Fulfills Steps 3 and 5 of GSUSA Bugs badge requirements.
Info Needed for Badge Requirements: They observe and talk about what the bugs are doing without touching or disturbing them. This activity builds observation skills and curiosity about nature.
Scouts take a trip to explore and observe bugs in their natural environment.
Items Needed
- Outdoor area with plants, grass, or trees
- Magnifying glass (optional, one per scout)
- Optional: paper and pencil for drawing or note-taking
Instructions (Total Time: 30–35 minutes)
- Begin the Bug Walk (2–3 minutes)
- Scouts gather in an outdoor area with adult supervision
- Leader shares how bugs live in different places: on the ground, in trees, near water, under leaves
- Search and Observe Bugs (15–18 minutes)
- Scouts walk carefully through the area, looking for bugs in action
- Encourage them to find at least three different kinds of bugs, but keep a running total of how many bugs they find during the entire walk
- Use magnifying glasses to get a closer look at small bugs
- Notice what bugs are doing: crawling, flying, hiding, eating, etc.
- Pause quietly whenever someone spots something interesting
- Share and Discuss (7–8 minutes)
- Scouts take turns pointing out bugs they saw and what those bugs were doing
- Share guesses about bug names and where their homes might be
- Leader can guide with short questions like “What surprised you?” or “Where was this bug hiding?”
- Reflect Together (3–4 minutes)
- Ask scouts to name their favorite bug of the walk
- Share one thing they learned about how bugs live or move in nature
- Report how many total bugs they were able to find
The Badge Archive 