New Badge Review: Junior Shapes in Nature

 New badges this year (2021) include a series of Math in Nature badges sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.  This post is taking a look at the activities for the Junior version with the idea of giving leaders a quick resource they can review to decide whether to do the badge.  If you decide to do the badge I highly recommend that you review the VTK plans as the given talking points are what connect the activities and math.

Requirements

According to Badge Explorer:

Juniors explore patterns found in nature and use math to create their own.

    Steps

        1. Identify symmetry in nature

        2. Explore bilateral symmetry in nature

        3. Create nature-inspired art with circular symmetry

        4. Find fractals in nature

        5. Search for the Fibonacci sequence

Purpose

When Juniors have earned this badge, they'll know about symmetry, fractals, and the Fibonacci sequence. They'll have identified patterns and shapes in nature.

Activities

Identify symmetry in nature

After a discussion about symmetry and lines of symmetry, the girls either make a symmetrical paper snowflake with six lines of symmetry, find and draw or photograph symmetrical things in nature or team up and follow each other's actions in a symmetrical manner.  

Explore bilateral symmetry in nature 

The troop discusses the concept of bilateral symmetry and then does one of the following:

• Using roll paper, girls team up to trace halfway around each other's bodies. Each girl then finishes her body and fills it in.  Discuss what is and isn't symmetrical.
  
  
• Create a butterfly out of wire coat hangers and decorate 
  
  
• Take a leaf and fold it in half down the middle and either trace/rub half on paper or press half into clay. Then draw or sculpt the other half

Create nature-inspired art with circular symmetry

Using materials provided, the troop talks about circular symmetry and then does one of these projects:

• Using nut butter and birdseed, create a bird feeder with circular symmetry
  
  
• Using items found in nature create an outdoor design that has circular symmetry
  
  
• Using art supplies, create a work of art with circular symmetry

Make a tetrahedron

This is isn't a badge requirement, but is given as an opening activity.  The leader makes a tetrahedron with toothpicks and clay (photo given) and challenges the girls to make the pyramid bigger by adding more triangles.  They discuss how this is a never-ending pattern and how nature has never ending patterns. 

Find Fractals in nature

After discussing what fractals are and showing examples like leaves, rivers and lightning bolts, the girls go outside and look for fractals.  They then draw them or photograph them.  Another option is to talk about fractal flowers and then to make fractal flowers out of pipe cleaners and beads and then to put them together in a bouquet.  The final choice is to give each girl a piece of clay and a twig.  The clay is pressed flat and the twig pressed in the center of it, flat against the clay.  Girls then use a tool to create the tree branches as fractals.  

Search for the Fibonacci sequence

The troop discusses the Fibonacci sequence (talking points given, not hard to follow even if you have no clue what it is) and then girls create a Golden Rectangle (directions given). Then they look for the Fibonacci sequence/spiral in either fruit, flowers or animals.  

Resources

VTK provides several resources for leaders to use with this badge.  They include photos of symmetry in nature, photo of a snowflake, photos of butterflies, a page on designing with circular symmetry, photos of art with symmetry, photos of natural fractals, photos showing Fibonacci in nature and directions on how to make a golden rectangle (with illustrations).

My Comments

My girls wanted more art badges.  Well, I just found one, and it teaches some math concepts too.  Seriously, don't let the awful design of VTK scare you away.  Look at this post, pick out what you want to do.  Then go to VTK and, if you haven't done so, create a year plan and add the two meeting plans for this badge to the year plan.  Then click on the first meeting and scroll all the way to the bottom. Find the activity you selected and click on it and read the script.  You can teach this even if you had no idea that Fibonacci was a thing ten minutes ago.