The Playing the Past badge focuses on exploring a different time period, learning about what girls did in that time, and having fun! There is a wide variety of time periods to choose from and often historical locations offer this badge as a program.
My troop decided to celebrate the 70s with this badge which made for a fun environment, lots of material to work with, and some groovy activities.
Below is a list of activities to meet the requirements for the Playing the Past badge. Also, you can find ideas for more Junior and Brownie badges here.
Set the Vibe
You can make your troop meeting groovy with a few simple touches:
- Play some 70s music: spotify has many playlists available, whether you want 70s rock, disco, pop, or a variety!
- Add a disco ball: we had several disco lights that we set up in the space to make it a fun, party atmosphere
- Dress the part: we encouraged the girls to wear tie dye, bell bottoms (which are back in style somehow!), peasant tops, and peace signs
Can You Dig It? (70s Slang)
Every kid loves to think adults don’t know their slang and the girls in my troop are no different. The 70s has some cool slang that is still used today (although by adults generally) so we first talked about some current slang terms the girls use at school, and then I gave them a 70s slang term and they guessed the meaning. I was surprised there were so many they didn’t know and they had fun guessing.
- See ya on the flipside – see ya later
- What’s the skinny? – give me the details, spill the tea
- Groovy or radical – something is cool
- Jive turkey – someone who tries unsuccessfully to be cool
- Space cadet – airhead or goofy person
- Gimme some skin – low hive (high five down low)
- Book it – run away quickly
- Can you dig it? – do you understand/agree
- Mind your potatoes – mind your own business
Did It Exist in the 70s?
There are many things the girl uses every day that weren’t around in the 1970s – cell phones, tablets, and the internet to name a few – so I made a game to get them to think about what might not have been around then.
I printed out papers with different inventions, places, toys, and discoveries listed and the girls guessed whether it already existed in the 1970s, was invented in that decade, or was not invented until after the 1970s. Then after everyone voted we revealed the answers and talked about how old some of the things really were!
Download a pdf below of the pages I used with pictures or use the list below to make your own:
- McDonald’s Restaurants – already existed! Opened in 1955
- Knowing DNA is unique – did not exist! Wasn’t discovered until 1984
- Barbies – already existed! First released in 1959
- Scanning UPC barcodes – invented! First use was in 1974 actually!
- Super Soakers – did not exist! Invented in 1990
- Playing music on CD’s – did not exist! Invented in 1982
- Legos – already existed! Bricks were sold starting in 1949
- Rubiks Cubes – invented! Invented in 1975
- Transformers – did not exist! Invented in 1984
- Visiting Walt Disney World – opened! Opened in 1971
- Microwave Oven – already existed! Available for home use in 1967
Mood Rings – Real or Fake?
For this badge, we also asked the girls to choose some of the activities we’d complete in the meeting. The girls voted to do a science experiment with mood rings.
I purchased these mood rings for the girls to take home – take home items are always a hit! Then, I created the science experiment (pdf download below) to test if the ring matches the mood.
I added a second experiment that tested if the mood ring would change if you artificially warmed or cooled your hands. We ran out of time to complete this experiment but the girls took the papers home with their rings. This could also be a fun idea for a science fair project in elementary school!
Hippie Headbands… or Bracelets
The final activity of our Playing the Past badge was to make hippie headbands – braided leather cords.
My troop enjoys crafts that involve weaving or braiding, so I was confident they would like this activity. First they chose three strips of leather cord, and then braided them together. When it was complete, they could tie it around their head like a headband, in their ponytail, or around their wrist like a bracelet.
I purchased a set of leather cord in a variety of colors. I cut the strips into fifths – approximately 1 meter long sections.
