Fulfills Step 2 of GSUSA Brownie Automotive Engineering badge requirements.
Info Needed for badge requirements: “The body of an automobile is the outer shell that encloses the vehicle’s mechanical parts and its passengers. Most auto bodies are made of steel, but some are made of strong plastics or fiberglass. The body is attached to the chassis. This consists of a frame that holds all the other major parts of the car together. Those other parts include the engine, a steering system, brakes, and the wheels.” – kids.britannica.com
Items Needed:
- Large sheet of paper or poster board
- Pencils
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Emergency Vehicle Criteria Checklist by GSUSA
- Examples of different vehicle materials (paper, foil, or small toy vehicle pieces)
Instructions(Estimated Total Time: 10–12 minutes):
- Step 1: Learn About Emergency Vehicles (5 minutes)
- Scouts discuss how vehicles must work in extreme conditions like floods, snow, and earthquakes.
- They explore how science and engineering help make vehicles strong and safe.
- Scouts choose an emergency to design for:
- Flood – Must float and drive through water.
- Blizzard – Must move through deep snow.
- Earthquake – Must travel over damaged roads.
- Mark their choice on the checklist and review the required features.
- Step 2: Add Safety Features (5 minutes)
- Scouts brainstorm extra features to improve their vehicle’s safety and performance:
- What materials will make the vehicle stronger?
- What special wheels help it move better?
- How can they make sure people inside stay safe?
- Teams list these features on their checklist.
- Scouts brainstorm extra features to improve their vehicle’s safety and performance:
The Badge Archive 