing a motor vehicle. Use this equipment, tools, and/or clothing (when needed or called for) in meeting the requirements for this merit badge.
2. General Maintenance, Safety, and Registration. Do the following:
1. Review the maintenance chart in the owner’s manual. Explain the requirements and time limits.
2. Demonstrate how to check the following:
1. Brake fluid
2. Engine oil
3. Coolant
4. Power steering fluid
5. Windshield washer fluid
6. Transmission fluid
7. Battery fluid (if possible) and condition of the battery terminals
3. Locate the fuse boxes; determine the size of fuses. Demonstrate the proper replacement of burned-out fuses.
4. Demonstrate how to check the condition and tension of belts and hoses.
5. Check the lighting in the vehicle, including instrument, warning, and exterior bulbs.
6. Locate and check the air filter.
7. Explain the purpose, importance, and limitations of safety belts and passive restraints.
8. Find out the requirements for the state inspection in your state, including how often a vehicle needs to be inspected.
9. Explain the importance of registering a vehicle and find out the annual registration fee for renewing your family car’s registration.
3.  Dashboard. Do the following:
1. Explain the function of the fuel gauge, speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure gauge, and engine temperature gauge. Point each one out on the instrument cluster.
2. Explain the symbols that light up on the dashboard and the difference between the yellow and red symbols. Explain each of the indicators on the dashboard, using the owner’s manual if necessary.
4.  Tires. Do the following:
1. Explain the difference between tire manufacturer’s and vehicle manufacturer’s specifications and show where to find them.
2. Demonstrate how to check tire pressure and properly inflate a tire. Check the spare tire and make sure it is ready for use.
3. Explain why wheel alignment is important to the life of a tire. Explain caster, camber, and toe-in adjustments on wheel alignment.
4. Explain the purpose of the lateral-wear bar indicator.
5. Explain how to dispose of old tires in accordance with local laws and regulations.
5.  Engine. Do the following:
1. Explain how an internal combustion engine operates. Tell the differences between gasoline and diesel engines. Explain how a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle is powered.
2. Discuss the purpose of engine oil. Explain the API service code, the SAE number, and the viscosity rating.
3. Explain where to find the recommended oil type and the amount of oil to be used in the vehicle engine.
6.  Cooling System. Do the following:
1. Explain the need for coolant in the cooling system.
2. Explain how to flush and change the engine coolant in the vehicle, and how to properly dispose of the used coolant.
7. Fuel System. Do the following:
1. Explain how the air and fuel systems work together and why it is necessary to have an air filter and fuel filter.
2. Explain how a fuel injection system works and how an onboard computer works with the fuel-injection system.
8. Ignition and Electrical Systems. Do the following:
1. Diagram and explain the parts of the electrical system.
2. Explain the cylinder engine sequence.
3. Explain the purpose of the spark gap.
4. Demonstrate how to change the spark plugs in any internal combustion engine (lawn mower, dirt bike, motorcycle).
5. Demonstrate how to safely connect jumper cables to your car battery.
9. Drive Train. Do the following:
1. Diagram the drive train and explain the different parts.
2. Explain the difference between automatic and standard transmissions.
3. Explain the types of automatic transmission fluid.
4. Explain the types of lubricants used in a standard transmission and in the differential.
5. Explain the difference between front-wheel, rear-wheel, and four-wheel drive.
10. Brake System. Do the following:
1. Explain the brake system (including antilock systems) and how it operates.
2. Explain the differences between disc and drum systems.
3. Demonstrate how to check the condition of a vehicle’s brake system. After checking, make recommendations for repairs (if necessary).
11. Do TWO of the following:
1.  Determine the value of three different vehicles you are interested in purchasing. One must be new and one must be used; the third vehicle may be new or used. For each vehicle, find out the requirements and cost of automobile insurance to include basic liability and options for collision, comprehensive, towing, and rental car. Using the three vehicles you chose and with your merit badge counselor’s assistance, complete the operation/maintenance chart provided in the merit badge pamphlet. Use this information to determine the operating cost per mile for each vehicle, and discuss what you learn with your counselor.
2. Choose a car cleaner and wax product for a vehicle you want to clean. Explain clear-coat paint and the precautions necessary for care. Clean the vehicle, both inside and out, and wax the exterior. Use a vinyl and rubber protectant (on vinyl tops, rubber door seals, sidewalls, etc.) and explain the importance of this protectant.
3. Locate the manufacturer’s jack. Use the jack to demonstrate how to engage the jack correctly on the vehicle, then change a tire correctly.
4. Perform an oil filter and oil change on a vehicle. Explain how to properly dispose of the used oil and filter.
12. Find out about three career opportunities in the automotive industry. 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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Boy Scouts will learn how to make their own paper when they earn the Pulp and Paper merit badge.

Here’s an astonishing number to digest. Each person in the United States uses about 700 pounds of paper each year. Paper is everywhere in our lives. Every year in the United States, more than 2 billion individual books, 24 billion newspapers, and 350 million magazines are published on paper.

Pulp and Paper Merit Badge Requirements

1. Tell the history of papermaking. Describe the part paper products play in our society and economy.
2. List the trees that are 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 papers. 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.

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Boy Scouts who enjoy the design and beauty of outdoor spaces can pursue their interests by earning the Landscape Architecture merit badge.

Landscape architects design and plan the various outdoor spaces in modern communities – neighborhood parks, soccer fields, school grounds, places of worship, office parks, shopping malls, cemeteries, and lakes – creating outdoor places that people will care about and want to visit.

Landscape Architecture Merit Badge Requirements

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 clear path system, and sun and shade variety.
2. Discuss how 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.
4. Look at and study a place of worship or school grounds to find the place where most people arrive by bus or car. Show you can do the following:
1. Using a measuring tape, measure and draw the entry and its nearby area using a scale of 1/8 inch equals 1 foot on an 11-by-17-inch piece of paper. Be sure to include the driveway and the wall and door where people enter the school or place of worship. Indicate any sidewalks, structures, trees, and plants within the study area. Make two copies of this plan to save the original, then do 4b and 4c using the copies.
2. On one copy, 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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The Insect Study merit badge makes a good elective for Boy Scouts who enjoy watching butterflies and observing tiny creatures on the ground.

In earning the Insect Study merit badge, Scouts will glance into the strange and fascinating world of the insect. There, they will meet tiny creatures with tremendous strength and speed, see insects that undergo startling changes in habits and form as they grow, and learn how insects see, hear, taste, smell, and feel the world around them.

Insect Study Merit Badge Requirements

1.  Tell how insects are different from all other animals. Show how insects are different from centipedes and spiders.
2.  Point out and name the main parts of an insect.
3.  Describe the characteristics that distinguish the principal families and orders of insects.
4.  Do the following:
1. Observe 20 different live species of insects in their habitat. In your observations, include at least four orders of insects.
2. Make a scrapbook of the 20 insects you observed in 4a. Include photographs, sketches, illustrations, and articles. Label each insect with its common and scientific names, where possible. Share your scrapbook with your counselor.
5. Do the following:
1. From your scrapbook collection, identify three species of insects helpful to humans and five species of insects harmful to humans.
2. Describe some general methods of insect control.
6. Compare the life histories of a butterfly and a grasshopper. Tell how they are different.
7. Raise an insect through complete metamorphosis from its larval stage to its adult stage (e.g., raise a butterfly or moth from a caterpillar).*
8. Observe an ant colony or a beehive. Tell what you saw.
9. Tell things that make social insects different from solitary insects.
10. Tell how insects fit in the food chains of other insects, fish, birds, and mammals.
11. Find out about three career opportunities in insect study. 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.

* Some insects are endangered species and are protected by federal or state law. Every species is found only in its own special type of habitat. Be sure to check natural resources authorities in advance to be sure that you will not be collecting any species that is known to be protected or endangered, or in any habitat where collecting is prohibited. In most cases, all specimens should be returned to 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.

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There are a lot of caves in our area, so many Boy Scouts do the requirements for the Geology merit badge in conjuction with a cave tour outing. Some of the cave sites have geologists on staff who can show the Scouts specimens and explain the material to them.

Geology is the study of Earth. It includes the study of materials that make up Earth, the processes that change it, and the history of how things happened, including human civilization, which depends on natural materials for existence.

Geology Merit Badge Requirements

1. Define geology. Discuss how geologists learn about rock formations. In geology, explain why the study of the present is important to understanding the past.
2. Pick three resources that can be extracted or mined from Earth for commercial use. Discuss with your counselor how each product is discovered and processed.
3. Review a geologic map of your area with your counselor and discuss the different rock types and estimated ages of rocks represented. Determine whether the rocks are horizontal, folded, or faulted, and explain how you arrived at your conclusion.
4. Do ONE of the following:
1. With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, visit with a geologist, land-use planner, or civil engineer. Discuss this professional’s work and the tools required in this line of work. Learn about a project that this person is now working on, and ask to see reports and maps created for this project. Discuss with your counselor what you have learned.
2. Learn about the career opportunities available in geology. Pick one that interests you and explain how to prepare for such a career. Discuss what courses might be useful for such a career. You may use resources found on the Internet (with your parent’s permission), at the library, in books and articles from periodicals, from television programs, and at school.
5. Do ONE of the following
1. Surface and Sedimentary Processes Option
1. Conduct an experiment approved by your counselor that demonstrates how sediments settle from suspension in water. Explain to your counselor what the exercise shows and why it is important.
2. Using topographical maps provided by your counselor, plot the stream gradients (different elevations divided by distance) for four different stream types (straight, meandering, dendritic, trellis). Explain which ones flow fastest and why, and which ones will carry larger grains of sediment and why.
3. On a stream diagram, show areas where you will find the following features: cut bank, fill bank, point bar, medial channel bars, lake delta. Describe the relative sediment grain size found in each feature.
4. Conduct an experiment approved by your counselor that shows how some sedimentary material carried by water may be too small for you to see without a magnifier.
5. Visit a nearby stream. Find clues that show the direction of water flow, even if the water is missing. Record your observations in a notebook, and sketch those clues you observe. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
2. Energy Resources Option
1. List the top five Earth resources used to generate electricity in the United States.
2. Discuss source rock, trap, and reservoir rock—the three components necessary for the occurrence of oil and gas underground.
3. Explain how each of the following items is used in subsurface exploration to locate oil or gas: reflection seismic, electric well logs, stratigraphic correlation, offshore platform, geologic map, subsurface structure map, subsurface isopach map, and core samples and cutting samples.
4. Using at least 20 data points provided by your counselor, create a subsurface structure map and use it to explain how subsurface geology maps are used to find oil, gas, or coal resources.
5. Do ONE of the following activities:
1. Make a tabletop display showing how oil and gas or coal is found, extracted, and processed. You may use maps, books, articles from periodicals, and research found on the Internet (with your parent’s permission). Share the display with your counselor or a small group (such as your class at school) in a five-minute presentation.
2. With your parent’s and counselor’s permission and assistance, arrange for a visit to an operating drilling rig. While there, talk with a geologist and ask to see what the geologist does onsite. Ask to see cutting samples taken at the site.
3. Mineral Resources Option
1. Define rock. Discuss the three classes of rocks including their origin and characteristics.
2. Define mineral. Discuss the origin of minerals and their chemical composition and identification properties, including hardness, specific gravity, color, streak, cleavage, luster, and crystal form.
3. Do ONE of the following:
1. Collect 10 different rocks or minerals. Record in a notebook where you obtained (found, bought, traded) each one. Label each specimen, identify its class and origin, determine its chemical composition, and list its physical properties. Share your collection with your counselor.
2. With your counselor’s assistance, identify 15 different rocks and minerals. List the name of each specimen, tell whether it is a rock or mineral, and give the name of its class (if it is a rock) or list its identifying physical properties (if it is a mineral).
4. 4. List three of the most common road-building materials used in your area. Explain how each material is produced and how each is used in road building.
5. Do ONE of the following activities:
1. With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, visit an active mining site, quarry, or sand and gravel pit. Tell your counselor what you learned about the resources extracted from this location and how these resources are used by society.
2. With your counselor, choose two examples of rocks and two examples of minerals. Discuss the mining of these materials and describe how each is used by society.
3. With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, visit the office of a civil engineer and learn how geology is used in construction. Discuss what you learned with your counselor.
4. Earth History Option
1. Create a chart showing suggested geological eras and periods. Determine which period the rocks in your region might have been formed.
2. Explain to your counselor the processes of burial and fossilization, and discuss the concept of extinction. Identify three plants or animals on the threatened or endangered list of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
3. Explain to your counselor how fossils provide information about ancient life, environment, climate, and geography. Discuss the following terms and explain how animals from each habitat obtain food: benthonic, pelagic, littoral, lacustrine, open marine, brackish, fluvial, eolian, protected reef.
4. Collect 10 different fossil plants or animals. Record in a notebook where you obtained (found, bought, traded) each one. Classify each specimen to the best of your ability, and explain how each one might have survived and obtained food. Tell what else you can learn from these fossils.
5. Do ONE of the following:
1. Visit a science museum or the geology department of a local university that has fossils on display. With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, before you go, make an appointment with a curator or guide who can show you how the fossils are preserved and prepared for display.
2. Visit a structure in your area that was built using fossiliferous rocks. Determine what kind of rock was used and tell your counselor the kinds of fossil evidence you found there.

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To earn the Venturing Ranger award, a young man or woman must complete eight core requirements and four electives. One of the core requirements is communications.

The communications core requirement is designed to help the Venturer develop his or her skills in giving and receiving information. The Venturer must seek to improve those skills, practice what he or she has learned, and then share some knowledge with another group.

Venturing Ranger Award Core Requirement – Communications

Do (a), (b), or (c)

1. Take a communications-related training class that includes at least 15 hours of training. This could be a non-required course at school such as creative writing, technical writing, American Sign Language, or film production. It could also be a commercial course such as speed-reading or effective presentations.
2. Actively participate in a communications-related club or organization for at least three months. Participate in at least three activities of the organization where you practice or improve your communications skills. Examples include Toastmasters, debate clubs, or drama clubs.
3. Read at least two books approved by your Advisor on a communications subject of interest to you. Write or give a report to your crew on the important communications principles you learned and how you think you can apply these principles to improve your communications.

Do (d), (e), or (f) in connection with an outdoor skill or area you are interested in. Have your Advisor approve your plan before you begin.

4. Make a formal, oral presentation of at least 30 minutes to your crew, another crew, a Cub or Boy Scout group, or another youth group. Include demonstrations, visual aids, or other techniques that will help you communicate more effectively.
5. Prepare and present an audio/video presentation at least 15 minutes long to your crew or other group approved by your Advisor.
6. Prepare a written pamphlet, set of instructions, or description and summary. It should be at least 1,000 words and provide a complete description of your chosen subject. Include pictures, charts, and/or diagrams to better communicate your topic. Have two people, one with expertise in the area you are presenting and one without expertise, read and critique your work. Make improvements to your draft based on their input. If your work is applicable to your crew, such as a work on caving skills, then share your work with your crew.

AND Do (g).

7. Make a tabletop display or presentation for your crew, another crew, a Cub or Boy Scout group, or another youth group on communications equipment used in the outdoors with emphasis on how this equipment would help in a wilderness survival situation.

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Boy Scouts who are interested in the operation and maintenance of farm machinery can earn the Farm Mechanics merit badge.

From the mattock and hoe to the horse and mule, the cotton gin and reaper, the tractor and air seeder – this is the story of farm equipment. Today, most farms are mechanized and farmers can do most of their own maintenance work and make the adjustments needed on their many intricate farm implements.

Farm Mechanics Merit Badge Requirements

1. Do the following:
1. Discuss with your counselor the safety equipment, tools, and clothing used while checking or repairing farm equipment. Use this equipment, tools, and/or clothing (when needed or called for) in meeting the requirements for this merit badge.
2. Draw a plan showing a well-equipped farm shop. Point out the shop’s mandatory safety devices and features.
3. Find all the universal warning and safety symbols on a piece of equipment and explain what they mean.
4. Describe what a material safety data sheet (MSDS) is and tell why it is used. Obtain the MSDS for any engine coolant, oil, grease, fuel, hydraulic or transmission fluid, or other flammable or hazardous materials you use in meeting the requirements for this merit badge.
2. Explain how power is produced or transferred in a:
1. Diesel engine
2. Hydraulic system
3. Transmission or any other power system
3. Do TWO of the following:
1. Replace the handle of any tool found on the farm.
2. Organize a tool rack or a storage system for nails, bolts, nuts, and washers.
3. Using a hand file, properly dress the mushroomed head of a chisel or punch.
4. Using a hand file, corrrectly dress a screwdriver tip.
4. Do ONE of the following:
1. On an engine-powered machine: Grease all fittings, change the oil and oil filter, clean the air filter, clean the radiator fins, and replace the fuel filters.
2. For any engine-powered machine, create a preoperational checklist; include checking the engine coolant, engine oil, hydraulic and/or transmission fluid, and battery voltage (using a voltmeter). Using your checklist, conduct a preoperational check of that machinery or equipment.
3. Prepare any farm machine for winter storage.
5. Visit an implement dealer. Interview the dealer technician or service manager for hints on good preventative maintenance. Ask why it is so important, the costs, and what causes wear or damage. Report what you learn.
6. Explain each step in ONE of the following maintenance procedures::
1. Tightening hydraulic fittings
2. Checking the air filter
3. Cleaning a work piece with a wire-brush wheel
7. Find out about three career opportunities in farm mechanics. 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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Earning the Energy merit badge will help Boy Scouts think about the supply and demand issues for energy in our modern world.

Saving, producing, and using energy wisely will be critical to America’s future. If we are to leave future generations with a world in which they can live as well or better than we have, Scouts and other potential leaders of tomorrow must begin the hard work of understanding energy and the vital role it will play in the future.

Energy Merit Badge Requirements

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

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Boy Scouts who enjoy building models from kits can challenge themselves further when they earn the Model Design and Building merit badge. For this badge they must build one model without starting from a kit.

Model making, the art of creating copies of objects that are either smaller or larger than the objects they represent, is not only an enjoyable and educational hobby: it is widely used in the professional world for such things as creating special effects for movies, developing plans for buildings, and designing automobiles and airplanes.

Model Design and Building Merit Badge Requirements

1. Study and understand the requirements for personal safety when using such model-maker hand tools as knives, handsaws, vises, files, hammers, screw- drivers, hand drills and drill bits,pliers, and portable power tools, and when to use proper protective equipment such as goggles when grinding or drilling. Know what precautions to take when using flammable or hazardous products such as glue, epoxy, paint, and thinners. Discuss these with your counselor before you begin your model-making project and tell why they are important.
2. Explain the uses for each of the following types of models: architectural, structural, process, mechanical, and industrial. Do research into the different types of materials that could be used in making these models.
3. With your counselor’s advice, select a subject from requirement 4 for your model project (no kits). Prepare the necessary plans to the proper scale. Make a list of materials and a list of the required tools. This model should be your own original work. Tell why you selected this subject.
4. Do ONE of the following:
1. Make an architectural model. Build a model of a house to a scale of 1/4″ = 1’0″ (50:1 metric). Discuss with your counselor the materials you intend to use, the amount of detail required, outside treatment (finish, shrubbery, walks, etc.), and color selections. After completing the model, present it to your counselor for approval.
2. Build a structural model. Construct a model showing corner construction of a woodframe building to a scale of 11/2″ = 1’0″ (8:1 metric). All structures shown must be to scale. Cardboard or flat sheet wood stock may be used for sheeting or flooring on the model. Review with your counselor the problems you encountered in gathering the materials and supporting the structure. Be able to name the parts of the floor and wall frames, such as intermediate girder, joist, bridging, subfloor, sill, sole plate, stud, and rafter.
3. Make a process model. Build a model showing the plumbing system in your house. Show hot and cold water supply, all waste returns, and venting to a scale of 3/4″ = 1’0″ (15:1 metric). Talk to your counselor about how to begin this model, and present the scale and the materials you will use. After completion, present the model to your counselor, and be prepared to discuss any problems you had building this model.
4. Complete a mechanical model. Build a model of a mechanical device that uses at least two of the six simple machines. After completing the model, present it to your counselor. Be prepared to discuss materials used, the machine’s function, and any particular difficulty you might have encountered.
5. Make an industrial model. Build a model of an actual passenger-carrying vehicle to a scale of 1″ = 1’0″ or 1/2″ = 1’0″ (10:1 or 25:1 metric). Take the dimensions of the vehicle and record the important dimensions. Draw the top, front, rear, and sides of the vehicle to scale. From your plans, build a model of the vehicle and finish it in a craftsmanlike manner. Discuss with your counselor the most difficult part of completing the model.
5. Build a special-effects model of a fantasy spacecraft that might appear in a Hollywood science fiction movie. Determine an appropriate scale for your design–one that makes practical sense. Include a cockpit or control area, living space, storage unit, engineering spaces, and propulsion systems. As you plan and build your model, do the following:
1. Study aircraft, submarines, and naval ships for design ideas.
2. Arrange and assemble the parts.
3. Sketch your completed model.
4. Write a short essay in which you discuss your design, scale, and materials choices. Describe how you engineered your model and discuss any difficulties you encountered and what you learned.
6. List at least six occupations in which model-making is used and discuss with your counselor some career opportunities in this field.

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Today (Feb 24, 2012) is the first day Boy Scouts can start earning the new Welding merit badge. Encourage your Scouts to look into this badge.

Opportunities in the welding field are endless, and Scouts earning their Welding merit badge can not only explore the fundamentals of welding, but also learn about the different career paths within the industry.

Welding Merit Badge Requirements

1. Do the following:
1. Explain to your counselor the hazards you are most likely to encounter while welding, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, or lessen these hazards.
2. Show that you know first aid for, and the prevention of, injuries or illnesses that could occur while welding, including electrical shock, eye injuries, burns, fume inhalation, dizziness, skin irritation, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, including filler metals and welding gases.
2. Do the following:
1. With your counselor, discuss general safety precautions and Material Safety Data Sheets related to welding. Explain the importance of the MSDS.
2. Describe the appropriate safety gear and clothing that must be worn when welding. Then, present yourself properly dressed for welding—in protective equipment, clothing, and footwear.
3. Explain and demonstrate the proper care and storage of welding equipment, tools, and protective clothing and footwear.
3. Explain the terms welding, electrode, slag, and oxidation. Describe the welding process, how heat is generated, what kind of filler metal is added (if any), and what protects the molten metal from the atmosphere.
4. Name the different mechanical and thermal cutting methods. Choose one method and describe how to use the process. Discuss one advantage and one limitation of this process.
5. Do the following:
1. Select two welding processes, and make a list of the different components of the equipment required for each process. Discuss one advantage and one limitation for each process.
2. Choose one welding process. Set up the process you have chosen, including gas regulators, work clamps, cables, filler materials, and equipment settings. Have your counselor inspect and approve the area for the welding process you have chosen.
6. After successfully completing requirements 1 through 5, use the equipment you prepared for the welding process in 5b to do the following:
1. Using a metal scribe or soapstone, sketch your initial onto a metal plate, and weld a bead on the plate following the pattern of your initial.
2. Cover a small plate (approximately 3″ x 3″ x ¼”) with weld beads side by side.
3. Tack two plates together in a square groove butt joint.
4. Weld the two plates together from 6c on both sides.
5. Tack two plates together in a T joint, have your counselor inspect it, then weld a T joint with fillet weld on both sides.
6. Tack two plates together in a lap joint, have your counselor inspect it, then weld a lap joint with fillet weld on both sides.
7. Do the following:
1. Find out about three career opportunities in the welding industry. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why the profession might interest you.
2. Discuss the role of the American Welding Society in the welding profession.

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Boy Scouts who are interested in conservation and tree identification will enjoy earning the Forestry merit badge.

In working through the Forestry merit badge requirements, Scouts will explore the remarkable complexity of a forest and identify many species of trees and plants and the roles they play in a forest’s life cycle.They will also discover some of the resources forests provide to humans and come to understand that people have a very large part to play in sustaining the health of forests.

Forestry Merit Badge Requirements

1. Prepare a field notebook, make a collection, and identify 15 species of trees, wild shrubs, or vines in a local forested area. Write a description in which you identify and discuss the following:
1. The characteristics of leaf, twig, cone, or fruiting bodies
2. The habitat in which these trees, shrubs, or vines are found
3. The important ways each tree, shrub, or vine is used by humans or wildlife and whether the species is native or was introduced to the area. If it is not native, explain whether it is considered invasive or potentially invasive.
2. Do ONE of the following:
1. Collect and identify wood samples of 10 species of trees. List several ways the wood of each species can be used.
2. Find and examine three stumps, logs, or core samples that show variations in the growth rate of their ring patterns. In the field notebook you prepared for requirement 1, describe the location or origin of each example (including elevation, aspect, slope, and the position on the slope), and discuss possible reasons for the variations in growth rate. Photograph or sketch each example.
3. Find and examine two types of animal, insect, or damage on trees. In the field notebook you prepared for requirement 1, identify the damage, explain how the damage was caused, and describe the effects of the damage on the trees. Photograph or sketch each example.
3. Do the following:
1. Describe the contributions forests make to:
1. Our economy in the form of products
2. Our social well-being, including recreation
3. Soil protection and increased fertility
4. Clean water
5. Clean air (carbon cycling, sequestration)
6. Wildlife habitat
7. Fisheries habitat
8. Threatened and endangered species of plants and animals
2. Tell which watershed or other source your community relies on for its water supply.
4. Describe what forest management means, including the following:
1. Multiple-use management
2. Sustainable forest management
3. Even-aged and uneven-aged management and the silvicultural systems associated with each
4. Intermediate cuttings
5. The role of prescribed burning and related forest-management practices
5. With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, do ONE of the following:
1. Visit a managed public or private forest area with the manager or a forester who is familiar with it. Write a brief report describing the type of forest, the management objectives, and the forestry techniques used to achieve the objectives.
2. With a knowledgeable individual, visit a logging operation or wood-using manufacturing plant. Write a brief report describing the following:
1. The species and size of trees being harvested or used and the location of the harvest area or manufacturer
2. The origin of the forest or stands of trees being utilized (e.g., planted or natural)
3. The forest’s successional stage. What is its future?
4. Where the trees are coming from (land ownership) or where they are going (type of mill or processing plant)
5. The products that are made from the trees
6. How the products are made and used
7. How waste materials from the logging operation or manufacturing plant are disposed of or utilize.
3. Take part in a forest-fire prevention campaign in cooperation with your local fire warden, state wildfire agency, forester, or counselor. Write a brief report describing the campaign, how it will help prevent wildfires, and your part in it.
6. 6. Do the following:
1. Describe the consequences to forests that result from FIVE of the following elements: wildfire, absence of fire, insects, tree diseases, air pollution, overgrazing, deer or other wildlife overpopulation, improper harvest, and urbanization.
2. Explain what can be done to reduce the consequences you discussed in 6a.
3. Describe what you should do if you discover a forest fire and how a professional firefighting crew might control it. Name your state or local wildfire control agency.
7. Visit one or more local foresters and write a brief report about the person (or persons). Or, write about a forester’s occupation including the education, qualifications, career opportunities, and duties related to forestry.

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting

Boy Scouts who want to make an extra nice poster to promote their Student Council candidate or club event should look at the Graphics Arts merit badge.

The field of graphic arts includes many kinds of work in the printing and publishing industries. Graphic arts professionals are involved in the creation of all kinds of printed communication, from business cards to books to billboards. The scope of printing communications is huge.

Graphic Arts Merit Badge Requirements

1. Review with your counselor the processes for producing printed communications: offset lithography, screen process printing, electronic/digital, relief, and gravure. You may show samples or draw diagrams to help with your description.
2. Explain the differences between continuous tone, line, and halftone artwork. Describe how digital images can be created and/or stored in a computer.
3. Design a printed piece (flier, T-shirt, program, form, etc.) and produce it. Explain your decisions for the typeface or typefaces you use and the way you arrange the elements in your design. Explain which printing process is best suited for printing your design. If desktop publishing hardware and software are available, identify what hardware and software would be appropriate for outputting your design.
4. Produce the design you created for requirement 3 using one of the following printing processes:
1. Offset lithography
1. Make a layout and then produce a plate using a process approved by your counselor. Run the plate and print at least 50 copies.
2. Screen process printing
1. Make a hand-cut or photographic stencil and attach it to a screen that you have prepared. Mask the screen and print at least 20 copies.
3. Electronic/digital printing
1. Make a layout in electronic form, download it to the press or printer, and run 50 copies. If no electronic interface to the press or printer is available, you may print and scan a paper copy of the layout.
4. Relief printing
1. Prepare a layout or set the necessary type. Make a plate or lock up the form. Use this to print 50 copies.
5. Review the following postpress operations with your counselor:
1. Discuss the finishing operations of padding, drilling, cutting, and trimming.
2. Collect, describe, or identify examples of the following types of binding: perfect, spiral, plastic comb, saddle stitched, and case.
6. Identify three career opportunities in graphic arts and tell how you can prepare for them.
7. Do one of the following, and then describe the highlights of your visit:
1. Visit a newspaper printing plant: Follow a story from the editor to the press.
2. Visit a commercial or in-plant printing facility: Follow a job from beginning to end.
3. Visit a school’s graphic arts program: Find out what courses are available and what the prerequisites are.
4. Visit three Web sites on the Internet that belong to graphic arts professional organizations and/or printing-related companies (suppliers, manufacturers, printers). Download product or service information from two of the sites.

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting