The Badge Archive

Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Daisy, Brownie, or Junior Coding Basics badge requirements.

Items Needed:

• Car Trip Example from GSUSA
• Option A – Print out of Trail Mix Recipe from GSUSA
• Option A – Ingredients listed on Trail Mix Recipe
• Option B – A Variety of Trail Mix supplies in containers they can be scooped from
• Option B – Pen/pencil and paper for each scout group
• Spoons to scoop the trail mix supplies up
• Individual bags for the scouts to mix their trail mix up in

Instructions:

Using the Car Trip Example, state “My car is running out of gas, and I need to get from point A to the gas station (Point B) before I run out. Which line should I take? Why’s that the best line to take?” – GSUSA VTK

Explain that the straight line is the most efficient. We need to do things as fast and easy as possible to be efficient. If you clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher, that’s efficient. Or you could move dishes from the table to a counter and then into the dishwasher. It will still wash the dishes, but it would be less efficient. The second method has an extra step you do not usually need.

Option A

Divide the troop into two groups. One gets the Team Count recipe from Trail Mix Recipe, and the other gets Team Measure. Give each group their own supplies. Have one scout from each troop try and follow the algorithm. Follow them exactly as they are written.

Come back together as a main group. Have one scout in each group read the directions they had to follow. The compare how easy it was to follow the different steps. Did Team Count’s extra details help or hinder? Did Team Measure’s simply instructions make it easier or more difficult to follow?

Make sure each scout has a bag of Trail Mix to take home at the end of the meeting.

Option B

Scouts practice being efficient in step by step instructions by making their own recipe algorithm. Break the troop into small groups and each makes their own recipe for trail mix using the ingredients provided. They need to pretend they are instructing a robot. Remind them that they cannot just list what ingredients and how many scoops of each to put in the bag. They must consider what order to fill them and if the robot needs to close the bag before shaking the contents to mix the trail mix up. One member from each team tests out their algorithm – pretending to be the robot. The “Robot” must follow instructions exactly as written, and stop functioning if a step was missed. When it is the next person’s turn to try and be the robot, the group needs to check their algorithm to see if anything needed to be fixed.

Make sure each scout has a bag of Trail Mix to take home at the end of the meeting.

–

For Brownies and Juniors – explain Sequencing: You must follow the algorithm in the right order to reach the correct ending. That’s called sequencing: following the steps in the right order.