The Badge Archive

Items needed:

• Balloon for demo of potential energy
• Supplies for each scout or scout group
  • Plastic bottle
  • Plastic bottle caps (4)
  • Flexible straws (3)
  • Wooden skewers (2)
  • Balloon
  • Rubber band
  • Scissors
• (Optional) Hobby knife)
• Masking or Duck Tape
• Paper and Pen/Pencil for each scout to record test results
• Make an Example Vehicle before the meeting to make sure the design works and you can instruct the scouts on how to make them successfully.

Learn about Energy

Info Needed: Potential energy is stored energy. It can be in lots of things, like Batteries, Springs, and even Muscles. When the potential energy is used to move, it is converted into Kinetic energy. Bend your knee and the potential muscle energy is now kinetic energy you can use to launch yourself up and jump.

Fun Activity: Show a deflated balloon and ask if this has any energy. Blow it up and ask again if it has any energy. Explain there is air stored in the balloon with Potential energy. If you let it out, the air moves out. That movement can be used as Kinetic energy.

(Requirement 1 Earned – Fun Activity is optional)

Note to Leaders – You can see an example of this discussion with the begging part of a walkthrough video or learn more with a mini lesson.

Build the Vehicle

Action Needed: Follow the directions on Science Buddies to Build a Balloon Car.

(Requirement 2 Earned)

Test the Vehicle

Action Needed: Scouts must test the car. How far does it go? How fast? Write down the results.

(Requirement 3 Earned)

Share and Alter it!

Scouts discuss the results of their testing and decide if one vehicle worked better than others. What could they do to alter the car and get better results?

(Requirements 4 & 5 Earned)

Meeting End

Scouts can keep testing or racing their vehicles until it is time to go home or you could let them try the alterations they came up with if there is enough time.

General Notes

Note to Leaders – No Basic Plan compiled by The Badge Archive will earn multiple badges in one level. Part of being budget friendly is not costing more than the price of one official GSUSA badge per meeting.

Some badges will take two meeting to finish. This helps scouts enjoy activities and keeps the troop budget in mind by only needing one GSUSA badge for every two meetings. Troops may choose to get a fun patch for one of the meetings if scouts want a badge/patch for every meeting. Scouts can earn the fun patch if they only attend one meeting and get a fun patch and the official badge if they go to both.

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