How computers talk

Read the 1s and 0s computers use, send messages across a pretend internet to get an address, look up a website and load the page, invent a protocol of your own, and learn how malware sneaks in. Covers all five steps of the Junior Cybersecurity 1: Basics badge.

Time: About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps: 5 badge steps, 2 with a pretend network to try on the page
You need: A computer, Chromebook or tablet, and a friend to try your protocol with. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one scout: every step, the Network Simulator activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the scout's own work.

Badge requirements: the 5 steps

1Find out how computers read informationRead and quizEverything a computer does, from games to videos, is made of just two things: on and off.
2Discover how networks workTry it hereA network is computers joined together so they can send each other messages. The internet is millions of networks joined together. Get your computer onto the small network below.
3Find out what protocols are and create oneRead, quiz and inventA protocol is a set of rules everyone agrees on so they can understand each other.
4Explore computer communication protocolTry it hereWhen you type a website name, two protocols work before the page appears. Watch them on the network below: DNS finds the number, then HTTP fetches the page.
5Find out what malware isInvestigateMalware is software made to cause harm. It usually gets in because someone is tricked into letting it in.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One scout

Unlock the kit, $5

All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
Network Simulator activities that check the work as it is done
A numbered certificate with a page of the scout's own work: your binary, your protocol and your notes

Have a discount code?

Leaders: unlock it for the whole troop

One payment and one code. Each scout types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What are the requirements for the Girl Scout Junior Cybersecurity 1: Basics badge?

The badge has 5 steps: 1. Find out how computers read information; 2. Discover how networks work; 3. Find out what protocols are and create one; 4. Explore computer communication protocol; 5. Find out what malware is. This kit covers all 5, with activities that check the work as it is done.

Is there a printable version?

Yes. Once unlocked, the whole lesson prints, one step at a time, for a meeting or a table. Printing is optional: every step also works on screen, and a sample certificate PDF is on this page.

What does a scout need?

A computer, Chromebook or tablet, and a friend to try your protocol with. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed. About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings.

Can a troop leader get it for the whole troop?

Yes. A troop pack is one payment and one code: up to 12 scouts for $20, or up to 30 scouts for $35. Each scout types the code on their own computer and gets their own certificate, and the leader's pack page shows who has started and finished.

Is this an official Girl Scouts product?

No. MYTEK Lab makes the kit, and Girl Scouts badge names and steps are used with permission of Girl Scouts of the USA. The troop leader awards the badge; the certificate shows the scout did the work, with a number the leader can check.

All badge kits · Find kits and certificates you bought

Girl Scouts badge names and steps are used with permission of Girl Scouts of the USA. This kit is made by MYTEK Lab; the badge is awarded by the troop.