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:

• Supplies for each scout or scout group
  • Car template
  • 2 Plastic Straws
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Four Round Candies with Holes in their Centers
  • Tape
• Troop coloring supplies (markers, crayons, or colored pencils)
• Cardboard and Duck Tape to build a ramp for the cars to race down (at least 3-4 feet long)
• 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.
• (Optional) Print poster about the three Ds of racing to use in step 1.

(Note, troops with a larger budget might want to just get the Activity Kit on Etsy from On My Honor Downloads or try doing a Clothes Pin Car or Pinewood Derby Car).

Design for Speed

Info Needed: Downforce, Drag, and Drifting are the three Ds to racing. Downforce is when slow-moving air above the car creates high-pressure, while the fast moving air below the car creates low-pressure. The difference in pressure pushes the car downward, giving the tires more traction and the drivers better steering control. Drag is when the air pushing against the car causes it to slow down. Designing the car to let air move around the car helps it go faster. This is called Streamlining. Drafting is when cars line up on the race track. The lead car blocks the air movement, creating low-pressure behind it. The low-pressure acts like a vacuum and tugs the trailing car forward while also reducing the drag for the lead car. Both cars can go faster this way.

(Requirement 1 Earned)

Build the Vehicle

Action Needed: Follow the directions on Scholastic to Build a Paper Race Car.

(Requirement 2 Earned)

Build a Track

Action Needed: Scouts must make a race track, a ramp where the car can go at least a yard without needing to push. Cardboard and duck tape are excellent building materials for the ramp.

(Requirement 3 Earned)

Race the Vehicle

Action Needed: Scouts must race the car. Time the racers and write down the results. If they can think of a way to quickly alter the car and try a second time, let them and write down the difference (if any) in time.

(Requirement 4 Earned)

Share it!

Action Needed: Scouts share the results and discuss if there was anything different with cars that timed faster than others.

(Requirement 5 Earned)

Meeting End

Scouts can keep testing or racing their vehicles until it is time to go home.

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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