Scouting Heritage Merit Badge
Nine requirements, with the jamboree, museum or exhibit of requirement 4 and the career or volunteer route of requirement 9 drawn as questions, the unit history research, the game taught to other Scouts and the interviews with former Scouts marked, and requirement 8 linked to requirement 5 because its interviewees must be different people.
10 steps (7 parts inside them). 5 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Scouting Heritage Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the 2 questions at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering 2 short questions will take out the parts that are not for you.
Your progress
15 steps can be started now; 1 is waiting on something else.
Clear ticksYour ticks are kept in this browser, so they will still be here next time. They are in the address as well, so a link to this page carries them to another device.
The steps
Stage 1 of 10
1 step
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1. Baden-Powell and the origins of Scouting Requirement
Discuss with your counselor his life and times, why he felt a program like Scouting would be good for the young men of his day, how Scouting was introduced in the United States, and the origins of Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting under him.
Stage 2 of 10
1 step
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2. People and milestones of Scouting Requirement
Two parts, each a choice of TWO.
Stage 3 of 10
1 step
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3. How Scouting's programs developed for different ages Requirement
Discuss with your counselor how they have developed and been adapted to fit different age groups and interests: Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Exploring, Venturing.
Stage 4 of 10
1 step
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4. A jamboree, the museum, or an exhibit. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a jamboree or high-adventure base, the National Scouting Museum, or a Scouting exhibit, gallery or historian.
3 parts
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4(a). Attend a jamboree or high-adventure base, and keep a journal Optional May not apply Often forgotten
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Stage 5 of 10
1 step
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5. The history of your unit, council, camp or lodge Often forgotten Requirement
Research one: your unit, council, summer camp or Order of the Arrow lodge. Then an oral or written report, a presentation or a video, reviewed with your counselor.
Stage 6 of 10
1 step
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6. A collection of your patches and memorabilia Requirement
Your personal patches and other Scouting memorabilia, with borrowed items or photographs if their owners permit. Show it to your counselor and share what you learned about the items.
Stage 7 of 10
1 step,
all ticked
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7. Reproduce an old-time Scouting game, then teach and play it Often forgotten Requirement
Reproduce the equipment for a game such as those played at Brownsea Island. Teach and play it with other Scouts.
Stage 8 of 10
1 step
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8. Interview three former Scouts over 40 Often forgotten Requirement
At least three people over the age of 40 who were Scouts, different from those you interviewed for requirement 5: their Scouting experiences, and its impact on their lives. Share what you learned with your counselor.
Stage 9 of 10
1 step
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9. Careers. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a career related to Scouting, or serving as a Scouting volunteer.
2 parts
Stage 10 of 10
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Baden-Powell and the origins of Scouting, 2. People and milestones of Scouting and 6 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.