The Badge Archive

We listened to dozens of real-life project ideas shared by troop leaders who’ve guided scouts through this Journey. Whether your scouts are just beginning to brainstorm or narrowing down an idea, these examples show how a TAP can be creative, community-focused, age-appropriate, and still reflect the key parts of the engineering process: identify a problem, create and test a solution, make improvements, and share your results.

No robots required, just thoughtful design thinking in action.

📝 A Word on TAP Requirements

While council policies may vary, the TAP for any Journey should reflect these principles:

• It is girl-led and solves a problem identified by the troop.
• It uses skills learned during the Journey, in this case, engineering design thinking.
• It is sustainable, either through repeatability, education, or long-term impact.

Assisting a food pantry is a wonderful act of service, but for TAP, leaders recommend adding an engineering-based twist or focusing on how girls solve a specific problem using design thinking. Check with your council to confirm local TAP expectations.

Here’s a look at what troop leaders across the country have done to bring this concept to life, and what they recommend for troops considering similar projects.

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🔧 Engineering-Focused TAP Ideas

STEM Kits for Younger Troops or Clubs
Scouts created reusable STEM challenge kits, featuring popsicle stick bridges, foil boats, and catapults, along with printed instructions, engineering cycle visuals, and tips. These were shared with younger troops, classrooms, libraries, and even food banks for summer enrichment.

Lego Engineering Libraries
Using donated or yard sale Legos, scouts assembled mini kits stored in pencil boxes. They wrote challenge cards encouraging younger kids to “build a bridge with 20 blocks” or “design a structure using only red pieces.” These were donated to afterschool programs with reuse in mind.

Run a Journey for a Younger Troop
Several leaders reported running an age-appropriate version of Think Like an Engineer for Daisy or Brownie troops. The older scouts facilitated the activities and taught the engineering process, making the project educational and sustainable.

Public Education & Awareness Projects
Troops designed simple flyers, posters, or display boards explaining what engineering is, types of engineers, and examples of everyday design thinking. Some included QR codes linking to demo videos their scouts had made.

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🧰 Building Solutions with Purpose

Little Free Libraries and Food Pantries
Scouts designed and built outdoor micro-structures like Little Free Libraries or Free Food Pantries. They considered materials, weatherproofing, and community placement. Often troops added educational signage or upkeep plans.

Blessing Boxes or Donation Stations
One troop engineered a donation bin for a local business and partnered with a charity for ongoing maintenance and stocking. Another built shelves for a local food pantry using measurement, design, and safety planning skills.

Portable Camp Equipment
A standout project: scouts prototyped and built a collapsible archery target frame, still in use at a day camp four years later! Not only did they test for usability, but they documented instructions so others could replicate it.

Bee and Bat Habitats
Perfect for eco-minded engineers! Scouts built pollinator houses, supported by research and sustainability plans like planting flower beds or creating educational handouts for local schools.

Accessibility Solutions
Some scouts solved real problems close to home: designing pet ramps, fixing plumbing connections, or improving household accessibility for elderly or injured family members.

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🧠 Other Creative Ideas

• Engineer-themed events: Host a community engineering day with marshmallow towers, spaghetti bridges, or paper airplane design competitions.
• Support summer food programs: Although donating food itself isn’t a TAP, some troops created craft or STEM kits for food banks to distribute to families with children out of school.
• T-Shirt Tote Tutorials: One troop made reusable cookie totes from upcycled tees and attached a QR code to a scout-made video on how to create one, combining sustainability and public education.

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Whether your scouts are building bee houses, STEM kits, or bridges of understanding through education, what matters most is that they’re applying their problem-solving skills to make the world better. And thanks to an amazing network of leaders, there are dozens of creative blueprints to get them started.

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts

This is a supportive Facebook community for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout leaders. Whether you’re seeking advice, fresh ideas, or meeting plans, you’re in the right place! Let’s inspire each other, share our experiences, and make every troop meeting a memorable adventure.

for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Scouts

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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• Return to the Daisy Badge List.
• Return to the Brownie Badge List.
• Return to the Junior Badge List.
• Return to the Cadette Badge List.
• Return to the Senior Badge List.
• Return to the Ambassador Badge List.

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