We're thrilled to partner with any Girl Scouts of the USA troops to encourage more girls to learn coding and get a head start in computer science! Our live online, expert-led classes make earning technology badges for Girls Scouts of America fun and exciting. Request classes anytime for your troop by emailing partners@createandlearn.us - your first session is free!
As you likely know, back in 2017, Girl Scouts of the USA released 23 new badges in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and the outdoors, areas girls are not typically encouraged to explore outside of Girl Scouting. The introduction of the new badges meant Girl Scouts can create algorithms, design robots and race cars, go on environmentally conscious camping trips, collect data in the great outdoors, try their hand at engineering, and so much more. The badges debuted on the organization’s first digital platform for volunteers, making it more accessible than ever to unleash the power of every girl.
Girls in STEM are more important than ever! In the current landscape, women continue to be underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Gender gaps in education persist which limit access, preparation, and career opportunities. That is exactly what GSUSA and Create & Learn are trying to change.
Girl Scout Coding for Good Badge Requirements
It’s now possible to earn Coding for Good badges as GSUSA looks to encourage more girls in STEM. There are three badges that make up the program including Coding Basics, Digital Game Design, and App Development. Every level from Daisies up through Ambassadors can now earn these badges. They’re designed to be done sequentially. Also, to complete the badges you can come up with your own activities, and that’s where Create & Learn can help! Below we'll share what girls will learn with each badge and a few specific activities Create & Learn already has planned that you can sign your troop up for.
Coding Basics Badges
The Coding Basics badges are awarded to girls who learn how to write computer programs and how programming can help others. Here’s what Girl Scouts will learn as they tackle their Coding Basics badges, based on their level.
- Daisy Coding Basics Badge: Find out how computers can be used to help others. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how computer scientists code programs for computers to solve problems.
- Brownie Coding Basics Badge: When you've earned this badge, you'll know how programmers write programs that make computers work and how people can use computers to help others. Create algorithms for a computer that follow a sequence. And create your own set of commands that use events to make things happen.
- Junior Coding Basics Badge: Find out how programmers write computer programs for computers to solve problems. Create your own set of commands that use conditionals. Plus, learn about women in computer science
- Cadette Coding Basics Badge: Find out how to write a computer program and create a meme that can have a positive impact on other people, your community and the world. Learn about functions and arguments, and write shareable code.
- Senior Coding Basics Badge: Explore how computer programming can make a positive difference in the world and write code you can share with others. Use functions to create a self-portrait, and use computer logic to create a quiz show. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how computers make decisions.
- Ambassador Coding Basics Badge: Explore the power of music and coding to spread a positive message and write code to share your own performance routine with others. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how to write shareable code to spread a message or build community.
Girl Scout Coding Activities for Coding Basics Badge
Looking for activities that can help you earn your Coding Basics badge? No worries, we have you covered. Our live online Scratch sessions can help you learn all the core coding concepts you need to know, and equip you to succeed with your projects!
Scratch is a beginner-friendly coding platform, designed to help aspiring programmers learn the fundamentals of coding with a block-based coding system. This means there are fewer barriers to creating your own amazing programs! Scratch is also a powerful platform for sharing your creations with others, with a built-in publishing system which allows you to post your projects online for anyone to use with a web browser.
Contact us to set up your group. Or, get started with a quick free introduction to check out the experience with our free Scratch class.
Digital Game Design Badges
The Digital Game Design badges are awarded to girls who learn how to create video games which can help people better understand the world and its issues. Here’s what Girl Scouts will learn as they tackle their Digital Game Design badges, based on their level.
- Daisy Digital Game Design Badge: Explore how video games can make a difference. You’ll explore tools used to develop digital games. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how video games are designed.
- Brownie Digital Game Design Badge: Explore how video games can help people to learn new skills and experience new things. You’ll discover how game design can be used "for good" as you explore tools used to develop digital games. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how to think like a game maker and use iteration to plan, build and test a game.
- Junior Digital Game Design Badge: Find out how programmers create a video game that is fun and helps solve a problem. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how to use iteration to plan, build and test a game "for good."
- Cadette Digital Game Design Badge: Explore how programmers design video games that make positive changes in the world. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how video games are developed, how images are stored and displayed on screens and how to use elements from JavaScript to create game characters.
- Senior Digital Game Design Badge: Explore narrative video game design and how video games can help people understand the world and its issues. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how video games use a story to move the game along, how players make decisions and how games can make a positive difference in the world.
- Ambassador Digital Game Design Badge: Find out about narrative video game design and explore how games can make a positive change in the world. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how video games use conditionals to give players choices and how video games can help players understand the world.
Girl Scout Coding Activities for Digital Game Design Badge
If you’re looking for activities which can help you earn your Digital Game Design, Create & Learn can help! Our Intermediate Game Building class allows you to take what you’ve learned with Scratch and apply it to creating games, by coding a new game each week. Examples of games created in this class include soccer games, virtual pet games, and dress up games. Plus, since the games are made in Scratch, they’re easy to share with the world once they’re done!
Create & Learn can also run custom classes exclusively for your troop. Our teachers are experienced and highly skilled. Contact us (partners@createandlearn.us) to set up a date and time for your group, or you can get started now by joining our Intermediate Game Building class.
App Development Badges
The App Development badges are awarded to girls who learn how to create mobile apps to help support their community. Here’s what Girl Scouts will learn as they tackle their App Development badges, based on their level.
- Daisy App Development Badge: Find out how programmers tackle big problems and make great apps. You will decompose your problem into smaller steps, then design an app that solves the problem. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how computer scientists develop apps.
- Brownie App Development Badge: Design your own idea for an app that solves a problem for someone else. You will discover how apps can be used “for good.” When you've earned this badge, you'll know about user-centered design and how computer scientists develop apps.
- Junior App Development Badge: Design your own idea for an app that solves a problem. Here, you’ll learn to design your app screens and include conditionals in your app design. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how to use user-centered design to create an app.
- Cadette App Development Badge: Collect and visualize data to develop a prototype for an app that supports your community. When you've earned this badge, you'll understand JavaScript syntax, how to use arrays with community and social data, how to store data and how to display it.
- Senior App Development Badge: Just like the Cadette Badge, you’ll collect and visualize data to develop a prototype for an app that supports your community. When you've earned this badge, you'll understand JavaScript syntax, how to use arrays with community and social data, how to store data and how to display it.
- Ambassador App Development Badge: Collect and visualize data to design a prototype for an app that helps leaders change the world. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how to create data objects and how to develop apps that will help leaders make a positive difference in their communities.
Girl Scout Coding Activities for App Development Badge
Create & Learn is one of the best coding platforms for girls, with the option to run custom classes for your troop! Also available is the Mobile Coding for Apps and Games class, in which you can learn how to code mobile apps with event-driven programming from scratch. You’ll also do a deeper dive into computer science concepts like loops, events, conditional logic, and more. The full course is offered over 12 weeks, with plenty of material to practice this very useful modern skill!
Thunkable, a no-code app building platform, uses block-based programming very similar to that of Scratch, so if you’re already familiar with that popular platform, making the jump to app development is easy! You’ll be able to build all sorts of apps and earn that badge before you know it!
Girl Scout Cybersecurity Badge Requirements
Cybersecurity is an increasingly important field in the world of computer science. As more of the activities in our daily lives are intertwined with computers, it becomes increasingly important to protect ourselves from bad elements in the digital world. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself and others from these dangers, and now Girl Scouts can earn badges as they learn how that’s done!
The Cybersecurity Basics badges are awarded to girls who learn how computers can be used safely, and how cybersecurity professionals keep computer networks safe. The Cybersecurity badges include: Cybersecurity Basics, Cybersecurity Safeguards, Cybersecurity Investigator. Here’s what Girl Scouts will learn as they tackle their Cybersecurity Basics badges, based on their level.
- Daisy Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Find out about computer parts and how computers are connected, just like you! When you've earned this badge, you'll know how computers work and how to stay safe online.
- Brownie Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Find out how you use technology and how you can keep your technology safe. You’ll discover what your technology can do and find out how to create layers of security. When you've earned this badge, you'll know cybersecurity basics and understand the role technology plays in your life.
- Junior Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Find out how computers talk to each other. You will discover how networks work, find out what protocols are and create one, explore computer communication protocol, and find out what malware is. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know the basics of cybersecurity and how computers communicate.
- Cadette Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Explore different hacking techniques and how to protect yourself with basic cybersecurity precautions. When you've earned this badge, you'll know how (and why) it’s important to protect yourself with strong passwords, secure encryption and caution when clicking on links.
- Senior Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Explore how cybersecurity professionals keep computer networks safe. You’ll learn how computers hide information, and how to design a layered security system. When you've earned this badge, you'll know the major principles of cybersecurity and understand how they work in real life and in the cyber world.
- Ambassador Cybersecurity Basics Badge: Explore how hackers operate and how hacking can be used for the purposes of corporate and national security. When you've earned this badge, you'll know about steganography, cyberwarfare and a variety of different careers in cybersecurity.
Girl Scout Cybersecurity Activities
Looking for activities to help you earn your Cybersecurity Basics badge? Create & Learn’s Junior Hackers class is all about learning how to be smart and safe on the internet. You’ll find out how passwords work and why some are better than others, how viruses work, how information gets delivered over the internet and how that information is kept secure, and more, all delivered through a combination of project and inquiry-based learning. Plus, Create & Learn can set up custom classes for your troop!
We live in an age in which cybersecurity is of utmost importance. It’s never too early to learn how to be safe on computers and the internet!
Girl Scout Robotics Badge Requirements
Robotics is an important emerging field, taking elements from various STEM fields and combining them to create helpful automated tools. The subject of robotics is vast, covering everything from simple automatic door locks to fully autonomous walking assistants. Girl Scouts focus on designing, building, and programming robots with the goal of making life better for others, while learning skills which create numerous opportunities for the future!
There are a number of robotics badges to earn including Programming Robots, Designing Robots, and Showcasing Robots. Daisy badges focus on learning the basics of robotics, while Brownie and up includes building, programming, and showcasing robots. Here are some of the badges available for Girl Scouts to earn.
- Daisy What Robots Do Badge: Learn about the many things robots do. Then, work in teams, like engineers, to design a robot that solves an everyday problem. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know about the many things robots can be designed to do.
- Brownie Designing Robots Badge: Team up with your fellow Brownies to design a robot. Plan, build, and share your robot prototype. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know how to plan, build, and share feedback like an engineer by creating a prototype of a robot that helps other people or animals.
- Junior Designing Robots Badge: Plan and build a prototype of a robot that solves a global problem. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know how to plan, build, and share feedback like an engineer by creating a prototype of a robot that solves a global problem.
- Cadette Designing Robots Badge: Build a prototype of a new kind of robot that could help someone to overcome a daily obstacle. Decide on a challenge, brainstorm solutions, plan, build a prototype, and test it to see how well it meets the challenge. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know how to design a robot and build a prototype.
- Senior Designing Robots Badge: Build a prototype of a new kind of robot that helps or replaces people who work in difficult or dangerous situations. Decide on a challenge, brainstorm solutions, plan, build a prototype, and test it to see how well it meets the challenge. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know how to design a robot and build a prototype.
- Ambassador Designing Robots Badge: Explore the Design Thinking Process as you build a model of a social robot that can make life better for others. Decide on a challenge, brainstorm solutions, plan, build a prototype, and test it to see how well it meets the needs it is designed to address. When you’ve earned this badge, you'll know how to design a robot and build a prototype.
Girl Scout Robotics Activities
Robotics is a broad field, and if you’re looking for activities to help you work toward a Robotics badge, Create & Learn has you covered in a couple of different ways. And don’t forget, Create & Learn can run custom classes for your troop!
The Junior Robotics class is a small group robotics course for kids. In it, you will learn how coding is used in robotics through fun, hands-on projects. You’ll navigate robots through virtual environments and gain a deeper understanding of how robots can be used to solve real-world problems!
Smart Devices: Arduino for Kids is another course on offer from Create & Learn, covering the very popular Arduino device. You’ll learn how to wire up circuits using the Arduino (with the option of learning in a digital environment or with the real thing) to create a number of electronics projects, culminating in a self-driving robot!
Space Science Badge Requirements for Girl Scouts
Whether you’ve searched for shooting stars or daydreamed while finding shapes in the clouds, you’ve probably already spent some time looking at the sky. Now it's your chance to see the sky in a new way—like a space scientist does! To earn this Brownie badge, scouts must investigate the solar system including the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars.
To help your troop unlock this badge, enroll in a fun online NASA STEM class led live by an expert. In this series of classes, your kids will learn a wide range of topics related to space science, NASA, and practice other STEM skills. All classes are project based to encourage curiosity and develop problem solving skills. In each session, we will learn cool new things about space and science, then build small projects and play games to strengthen their learning.
Think like A Programmer Career Exploration
This badge helps scouts find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems. Whether or not a girl is passionate about entering the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and so on, the ability to think like a programmer is still valuable. It’s about finding creative and effective solutions to a problem while remaining open to all possibilities.
- Brownie STEM Career Exploration Badge: Find out how all the things you love - like camping, baking, and walking your dog - can become a job that changes the world. Then, create a plan to turn your dreams into a reality.
- Junior Think Like A Programmer Award Badge: Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems.
- Cadette Think Like A Programmer Journey Award: Do computational thinking activities to explore the four tasks that define a computer, create a card-sorting algorithm to learn about processing and design technology that will best meet a user’s needs using user-centered design.
- Senior STEM Career Exploration Badge: Explore how you might want to impact the world and how STEM can help you do it. Then, take the next step towards your goal for the future and start to make your mark.
To help your troop unlock this badge, enroll in a fun online coding class led live by an expert. At Create & Learn, we believe an essential goal for your child to learn coding is also to develop computational thinking, creativity, and critical thinking. With our project- and inquiry -based learning approach, our online classrooms are very interactive, as teachers lead kids through an enlightening process of creating, logic, and problem solving. Scouts can also join our free community events featuring speakers from a variety of STEM careers.
Enjoy Girl Scout Coding
Learning to code is more important than ever, and it will only become more critical in the future. That’s why Girl Scouts of the USA is encouraging girls to get involved in STEM fields.
Looking for an easy starting point? Check out our blog post on how to create a game on Scratch. And don’t forget to get in touch to set up custom classes for your troop with Create & Learn by contacting us at partners@createandlearn.us!
Written by Create & Learn instructor Josh Abbott Salazar. Josh is a teacher, coder, audio engineer, and musician. After graduating with a Master's in Music from Belmont University in Nashville, TN, Josh turned his attention to the technology side of things, and has been working in various aspects of coding and engineering ever since. He runs a small music studio in Nashville called Tango Sound Studios, and develops video games in his spare time.