Original post on "Merit Badge of the Week: Architecture"
One of the strongest American passions is sports. Exercise, games, magazines, blogs, websites, television and more feed this driving need.
And when that isn't enough, we invent sports like "professional" wrestling and roller-derby.
We are also a nation growing a bit hefty about the middle. [I'm raising my hand. How about you?]
How do we tie these two facts together? Surprisingly, only 5959 of these were earned in 2007. (BSA Fact Sheet)
Let me challenge you this month, both Scout and Scouter--let's begin to earn this merit badge today.
I know, Scouters can't earn merit badges, but no one said you couldn't fulfill all the requirements anyway. Then, maybe pick up an extra to tuck away in your memorabilia...
The latest Athletics merit badge requirements from the BSA:
1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while participating in athletic events, including sprains, strains, contusions, abrasions, blisters, dehydration, and heat reactions.
2. Explain the following:
a. The importance of the physical exam
b. The importance of maintaining good health habits, especially during training
c. The importance of maintaining a healthy diet
3. Select an athletic activity to participate in for one season (or four months). Then do the following:
a. With guidance from your counselor, establish a personal training program suited to the activity you have chosen.
b. Organize a chart for this activity and monitor your progress during this time.
c. Explain to your counselor the equipment necessary to participate in this activity, and the appropriate clothing for the season and the locale.
d. At the end of the season, discuss with your counselor the progress you have made during training and competition and how your development has affected you mentally and physically.
4. Do the following:
a. Give the rules for two athletic activities, one of which is the activity you chose for requirement 3.
b. Discuss the importance of warming up and cooling down.
c. Explain to your counselor what an amateur athlete is and the differences between an amateur and a professional athlete.
d. Discuss the traits and importance of good sportsmanship. Tell what role sportsmanship plays in both individual and group athletic activities.
5. Complete the activities in FOUR of the following groups and show improvement over a three-month period:
Group 1: Sprinting
a. 100-meter dash
b. 200-meter dash
Group 2: Long-Distance Running
c. 3k run
d. 5k run
Group 3: Long Jump OR High Jump
e. Running long jump OR running high jump (best of three tries)
f. Standing long jump OR standing high jump (best of three tries)
Group 4: Swimming
g. 100-meter swim
h. 200-meter swim
Group 5: Pull-Ups AND Push-Ups
i. Pull-ups in two minutes
j. Push-ups in two minutes
Group 6: Baseball Throw
k. Baseball throw for accuracy, 10 throws
l. Baseball throw for distance, five throws (total distance)
Group 7: Basketball Shooting
m. Basketball shot for accuracy, 10 free-throw shots
n. Basketball throw for skill and agility, the following shots as shown on the diagram:
1. Left-side layup
2. Right-side layup
3. Left side of hoop, along the key line
4. Right side of hoop, along the key line
5. Where key line and free-throw line meet, left side
6. Where key line and free-throw line meet, right side
7. Top of the key
8. Anywhere along the three-point line
Group 8: Football Kick OR Soccer Kick
i. Goals from the 10-yard line, eight kicks
j. Football kick or soccer kick for distance, five kicks (total distance)
Group 9: Weight Training
k. Chest/bench press, two sets of 15 repetitions each
l. Leg curls, two sets of 15 repetitions each
6. Do the following:
a. Prepare plans for conducting a sports meet or field day that includes 10 activities, at least five of which must come from the groups mentioned in requirement 5. Outline the duties of each official needed and list the equipment the meet will require.
b. With your parent's and counselor's approval, serve as an official or volunteer at a sports meet to observe officials in action. Tell your counselor about your responsibilities at the meet and discuss what you learned.
Resource List:
Related BSA merit badges: Archery, Backpacking, Canoeing, Climbing, Cycling, Fishing, Fly-Fishing, Gardening, Golf, Hiking, Horsemanship, Lifesaving, Personal Fitness, Rifle Shooting, Rowing, Shotgun Shooting, Skating, Small-Boat Sailing, Snow Sports, Sports, Swimming, Water Sports, and Whitewater.
Do you have a resource for the Athletics merit badge? Please let me know via email or the comments below.
Space, the final frontier.
And we have a new Star Trek movie to remind us!
We continue to learn new things all the time. Want to see a new planet in our solar system? Or one in another solar system?
Amazing, especially since we have just found Nicolaus Copernicus's final resting place right here on Earth. (He figured out that the Earth orbits the Sun, and not the other way around. Kind of important.)
An "out of this world" 10,087 Astronomy merit badges were earned in 2007. (BSA Fact Sheet)
In the Astronomy merit badge, you will cover first aid and safety; understand the impact of light pollution; explain astronomical tools; identify stars and constellations; demonstrate knowledge of planetary movement; sketch astronomical data; participate in observation or other astronomy project; and discuss the educational requirements and career opportunities in astronomy.
The latest Astronomy merit badge requirements from the BSA:
1. Describe the proper clothing and other precautions for safely making observations at night and in cold weather. Tell how to safely observe the Sun, objects near the Sun, and the Moon. Explain first aid for injuries or illnesses such as heat and cold reactions, dehydration, bites and stings, and damage to your eyes that could occur during observation.
2. Explain what light pollution is and how it and air pollution affect astronomy.
3. With the aid of diagrams (or real telescopes if available), do each of the following:
a. Explain why binoculars and telescopes are important astronomical tools. Demonstrate or explain how these tools are used.
b. Describe the similarities and differences of several types of astronomical telescopes.
c. Explain the purposes of at least three instruments used with astronomical telescopes.
4. Do the following:
a. Identify in the sky at least 10 constellations, at least four of which are in the zodiac.
b. Identify at least eight conspicuous stars, five of which are of magnitude 1 or brighter.
c. Make two sketches of the Big Dipper. In one sketch, show the Big Dipper's orientation in the early evening sky. In another sketch, show its position several hours later. In both sketches, show the North Star and the horizon. Record the date and time each sketch was made.
d. Explain what we see when we look at the Milky Way.
5. Do the following:
a. List the names of the five most visible planets. Explain which ones can appear in phases similar to lunar phases and which ones cannot, and explain why.
b. Find out when each of the five most visible planets that you identified in requirement 5a will be observable in the evening sky during the next 12 months, then compile this information in the form of a chart or table. Update your chart monthly to show whether each planet will be visible during the early morning or in the evening sky.
6. At approximately weekly intervals, sketch the position of Venus, Mars, or Jupiter in relation to the stars. Do this for at least four weeks and at the same time of night. On your sketch, record the date and time next to the planet's position. Use your sketch to explain how planets move.
7. Do the following:
a. Sketch the face of the Moon and indicate at least five seas and five craters. Label these landmarks.
b. Sketch the phase and the daily position of the Moon, at the same hour and place, for a week. Include landmarks on the horizon such as hills, trees, and buildings. Explain the changes you observe.
c. List the factors that keep the Moon in orbit around Earth.
d. With the aid of diagrams, explain the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon at the times of lunar and solar eclipses, and at the times of new, first-quarter, full, and last-quarter phases of the Moon.
8. Do the following:
a. Describe the composition of the Sun, its relationship to other stars, and some effects of its radiation on Earth's weather. Define sunspots and describe some of the effects they may have on solar radiation.
b. Identify at least one red star, one blue star, and one yellow star (other than the Sun). Explain the meaning of these colors.
9. With your counselor's approval and guidance, do ONE of the following:
a. Visit a planetarium or astronomical observatory. Submit a written report, a scrapbook, or a video presentation afterward to your counselor that includes the following information:
1. Activities occurring there
2. Exhibits and displays you saw
3. Telescopes and other instruments being used
4. Celestial objects you observed
b. Plan and participate in a three-hour observation session that includes using binoculars or a telescope. List the celestial objects you want to observe, and find each on a star chart or in a guidebook. Prepare an observing log or notebook. Show your plan, charts, and log or notebook to your counselor before making your observations. Review your log or notebook with your counselor afterward.
c. Plan and host a star party for your Scout troop or other group such as your class at school. Use binoculars or a telescope to show and explain celestial objects to the group.
d. Help an astronomy club in your community hold a star party that is open to the public.
e. Personally take a series of photographs or digital images of the movement of the Moon, a planet, an asteroid or meteoroid, or a comet. In your visual display, label each image and include the date and time it was taken. Show all positions on a star chart or map. Show your display at school or at a troop meeting. Explain the changes you observed.
10. List at least three different career opportunities in astronomy. Pick the one in which you are most interested and explain how to prepare for such a career. Discuss with your counselor what courses might be useful for such a career.
Resource List:
Related BSA merit badges: Art, Photography, and Space Exploration.
Do you have a resource for the Astronomy merit badge? Please let me know via email or the comments below.
All you have to do is mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Eagle Scout Letter, Pilgrim Films and Television, 6180 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #350, No. Hollywood, CA 91606. Please allow 12+ weeks for Mike to fill it out, sign it and get it in the mail to you. And folks - this is an offer, a nice thing, a volunteer deal Mike wants to do for you - please don't complain if it takes a while to get to you, OK?
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