Brownie Stargazer Badge What to do next…

There’s still some things to do before you gain your Stargazer badge.

These sheets should help you work out what you’ve done and what you still need to do.

To complete a Brownie Stargazer badge you must:

1- With an adult you know, go outside when it is dark and do the following:

Look at the stars

Point out the Plough and use it to find the North Star

Point out two other constellations Look at the stars through a telescope or binoculars. Know what are good conditions for stargazing

2- Tell other Brownies the stories behind the two constellations you pointed out in activity 1

3- Visit a planetarium, observatory, museum or website with an astronomy section. Tell the tester four things you found out.

4- Make a mobile or draw a picture to show the phases of our Moon

5- Name the planets in our Solar System. Find out some facts about four of them and use this to make a game or puzzle for other Brownies.

6- Explain why sailors in ancient times needed to know about the stars.

Activity 1 - With an adult you know, go outside when it is dark and do the following:

Look at the stars;

Point out the Plough and use it to find the North Star;

Point out two other constellations;

Look at the stars through a telescope or binoculars;

Know what are good conditions for stargazing.

You will have: Found the Plough in our planetarium (and know how to use the pointer stars to find the North Star. You will have seen the constellations of Cassiopeia (the queen), the Great Bear and the Little Bear.

You will understand that to see the stars it needs to be dark and not cloudy. You get a better view if you are away from city lights.

You will also need to: Go outside and point out the stars that you have learnt to an adult you know. You should also use a telescope or binoculars to look at the stars. A tripod is often useful to keep binoculars steady and help give you a better view. Try looking at the planets and the moon too.

Activity 2 – Tell other Brownies the stories behind the two constellations you pointed out in Activity 1

You will have: Listened to the stories of the constellations of Cassiopeia (the queen), the Great Bear and the Little Bear. You will have written the stories down on your ‘constellation stories’ sheet so that you don’t forget them.

You will need to: Tell your fellow Brownies these stories. Tips on storytelling for Brownies:

Keeping your stories short and simple makes it easier for other Brownies to listen.

The Greek legends are full of complicated names. This can be confusing so introduce only the important ones, explaining who they are. Try to use the names regularly so people get used to them.

Use descriptive words to make it a more interesting story.

Know the story well and tell it in your own words rather than reading something out. It feels more natural and you can look at your audience, rather than the page.

Having props or pictures can help you, but you don’t need to have them to tell a good story - enjoy yourself and have fun!

Activity 3 – Visit a planetarium, observatory, museum or website with an astronomy section. Tell the tester four things you found out.

You will have: Visited our planetarium and taken part in our workshop activities.

You will need to: Tell your tester four things you found out.

Suggestions for things to talk about: Talk about the planets or the differences between planets and stars. Why is our Earth special? Talk about the phases of the moon and how it reflects its day light; about constellations and the Milky Way. You could talk about why the North Star is important, and how it was used for navigation. Activity 4 - Make a mobile or draw a picture to show the phases of our moon

You will have: Made a flick book showing the phases of the Moon. Heard about the phases of the Moon in the planetarium.

Activity 5 - Name the planets in our Solar System. Find out some facts about four of them and use this to make a game or puzzle for other Brownies.

You will have: Been introduced to the Solar System in our planetarium. You may have learnt some facts about Mars and Saturn through the quizzes.

You will need to: Make a puzzle for other Brownies. Tips on making games and puzzles for Brownies:

It is easy to forget that not everyone knows as much about space as you do. Keep a puzzle or game simple and aim for it to take only a few minutes. This is fun, not homework!

Think about how much the other Brownies might know. Word searches and dot-to-dot pictures mean that the Brownie doing the puzzle doesn’t need to know anything about the subject, whilst with quiz questions they need them to know something first. You could try making a crossword where the clues are jumbled up words: Which planet is P J E I R T U?

Activity 6 - Explain why sailors needed to know about the stars.

You will have: Found out that the North star (Polaris) is an ordinary star in an interesting position. Because it is above the North pole it remains in the same place as the other stars all appear to move around it. The nearest horizon is North, sailors and other travellers used this star to navigate. You will have found the North Star on a star map.

You will need to: Explain this to your tester.