The Badge Archive

Can be done in a 60 minute time frame.

Items needed:

• (Optional) Printout of Ada Lovelace from GSUSA
• Printout of 4 Ada Lovelace Timeline cards, enough for each small group of Daisies
• Print two sets of Sorting Algorithms, pre-cut the cards and place each set in their own bag.
• Pen/Pencil for leader to write.

NOTE – A Printable Meeting, with illustrated picture sheets of the story of Ada Lovelace, 4 seed to flower algorithm cards, 8 Ada Lovelace timeline cards, and an easier to use Sorting Algorithm printable is available on Teachers Pay Teachers. (ON SALE for $2 for March – Women’s History Month!)

Ada Lovelace

Info Needed: Ada Lovelace lived a long time ago, born on December 10, 1815. She really liked math and science and was very good at them. When she was 17, she became friends with a professor named Charles Babbage, who made a Different Engine No. 1 that could do calculations. Later, he worked on a bigger machine called the Analytic Engine. In 1843, Professor Babbage asked Ada to translate a paper about his Analytic Engine. He thought Ada was really good at understanding it. While translating, Ada added lots of notes and ideas on how the machine could be used in the future. She even wrote special instructions – the first computer programs – for the machine to do math. Unfortunately, Ada and Charles both passed away before the Analytic Engine was built. In 1991, scientists at the London Science Museum made one of Professor Babbage’s machines, and Ada Lovelace was recognized as the first computer programmer ever.

Leaders can use the handout or just tell scouts about Ada Lovelace. If there is a tablet or laptop available to play a short video about Ada Lovelace, that also is a great way to learn.

(Requirement 2 Earned)

Algorithm Basics

Info Needed: Computer programs tell computers what to do, usually with a list of steps. Those steps are called algorithms. We follow steps all the time in our daily lives, following human algorithms. It’s important for the algorithm to have the steps in the right order. When washing your hands, would you rinse your hands before you soaped them up? No. Rinsing is to get all the soap off. The steps have to be in the correct order.

Action Needed:

• Chant “Algorithms are like Alligators – they take each step” with the scouts. It helps them remember the big word “Algorithms”.
• Use the Ada Lovelace cards to put the steps in the right order

(Requirement 1 Earned)

Sorting Algorithm

Info Needed: Algorithms can be written to help sort items.

Action Needed: Follow the instructions on Sorting Algorithms

(Requirement 3 Earned)

Meeting End

Scouts can keep sorting in multiple ways (writing a new algorithm each time) until it’s time to go home.

General Notes

A Printable Meeting, with illustrated picture sheets of the story of Ada Lovelace, 4 seed to flower algorithm cards, 8 Ada Lovelace timeline cards, and an easier to use Sorting Algorithm printable is available on Teachers Pay Teachers. (ON SALE for $2 for March – Women’s History Month!)