Girl Scout Space Science Badges

A few months ago, I got the opportunity to run the meeting for my old Girl Scout troop. I stepped away from the troop when I had started at a new school and was swamped with four preps and writing curriculum and lesson plans for all four of those preps. I needed to cut out a commitment and unfortunately leading a troop full time had to go, I just didn’t have the time or mental capacity to have that extra responsibility. I have missed that connection to Girl Scouting which has been a part of my life since I was five years old in 1984 and starting as one of the first Daisies in Massachusetts. The last couple years I have tried to jump in and help when the cookie delivery arrives. I am really good at coordination and keeping orders organized, but not involved where I want to be the cookie mom for the troop! I've run a few meetings here and there when the girls want to earn some STEM badge or need some science-y help for a project. So, when the opportunity arose with the increase in celestial events and the upcoming eclipse in NH, I jumped in to lead troop work on the space science badges.

In 2021, Girl Scouts released Space Science badges for all levels of girl scouting. Each level has a space themed badge. You can purchase the badge requirements from the Girl Scouts online store via the links below.

• Daisy: Space Science Explorer

• Brownie: Brownie Space Science Adventurer

• Junior: Space Science Investigator

• Cadette: Space Science Researcher

• Senior: Space Science Expert

• Ambassador: Space Science Master

Here is the plan I came up with for the Cadette and Senior troop I worked with. This covers the badge requirements for the two levels, Cadettes and Seniors, to be completed over the course of three meetings. I try to incorporate some snack, an art project and then a game if I can. I wanted to do a demonstration on size and scale with my 60-inch balloon but my air pump would not charge via the USB and computer so that will have to wait for another day!

During meeting 1 we talked about the upcoming eclipse and created moon phases with our Oreos. Then we talked about safety while viewing the eclipse, tried on eclipse glasses and a welding helmet to see how dark the lenses need to be to view the Sun safely. Then we created astronomical observation journals with some fun themed space fabric and talked about the other celestial events during the month of April. All girls went home with a Sky map for the month and a lesson on how to orient yourself to read it and their observation journal.

The Library Telescope Program

The best thing that we're put here for's to see;

The strongest thing that's given us to see with's

a telescope. Someone in every town

seems to me owes it to the town to keep one.

In Littleton it may as well be me. - Robert Frost (1923)

162 New Hampshire and Maine libraries have telescopes that can be borrowed for a week at a time through the NH Astronomical Society. More than 900 libraries participate in the International Library telescope Program. Check and see if this is something that your local library has and set up a sky party to use the telescope with your troop or group. The sun hadn't quite set during our meeting so we didn't get a chance to peak through the telescope I borrowed from my library, but we will save that for our upcoming sky party.