Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Daisy, Brownie, or Junior Coding Basics badge requirements.
Items Needed:
- Pen/pencil and paper for each scout pair.
- A “treasure” to hide.
Instructions:
Just like the treasure finder needs clear instructions to find the treasure, computers need clear and detailed algorithms to perform tasks.
- One person hides a “treasure” (anything!) in an indoor or outdoor space.
- The hider writes out clear instructions on how to find the treasure. Example:
- The finder follows the instructions exactly.
- If the instructions aren’t clear, the hider needs to fix any mistakes (bugs) so the finder can reach the treasure.
- Switch roles when done.
Example of algorithm scouts can write in an indoor space with a flat paper treasure of a bookmark:
- Take 5 steps straight
- Turn right and take 4 big strides.
- Crouch down in front of the book case.
- Find the second to bottom row.
- Count four books from the left.
- Look inside.
Example of algorithm scouts can write in an outdoor dirt space:
- Take 10 steps straight
- Turn right and take 5 big hops
- Turn left and crawl forward 8 “steps”
- Dig 2 inches down to find the treasure
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.
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