MB Counselor Kits

[Scouting4Ever 11]

This weekend I taught personal fitness. As part of the requirements there is the sit and reach test. Since all Scouts will do the badge on their way to Eagle we decided to make the sit and reach box to help all Scouts and their counselors.

 

That got me to thinking what other kits could a troop make to elevate the instruction of merit badges?

[RememberSchiff 3663]

A First Aid kit. 

[qwazse 4342]

I find that, even for required badges, gear tends to get mothballed, so always proceed with caution when collecting it. Some things I recall seeing:

 

Orienteerinng: compass and map sets, plus wide game kits.

Cooking: mess kits with recipe books and kitchen instructions (if you use, for example, the CO's kitchen).

Lifesaving: floats and ropes kits.

Fishing: tackle box with local game charts.

Shooting sports: cardboard cut-outs of 10x scale gun sights.

Camping and hiking: public trail maps.

[Hedgehog 334]

I've actually assembled a contingent of gear and supplies for various merit badges:

 

Maps -- I keep all the maps we use for hikes and can use them for camping, backpacking and hiking.

Chess Sets - For Christmas, my son and I each got quiver chess sets (with a silicone board) from House of Staunton to take on campouts and to use for the MB.

Cooking - I have a bunch of camp cookbooks as well as lots of bookmarked recipies from the internet.

Backpacking - Well, I use my own gear for show and tell as well as some gear I don't use anymore.

 

That being said, I can't say I've actually built anything for a merit badge class.

[resqman 108]

Had a Pioneering MB Kit.    I built the rope making machine in the mb book.  Had two other methods to make rope using examples from the Cub scout books.  We had 4 boxes that held poles in the correct position so lads could lash.   Had about dozen or so "hiking staffs" from the scout store which are just wood dowels about 1.5 inches in diameter and 5 feet long.  Small enough to practice the various knots and lashing but too small to really build much of anything.  Included a box of ropes cut to about 15 feet with the ends whipped to use for the various lashings.   Had a 300ft spool of binders twine to use with the various rope machines.