There are no merit badge requirements for First Class. However, there are various individual first aid skills among the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class requirements. First aid is an Eagle-required merit badge, though. See link for more info.
The easiest Eagle-required merit badge will likely be Firstaid or Swimming, if you'll be able to complete it as part of a class. Citizenship in the World can be completed quite easily alone. I've ranked the difficulty of each Eagle-required merit badge in a recent article. You can check it out by googling "Scoutsmarts Eagle Merit Badge Difficulty Rankings" :)
No specific merit badge is required to attend the 2013 National Jamboree, but every scout must have achieved at least the rank of First Class.
Requirement for the Hiking Merit badge can be used for requirements for First Class and Second Class ranks. More importantly hiking is a fun activity that is good for physical fitness and exploring parks and other outdoor areas.
I'm not sure what you mean by "open". You should have your Scoutmaster's permission to start on a merit badge. Usually he signs a "blue card" which is the record of your merit badge progress. This is to ensure that you have any prerequisites that are required and that you are going to a registered merit badge counselor. You should make contact with your merit badge counselor prior to starting the merit badge to ensure you are credited for your work.
No, but there is a sports merit badge
The purpose of the merit badge is to allow you to explore and understand the subject. In order to complete the merit badge you need to do some research. Resources are:The merit badge pamphletYour merit badge counselorYour school teachersYour school or community libraryThe BSA website at Scouting.orgMeritBadge.org
There are 7 requirements for the First Aid merit badge. I personally think the related link has the best website for merit badges. You can find the requirements for the first aid merit badge there. Also, if you scroll to the bottom of that page, you can find a "Workbook" that will help you to finish any merit badges.
No, you do not. However, you DO swim during the Lifesaving merit badge, which is interchangeable with Emergency Preparedness as far as Eagle required badges go.
The Marksmanship merit badge was one of the original 57 merit badges created in 1911. It was replaced by the Rifle and Shotgun Shooting merit badge in 1966 which was in turn replaced by the Rifle Shooting merit badge and the Shotgun Shooting merit badge in 1987. The Archery merit badge was created in 1911.
The purpose of the merit badge is to allow you to explore and understand the subject. In order to complete the merit badge you need to do some research. Resources are:The merit badge pamphletYour merit badge counselorYour school teachersYour school or community libraryThe BSA website at Scouting.orgMeritBadge.org
The purpose of the merit badge is to allow you to explore and understand the subject. In order to complete the merit badge you need to do some research. Resources are:The merit badge pamphletYour merit badge counselorYour school teachersYour school or community libraryThe BSA website at Scouting.orgMeritBadge.org
1972 Environmental Science merit badge; replacing1970 Conservation of Natural Resources; replacing1965 Soil and Water Conservation; replacing1958 Forestry or Soil and Water Conservation or Wildlife Management