AT A GLANCE
By PJ Feinstein
COMMUNITY NEWS
FAMILY FUN
Germantown Teen
Earns Every
Scouting Merit
Badge Eighteen year old Daniel Free of Germantown
has accomplished something very few Boy
Scouts ever do. He is one of only 450 Boy
Scouts in the country to earn all of the 137
merit badges offered in scouting.

The Clarksburg High School senior, who
is a member of Troop 489 at Neelsville
Presbyterian Church in Germantown, started
as a Tiger Cub in elementary school, became
a Boy Scout in middle school and eventually
earned the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 15.

Free had 54 merit badges when he became
an Eagle Scout. That’s when he decided to earn
the rest of the badges. “I originally started out
to get all of the merit badges because I thought
there were about 100, and I was almost half
way there. I found out later that there were 137,
but I decided to keep going,” says Free.

Free says his favorite merit badges were
metal working and welding because they were
“very hands on.” The most difficult was the
swimming merit badge, which required Free to
remove a dress shirt and a pair of pants in the
water. “I struggled with that because you had
to mess around with the clothes while you’re
treading water, so it was very
exhausting,” he says.

Free is the first member of his troop to earn
all of the Scout merit badges. His troop mem-
bers were very encouraging as he worked to
reach his merit badge goal.

“They were always checking in on my
progress, seeing how many more I had left to
do, and I know it’s inspired a lot of younger
scouts to be more active in Scouting activities
because it was just an exciting thing for them
to experience, “ says Free.

One of the highlights of being a Boy Scout
for Free are the friends he’s made over the
years. “Starting in first grade, Scouting really
helped me connect with people my age,
people that went to my school that I might not
have known because they weren’t in my class,”
says Free, adding, “a lot of those friends I still
have today.”
Scoutmaster Karl Moline praises Free for
12 Washington FAMILY JUNE 2020
New Ways to Beat
Boredom at Home
his work with younger Scouts, helping them to
prepare to become Boy Scouts during the sum-
mer when the troop doesn’t normally meet.

Moline says Free is an exemplary individual.

“He’s eager to help, very outgoing, very
friendly. Just an all-around outstanding young
man,” he says.

Free plans to attend Montgomery College
this fall and then transfer to the University of
Maryland next spring to study secondary
education and history.

—SUSAN AHEARN
As we approach our third month of quarantine,
boredom has become a big problem for kids
and adults alike. To help families have more fun
at home, several national brands have launched
new initiatives centered on creativity, learning
and having compassion for others.

On their new website, Bring Home the
Fun, Hasbro is sharing short videos featuring
popular characters, such as Peppa Pig
and the Power Rangers, easy-to-do crafts
and downloadable family games. Search
#BringHomeTheFun on social media to see
what other families are creating while staying at
home. shop.hasbro.com
Audible’s new service, Audible Stories, gives
children and teens free access to hundreds
of audiobooks to keep them entertained
(and off screens) while staying at home. The
vast selection of stories include old and new
favorites, such as A.A Milne’s “Winnie the
Pooh” and J.K Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone.” stories.audible.com
The new Mattel Playroom website, with
activities for kids and tips for parents and
caregivers, wants children to #KeepPlaying
during this challenging time. In addition to
printable activities, online games and character
entertainment, the toy company also launched
a new “Thank You Heroes” collection of
essential worker figurines and building sets.

mattel.com The PBS Kids “Thank Your Neighbors”
campaign encourages children and their
families to thank the essential and frontline
workers in their community. Activities include
writing thank you cards for workers and
making thank you signs to display in your
window. There’s also a program that allows
your child to create a superhero in the form of a
grocery store worker, nurse and more. pbs.org
On Disney’s YouTube channel, kids can
watch and listen as famous actors, such as
Angela Kinsey, John Stamos and Jeff Goldblum,
read their favorite Disney stories. Or they can
learn how to draw Disney characters from
Disney animators. youtube.com
—MEGAN GREGOIRE



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