The Badge Archive

Basic Meeting Plans are designed to have minimal supplies and still hit the GSUSA Requirements. Most meetings can be done in a 90 minute time frame.

Items Needed:

• Toy car (or small wheeled object)
• Ramp (board or sturdy surface)
• Jar with a screw-on lid
• Rope or string
• Large sheet of paper or poster board
• Pens or Pencils
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Emergency Vehicle Criteria Checklist by GSUSA
• Examples of different vehicle materials (paper, foil, or small toy vehicle pieces)
• Enough for each scout or scout team:
  • Paper towel roll halves (vehicle body)
  • Hardboiled egg (for crash test)
  • 4 wheels (plastic lids, bottle caps, or foam circles)
  • 2 axles (wooden skewers, dowels, or plastic straws)
  • Short straws (optional, for smoother axle movement)
  • Modeling clay, rubber bands, sponges, or hot glue to attach wheels
  • Duct tape, glue, markers, scissors
  • Extra materials for safety features (foam padding, cotton balls, bubble wrap)
• Slope for testing crashes (ramp or inclined surface)

Meeting Outline

Full instructions for each activity are found on the connected links. This outline shows the recommended order of activities for a nice flow from one activity to the next.

Meeting Start

Always plan for 5-10 minutes to allow scouts to arrive and your troop’s opening routines.

Time Expected*: 5 minutes

Activity 1 – Simple and Compound

(Requirement 1 Earned)

Fun Activity: Simple and Compound Machines

Time Expected*: 15 minutes

Activity 2 – Learn and Design

(Requirement 2 Earned)

Action Needed: Emergency Vehicle Brainstorm

Time Expected*: 10 minutes

Activity 3 – Build, Test, and Share

(Requirements 3, 4, and 5 Earned)

Fun Activity: Egg Safe Vehicle Build

Time Expected*: 50 minutes

Meeting End

Always plan for 5-10 minutes for clean up and Closing Routines

Scouts can keep testing their Egg Safe Vehicle until it’s time to go home.

Time Expected*: 10 minutes

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Total Time Expected*: 90 minutes

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General Notes

• The Basic Plans from The Badge Archive are designed to earn one official GSUSA badge per level per meeting to remain budget-friendly.
• Some badges require two meetings to complete. This allows scouts to fully enjoy the activities while keeping costs low by only needing one GSUSA badge for every two meetings.
• For troops that wish to give scouts a badge or patch for every meeting, a fun patch can be awarded during one of the two sessions. Scouts attending only one meeting can earn the fun patch, while those attending both will receive both the fun patch and the GSUSA badge.

*Time Expected*

• The time estimates provided by The Badge Archive are based on the writer’s personal experience and are meant as a guideline.
• Troops may take more or less time depending on their scouts’ abilities and interests. Plan your meetings accordingly to suit your troop’s unique needs.

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For pre-planned meeting plans by others – see the Brownie Automotive Engineering page.
To choose your own activities – see the Brownie Automotive Engineering Activity List

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts

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Find out how you can support The Badge Archive!

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• Return to the Brownie Badge List.

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