Welcome back to my series in which I am listing, week by week, topic by topic, every single Council's Own Girl Scout fun patch program that your Girl Scouts can earn from everywhere!
My Girl Scout troop enjoys earning Council's Own fun patches, as well as official badges and retired badges. I usually look for a fun patch that they can earn in addition to a badge whenever we're planning a big project or a trip, etc. This list is essentially just my own research written down for easy reference.
This week's category: Technology, Engineering, and Math! Y'all, Girl Scouts apparently LOVE their STEM fun patches! I separated the science into its own category and this list is still super long. My favorite fun patches here are the couple of math ones, as even with the current STEM craze math still has a bad reputation, and math is still a subject not overtly reflected in Girl Scout badges or most of the other fun patch programs. I think that when people are tasked with creating a STEM fun patch, they often go to the easy, accessible topics and stay there--you'll see below numerous fun patch programs with a similar content area. But it's certainly possible to have a topic that so easily accessible that it will eventually be overused, and it'll then get boring for kids. I cannot even tell you, for instance, how many times my kids have separated out the DNA from a banana (always into a tiny potion bottle with a cord so they can wear it around their necks), catalyzed hydrogen peroxide and called it "elephant's toothpaste," or ran a Beebot through a maze.
ANYWAY, you don't have to confine yourself to just the easy, most accessible STEM topics. Find a fun patch program that speaks to your kids from this list, and use to to stretch their skills and their imaginations... and do some math!
For this list, I only included fun patch programs that fit the following criteria:
- Girl Scouts can earn this fun patch wherever they are. I did not include any fun patch programs that have site-specific criteria, unless I felt that those criteria would be easy to substitute and still maintain the point of the fun patch program. I also didn't include fun patch programs that require time-specific criteria that have already passed, such as patches programs designed for the 2020 COVID lockdowns. I noted in the description of each patch when substitutions would be required.
- Girl Scouts can obtain the council's requirements to earn this fun patch. I found several instances in which the council still sells a specific fun patch, but has deleted all the requirements from its website. If I couldn't find an easy link to those requirements from another site, I did not include the patch.
- Girl Scouts can obtain the physical fun patch. There were also several instances in which councils still host the requirements for a fun patch program, but no longer sell the patch (or, as in the case of a few GSAK patches, they have fewer than ten remaining). If it is unlikely for a Girl Scout to be able to obtain the fun patch, I did not include it. The link to purchase each fun patch is in the caption for its graphic.
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH
Backyard STEM and Beyond, GSAK. Complete these simple outdoor STEM activities to earn this fun patch. This is a good fun patch program to encourage a troop to have outdoor experiences during their regular meetings.
Girls Code, Girl Scouts of Alaska. Complete a variety of programming activities to earn this fun patch. This fun patch program pairs well with the Think Like a Programmer Journeys. It would be a good option for a Girl Scout who completes some of the Journey activities but does not do a TAP.
STEM and Coding, Girl Scouts of Alaska. Try a variety of STEM activities to earn this fun patch. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the STEM badges. It's a good one for a younger Girl Scout troop to earn while planning for or earning their first STEM badge.
STEM Connections, Girl Scouts of Alaska. Complete a variety of activities that demonstrate how the fields of STEM connect to other areas of life. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the STEM badges and Journeys.
STEM Explorer, Girl Scouts of Citrus. Complete activities from a checklist to try out different STEM skills. This is a great fun patch program for Girl Scouts to complete independently.
STEMing Daisies, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. Daisies earn this fun patch by trying out simple and fun STEM activities. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Daisy STEM badges. It's a good patch program for Daisies to try to help them decide when STEM badge they want to earn first.
STEMtastic, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. Try out a variety of different activities while learning about some of the fields of STEM. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the STEM badges. It's a good fun patch program to earn to help a troop decide what STEM badge they'd like to pursue.
Here's a look at my complete fun patch series:
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