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Scouting America · Merit Badge
Programming
Write, debug, and demonstrate programs in three different languages / environments. Cover history, IP, and careers.
Counselor Qualifications
I write production code daily in Python, C/C++, and JavaScript. The trick with req 5 is three genuinely different environments — e.g., Scratch (block), Python (text), HTML/JS (web).
Dustin Gamble — B.S. and M.S. Aerospace Engineering; Technical Fellow at Lockheed Martin; registered Scouting America Merit Badge Counselor (Los Padres Council).
My Counselor Plan
My operating notes for counseling this badge. Scouts can skim for context; other counselors are welcome to borrow what's useful.
- Set up three ready-to-go environments before the first session: Scratch, Thonny/Python, and a simple HTML/JS page in VS Code.
- Give each Scout a small starter program they can modify — don't ask them to write from a blank file.
- Require each program to take input, make a decision, and produce output. Reject pure 'hello world' demos.
- Discuss free vs. open source vs. commercial using real examples (VS Code, Chrome, a paid app).
Requirements Checklist
13 total requirement items. Check marks are saved locally in this browser so you can track progress as you work. This is a convenience view — the official requirements on scouting.org are the source of truth.
1. Safety
Do the following:
2. History
Discuss with your counselor the history of programming and the evolution of programming languages, including at least three milestones related to the advancement or development of programming over time.
3. General Knowledge
Do the following:
4. Intellectual Property
Do the following:
5. Project
With your counselor's guidance, select three different programming languages and development environments. For each sub-requirement below: write or modify a program using the indicated language and environment, take input and produce output based on computations and decisions made on the input, debug and demonstrate the program to your counselor, and explain how it processes inputs, makes decisions, and provides outputs.
6. Careers or Hobby
Do ONE of the following:
Additional Resources
Safety and Youth Protection
All merit badge counseling sessions follow Scouting America's Guide to Safe Scouting. Scouts meet with me either accompanied by a parent or guardian, or in a group with at least one other Scout and one other registered adult present. I hold current Safeguarding Youth training.