Composits MB

[wagionvigil]

Anyone check out this display at the Jamboree? they were making a surf board!

[diamondbackAPL]

there's a composits merit badge? when was it introduced?

[ScoutcraftNick]

One of our camp staff crew who went to Jamboree participated in the Composites Merit Badge Program. What he described it as was a "test run" to see how it would go. Apparently, it hasn't been introduced yet, but is probably going to be soon. I think it's an excellent merit badge, but I'm not sure how possible it would be to be held at a summer camp. It's more of a "visit a composites facility" and take it there.

Seems very very cool though, and they were making a surfboard.

-Nick

[cyn]

Hello. I'm new here and hoping to tap into the knowledge base of the many great scouters that are here.

My son is on track to earn all the merit badges. We (I include myself in this goal, because it's become something of a family goal at this point...) have only 6 merit badges to go before we're there. One of these is the new Composite Materials badge. My son visited the booth at Jamboree and came home and told me there was one more he'd need. We just got the MB pamphlet last week and are anxious to get started. There's no counselor yet, and my council wasn't able to offer any advice on helping me find one. Any suggestions? Anyone worked on this badge yet? Because he is nearly 18, we only have until the end of July to have this badge done, so time is of the essence.

[ASM-142]

Hello. I'm new here and hoping to tap into the knowledge base of the many great scouters that are here.

My son is on track to earn all the merit badges. We (I include myself in this goal, because it's become something of a family goal at this point...) have only 6 merit badges to go before we're there. One of these is the new Composite Materials badge. My son visited the booth at Jamboree and came home and told me there was one more he'd need. We just got the MB pamphlet last week and are anxious to get started. There's no counselor yet, and my council wasn't able to offer any advice on helping me find one. Any suggestions? Anyone worked on this badge yet? Because he is nearly 18, we only have until the end of July to have this badge done, so time is of the essence.

I have noticed in a few of your posts that you use the phrase

we have only ...

a number of times. I hope that these badges are being done by your son and not by you.

[deweylure]

Check with council.I believe if a professinal person in this field would ok that the requirements were done the SM could sign the blue card. Or try to sign the person upas a MB counselor.

Check the MB book they usually have resources in it then check the local phone book for a company which uses composite materials.

Deweylure

[evmori]

Hello. I'm new here and hoping to tap into the knowledge base of the many great scouters that are here.

My son is on track to earn all the merit badges. We (I include myself in this goal, because it's become something of a family goal at this point...) have only 6 merit badges to go before we're there. One of these is the new Composite Materials badge. My son visited the booth at Jamboree and came home and told me there was one more he'd need. We just got the MB pamphlet last week and are anxious to get started. There's no counselor yet, and my council wasn't able to offer any advice on helping me find one. Any suggestions? Anyone worked on this badge yet? Because he is nearly 18, we only have until the end of July to have this badge done, so time is of the essence.

Why are "we" earning these? It sounds like your son is getting the benefit of your families work when he is the one who should be doing all the work.

[maricopasem]

I find it interesting that there are so many threads that bemoan the lack of parental support and involvement. And yet, as soon as a devoted mother seeks information for her son so that "they" can finish all of the Merit Badges she gets harassed for being involved. It sounds hypocritical to whine about shrinking numbers and mediocre-at-best familial involvement and then criticize a mother for helping her boy.

Besides, in my experience no mother -- however devoted, persuasive, and/or threatening she may be -- could get her son to achieve the Eagle rank and earn all of the badges unless he was motivated to do so and worked hard to do it.

[ASM-142]

I find it interesting that there are so many threads that bemoan the lack of parental support and involvement. And yet, as soon as a devoted mother seeks information for her son so that "they" can finish all of the Merit Badges she gets harassed for being involved. It sounds hypocritical to whine about shrinking numbers and mediocre-at-best familial involvement and then criticize a mother for helping her boy.

Besides, in my experience no mother -- however devoted, persuasive, and/or threatening she may be -- could get her son to achieve the Eagle rank and earn all of the badges unless he was motivated to do so and worked hard to do it.

I fully support parental support. I just want to make sure that that MBs and ranks are earned by a scout and not by a family. I have seen cases where a parent has pushed his son into and though scouts up to Eagle where this pushing has included doing some of his work.

If this particular scout has done all this work on his own that is great and he should be proud of that accomplishement. However, being the father of two boys (one of which is an Eagle) I find it hard that a scout would be interested in doing all MBs. As an ASM, I have seen a number of scouts over the years and for the most part they only do the badges that are required plus ones that truly interest them.

[cyn]

Wow. Look at the discussion I started

Let me reassure you that MY SON is the one doing all the work. I frequently include the word "we" because, as I said, the whole family sometimes ends up being involved. For example, when it was time to earn the American Cultures merit badge, he needed to attend some sort of cultural event, such as a festival. The whole family went to the Korean Festival and we all learned things together. He learned the things he needed to and we got to spend a nice day together as a family at the same time. Another example is when we flew to my aunt's ranch in California so he could do the requirements for Animal Science and Horsemanship. We didn't do the requirements, but we went along and had a great time at the ranch while he did the work. WE try to plan and facilitate making arrangements and connections. We cheer him on. We support him in every way short of doing the work. In my estimation, this is what families should do.

This goal was made by my son. Various members of the family have suggested that he reduce the goal or be happy with a lesser number of badges. He is insistent, driven and highly motivated. Our family supports him, and he knows that at any time he can give up the goal. I appreciate the concern about this being the work of the boy and not the pushing of the parents. I assure you that I have seen that very scenario, and this is not it.

Thank you for your suggestions about Composite Materials. I'll have my son and/or scoutmaster look into them.

[deweylure]

It seems to me parents are always involved with the scout (child). It is good to see parental involvement. this posting was for information about a particular MB not a discovery process to see if the scout earned all the badges himself. A MB called Family Life comes to mind,without the cooperatioin of the parent a scout could not earn it.

I hope this young man succeeds at his quest for all meritbadges.

deweylure

[deweylure]

Cyn

A suggestion for information about composites can be found by using a search engine and entering composite materials. There was a large information pool on this subject. I found it when I was looking for composite materials to make pens with.


dewey

[Mad Dog]

The M.C. Gill corporation was very instrumental in developing the composites merit badge. I have emailed them in the past for information and they were very helpful. They may even have someone on staff who is a councelor. You can contact them at info@mcgillcorp.com.

[Swim4lyfe]

Awesome merit badge. I'm working on it now. For the projects I'm making a walking stick and either a surfboard or a skimboard. I'll tell you; it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Very interesting and it's fun reading and researching the MSDS's.

Here's another good site for CM- http://www.acmanet.org/bsa/index.cfm I've used it a few times and it's very helpful. Good project ideas as well. The people are great and are quite helpful. I highly recommend it.