Scientist Activity Badge

Our partner Rolls Royce has produced activity sheets to support the Cub Scientist Activity Badge.

Minor updates were made to the wording of these badge requirements on 26 January 2018, to make the flexibility clearer.

How to earn your badge

Do six science activities. You should choose at least one from each of these sections. 

For each one, explain or show your leader what you did and what you found out.

Section 1: reactions

• Show how vinegar reacts with different items and explain what happens. The different items could be steel wool, sodium bicarbonate or old dirty coins.
• Find out what happens when you add salt to water.
• Compare the density of water to the density of other liquids. Show how these liquids react to each other.
• Make a pH indicator solution. Use it to test the acidity or alkalinity of other liquids.
• Grow crystals.
• Another activity agreed with your leader

Section 2: interacting with energy

• Create a basic electrical circuit that includes a switch. Show how it could be used to control a lightbulb powered by a battery.
• Make an air-powered balloon rocket or a water rocket. Investigate ways of improving how far it can travel.
• Make a simple compass. Show the effects of metallic and magnetic materials upon it.
• Use marshmallows and spaghetti to build the strongest tower you can. Explain how you improved your design.
• Find a way to show that hot air rises.
• Another activity agreed with your leader

• Set up a wormery or ant colony. Record what happens over three or four weeks
• Investigate what happens to your pulse rate before, during and after exercise.
• Grow cress, beans, peas or a similar plant. Investigate what happens when the plant has no access to light. What happens when it has light,
  but no water?
• Find a way to show that plants take water up through their stems.
• Make some yoghurt and find out how living organisms are involved in
  the process.
• Another activity agreed with your leader
  

Previous badge requirements

These requirements will be discontinued on 31 January 2019.

How to earn your badge

Do six activities. You should choose at least one from each of these sections.

For each one, explain or show to a leader what you did and what you found out.

Section 1: reactions

• Show how vinegar reacts with different items and explain what happens. The different items could be steel wool, sodium bicarbonate or old dirty coins.
• Find out what happens when you add salt to water.
• Compare the density of water to the density of other liquids. Show how these liquids react to each other.
• Make a pH indicator solution. Use it to test the acidity or alkalinity of other liquids.
• Grow crystals.

Section 2: interacting with energy

• Create a basic electrical circuit which includes a switch. Show how it could be used to control a lightbulb powered by a battery.
• Make an air powered balloon rocket or a water rocket. Investigate ways of improving how far it can travel.
• Make a simple compass. Show the effects of metallic and magnetic materials upon it.
• Use marshmallows  and spaghetti to build the strongest tower you can. Explain how you have improved your design.
• Find a way to show that hot air rises.

Section 3: living things

• Set up a wormery or ant colony. Record what happens over three or four weeks
• Investigate what happens to your pulse rate before, during and after
  exercise.
• Grow cress, beans, peas or a similar plant. Investigate what happens when the plant has no access to light. What happens when it has light,
  but no water?
• Find a way to show that plants take water up through their stems.
• Make some yoghurt and find out how living organisms are involved in
  the process.

It’s fine if you’d like to do a different experiment which fits under one of the categories. Just get agreement from your leader.

Flexibility

Each young person who participates in the Programme, including badges and awards, should face a similar degree of challenge, and requirements can be adapted according to each young person’s abilities.  For more information and practical tips see our guidance on flexibility