Station 1 Badgework - See the Colors of Nature Make a watercolor painting of something colorful in nature - flowers, butterflies, rainbows, animals. Optional: After you are done - add a few drops of lemon juice to your painting to see how it changes in the sunlight. Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. Give each girl a piece of watercolor paper, a set of watercolor paints, a paintbrush, a cup of water, and a paper towel. Ask girls if they can think of something in nature that is colorful. After the girls share their ideas, tell them to choose one colorful thing in nature to paint. Ask the girls what they think will happen if they add lemon juice to a painting and put it in the sunlight. Let girls choose to add drops to their paintings and/or volunteer to try it out on an example painting created by a teen. Put the paintings somewhere safe for them to dry while girls complete the other activities. Tips for Teen Scouts: ● ● ● ● Have each girl write her name and troop number on the back of her paper before she starts painting. Set up a place for paintings to dry while the girls are completing other activities. Encourage girls to rinse their brushes and dry them on the paper towel before changing colors. If they forget to rinse their brush and their paints start to get “ugly” you can gently blot them with a paper towel to remove the colors that are mixing together. If girls want to create more than one painting and they run out of time, you can send them home with their paints and more paper. Station 2 Badgework - Hear the Sounds of Nature Did you know music and dance are types of art, too? Make your own maraca to take home. When your maraca is finished, take it outside and use it to make music and create a new dance with your friends. Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Have each girl choose one plastic easter egg and fill it with a variety of beads. Tape around the seam of the egg. Place the egg between the heads of two plastic spoons and wrap tape around it to hold the spoons in place. Use more tape to wrap the handles of the spoons together. Girls can also add more tape around the top with the egg. Shake your homemade maraca. Tips for Teen Scouts: ● ● ● Have each girl choose one plastic easter egg and fill it with a variety of beads. Girls will be covering the egg and spoons with tape. If a girl is upset about the color of her plastic egg, help her choose tape colors that she likes. You might want to teach the girls a song and have them shake their maracas or encourage them to dance around in nature with their new instruments. Station 3 Badgework - Share Your Outdoor Art Perform a play outdoors. Get together with your Girl Scout friends and put on a play about taking care of nature. You could act out a story to show people how to “Leave No Trace” outside. Directions: 1. 2. 3. Briefly teach the girls about Leave No Trace principles and how to take care of nature. Then split girls up into two groups and have each group create a short skit or song to teach their leaders and friends about taking care of nature. Have each group perform their skit or song for each other. Tips for Teen Scouts: ● ● ● Have one teen girl scout work with each group. If girls are stuck, encourage them to think of ways they have helped nature with their troop. Most girls have probably picked up trash before and know that it is important when you are in nature not to disturb animals or leave your trash behind. If girls are nervous to perform in front of their friends, teen girls can volunteer to be part of their skit. One idea might be to have the teen act as the narrator, so girls who are shy don’t need to have a big speaking part.