Inventing
Resources
- Inventing Class Preparation Page
- Inventing Workbook
- Scoutmaster Bucky's Merit Badge Advancement Quick Reference
- Scoutmaster Bucky's Acknowledgement Form
Related
Inventing Requirements Current Scouts BSA requirements
as of March 8, 2025
as of March 8, 2025
1.
In your own words, define inventing. Then do the following:
a.
Explain to your counselor the role of inventors and their inventions in
the economic development of the United States.
b.
List three inventions and state how they have helped humankind.
2.
Do ONE of the following:
a.
Identify and interview with a buddy (and with your parent or guardian's
permission and counselor's approval) an individual in your community
who has invented a useful item. Report what you learned to your
counselor.
b.
Read about three inventors. Select the one you find most interesting
and tell your counselor what you learned.
3.
Do the following:
a.
Define the term intellectual property. Explain which
government agencies oversee the protection of intellectual property,
the types of intellectual property that can be protected, how such
property is protected, and why protection is necessary.
b.
Explain the components of a patent and the different types of patents
available.
c.
Examine your Scouting gear and find a patent number on a camping item
you have used. With your parent or guardian's permission, use the
Internet to find out more about that patent. Compare the finished item
with the claims and drawings in the patent. Report what you learned to
your counselor.
d.
Explain to your counselor the term patent infringement.
4.
Discuss with your counselor the types of inventions that are appropriate to
share with others, and explain why. Tell your counselor about one
unpatented invention and its impact on society.
5.
Choose a commercially available product that you have used on an overnight
camping trip with your troop. Make recommendations for improving the
product, and make a sketch that shows your recommendations. Discuss your
recommendations with your counselor.
6.
Think of an item you would like to invent that would solve a problem for
your family, troop, chartered organization, community, or a
special-interest group. Then do the following, while keeping a notebook to
record your progress.
a.
Talk to potential users of your invention and determine their needs.
Then, based on what you have learned, write a statement describing the
invention and how it would help solve a problem. This statement should
include a detailed sketch of the invention.
b.
Create a model of the invention using clay, cardboard, or any other
readily available material. List the materials necessary to build a
working prototype of the invention.
c.
Share the idea and the model with your counselor and potential users of
your invention. Record their feedback in your notebook.
7.
Build a working prototype of the item you invented for requirement 6*.
Test and evaluate the invention. Among the aspects to consider in your
evaluation are cost, usefulness, marketability, appearance, and function.
Describe how your original vision and expectations for your invention are
similar or dissimilar to the prototype you built. Have your counselor
evaluate and critique your prototype.
* Before you begin building the prototype, you must have your counselor's
approval, based on the design and building plans you have already shared.
8.
Do ONE of the following:
a.
Participate with a club or team (robotics team, science club, or
engineering club) that builds a useful item. Share your experience with
your counselor.
b.
Visit a museum or exhibit dedicated to an inventor or invention, and
create a presentation of your visit to share with a group such as your
troop or patrol.
9.
Discuss with your counselor the diverse skills, education, training, and
experience it takes to be an inventor. Discuss how you can prepare yourself
to be creative and inventive to solve problems at home, in school, and in
your community. Discuss three career fields that might utilize the skills
of an inventor.
