THE WAY OF THE EAGLE

Merit Badges for Life Basics

The path to Eagle is not just about earning badges.
It is about becoming capable, prepared, disciplined, helpful, and strong.
Scouting teaches a young man how to live with order, courage, service, skill, and responsibility.

The Eagle-required merit badges form the foundation.
They teach the life basics every Scout needs:

Character
Citizenship
Health. Safety
Money
Family
Fitness
Survival
Leadership
Service.

These badges prepare a Scout to take care of himself, help his family, serve his community, and lead others.
The Foundation Badges
Requirement Link

First Aid — knowing how to help in an emergency
Citizenship in the Community — understanding duty and service close to home
Citizenship in the Nation — understanding your country and civic responsibility
Citizenship in the World — understanding your place in the larger world
Communication — speaking, listening, leading, and being understood
Cooking — feeding yourself and others with skill
Personal Fitness — building strength, health, and discipline
Personal Management — handling money, time, goals, and responsibility
Camping — living outdoors with confidence
Family Life — understanding home, duty, and relationships

And the Scout chooses one from each group:

Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving — staying calm, ready, and able to help
Environmental Science OR Sustainability — caring for the natural world
Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling — building endurance, courage, and outdoor ability

Beyond the Basics Scout Selects Minimum 8 Electives additional of the 165 options.

A Scout may earn only what is required.
A strong Scout may earn many more.
An Eagle-minded Scout can keep going and learn as much as he wants.

The Parent’s Role

As a parent, your role is to stay positive, supportive, and involved while helping your Scout learn organization, responsibility, and follow-through.

In the beginning, he may need help keeping track of emails, calendar updates, events, deadlines, uniforms, supplies, and transportation.
Over time, the goal is for your help to slowly become less hands-on as your Scout becomes more self-directed, organized, and responsible.
A parent’s support begins with guidance and reminders, but the reward is watching your Scout grow into independence — until your role becomes one of encouragement, applause, and pride.

Scouts use a book for meetings, and you can use his personal calendar or this app to help keep the scout prepared for each meeting.
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Print Requirement Workbook for each Badge, and use the online version for videos and images.
Workbook Per Merit Badge