PAWS Patch

Playing Around With Science Patch

This patch was designed to encourage girls and adults to experiment with science and lead them to discover that science is FUN!

Brownie & Junior Girl Scouts and Girls 11-17

Requirements:

Brownie Girl Scouts: Complete five activities including the one starred.
Junior Girl Scouts: Complete seven activities including the one starred.
Girls 11-17: Complete seven activities including the one starred and number 10.

Look up the word science in a dictionary. Read its meaning out loud. Write an acronym to describe its meaning. (An acronym is a word formed from the first letter of other words. Example: PAWS Playing Around With Science.)
With your troop/group discuss the scientific method. (May be found on the next page). Keep in mind that you don't always have an answer for everything and that results may vary.

Make GAK. (Using the scientific method).

Recipe:

1 part glue (may be tablespoon or more)
1 part water
Mix Argo laundry starch (found in grocery store) until the mixture is completely mixed.
Tip - colored glue will give you a different colored GAK.

Individually or as a troop/group make a collection. It may be rocks, butterflies, leaves or something else of your choice. Identify, label and display your collection.
Have a Nature Museum. Each girl brings one item from nature to share with her troop/group. Display them on a table and have a time each person can share their entry into the museum. Remember to return everything to its proper place in nature, if possible.
Enter a science project in your school's science fair. Share the results with your troop/group.
Visit a science museum/planetarium. Some suggestions are:
Schiele Museum, Gastonia
Discovery Place, Charlotte
Park Place, Asheville
Catawba Science Museum, Hickory
With your troop/group explore science experiments; pick one out and DO IT!
Develop your own survey. Graph the results. Send a copy of your survey to the Girl Scouts of the Pioneer Council office with the results. For example you survey may be made up of silly questions like:
How many girls in your troop/group:
- Like banana and potato chip sandwiches
- Own a pair of clown glasses, etc.
Evaluate your work on this patch. Evaluation form enclosed.

A Note to Leaders:

These are just suggested activities. Since science is a broad subject and interests vary so much, please feel free to adjust the requirements to meet the interest and age level of your troop/group. The requirements are written primarily on the Brownie Girl Scout age level and you will want to expand the requirements for older girls. Most of all, explore science and discover a way to make it FUN!

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process for finding the answers to questions in the pursuit of knowledge. It uses the scientific skills described previously and generally follows the steps outlined below:

Ask the Question: What do you want to do or discover?
State a Hypothesis: State the best guess of what will happen, in a way that can be proven to be true for false.
Conduct an Experiment to Test the Hypothesis:

Assemble materials: This includes all of the supplies or factors needed to conduct the experiment.
Develop a procedure: Describe the steps needed to do the experiment. They are written so that the experiment can be repeated by anyone.
Control variables: Identify and manage factors that may influence an experiment.

Analyze Results: Communicate what happened in the experiment. This is in writing, and often includes charts or graphs illustrating numbers or measurements.
Draw a Conclusion: Has the hypothesis been proved or disproved? Make a statement of why it happened, based upon observation or interpretation of the information collected.

Help For The Leader

Tips for adults working with girls in science

Don't let personal phobias about working with science or math show when working with girls. There are many Girl Scout activities in science that can be done without being an expert.
Choose activities that involve "Hands-On" science for the girls.
Make it fun. Keep the spirit of adventure and sense of wonder that all girls have. Encourage questions.
Don't worry about knowing the answer. Part of the scientific process is asking questions and then setting out to find the answers. There are many wonderful books on science in the local library.
Look for women working in scientific fields to act as resource persons for girls. Don't stop with the obvious; there are many jobs that use science and math on a daily basis.

Resources

Bender, Lionel: Invention: Eyewitness Books, Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 1991. (This series includes other titles by different authors such as Weather, Plant, Mammal, Insect, Fossil, Volcano and Earthquake.

Burnie, David: How Nature Works: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., New York. 1991.

Burns, Marilyn: The Book of Think, or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size. Little, Brown and Company, Boston. 1976.

Cash, Terry, Parker, Steve and Taylor, Barbara: 175 More Science Experiments to Amaze Your Friends. Random House, New York, 1990.

Cassidy, John: Explorabook, A Kid's Science Museum in a Book. Klutz Press, Palo Alto, CA. 1991.

Cobb, Vickie: Science Experiments You Can Eat (1972) and More Science Experiments You Can Eat (1979). J.B. Lippincott Company, New York.

Farndon, John: How the Earth Works. Reader's Digest Association, Inc. New York, 1992.

Gold, Carol: Science Express, 50 Scientific Stunts from the Ontario Science Center. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. New York. 1991.

Specific Tips for Girl Scout Leaders

Leading Girls in Mathematics, Science and Technology

Provide Positive Reinforcement

Help girls to have a sense of well-being and experience success in an activity. This makes it much more likely that they will continue their involvement.
Be sure to praise the girls for their efforts, since many girls tend to evaluate themselves on the basis of how a "significant other" (i.e. parent, teacher, troop/group leader, peer) perceives them.
Give active encouragement to the girls. The absence of any positive comment or action is often construed by girls to be a negative rather than neutral response.
Give special attention to underachieving girls, who need encouragement and support from a caring adult partner.
Encourage and model values of perseverance and persistence. Having the ability to persist in the face of conflict or failure is directly related to a positive self-concept.
Encourage girls to take risks, to trust their intuition and to avoid self-defeating talk. Don't fall into the trap of sympathizing by saying, "That's OK, I didn't like math or science either."
Develop an active partnership with the girls, especially in decision-making. Encourage problem solving skills - ask how and why questions.
Help the girls to explore their own feelings and attitudes. You might discuss how they feel about mathematics and science, exactly what they like or dislike, and how the study of these fields could be made better.
Develop projects that allow for cooperative group work. Research demonstrates that females tend to prefer a collaborative work style.
Create competitive situations that are as non-threatening as possible.

Encourage the Development of Mathematical and Scientific Skills:

Build models, take measurements, construct things.
Encourage girls to play with games and puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles and strategy games strengthen logical thinking, problem-solving skills and visual-spatial skills.
Play counting games.

Help Make Mathematics/Science Study More Interesting, Attractive & Relevant:

Help girls to see how mathematics and science can be part of the solution for human, social, environmental and ecological concerns.
Help girls find successful female role models.
Be tuned in to community based organizations, museums, universities, nature centers, etc. that can be helpful in providing resources and adult role models.
Impart an awareness of the many career opportunities available to girls through math and science based curriculum study.
Combine science and math with non-science and math activities. Have a "camp-in" at a science museum. Sing a counting song.

Be An Advocate:

Expect the best from every girl.
Increase your own personal knowledge of mathematics, science and technology.
Be sensitive to signs of math or science anxiety/avoidance in yourself and in individual girls.
Develop links with school personnel, especially counselors, to help you plan activities.
Raise the awareness of others. Help them appreciate the need to encourage girls in these fields.
Be confident of your own ability to explore new areas.
Be aware of sex-role stereotyping in books and other resources.

Thanks!

A very special thank you to the following for their hard work and contributions in the development of this patch program.

Debra Blanton
Bernie Carpenter
Gretchen Farrell
Karen Gold
Leslie Lewis
Dorothy Lodge
Jill Rhinehart
Betsy Williams