Financial Literacy Badges

Say goodbye to the Daisy leaves!  This summer they were phased out and new, cloud shaped badges took their place.  I loved how the leaves created a scene with the daisy petals so this is a big bummer.  On the other hand, it will be easier to place these badges with the other cloud badges and not worry about spacing as much.  The requirements are pretty much the same as before so basically just a shape change.  

My troop works on a financial literacy badge every year.  We normally aim for December so we can either start planning how to use proceeds from our cookie sale or discuss spending and budgets around the holidays.  This year we have a Junior, several Cadettes, and a Senior.  This is an easy badge to adapt for a multi-level troop.

Similar steps include discussing wants vs needs, creating a budget, and learning something new about money each year

2021 Retiring and New Girl Scout Badges

GSUSA has just released 28 new badges, retired 13 badges, and changed the design of the Global Action Award badges.

Cookie Business:

Some of the old cookie badges are getting kicked out to make room for new and improved badges.  Thirteen very different badges are out, with thirteen very similar badges coming in.  This could make it easier to combine badges with a multi-level troop since many of the steps are similar, like set a troop goal and budget.

Retiring Badges:

Digital Leadership Badges

Find out how to stay safe online while using technology to make a difference in the real and digital world.

Math in Nature

Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors have a new series to bring math concepts outside of the classroom and into nature.  I am pretty excited about these, I only wish my troop was younger!

Global Action Awards

The Global Action Awards are no longer dated and instead are Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 like the Cookie Family Entrepreneur pins.  The requirements each year differ and can be found here.

Junior Detective Badge

 

The detective badge can be such a fun way to experiment with science while having fun.  I originally wanted to complete this as an event with decorated lab stations and "scientists", but Covid changed our plans.  With a few adjustments, we completed this badge online with requests from the girls to play it again at a later time, hopefully in-person!

Plot:  Someone has stolen the cookies from the warehouse before our first scheduled cookie booth.  The suspects left behind a crumpled note with an encrypted message, a pen with a fingerprint, a shoe impression in the mud, and saliva on a coffee cup.

Station 1:  Observation Station

Play a round of "Kim's Game" to see just how strong your observation skills are and discuss ways to improve them.   If you are in-person, have everyone bring in a couple of their favorite objects and grab a sheet or tablecloth large enough to cover everything.  Uncover everything for a minute and then cover it back up.  For online meetings, share an image with a collection of clip art objects for a minute and then stop sharing.  Give them a minute to write down as many objects as they can remember.  Ask them if they incorrectly remembered any objects.  Could their eye-witness testimony be incorrect?

Station 2: Cybersecurity Lab

The crumpled note left at the crime scene is written in Morse code on one side and substitution cipher on the other.  Decode the messages to find out the motive of the thieves.  An easy way to write a message in Morse code is this online translator.  For the second part of the note I used a very simple substitution cipher for my troop with a basic swap of A=Z, Z=A, B=Y, and Y=B.  The message in the note is the motive for stealing the cookies.

Station 3:  Chromatography Lab

Multiple pens were left with the crumpled note.  Use the science of chromatography to see which pen was used to write the note, then analyze the fingerprint left on the pen!  Not a single one of the pens I had in my various drawers had the cool colors you would want to see for this experiment.  After a bit of research, I ordered the below black felt tip markers and pipettes from Amazon (affiliate link).

The second pens can be any gel pen, ballpoint, or sharpie.  I also ordered coffee filters but didn't really like them for this experiment so I switched to paper towels.  To make it look cooler, I used my Cricut to cut the paper towels and write in Evidence #1. The girls were able to complete the experiment in just minutes without an elaborate set-up and no mess.  Check out the results of my tests with various pens below and three drops of water on each test strip:

The AEN Art pen looked nice but doesn't come in a pack of just black and doesn't fit my Cricut Maker.  

Station 4: Fingerprint Lab

Use a pencil and tape or transfer paper to identify your fingerprint types.  Then compare the fingerprint left at the crime scene with the suspect list.  Most girls had completed this at school at some point.  I cut up some 1 inch squares of transfer paper for them to use instead of giving them each rolls of tape.  I grabbed some online images of different types of loops, whorls, and arch.

Station 5: Shoeprint Lab

A shoeprint was left in mud outside the warehouse.  Compare the tread and size with the suspect list to identify the thief.  This was a simple comparison of size using a ruler and matching tread patterns.  I gave them a sheet of paper and asked them to outline their own shoes and compare the shape with others.

Station 6: DNA Lab

Saliva was left on a coffee cup in the warehouse.  Learn about DNA and then compare the sample with the suspect list.  There are some neat science experiments to extract the DNA from a strawberry I would have loved to complete given more time, but this experiment seemed too complex to complete online with my troop at this time.  Maybe we can do it for the Cadette Special Agent badge in a couple years when we have in-person meetings again.

Finally, complete the search warrant form and find out if you have solved the crime!

I spent many hours grabbing clip art and formatting the activities into a printable workbook for our online meeting.  If you would like to skip the work, please head over to Etsy to download the copy I created for a small charge:

Etsy Digital Download

Want me to put everything together and ship it to you?

Etsy Detective Kit

Have fun with this badge, I know our troop really did!

Ambassador Journey Overview

Switch to Daisy  Brownie  Junior  Cadette  Senior 

Ambassadors have seven different Journeys available to complete. Below is a guide to help them choose which ones spark their interest.

BLISS: Live It! Give It!

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how to fulfill your dreams and help others realize their dreams as well—invite an athlete to talk about how she pursued a goal, write songs and create artwork about following dreams, or find and share stories about women who successfully pursued their goals.
2. Plan a Take Action Project that helps someone else follow her dream.
3. Earn the Dream Maker Award.

Justice

In this Journey, you will:

1. Identify global environmental issues and create your own vision for change.
2. Plan a Take Action project to address food and land-use issues, improve food delivery systems, fight hunger in developing nations, or rediscover healthy eating traditions.
3. Earn the Sage Award.

Outdoor (Ambassador)

In this Journey, you will:

1. Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper badges.
2. Plan a Take Action project that helps people.
3. Earn a Take Action Award.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and help scientists conduct scientific research.
2. Do 3 observation sessions of a citizen science project from SciStarter.
3. Collect data from you community and plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like a Programmer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 computational thinking activities: build a message-sending machine out of everyday objects to learn about binary, develop an algorithm to find the smallest playing card in a row of cards, and design an app that solves a problem for others to explore user-centered design.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like an Engineer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how engineers use design thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 design thinking activities: design and build prototypes of an animal enrichment product, a zip line course, and mobility equipment.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Your Voice, Your World

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how to advocate for change by networking, planning, and speaking up for what you believe—invite a woman advocate to speak about her work or visit your state capital to find out how to advocate for causes you believe in.
2. Plan a Take Action project about an issue you care about.
3. Earn the Advocacy Award.

Easy Charts:

Senior Journey Overvew

Switch to Daisy  Brownie  Junior  Cadette  Ambassador

Seniors have seven different Journeys available to complete. Below is a guide to help them choose which ones spark their interest.

GIRLtopia

In this Journey, you will:

1. Develop your vision for an ideal world and acquire the skills to make it a reality—paint a mural, write a poem or story, film a video, or perform a show about ways society can improve.
2. Plan a Take Action project that addresses an issue in your community.
3. Earn the Senior Visionary Award.

Mission: Sisterhood!

In this Journey, you will:

1. Discover the powerful benefits of sisterhood and ways to nurture healthy friendships—invite a women’s shelter counselor to talk about her work, role-play friendship scenarios to explore trust in relationships, or create a collage about what sisterhood means to you.
2. Plan a Take Action Project that focusus on a sisterhood issue you care about—organize a school film club that focuses on positive movies about women, help younger girls expand their friendship circles, or host a girls' mixer.
3. Earn the Sisterhood Award.

Outdoor (Senior)

In this Journey, you will:

1. Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Adventurer, Senior First Aid, and Adventure Camper badges.
2. Plan a Take Action project that helps make your favorite park, beach, or forest a better place for everyone.
3. Earn a Take Action Award.

Sow What?

In this Journey, you will:

1. Learn about food: how and where it’s grown, harvested, processed, distributed, and consumed, and why it matters.
2. Plan a Take Action Project to share your knowledge with others—host a farmers market, inspire others to eat locally, or plan a community vegetable garden.
3. Earn the Harvest Award.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and help scientists conduct scientific research.
2. Do 3 citizen science activities: make observations about your environment, design a way to test a hypothesis, and a SciStarter project.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like a Programmer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 computational thinking activities: create rules for how to stack cards to share messages and learn about encoding information, develop an algorithm for building a simple block arrangement, and test whether an app will meet a user’s needs to explore user-centered design. 

Think Like an Engineer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how engineers use design thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 design thinking activities: design and build prototypes of a can holder that isn't harmful to animals, a kinetic sculpture, and an assistive device for the elderly.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others

Easy charts for voting:

Cadette Journeys Overview

Switch to Daisy  Brownie  Junior  Senior  Ambassador

Cadettes have seven different Journeys available to complete. Below is a guide to help them choose which ones spark their interest.

aMAZE!

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how to develop true friendships, navigate cliques, and move beyond stereotypes, with the ultimate goal of peace in your interpersonal relationships.
2. Plan a Take Action Project that shares your new friendship-building skills.
3. Earn 3 leadership awards: Interact, Diplomat, and Peacemaker.

Breathe

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out about the air we breathe by visiting a wind farm, talking to an an environmental scientist, or doing experiments using wind.
2. Plan a Take Action project to fix an air problem in your community. You could plant an indoor garden, campaign against smoking, or push for clean-air initiatives in your community.
3. Earn 3 leadership awards: Aware, Alert, and Affirm.

MEdia

In this Journey, you will:

1. Explore media and find out how to reshape negative media messages into more positive ones—invite a TV show producer to talk about what influences her work, organize a movie night and discuss the film’s messages, or write a rap song or TV script.
2. Plan a Take Action Project that encourages positive messages in media—rewrite a song that has hurtful lyrics about women, create a blog that reviews how movies and TV shows depict girls, or start a Twitter campaign responding to stereotypes you see in the media.
3. Earn 3 awards: Monitor Award, Influence Award, and Cultivate Award.

Outdoor (Cadette)

In this Journey, you will:

1. Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Night Owl, Trailblazing, and Primitive Camper badges.
2. Plan a Take Action project that helps make your favorite park, beach, or forest a better place for everyone.
3. Earn a Take Action Award.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and help scientists conduct scientific research.
2. Do 3 citizen science activities: make observations about your environment, create a community field guide, and a SciStarter project.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like a Programmer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems
2. Do 3 computational thinking activities: categorize various objects as “Computer” or “Not a Computer” to explore the four tasks that define a computer, create a card-sorting algorithm to learn about processing, and design technology that will best meet a user’s needs using user-centered design.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like an Engineer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how engineers use design thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 design thinking activities: design and build prototypes of a life vest for a dog, a model camp cabin inspired by nature, and a prosthetic leg for an elephant.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Easy Charts:

Junior Journeys Overview

Switch to Daisy  Brownie  Cadette  Senior  Ambassador

Juniors have seven different Journeys available to complete. Below is a guide to help them choose which ones spark their interest.

Agent of Change

In this Journey, you will:

1. Explore how powerful individual women have been throughout history, how your own individual powers can be linked together to create a powerful team, and how your team power can become community power.
2. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.
3. Earn 3 leadership awards: Power of One, Power of Team, and Power of Community.

aMUSE

In this Journey, you will:

1. Explore roles you play in your life and try on new ones—play a role-playing game, invite actors to talk about the characters they’ve played, or learn to spot stereotypes on TV, in movies, or in ads.
2. Plan a Take Action Project, such as putting on a performance that creatively urges an end to stereotyping, drawing a graphic novel to share with younger girls, or starting a “mix it up” day in the school cafeteria and having girls sit with new people.
3. Earn 3 leadership awards: Reach Out!, Speak Out!, and Try Out!

GET MOVING!

In this Journey, you will:

1. Explore energy and how to use it wisely by interviewing power-use experts and conducting an energy audits of a building in your community.
2. Plan a Take Action project to fix an energy problem in your community. Your could launch carpools, work to dim the lights on city buildings, or promote energy savings at your school.
3. Earn 3 leadership awards: The Energize Award, the Investigate Award, and the Innovate Award.

Outdoor (Junior)

In this Journey, you will:

1. Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Animal Habitat, Camper, and Eco Camper badges.
2. Plan a Take Action project that helps make your favorite park, beach, or forest a better place for everyone.
3. Earn a Take Action Award.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and work with scientists to receive feedback on research.
2. Do 3 citizen science activities: sharpen your observation skills through 2 observation games and a SciStarter project.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like a Programmer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems.
2. Do 3 computational thinking activities: create algorithms to make images with tangrams; create mad libs and craft suncatchers to learn more about algorithms, abstraction, functions, and variables; and create a personal innovation to discover rapid prototyping.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Think Like an Engineer

In this Journey, you will:

1. Find out how engineers use design thinking to solve problems
2. Do 3 design thinking activities: design and build a paper structure that can support the weight of heavy books, an emergency shelter, and a prototype of a structure that can withstand an earthquake’s shaking.
3. Plan a Take Action project that helps others.

Easy chart for voting: