Junior Shapes in Nature Badge Workbook

For this badge I recommend getting outside. Try to bring nature into your meeting so the girls have real-life examples of shapes in nature.

Pages 1 and 2

All about symmetry. Talk about how there are different types of symmetry. On page 2, have the girls try to figure out whether the objects and animals are examples of bilateral or radial symmetry.

Answer key:

• Ant: bilateral
• Jellyfish: radial
• Sunflower: radial
• Spiderweb: radial
• Tiger: bilateral

Page 3

Most girls have done this before, but make a simple ink blot or paint butterfly. All you need is plain paper and some paint. Have them make a shape on one side, then fold the paper in half. Talk about whether it's bilateral or radial symmetry.

You can also have them try folding the paper other ways to make more symmetrical shapes.

Pages 4 and 5

Talk about mandalas. You'll want to either prepare ahead for making a nature mandala or have access to the outdoors for your meeting.

Pages 6-9

The next few pages are about fractals and Fibonacci. A great way to supplement the information on Fibonacci is a short video about Fibonacci. Look for one that shows examples of Fibonacci in nature as well as in art, and gives some background on Fibonacci and how to identify Fibonacci numbers.