How To: Merit Badge & Activity Sign Ups

Last updated March 19, 2024.

This walkthrough will cover how to sign up for Merit Badges and other activities at the Scouts BSA/Venturing camps. Sign ups will open on April 17, 2024 at 7:00pm.

Webelos activities at Camp Ross and high adventure activities at Lenhok’sin High Adventure do not require advance online sign ups through the registration system. Lenhok’sin High Adventure activity sign ups are requested through the Crew Survey, found in the Lenhok’sin Downloads section. Camp Ross uses a Program Request form, due during the first half of your week of camp. Please see the Leader Guide in the Camp Ross downloads section.

STEP 1: Preparation

Check out your camp’s Program Schedule. These can be found and downloaded in the Forms & Downloads section of your camp’s webpage.

  

Be sure to check out any accompanying information, like Program Descriptions or Merit Badge prerequisites, also found in the Downloads section. This will have helpful information for your Scouts when they’re considering which Merit Badges to choose.

COVID-19 protocols are not expected to have a major impact on program at this time. Stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 protocols here:

Updated for 2024! The Parent Portal feature will be activated both for class sign ups and payment. This is mainly for larger units, but other units may use the feature as well. It is recommended for units new to the registration system to have one person manage the class schedules for the first year before branching out into the Parent Portal for future summers.

For video tutorials on how to use Parent Portal, please view the registration system’s How To Videos.

Parent Portal: Unit Leader’s Guide – www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBJmmnQuSo4

Parent Portal: Parents Guide – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xflql-R-VZE

STEP 2: Signing Up

Once your Scouts have looked over the schedule and chosen their Merit Badges, log in to your Camp Registration. If you need a reminder on how to re-access your registration, check out our previous blog post:

Click the participants tab to view your participant list.

A camper must be paid in full to register for activities. Click on Update Information under a camper to access their schedule.

In the modal that appears, you’ll see a section for Class Schedule.

Clicking on the Select Classes button will display the Class Selection tool.

Click on a class under the Available Classes list to sign up for that class. You can sort through different periods by using the dropdown menu at (1). Classes that the camper signs up for will show up in the green area. Please keep in mind that some classes (like Robotics and Shotgun) have additional fees.

The red area (2) is for waitlisted classes. Due to COVID-19, most classes will have a limited class size. These classes are filled first come, first served. Once these classes are full, further campers signing up will be placed on the waitlist and added to the class as space becomes available.

You can sign the camper up for back up classes, but you must sign them up for the waitlist before you select their back up class. The waitlist class will have priority over the backup class. A camper can be on any number of waitlists.

Note: Open Program classes, Free Swim, Open Boating, Open Shoot, and Instructional Swim to do not have online sign ups. Due to the flexible nature of these programs, capacity for each will be handled at camp. Please contact the camp director for your camp for specific details.

Once you have selected the classes for your camper, you can click the Show Class Schedule (3) to return to the Class Schedule display.

Your camper’s schedule should now look something like this.

You can use the Select Classes button to change your camper’s Merit Badge schedule at any time.

To view any waitlists the camper may be on, click the Waitlist button.

Special Schedule Note FAQs:

1. There is Archery A. Do I need to take Archery B?
   Many activities have multiple sessions. A camper should only take one lettered session – for Archery, only A or B, not both.
2. Why does Archery have a Part 1 and Part 2? Do I need to take both?
   Shooting Sports badges at Camps Bowman and Olmsted have two parts – both a morning and afternoon component. Campers do need to take both Part 1 and Part 2. The system will automatically sign them up for Part 2 when they sign up for Part 1. Morning sessions run Monday through Friday. Afternoon sessions run Monday thru Thursday.
3. Why is Wood Carving taking up 2 blocks? It’s only scheduled for 3:00 – 3:50 on the program schedule.
   Not all blocks are created equal. The standard block is 50 minutes (afternoons may vary between camps). Because some classes, like Climbing, start on the :30, some periods have been subdivided, like 2a and 2b.
4. How do I sign up for the New Scout Program (Bowman Brigade, New Scout Quest, or Trailshead)? And how do I pick my Merit Badges?
   Sign up for the Bowman Brigade, New Scout Quest, or Trailshead advancement session. Marriott’s New Scout Quest advancement session is in the morning and Olmsted’s Trailshead offers both a morning and an afternoon session. Then, sign up for Merit Badges or other activities to complete your daily schedule. Scouts at Bowman Brigade will sign up for badges while at camp and only need to select the all day advancement session to sign up for the program.
5. How do I sign up for the Vets program for Older Scouts?
   Vets is an all day activity. Select Vets under the 9:00 block from the list and it will block off your whole schedule.

STEP 3: Printing Schedules

To print schedules for your campers and so you know where your campers are going to be, click on Reports.

The page will have all sorts of useful reports you can run and download to keep track.