Badges: Why I Use the Slow Approach

I have been a Girl Scout leader for twenty years.  I was a Girl Scout for three years of Juniors as a child.  Clearly I am either insane or have a long-term commitment to the organization (or both).  One thing I can almost guarantee is that my girls have fewer badges/journeys than many troops with similar meeting schedules.  Why don't we have more badges? 

GSUSA Designed Them That Way

If you look at the badge inserts from the Girls' Guide to Girl Scouting/the current ones available in the shop and/or on VTK, and look at the activities given you'll see that on the Brownie level most take about 15 minutes.  On the Junior level they take 15-20 minutes. Many of the older girl projects take even longer.  If you have an hour per meeting for badgework, that means you are not going to finish a complete badge in one meeting using GSUSA's activities.  The VTK plans generally do a badge in two meetings, though sometimes it takes three. 

I'm not saying that none of GSUSA's plans are overdone--in particular I think the cybersecurity badge plans from VTK take 2 meetings worth of material and spread it over six.  However, in general I have found it to be difficult to cover what I think GSUSA wants covered about the topics in much less than two meetings per badge.  

Going Slow Helps You Cover More Ground

One frequent question on Girl Scout leader Facebook pages is "Is there a sewing badge?".  The answer is "No".  For whatever reason GSUSA did not choose to include a sewing badge in this iteration of the program.  However, my troop has done sewing twice in four years.  As Daisies and Brownies we made bean bags as part of our "Honest and Fair" petal and "Making Games" .  As Juniors we did the Independence badge and spent two entire meetings learning to sew--including threading a needle.  We made four-square pillows and sewed on a button as decoration.  

There are cooking badges at all levels and I've seen plans where, for example, "Slurp a Snack" was fulfilled by girls putting a scoop of sherbet in a cup and the leader pouring Sprite over it.  When I do cooking badges, the girls read the recipe, measure the ingredients, mix, and if necessary, cook.  I know I'm lucky to have a kitchen at my disposal, but part of it is just a decision to make sure I teach all those skills, not just produce a dish or meal in the easiest way possible. I teach knife skills, table setting, and even things like doubling or halving a recipe.  I can't do all that and have 15 kids each produce four dishes in an hour.

Most of the badges have some sort of "learn about" requirement that in GSUSA's plans is met with a guest speaker, a field trip or some type of research.   All of those take time.  While I have had speakers or field trips that cover more than one requirement, rarely does one cover everything.--and don't get me started about the "we are going to ______, can we get a badge for that?" questions.  Going to ______ or doing _______may indeed meet one or two requirements for a badge, but unless you plan an event specifically to meet badge requirements, the chances that you can meet all five requirements for a badge in one trip/event/activity are pretty minimal, in my opinion.  

Those Badges Are Expensive

As of this writing, badges are $3.50 each.  My troop generally has nineteen scheduled meetings per year.  Allowing three for parties or other non-badge activities, that gives us 16 meetings on which to earn badges.  Eight badges cost $28.00; sixteen would be $56.00.  I'd rather spend the money on supplies or entrance fees that on vest bling. 

What About Girls Who Miss Meetings?

What about them?  No, I don't have perfect attendance and yes, I have girls who end up with many fewer badges than others, but I've never had one in tears over it.  I post the meeting roll and make-up work after every meeting.  If badges are important to the girls/parents, they'll make them up.  If not, they don't.  

Am I Saying You Are Doing It Wrong?

GSUSA and/or some councils have shown that it is not required to do the activities on VTK to earn the badge.  Whether GSUSA's original plan was that you pick one of the three activities in the badge insert, or whether it was that you do an activity to meet the cute sounding vague requirement on the front, the reality is that there is no clearly measurable indicator other than attendance and doing the activity that girls have met the requirement. In other words, the requirement is "Slurp a snack".  It is not "I am able to go into the kitchen, gather the ingredients and tools needed, and prepare a smoothie, milkshake or other multi-ingredient drink for myself, leaving the kitchen clean when I am done".   

So, do I think my way is better than some of the things I've read about other people doing?  Yes, if I thought their way was better, I'd do it that way.  But as many others have said, there are no badge police, and I for one am not auditioning for the job.  You do the best job you can with the girls you have and the situation you are in and I'll do the same.