{"id":440010,"date":"2026-05-28T04:27:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/science-activation\/girl-scouts-event-brings-space-science-to-the-next-generation\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T04:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:27:07","slug":"girl-scouts-event-brings-space-science-to-the-next-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=440010","title":{"rendered":"Girl Scouts Event Brings Space Science to the Next Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-contain-16x9 \" style=\"--hds-image-contain-bg:#ffffff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=1440&#038;h=1920&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=1440&#038;h=1920&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A young Girl Scout stands facing away from the camera, wearing her Junior Girl Scouts vest. The back of the vest is filled with a number of colorful and intricately embroidered patches. The upper right is the PUNCH Ancient and Modern Sun Watching patch earned at this event\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: contain;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=1440&#038;h=1920&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1440w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=225&#038;h=300&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 225w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=768&#038;h=1024&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=1152&#038;h=1536&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1152w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=300&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=450&#038;h=600&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 450w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=675&#038;h=900&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 675w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/learn\/science-activation-stories\/2026\/girlscouts_spacescience.jpg?w=900&#038;h=1200&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">An example of the Ancient &#038; Modern Sun Watching patch can be seen at the top right corner of this Girl Scout\u2019s vest<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">Credit: NASA\/Nicholeen Viall-Kepko<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In early May 2026, NASA employees, contractors, and volunteers helped to bring Heliophysics to girls of all ages in a fun-filled weekend of hands-on science activities and experiments. The event took place from May 1-3 at Camp Conowingo, a Girl Scouts of Central Maryland camping property on the Susquehanna River north of Baltimore, and brought together participants from across the region.<\/p>\n<p>With support from the Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) and the outreach program from NASA\u2019s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, NASA heliophysicist Nicholeen Viall led a camping trip on which 165 Girl Scouts earned their Space Science badge and Ancient and Modern Sun-Watching patch.<\/p>\n<p>The badge and patch were earned over the course of the weekend through a series of activity stations that included hands-on examples of how scientists study the Sun, Heliosphere, Moon, planets, and stars. In particular, these creative experiments allowed attendees to learn about space weather and see firsthand how the Sun impacts our lives, which is a cornerstone of HEAT education goals.<\/p>\n<p>The activities were set up in seven stations. Girl Scout troops were split into 7 groups, plus an 8th group of high school seniors who ran the stations. Each group was named after a constellation (Ursa Major, Leo, Orion, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Cygnus, Lyra, and Canis Major).<\/p>\n<p>On the morning and afternoon of Saturday May 2, each group spent about 45 minutes per station doing activities to earn a space science badge.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Station 1 helped Girl Scouts learn about the different career possibilities available in Space Sciences and at NASA<\/li>\n<li>Station 2 gave Girl Scouts the opportunity to\u00a0 play with polarized sun glasses and try out the ultraviolet beads activity<\/li>\n<li>Station 3 involved learning more about the Sun and the PUNCH mission through key vocabulary terms and role-playing activities<\/li>\n<li>Station 4, the Solar System Walk, was a path with planet markers spaced out to scale to help campers identify all the planets in our solar system<\/li>\n<li>Station 5 demonstrated the phases of the Moon and why different constellations appear in the night sky during the year<\/li>\n<li>Station 6 taught the Girl Scouts about NASA missions; and<\/li>\n<li>Station 7 gave Girl Scouts the opportunity to practice shooting a bow and arrow, which is a tradition at Camp Conowingo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On Friday and Saturday evenings, the groups participated in a star and Moon gazing nighttime astronomy activity and were able to find Jupiter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These activities were made possible in part thanks to time contributed by members of NASA Solar System Ambassadors and the National Capitol Astronomers. Station 3 from the daytime events also had Sunspotter telescopes for the Girl Scouts to try out, which were provided by HEAT with help from team member Carolyn Ng.<\/p>\n<p>Fellow HEAT team member Laura-Ashley Alegbeleye was also onsite leading activities, where\u00a0 her expertise in classroom education really shined. Laura-Ashley attended as a representative of HEAT, which allowed her to share HEAT resources and educational content with the Girl Scout attendees at several stations, including Station 1.<\/p>\n<p>Viall describes the Space Science Career station by pointing out that the event coordinators leveraged HEAT educational materials, as well as activities designed for the Ancient and Modern Sun Watching patch by the PUNCH team, to show that even a NASA mission requires many different skill sets. \u201cIt\u2019s not just scientists and the engineers,\u201d says Viall. \u201cIt is financial analysts, it\u2019s communications people, it\u2019s good writers, it\u2019s good artists. All of these different people have to be a part of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the standout moments of the weekend was the campfire at the end of Saturday, which is a tradition for Girl Scout camping events, according to Viall. \u201cOne of the traditions of the campfire is that we all sing songs and the Girl Scouts put on skits,\u201d explains Viall. \u201cI want to say about half of the skits that the Girl Scouts made were about space, the Sun, astronauts, or about exploring Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Viall also pointed out that the event offered a chance for older girl scouts to gain mentoring experience by leading five of the seven activity stations. \u201cI went to those troops over a month ahead of the event,\u201d says Viall. \u201cI met with them and taught them the activities, sent them all the materials, and brainstormed with them about the best way to teach the younger Girl Scouts.\u201d The event taught these older Girl Scouts how to be great leaders themselves by sharing the knowledge with the younger Girl Scouts which Viall helped to impart on them. \u201cThat part was really cool, to see the older girls teaching the younger girls the [science] concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a final note, Viall points out that after the 165 Girl Scouts signed up, which was the maximum capacity of the campground, there were still three more troops who had wanted to participate. \u201cWe had so much interest that I visited an additional 30 girls at their troop meetings to do a quick Space Science\/PUNCH lesson event,\u201d says Viall.<\/p>\n<p>Girl Scouts of the USA have offered the Space Science badge series for kindergarten through twelfth grade students since 2019. The Ancient and Modern Sun-Watching patch leverages the PUNCH Public Outreach products, curated for the Girl Scout experience.Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas convened a prototype patch-earning event in 2024. Now, two years later, the Girl Scouts who participated in the Camp Conowingo event officially earned the Ancient and Modern Sun-Watching patch. Viall is the PUNCH Mission Scientist, which helped establish the connection that made the whole event possible. Together with collaborators from NASA HEAT, this event certainly helped to activate a love for science in a new generation of learners.<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 nasa_template_article_a hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a 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border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">May 27, 2026<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"article-tags\">\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/learn\" rel=\"noopener\">Science Activation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Heliophysics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Heliophysics Division<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/get-involved\/#Educators\" rel=\"noopener\">Opportunities For Educators to Get Involved<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/get-involved\/#Students\" rel=\"noopener\">Opportunities For Students to Get Involved<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In early May 2026, NASA employees, contractors, and volunteers helped to bring Heliophysics to girls of all ages in a fun-filled weekend of hands-on science activities and experiments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15766,15877,15965,15692,15693],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heliophysics","category-heliophysics-division","category-opportunities-for-educators-to-get-involved","category-opportunities-for-students-to-get-involved","category-science-activation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=440010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440011,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440010\/revisions\/440011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=440010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=440010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=440010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}