New Badge Review: Brownie Numbers in Nature

Not long ago I reviewed the new Shapes in Nature badges for Brownies and Juniors, and I was impressed.  The activities seemed fun and the badges touched on important concepts. Unfortunately I'm not as impressed with the rest of the series. Today I'm taking a look at the VTK plans for the Brownie Numbers in Nature badge.  

Requirements

Here are the requirements, per Badge Explorer:

Brownies use their senses and other tools to gather information and learn about the natural world.

Badge Steps

1. Explore temperature
2. Measure the length of leaves
3. Graph your leaf data
4. Find space to grow
5. Plot and plant a garden

When Brownies earn this badge, they'll know how to measure temperature and length. They'll also know about square feet, diagrams, and grids. They'll have explored leaves and gardening.

Opening Activity

As girls come in they examine a bunch of natural items gathered by the leader.  There are also measurement tools available.  In the opening discussion the girls talks about their observations about the items and the leader points out that we use our senses for observation.  The leader also talks about measurement tools. 

Explore Temperature

The first choice for this requirement is to talk about using a thermometer for measuring temperature and then to talk about how male crickets chirp more in hot weather than in cold and that scientists have a formula that translates the number of chips per fifteen seconds into temperature.  The girls then listen to local crickets or to a recording of cricket chirps and record how many chirps per minute. They use the formula (chirps per 15 seconds + 37 = degrees F and then compare their results to the actual temperature.

The second choice is to talk about the three states of matter as they relate to water.  Then the girls measure ice water, room temperature water and hot water. They record data and then talk about it. 

The last choice was to talk about the different temperatures during different seasons and the natural clues to the those seasons.  Girls look at a field guide or at at the internet and find natural clues to the seasons and draw them on a calendar.  

Measure the Length of Leaves

VTK supplies a worksheet that has space for girls to trace three leaves and to record two measurements for each leaf.  The leader talks about how you measure with a ruler and points out that rulers have inches on one side, which are divided into eight or sixteen parts, depending on the ruler, centimeters on the other, which are divided into ten parts. She points out that these are standard measurements--they are the same for everyone and everyone knows what they mean.  You can also use non-standard things to measure, like your finger.  

Next the leader either sends the girls outside to find three leaves or she passes out leaves she has already gathered.  The girls trace them and then measure them with rules and with their finger.  The plan talks about the girls counting the units on the ruler and then the leader showing them how to reduce the fraction--4/16 equals 1/4.  I have three kids, none learned division until the end of third grade and I'm pretty sure fractions were at least a fourth grade skill.  

The other two activities use basically the same script, except that one uses an object rather than a body part as the alternate means of measurement and the other just uses a ruler.

Graph Your Leaf Data

For this activity, girls make a line plot (example given) to graph the data they collected on leaf length.  They either use sticks and stones to make a natural line plot, themselves or their belongings to make one or they draw one. The leader starts that activity by drawing a line plot to graph the girls' birthdays.  

Find Space to Grow

This activity is about computing how much distance is required between plants and how big your garden or forest needs to be.  Girls are given a handout that lists types of plants and how many can be planted in a square foot (vegetables, herbs and flowers) or how many feet are needed between them (trees).  The girls are then supposed to figure out how to space the plants in a garden or forest--in other words they are supposed to compute that 16 carrots per square foot means four rows of four carrots that are three inches apart or that four garlic plants in a square foot means that each one gets four square inches  

Plot and Plant a Garden

Now that the girls have plotted a hypothetical garden, they now plot and plant a garden of their own--either a container garden, an outdoor garden in the ground or an herb garden.  They are supposed to read the seed packets to learn how far apart the plants are supposed to be, measure and plot where to plant them and plant them.  

My Comments

There is no freaking way I'm doing this badge.  I've put three kids through elementary school and I went  to elementary school once myself, back in the stone ages. Division was a third grade skill then and common core also teaches it in third grade.  This badge talks about reducing fractions, and I'm pretty sure that's a fourth grade skill.  

I don't have a problem with Girl Scouts being a place where girls take the hypothetical math they learn in school and use it in practical and fun ways, but I didn't sign up to teach math and that's what I'd end up doing if I tried this badge and I rather doubt most of my kids would enjoy it.  

The cricket activity might be cute with recorded cricket sounds--I wouldn't bet on hearing them when I needed to if using real crickets.  Measuring the temperatures of water would be fun for a few minutes.  Measuring leaves doesn't sound exciting, but if you don't fool with reducing the fractions, I think it is appropriate for the age group.  I feel the same way about the line plot--it is age appropriate but not exactly fun.  

On the other hand, that plotting activity is just way beyond most second or third graders.  Just tell them or let them read that the plants need to be 3 inches apart and let them measure, and let them do it while planting their garden.