Family Living Skills Badge
For Junior Girl Scouts

Girls have fun with their family and learn more about other families by doing activities for this badge.

The Family Living Skills 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. Family Fun Jar

Read about families in the "Family and Friends" chapter of the Junior Girl Scout Handbook, and try the "Family Fun Jar" activity.

2. Sitcom Families

Compare families shown on television and in movies to families you know. How are media families similar to, and different from, ones you know? Create a description for a new family sitcom. Why would your show be popular?

3. Family 3001

Make up a skit, short story, cartoon, or display showing what family life could be like in the future. What would change the most?

4. What's a Family?

Ask several people, including women and men of different ages, girls and boys your own age, and people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds how they would define a family. Record their definitions on tape or in writing. Think of a way to chart or list your results.

5. Monday Is Wash Day, Tuesday Is…

Interview one or more of the oldest members of your family or of your community. Find out:

• What labor-saving household techniques and products have been invented since they were young.
• How changes in housekeeping have made a difference in family life.

Share your discoveries with others.

6. Fair Chores

What are the household tasks that need to be done in your home? Read the "Family Rules" section in the "Family and Friends" chapter of the Junior Girl Scout Handbook. Hold a family meeting to talk about each person's responsibilities and activities outside the home and about ways everyone can share the work.

7. Lend a Hand at Home

For at least two weeks, in addition to your regular household activities, do one of the following tasks in your home or in the home of someone you know who could use your help: shopping, preparing meals, laundry, gardening, light cleaning. Ask an adult to keep track of how well you do the tasks.

8. Price-Wise

Discuss with your family a typical household purchase, such as an appliance, a piece of furniture, or a repair that could cost a lot of money. Do some detective work. Help look for advertisements and compare prices. Share what you've discovered with other family members.

9. Freshen Your Space

Make, repair, paint, or refinish an object that will make your home nicer. Use a method you have never tried before. Compare the cost of doing the job yourself with having it done by someone else or buying a new object.

10. A Very Important Job

What is a parent? What are a parent's responsibilities? Interview several parents. Ask them how their lives changed when they had children. Be sure to include questions on the best and the hardest parts of being a parent.

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

Note: Participation patches must be worn on the back of the uniform only.

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.