Skill Merits

This is really more of a general program question, but I am doing AR/ER so I'm sticking it here. Feel free to move this if you think there's a better place Chris.

I give out the Bible merit lesson sheets as we do them each week, but I don't normally give out the skill merit lesson sheets. Sometimes I'll make a special handout, but it seems that the skill merit lesson sheets are more written just for the Cmdr with such things as "Have the boys demonstrate....." so forth and so on. There is, however, good info within the lessons that would be good for the boys to have if they are inclined to look over what we did throughout the week.

It refers to workbooks in some lessons, but we don't have any. So what do you guys do?

I try to hand out as little as possible. But you're right, sometimes there is good info to teach. I call it the Academics. I hand that out the first week or week before we start the merit and cover it and spend the rest of the month doing.

I track work done on an excel sheet. The requirement on one colomn all the rangers have a column to the right. Check mark when completed. A lot less paper

I banned worksheets 4 years ago. I don't hand them out at all.  


too much like school

So what do you do about, or for, kids who actually want to learn a skill and go over it during the week?

if they want to work on a merit at home, I will gladly give them a copy.

otherwise we do not use worksheets in meeting.

Skill merit requirements are available as pdf on www.RoyalRangers.com

Phillip Gross wrote:So what do you do about, or for, kids who actually want to learn a skill and go over it during the week?

drop to my knees, hug them, say "God bless you!"
then yes I either give them a copy of what's in the book, but more often send them the link.
Royal Ranger Merit Index

Independent work is ALWAYS welcome, but has to be tempered.
I have 2 boys who want to do like 12 merits all at the same time. I am commonly remind them to focus, to picture themselves like a pad of butter, that if they cover simply 1 slice of bread, they have a nice breakfast. but if they try to spread themselves over the entire loaf, no one will notice.

I was like that working on various reqs from a dozen merits or advancement levels for GMA. If I had access to more resources I would have gone on to do all 66 advanced awards.

strods wrote:
I track work done on an excel sheet. The requirement on one colomn all the rangers have a column to the right. Check mark when completed. A lot less paper  

Here is an example of what I mean:
FCF Merit Checks
I have a thin 3 ring binder I keep with me when we are out camping as we are out I keep a close eye especially on the first years to work them through the material.
** on some of the sheets here, these regs aren't exactly the National Requirement, I wanted my boys a little tougher or more specific. First aid is drastically different... FYI

ccm2361 wrote:I banned worksheets 4 years ago. I don't hand them out at all.  


too much like school

Interesting! Could you elaborate how you do away with worksheets?

Certainly  

Bible merit lesson:
Commander reads a passage from the Bible & then asks the Rangers questions about it. some are easy true or false questions, others more in depth; like "what did Jesus mean when he said..."
We do not use the official RR US Bible lessons, as they are geared to boys. As we are a coed group we come  up with our lessons. (swipe them from the internet at the sites listed below)


http://www.padfield.com/downloads/classbooks.html

http://children.cccm.com/curriculum/

Skill merit lessons
Commander teaches the requirements as normal. HOWEVER, since we were given permission to "Make merits interactive" & remove writing. There really isn't any writing that needs to be done. if there is something the Rangers need to see I will show them a picture or a short video with laptop & projector.

ccm2361 wrote:Certainly  

Bible merit lesson:
Commander reads a passage from the Bible & then asks the Rangers questions about it. some are easy true or false questions, others more in depth; like "what did Jesus mean when he said..."
We do not use the official RR US Bible lessons, as they are geared to boys. As we are a coed group we come  up with our lessons. (swipe them from the internet at the sites listed below)


http://www.padfield.com/downloads/classbooks.html

http://children.cccm.com/curriculum/

Skill merit lessons
Commander teaches the requirements as normal. HOWEVER, since we were given permission to "Make merits interactive" & remove writing. There really isn't any writing that needs to be done. if there is something the Rangers need to see I will show them a picture or a short video with laptop & projector.

Thanks for the sharing!