The Badge Archive

Cadette – Ways to Have Fun With Badges

Updated May 22, 2025

Middle schoolers approach scouting differently than they did in elementary school. Many see a noticeable shift — scouts start losing interest in earning badges and prioritizing activities that sound fun and engaging instead.



One experienced leader reports they stopped focusing on badges and began letting scouts vote for activities, ensuring they felt empowered in their choices. One scout bluntly said: “Don’t tell me there’s a badge for that. It suddenly makes me not want to do it.”

But some middle schoolers do still love earning badges, and plenty of leaders want to continue offering structured badge-related activities. The key is finding a balance, allowing scouts to explore their interests while incorporating badge-based learning in creative, exciting ways.

To help, we’ve compiled a list of Cadette badges along with fresh ideas for making them fun. These are activities that middle school scouts actually enjoy! Not every idea will fit every troop, but we hope they spark inspiration and help you build a program that keeps scouts engaged and excited.

Cadette Level Badge Ideas

  • Animal Helpers – Visit with a seeing eye dog, therapy animal, or Police K9 to learn about working animals.
  • App Development – Head to an Apple Store for inspiration! If designing an app, use it for the Business Creator badge next.
  • Archery – Take aim and practice shooting arrows. This one’s a favorite among scouts!
  • Babysitter – Host a Parent Night Off event if allowed, or take the Red Cross Babysitting class. For a simple approach, use the GSNWGL Babysitting Slideshow (Archived Copy of PPT) to cover key skills.
  • Book Artist – Get creative with magazine folds, accordion books, junk journals, or threading your own binding—so many fun ways to make a book!
  • Budget Manager (Year 1 – New Financial Literacy) – Take a bank tour and learn how to balance a checkbook—a great way to build real-world money skills.
  • Business Creator – Sell handmade items at a craft fair to make real cash and set exciting goals.
  • Climbing Adventure – Try belaying for experienced scouts, or start with a rock wall or tree course for beginners.
  • Coding Basics – Keep it unplugged, give a quick info dump, then use a Meme board game (like the Disney Meme game) for the coding challenge—earn the badge in an hour and end with board games for extra fun!
  • Comic Artist – Keep it simple with stick figures and emoji faces, or plan a field trip to a comic shop for extra fun.
  • Cybersecurity (3 Progressive Badges Set) – Earn all three badges together with a quick info session, then dive into code breaking fun! Make it exciting by having scouts create their own escape rooms using different codes—plan in one meeting, build between sessions, and run the escape challenge the next time!
  • Democracy for Cadettes – Visit city hall, the mayor’s office, or the Capitol for an engaging firsthand experience.
  • Designing Robots (Part 2 of Robotics Set) & Showcasing Robots (Part 3 of Robotics Set) – Do both these badges together – Brainstorm robot ideas, watch robotic competition videos, then build and present a robot to parents! Middle schoolers love hands-on projects, so form small teams (2-4 scouts) to create something more advanced than doodle bots. If needed, extend into a second meeting for extra build time. Look at a list of what robots you could do like the one on Science Buddies.
  • Digital Game Design – Do it unplugged, or find a coding space (Code Ninjas, iCode) or school lab for hands-on game coding with Hour of Code.
  • Digital Leadership – Use Canva to create an infographic, vision board, and cookie sale ads promoting troop goals. Tie it into the MEdia journey by analyzing ethical advertising. Scouts can report back on how they kept business ethics in their designs.
  • Digital Movie Maker – Form teams with a theme, then film and edit their own short movies! (Vimeo has tutorials.) Try stop motion animation for a creative twist—check out Code Ninjas, iCode, or local coding camps for hands-on learning.
  • Eating for You – Skip the lecture—make it a taste-testing event! Explore foods that boost skin, stress relief, sleep, and energy for a fun, hands-on experience.
  • Eco Trekker– Visit a nature sanctuary or conservation area, then help a Junior troop earn their Eco Camper badge—scouts love mentoring younger girls!
  • Field Day– Plan ahead! One meeting to organize, one to prep, and one to run the event. Invite other troops to join in, and if you theme it (like Highland Games), Juniors can earn Playing the Past too. Bonus: Earn Good Sportsmanship on the same day!
  • Finding Common Ground – Learn formal debate techniques, then head to an escape room to practice compromise and teamwork while solving puzzles together.
  • First Aid – Visit a firehouse, tour an ambulance, and talk to an EMT to see what’s inside a real first aid kit—scouts love this hands-on experience! (And yes, expect them to want to check out the fire truck too!)
  • Girl Scout Way – Best done while camping, emphasizing leaving camp better than you found it. Scouts love learning that the original Girl Scouts were middle and high schoolers! Try out old scouting skills from vintage handbooks—Cadettes enjoy testing themselves on challenges that even many modern leaders wouldn’t pass.
  • Global Action Award – For 2025’s theme, keep it quick and engaging—cover the basics in 30 minutes, then make family challenges to fulfill most requirements. Scouts will love Slow Fashion activities—plan a thrift store field trip and a fashion show with their finds!
  • Good Sportsmanship – Play any game to earn this badge! If hosting Field Day, knock out Good Sportsmanship at the same time.
  • My Dream Budget (Year 3 – New Financial Literacy) – Head to a Career Fair! Scouts will enjoy dream job discussions and learning real-world budgeting from professionals in fields they’re interested in.
  • My Money Habits (Year 2 – New Financial Literacy) – Best done before camping! Give scouts a shopping list and budget, then let them take charge of the cart and see if they can stay within budget—a fun, hands-on experiment. Touch on investing and money management during or after the shopping trip.
  • Netiquette – Cover the basics quickly, then let scouts create fun social media posts (TikTok videos, Instagram, or troop promos). Great for Take Action Plans (TAP)—pair it with MEdia journey activities, Digital Leadership, and Canva design projects for an engaging experience.
  • New Cuisines – Make it a living room sleepover or camping badge! Plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner around historical, regional, and foreign dishes, then create a dessert with a statement—whether it’s a message on a cookie or a unique vegan treat!
  • Night Owl – Head to a 24-hour diner at 10 PM to interview the night shift staff while enjoying a meal. Cover badge requirements with constellations and nocturnal animal discussions—or go all out with a kidnap breakfast at 4 AM! Bonus: Try an urgent care visit to chat with night shift nurses for a different perspective.
  • Outdoor Art Apprentice – So many ways to make this fun! Choose projects that match your scouts’ interests—the possibilities go far beyond the basic. Look at the activity list on The Badge Archive.
  • Primitive Camper – If your scouts love glamping, have them learn and try primitive camping skills while at camp. If they’re ready for true primitive camping, go for it—it’s an unforgettable experience for most scouts!
  • Programming Robots – If they’ve never used Snap Circuits, they’ll love spending the whole meeting exploring sensors! For an interactive challenge, program each other to make a tangram—a Junior-level activity that’s still fun and hits Cadette badge requirements.
  • Public Speaker – No event? Make it an Adult Show and Tell! Scouts learn public speaking basics, then present whatever they love most—but with more grown-up interests than the toy and stuffed animal presentations they did in elementary school.
  • Science of Happiness – Make it a spa night! De-stress with Bliss Boxes, thank-you cards, and relaxation activities. Don’t spend a lot of time on the survey if scouts aren’t interested—it’s all about finding joy!
  • Screenwriter – Tour a local theater, then collaborate on a 12-page script as a troop. Writing in a group makes it fast and fun, especially using a word program with proper formatting.
  • Snow Adventure – If near snow, go for it! Skip the Cadette-level 2-day trip—instead, learn about, train for, and go skiing or snowboarding like Juniors do. High school can be the time for the full two-day adventure!
  • Space Science Researcher – Cadettes focus more on light science than stars, so make it fun! Build red light flashlights for the infrared activity, then head outdoors for a stargazing session—YouTube videos can cover the science basics.
  • Special Agent – Murder mystery game! Scouts love forensic science, code breaking, and observation challenges. Try a mystery kit or swap the theme to a stolen item for families who prefer a non-murder storyline. Check out Camp Trefoil Mystery for a free option! (For murder mystery kits, check out Teachers Source, Teachers Pay Teachers, or Playing With Murder.)
  • STEM Career Exploration – Tour any company with technology—even food places like Kneaders! Seeing STEM in action makes the experience more engaging. (For STEM career tours, explore ET Adventures, Texas Workforce Commission, or Lumiere Education.)
  • Trail Adventure – Hiking or Trail Running – Perfect for troops that love hiking! Completing the Cadette-level hikes can be intimidating, so if needed, step down to Junior-level requirements first.
  • Trailblazing – Learn how to haul gear while camping! If a remote campsite isn’t possible, still practice packing and carrying essentials for a fun, hands-on experience.
  • Trees – A Christmas tree farm tour is a popular choice, but any tree nursery works too! Try hiking a trail with diverse trees or a take-home challenge to care for a tree for two weeks. Endless tree craft options let scouts personalize the experience.
  • Woodworker – Not ready for a solo project? Visit a local hardware store like Home Depot for a tool intro session and nail art activity (always a hit!). Then, take a field trip to build a final project.
  • World Thinking Day (Year 1, 2, & 3) – For 2025, write a letter to Congress or do some Bully role play, then host a D/B/J troop for World Thinking Day to cover all C/S/A requirements.

Note: Cookie badges and LiAs (Leader in Action awards) are not included in the list above. Cookie Business badges are typically earned during cookie sales, and LiAs require separate meetings since they aren’t easily completed within a regular troop meeting. Scouts interested in earning a LiA work with a Girl Planning Board, which coordinates with a Brownie troop to help them complete a journey in three meetings or organizes a Journey in a Day (JiaD) event instead.

Badge Envelopes

For those troops who still wish to vote on badges – here are printable Cadette Badge Envelopes.

They do not use the official badge images, as those are copyright protected by GSUSA. They do have The Badge Archive’s image, a QR link to the page on how to earn them, a brief description of what the badge is – and a reverse side with small print summary of the requirements to earn.

Instructions to use: Simply print and fold on the dotted lines, creating two folds. Then cut across on the dashed lines to divide the paper in half and trim the top and bottom edges. Finally, cut on the dashed lines dividing the badges to create a total of six badges per sheet. Tape the two sides shut and leave an opening on the top to create pouch envelope. These can be used as Badge Cards or Badge Envelopes to allow for voting slips to be placed inside.

It is not recommended to use all the badges and present them to scouts all at once. It feels overwhelming to most teens. Simply pick the badges you think will fit your troop the best and let them review and vote on those.

Themed Badge Cards

We got instant feedback on the Badge Envelopes – Thank you!

We heard you loud and clear—Badge Envelopes are great, but you prefer cards. No problem! To make things less overwhelming, a Cadette troop transitioning to Seniors helped us sort the cards into categories. Thank you GSSJC Troop 114033! Now, each page features six badges or awards grouped by area of interest, making it easy to find what you need.

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Scouts

Join the Girl Scout Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Leader Help Facebook Group
(Not an official GSUSA Group)

This is a supportive community for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scout leaders. This group offers solutions to keep older scouts engaged in scouting amidst their busy lives. Share strategies, tackle challenges, and exchange ideas for fun, meaningful activities that resonate with teens and build lasting connections.

Find out how you can support The Badge Archive!

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