Does your family include a few Boy Scouts? Genealogists will probably enjoy guiding their sons, grandsons, nephews, or the other young Boy Scouts in their family through the Genealogy Merit Badge. It’s a great way to inspire little genealogists to take up the hobby when they get older.
In order for a child to join the Boy Scouts, he has to be at least ten years old, (but younger than the age of eighteen). He has to have completed fifth grade. Or, he has to have earned the Arrow of Light Award, which is the highest award in Cub Scouting. Next, he needs to fill out and complete the application, and give the application (and fees) to a Scoutmaster. He also has to get a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook, and complete the other joining requirements that are listed there.
Once a kid joins the Boy Scouts, he can work towards earning many different merit badges. There is one in particular that a genealogist may want to help with. The Genealogy Merit Badge was created in 1972. It looks like a golden tree that doesn’t have any leaves on its branches, on a red background. It is included in the “Personal Development” field of study.
There are nine separate requirements that a Scout must complete in order to earn the Genealogy Merit Badge. For the first requirement, Scouts must learn what the words “genealogy”, “ancestor”, and “descendant” mean, and must be able to explain those to a counselor.
For the second requirement, Scouts get a choice. They either must create a timeline for themselves, or for a relative, and then write a short biography based upon it, or, they must keep a journal for six weeks (and write in it at least once a week). For the third requirement, Scouts must interview a relative or family acquaintance, and record the information that comes from that interview. It is suggested that they do this “with your parent’s help”.
The fourth requirement has three parts. For Part A, Scouts must name three types of genealogical resources, and explain how those can be used to chart their family tree. For Part B, the Scout must acquire a genealogical document that corresponds with their family tree. For Part C, Scouts must describe how they got that particular genealogy document.
For the fifth requirement, Scouts must contact a genealogist or genealogical institution. They must discover what genealogical services, activities, or records they provide. The sixth requirement is where Scouts have to begin their family tree. The seventh requirement expands upon that family tree.
For the eighth requirement, Scouts have to explain how computers, or photography, works with genealogy. The ninth, and last, requirement is an overview, of sorts. Scouts have to explain what they learned about their family as a result of working on the Genealogy Merit Badge.
Image by Greg I. Hamilton on Flickr