The Badge Archive

Mock Milestone Meeting

Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Brownie Automotive Engineering badge requirements.

Items Needed

  • Scouts’ emergency vehicle prototypes
  • Testing notes from previous trials
  • Pencils and paper for recording observations
  • Share Your Emergency Vehicle by GSUSA for each scout or scout team
  • (Optional Material) Video recordings from previous tests
  • (Optional Material) Printed checklist for milestone review
  • (Optional Material) Volunteers to assist during presentations

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 25 minutes):

  1. Step 1: Review Your Prototype & Test Results (5 minutes)
    • Leaders go over key learning points (see Quick Notes for Key Learning Points below).
    • Scouts look at their previous test notes to see how their vehicle performed.
    • Discuss:
      • Did the vehicle roll straight forward and backward?
      • Did it handle the extreme weather condition well?
      • What changes were made to improve the prototype?
    • Scouts identify any final improvements before sharing their design.
  2. Step 2: Prepare & Present Your Emergency Vehicle (15 minutes)
    • Teams answer key questions about their prototype and fill out the Share Your Emergency Vehicle worksheet.
      • Which emergency vehicle did you design?
      • What special features help in the emergency?
      • How did it perform in tests?
      • How was it improved?
    • Scouts choose how to present their design:
      • Explaining their answers in a short presentation
      • Acting out an emergency where their vehicle is used
      • Interviewing teammates about their design and test results
    • Teams take turns sharing their emergency vehicle while others listen and ask questions.
  3. Wrap-Up Discussion (5 minutes)
    • Scouts pretend to be manufacturers and suggest ideas to improve each design.
    • Reflect on how real engineers refine vehicles before manufacturing.
    • Celebrate everyone’s hard work with a round of applause!

Quick Notes for Key Learning Points

Here’s a quick, simple way leaders can cover those steps in under 5 minutes before scouts present their vehicles:

  1. What is manufacturing?
    • Engineers design vehicles, and manufacturers build them in factories.
    • It’s how cars and other products are made over and over again.
  2. What is a milestone review?
    • Before manufacturing, engineers share designs with manufacturers.
    • Scouts will do the same thing today by presenting their vehicles!
  3. Why use checklists?
    • Engineers use checklists to make sure everything is correct and safe.
    • Scouts should quickly check their notes before presenting.
Tia Kennard