The Badge Archive

D/B Shapes in Nature – Spring Fun

Meeting idea – It is recommended that troops break this up into two meetings. One to do the nature walk, graph, and spider web (with short lessons at the beginning and end on Fibonacci sequence and Symmetry).

Then a second meeting where they can spend their time on Bird Watching and drawing their tessellations and making Fractals.

This can be done for Daisy and Brownies, just Brownies, Brownies and Juniors, or all three levels together.

Badge Outline

Do your normal troop opening.

Learn about Spirals (J Requirement 5) – Skip if no Juniors

Count it Up (D/B Requirement 1 & D Requirement 3)

  • Make a foldable with 4 categories (like blooming flowers, green leaves, butterflies, and bird nests,) to tally the things you see. – Juniors have the additional challenge to look for spirals.
  • Note: If you can’t walk around the neighborhood, make little drawings to post around the meeting area they can do a scavenger hunt for and tally them up.

Make a Graph (B Requirement 2)

  • Use the data from the 4 categories to make a graph (bar graph, pie chart, or word cloud). – Juniors need to add how many spirals they found.

Make a Spiderweb (B Requirement 3 & J Requirement 3)

  • Pick the craft that fits your troop – but make sure they are doing a radial pattern when making their spiderweb.
  • Explain about radial patterns. (Junior R3)

Quick Symmetry (J Requirement 1) – Skip if no Juniors

Learn about symmetry and draw something like butterfly wings that have natural symmetry.

We Recommend to Split up Meetings here!

For the Birds (B Requirement 5)

  • If unable to go bird watching outside your meeting location, show scouts a video (like this one that features a bird bath) with birds that appear and they can count. They count in small groups (one screen per group) or individually.
  • Remember it takes time to bird watch – plan for a long watching period while they do the next activity if you can trust them to keep count of the birds while they are drawing their tessellations.
  • Make a chart to show how many birds each group/individual counted from the outing or video. Were the numbers we all reached the same or different?

Draw tessellations (D Requirement 2, B Requirement 4, and J Requirement 2)

  • Use Flowers to inspire a tessellation drawing session! *Link Fixed April 2025!
  • Note: They may need to color them at home, depending on the time available.

Fractal Time (J Requirement 4) – Skip if no Juniors

  • Look for fractals in nature and recreate them (draw, press into clay, make 3D art with pie cleaners and beads, etc.). (See VTK Natural Fractals for examples) Tree art with fractal branches is perfect for springtime!

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts

Join the Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, and Junior 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.

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Tia Kennard