Ways to Use Badge Magic at Scout Events

Cub Scouts:

Badges of Rank and Arrow Points can be applied while the Cub is on stage during the awards ceremony. These rites of passage are particularly meaningful if the award is attached to the uniform while the Cub is in front of the audience and facing them.

This may take too long if there are dozens of badges to attach. In this case, save it for the most special transitions such as from Tiger to Cub or Cub to Webelos. Another option is to have the parents of the Cubs attach the patches while in front of the audience.

The least motivating and impressive, but still useful, method is to hand out the adhesive pieces with the badges so that the parents can put them on at home.

Packs that use the activity rocker segments have a great opportunity to relieve the mothers of the unpleasant task of aligning and sewing these small awards for about $.15 per segment. One method of using Badge Magic for segments is to take some time during the Den meetings and assist the Cubs with attaching the rockers themselves (with supervision until they get the hang of it). Another method is to cut the Badge Magic segment kits into pieces and hand the adhesive out to the Scout along with the badges. He can then put them on at home right after the meeting with help from the parents.

Note: Adhesive cut-outs for all of the Cub ranks and arrow points are included in the Official Scout Stuff Badge Magic Cub kit. As more and more parents buy the kits to get the initial badges and patches on the uniform, they can bring the appropriate pieces of Badge Magic for use at the ceremony or meeting.

Boy Scouts:

Badges of Rank – In order to attach the badge at the ceremony, the previous rank badge needs to be removed before the ceremony. The pocket is then ready to accept a new badge while the Scout is in front of the audience. See our instructional video on how to remove a badge using Goo Gone®  or Goof Off® on the Badge Magic website.

In large troops only certain advancements such as Life, Eagle or even Tenderfoot might be recognized because of the extra time required for this special touch.

If your troop uses the Do a Good Turn approach of pinning the badge on upside down until the Scout does a good turn, this will not work during the ceremony. In that case, hand the badge to the Scout along with the Badge Magic for later use at home.

Merit Badges – Depending on the number of Scouts and the number of merit badges awarded at a given Court of Honor, it may be appropriate to attach them to the sash while the Scouts are in front of the audience or it may be more convenient to have a patch attaching activity at the next regular troop meeting. Either method is better than sending the Badge Magic home with the Scout as the act of attaching the awards in view of their piers is a good way to motivate them to earn more badges.

Special Awards – Knots for leaders and Scouts are great candidates for special consideration at Court of Honor. Quality Unit Award patches can be changed as a group at troop meetings.

Unusual shaped awards - Use the Cut-to-Fit kit or the unused section of any Badge Magic uniform kit to create an adhesive piece for any important badge. Trace and cut out the shape required and apply the Badge Magic to the back of the badge before the ceremony.

Other Scouts:

Similar opportunities exist for rank advancement and other awards in any organization. Badge Magic comes in a variety of pre-cut shapes such as circles, ovals, rectangles and triangles in popular sizes. The key to success is to determine how the act of attaching the award will have the most impact and integrating it into your ceremonial processes.