The Badge Archive

Activity Description: Scouts look at five different books and notice how each one is made and held together.

• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Cadette Book Artist badge requirements.

Info Needed: Know how to look at book covers, spines, and pages to find clues about binding by comparing book size, cover type, and how the pages stay in place.

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Items Needed:

• 5 books with different sizes and binding styles
• Table or flat surface for displaying books
• (Optional) Chart showing book types and binding methods
• (Optional) Book Detective Card
• (Optional) Blank paper and crayons for drawing favorite book

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 10 min):

1. Show scouts all five books and explain they are made in different ways. (2 min)
   • Point out the spine, cover, and how the pages are attached.
   • Use simple words like “glue,” “staples,” “rings,” or “thread.”
2. Let scouts take turns looking at each book. (4 min)
   • Encourage them to touch the spine and open the book.
   • Ask them to notice if the book lays flat or not.
3. Talk about what scouts noticed. (3 min)
   • Ask which book was easiest to open.
   • Ask which book felt strongest.
   • Ask why some books use different ways to stay together.

Examples of Books to Use

(Choose Any 5):

• Hardcover picture book
• Comic book or kids’ magazine
• Spiral notebook
• Paperback chapter book
• Planner or calendar with rings
• Coloring book
• Board book for toddlers
• Activity workbook
• Small religious or scout handbook
• Instruction manual or guidebook

(Optional) Book Detective Card

1. What size is it?
   ☐ Tiny
   ☐ Medium
   ☐ Big
2. What kind of cover?
   ☐ Soft
   ☐ Hard
3. How are the pages held together?
   ☐ Staples
   ☐ Glue
   ☐ Rings
   ☐ Thread
   ☐ Other:
4. Can it lay flat when open?
   ☐ Yes
   ☐ No
   ☐ Kind of
5. What kind of book do you think it is?
   ☐ Story
   ☐ Comic
   ☐ Notebook
   ☐ Planner
   ☐ Other: