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Updated April 2023
Many girls love to draw. It permits them to use the creative right side of their brains, something that today’s harried, over-scheduled and test prepped in school kids get very little chance to do.
In the old Junior Girl Scout badge program, six activities were required before a badge could be earned for a vest of sash. With today’s updated program, that requirement is now five. However, unlike the younger levels of scouting that could have the girls in the troop earn a petal or badge in one meeting, this level of scouting will more than likely require two meetings. Older children have longer attention spans and the goal of doing the activities is to have the girls actually learn something, not just have another badge ironed onto the best.
Image created by the author in Canva
The Junior Girl Scout Drawing Badge is one of the seven Legacy badges included in this two year level of scouting. It survived the massive cuts from the old program and is one that girls have enjoyed doing for decades.
Here are some ideas and activities that your troop can do to earn the Junior Girl Scout Drawing Badge.
Step 1 Experiment With Different Materials
The first step to earn the drawing badge is to experiment with different materials. This would be a good time to ask an art teacher or an art student if she would like to come in and speak with the girls about different mediums and let them try them out. You can call your school and speak to the art teacher if you have a close relationship and see if she is willing to come in and show the girls something she may not have used during Art period in school.
If you have friends that are artists or have older teens and young adults who are artists, they can come in and run the meeting for you while you assist the girls as they need it.
Another possibility is to take a field trip. If your bank account is full because you have some top notch cookie sellers, taking an art class may cover all the bases for this badge in one fell swoop. Talk to the owner of the art studio, tell her about the badge requirements, and see if she can tailor a class for your needs.
Step 2 Learn How to Add Shading
Zentangle Art for Kids
Shading is important for art work because it adds dimension to a piece. Imagine how flat a picture would look with the use of singular lines and colors.
Zentangle is an art form where artists use intention with each and every stroke of the pen. There is no erasing, because according to the Zentangle Theory, there is no erasing in life. Each stroke is intentional and there is not wrong way to do it. Just relax, let the mind wander, and before they know it, the girls in your troop will be on their way to creating a new masterpiece.
This new kind of art is relaxing for the children, who are oftentimes on the run and have very little downtime. The pictures in this book will inspire those in your charge to slow down, think and create. You may inspire them to do this in their spare time to just relax!
Step 3 Teach The Troop About Perspective
Photo from Pixabay
Perspective was not always a part of the art world. It wasn’t until the Renaissance period (the 14th-the 17th centuries) that artists started using a “line of horizon” to make their paintings appear more realistic. This line creates the appearance of distance on a piece of paper.
Girls can take a favorite picture from their own life or from a magazine and try to draw it in perspective.
The girls can also pretend that they are a giant and draw a picture from a tall point of view. If you have a playground near your meeting place, they can go to the top of a slide or monkey bar/climbing area to draw what they see. Or, they can do the opposite. They can imagine they are a baby crawling on the ground and draw what they see. The girls would have a good time being on their hands and knees and sketching what they view from your meeting room.
This 18 piece sketch and draw set is a number a great product for the girls to use to earn this badge.
Using the proper tools is not only a part of earning this badge, but it is also important to achieve the desired look of your design. After this badge has been earned, you can let the girls keep one or two of the pencils to encourage them to keep on drawing.
Step 4 Become a Graphic Artist
In this part of earning the Junior Girl Scout badge, girls are going to use their imaginations to create a unique character or logo. Graphic artists typically use the computer, but for this step, the girls will use the art mediums you have given them.
Before the meeting, have the girls bring in a favorite book, CD, or product logo. They are going to take this favorite image and then make it their own, putting their own twist on it. The girls are not copying, they are inventing something new. For example, the Girl Scout logo is easily recognizable. Can one of the girls create a brand new logo?
Do they have a favorite band? They can make a new logo that would be part of an album cover. The girls can take the skills they have acquired in the last few activities and apply it to this one.
Image created by the author in Canva
Step 5-Show Off What Your Artwork
Every artist,whether it be music, dance or art,needs an audience. This last step is an easy one. At the end of a meeting, have the girls set up the room and display their artwork for parents to admire when they pick up their daughter.
Another option is for the girls to make a presentation to a younger Girl Scout troop and tell them what Junior Girl Scouts is all about.
A third option is for the girls to make a portfolio of their work to share with friends and family.
These are just a few ways to earn the Junior Girl Scout Drawing Badge. Your troop will love to earn this one!
This is great! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeletePlease do you have the PDF file o the requirements....?
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not. These are the exact steps to take for your troop to earn the badge.
Delete