Do-It-Yourself Badge
For Junior Girl Scouts

Learning how to make repairs can save money and lead to interesting careers—as girls find out working on this badge.

The Do-It-Yourself Badge appeared in Girl Scout Badges and Signs (1990) but was not included in the Junior Girl Scout Badge Book (2001). However, the badge is still available here online, adapted for the Web.

Complete at least six out of the 10 activities.

1. What Tool Do I Use?

Visit a hardware store or someone's workshop, and learn:

• The names and proper uses of tools used to cut glass, spread putty, mend cracks in plaster, paint a room, square a corner, level a table, cut wood, or pull out a nail.
• Ways to care for and store tools safely.

2. What's in My House?

Visit a lumberyard or home supply store or talk to a building contractor or mason to find out about some of the following:

• The best types of building materials for your area.
• The kinds of exterior care needed for homes and buildings in your area.
• Different types of paint and their uses.
• Different materials used for interiors and exteriors of homes.
• Materials used to save energy.

3. Blueprints and Drawings

Learn about drawings, blueprints, or plans used to guide work on building projects. Ask a professional engineer or other adult to explain how blueprints are used to make repairs or to build a new project. Make your own building plan to redesign a room in your home.

4. Make Something From Wood

Create something out of wood that involves boring one or more holes, using nails or other types of material fasteners, and measuring and cutting wood. Try the "Make a Catch Board" activity on pages 168-169 of the Junior Girl Scout Handbook.

5. Wear a Hard Hat

Watch a building or repair project going on in your neighborhood or town. Observe the work on several different days. Find out as much as you can about what is being built and keep a record of what you see.

6. A Model Home

Build at least one model suggested in a model construction set's directions and two other models you design.

7. Out With That Spot

Talk with a home economics teacher, someone at a local hardware or home center store, or another adult to learn how to remove common household stains.

Find out how to remove stains from three of these materials:

8. Have a Seat

Choose a project that requires reupholstering, recaning, or retaping the seat of a chair. Find out what materials and tools are needed, and use them to complete the project.

9. Appliance Repair

Read the owner's manual and learn how to repair and maintain a piece of equipment or large appliance in your home.

10. Smart Consumer

Write to the Federal Citizen Information Center, Pueblo, Colorado 81009, or visit its Web site, http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov, to find out what materials and resources are available to help you with this badge. Look for information to compare different products, identify faulty equipment, and describe repair techniques.

Adapted from Girl Scout Badges and Signs © 1990 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Girl Scout badges, patches, awards, and other insignia that are earned for the accomplishment of skill-building activities or any set requirements should be presented, worn, or displayed only after Girl Scouts have completed the requirements outlined in the appropriate program materials.

All insignia are owned by Girl Scouts of the United States of America and are protected by law for use by GSUSA. None of the insignia may be copied, duplicated, or reproduced without prior express written authorization from Girl Scouts of the USA. All rights reserved.