Junior Math In Nature Survey Results

 This is the last in a series of posts looking at the Math in Nature badges as well as what people believe is necessary to earn them.  I surveyed members of some Facebook groups for Girl Scout leaders to acquire the data presented and I make no representations about the data other than stating how I got it.  I have three other posts in this series:

• General information and conclusions
• Daisy Math in Nature badges
• Brownie Math in Nature badges

Junior Shapes in Nature 

Symmetry is the main topic for Juniors.  "Identify Symmetry in Nature" deals with lines of symmetry. "Explore Bilateral Symmetry in Nature" is about Bilateral Symmetry. "Create Nature Inspired Art with Circular Symmetry" is, yes, about circular symmetry.  "Find Fractals in Nature" is about defining and identifying fractals, and "Search for the Fibonacci Sequence" is about recognizing it in nature.  

Brownie Math In Nature: Survey Results

This is the third of four posts about the results of my survey of members of various Facebook groups for Girl Scout leaders on the subject of the Math in Nature badges released by GSUSA a couple of years ago.  The first post talked about the people who responded and about the badges in general.  The second post focused on the Daisy badge.  I plan to write about the Junior badges but haven't gotten there yet. 

Survey Results: Daisy Math in Nature Badges

This post is the result of a survey I did of members of a bunch of Girl Scout leader Facebook groups.  I wanted to look at two things: 

1. The Math in Nature badges--did people like them, and how did they do them
2. Related to that, what did people think was required to earn them.

I think (at least hope) that all of us would agree that looking outside for round things and then counting them is not enough to earn these badges.  I doubt there are many, if any, people who would say that you have to read the VTK scripts to the girls and do activities exactly as planned there.  However there is a wide gap between these two, and I wondered what most people thought was actually required to earn a badge.  

You can read the survey from which this post was derived here, but obviously there is no point in responding at this time.  

Shapes in Nature

 

My girls like art projects so I thought the new  Shapes in Nature badges would be a good fit.  Earlier I wrote posts giving the requirements and VTK activities for both the Brownie and Junior badges.  This post is about how we went about doing the badges and the results.  I had all the girls (Brownies and Juniors) do all the activities.  

Requirements for Juniors

According to Badge Explorer, Juniors

        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

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.

New Badge Review: Brownie Design With Nature

 

The third badge in the Math in Nature series is Design With Nature. This post takes a look at the Brownie Version.  According to Badge Explorer, girl will use math to do things in the natural world, like find the age of natural objects, build a honeycomb, design a bird feeder, and go bird-watching.

The five short requirements are:

1. Calculate the age of a natural object

2. Explore the shape of beehives

3. Measure and build a bird feeder

4. Use ratios to make bird food

5. Graph data about birds

When you've earned this badge, you will know about natural objects.  You’ll know how to measure, use scale and ratio, and make a graph.

New Badge Review: Junior Design With Nature

 

The third Math in Nature badge introduced this year is called "Design With Nature". Here is what Badge Explorer gives as the requirements:

Juniors use math to plan and organize an outdoor adventure. They'll decide where to go, how long they'll be gone for, and what to bring.

        Steps

            1. Find your hiking pace

            2. Choose a hiking trail

            3. Find changes in elevation on a map

            4. Decide how much food to bring

            5. Pack for your adventure

        Purpose

When Juniors have earned this badge, they'll know about different types of maps. They'll know how to calculate distance, pace, elevation changes, and area.

New Badge Review: Junior Numbers In Nature

This year GSUSA came out with a new set of progressive badges, Math in Nature for Daisies, Brownies and Juniors.  I've taken a look at Brownie Shapes in Nature, Brownie Numbers in Nature and Junior Shapes in Nature.  This post will review Junior Numbers in Nature.  

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.  

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.  

New Badge Review: Brownie Shapes in Nature

 

This  year GSUSA's new badges included a Shapes in Nature badge for Brownies.  This post will take a look at and summarize the VTK plans.  The goal is to give leaders an easy way to look at the activities and decide if the badge is right for their troop, without making them read pages upon pages of VTK scripts.  However, if you decide to do the badge I do highly recommend reviewing the plans on VTK as they give the terms and concepts you are trying to teach, whereas I'm focusing more on the activities.

Requirements

According to Badge Explorer, to earn the Shapes in Nature badge girls:

• Track natural objects
• Graph natural objects
• Make a spiderweb with symmetry
• Explore tessellations and 
• Collect data about birds

When you've earned this badge, you will know about counting, graphing, symmetry, and tessellations.

You’ll also know about spiders, birds, and other natural objects.

Track Natural Objects

The first activity for the badge teaches observation skills, categorization and recording data via tally marks.  The leader has the girls discuss different types of things they might find in nature and she makes a list and then leads the girls in categorizing these things---natural vs manmade, living vs non-living, type of animal, or even type of snail.  Girls make a "Foldable" (pattern given) on which to record data and then go looking for the objects on their Foldable either online, in a book or outside by their meeting place, and record data using tally marks.  

Graph Natural Objects

In the second step, Brownies use the data collected in Step One to create either a Bar Graph, a Pie Chart or a Word Cloud.

Make a Spiderweb With Symmetry

After a discussion about symmetry and how it gives spider webs strength, girls are assigned a number of radials to use in creating a spider web with glue.  First, they draw the assigned number of radials with a ruler and pencil, making sure to intersect them all in the middle.  Next they cover the radials with glue (and while it doesn't say to do so, I'll bet some Crafty Cathy will give the girls glitter) and then spiral from one to another.  The leader helps them observe that the more radials there are, the more like a circle the web appears and that the number of section is equal to the number of radials. 

Another option is to make a group web by throwing a ball of yarn around the circle of girls.  A script is given helping her to review words like radial and symmetry.  The yarn is cut to allow symmetrical radials and then the spirals are woven in.

The final option given is to make a spiderweb of yarn and sticks.  Again girls are given different numbers of sticks and there are discussions of terms like radial, orb, symmetry, and different types of polygons.  As I mentioned above, the VTK plans give the talking points that change this from a classic Girl Scout craft into a math lesson.  

Explore Tessellations

Leaders are given a sheet showing several tessellations in nature and share it with the girls and talk about the patterns.  There is also a photo of a quilt square.  The leaders discusses tessellations in nature and asks the girls if they can think of others.  Then the girls use a leaf to draw a tessellation pattern.  They put the leaf in the middle of the a paper, and then trace it.  They then move it over so that the edge fits with the prior outline, and then trace it again, and repeat. The leader reminds the girls that there are no gaps and no overlap.  The girls can color their pattern.  

Another option is for the leader to hide photos or other tessellations around the room and the girls hunt for them.  

The final choice is to make a quilt, either with paper or fabric.  

No matter which activity is chosen, the leader should talk about the definition of tessellations and about how they are strong, and part of nature.  

Collect Data About Birds

The final activity is to create a data table and then go birdwatching to fill it in with tally marks.  The birdwatching can be either live or online.  The leader should provide a field guide regarding birds they are likely to see.  Other options are to tie this activity in with Citizen Science or to include acting like a bird in the activity.  

My Comments

These activities sound like fun to me, and could be made a part of a weekend camping trip or day at the park (since Covid has camping on hold).  They also give you a chance to explore some topics not usually considered "STEM".  For example, I've been wanting to do a sewing activity, and making quilt pattern pillows could fit into this badge.  We could do a trip to the park and do the scavenger hunt activity and the bird watching on the trip and the spider web craft would be easy to work into a Halloween meeting.  I'm big on taking as long as I want on a badge and even working on more than one at a time--that trip to the park could include requirements for the hiker badge or EcoFriends or....