Girl ScoutsJuniorGrades 4-5

Detective

Detective school: clues, codes and a mystery

Sharpen your observation, send and decode Morse code with a light and a tap key, take your fingerprints, try detective science, and solve a mystery from the clues. Covers all five steps of the Junior Detective badge.

Time
About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 badge steps
You need
A computer, Chromebook or tablet, a pencil, tape, white paper, and a friend for the mystery. 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 CryptoLab activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the scout's own work.

A secret alphabet wired letter to letter, turning MEET ME BY THE OLD OAK into a coded message.

Badge requirements: the 5 steps

  1. 1Practice the power of observationLook closelyDetectives notice what others miss. Read each scene slowly, then answer.
  2. 2Communicate in codeCode stationMorse code sends letters as short and long signals: flashes, beeps or taps. Ships, pilots and spies have used it for over 150 years. Decode two words, then send SOS.
  3. 3Fingerprint for funTry itNo two people have the same fingerprints, not even twins. Take yours and find your pattern.
  4. 4Try out detective scienceRead and quizReal detectives use science to read evidence. Here are a few of their tools.
  5. 5Follow the clues to solve a real mystery!Solve itThe troop's trophy is missing from the shelf. Three people were nearby. Follow the clues.

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
  • CryptoLab activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the scout's own work: your observation notes, your fingerprints and your solved mystery

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

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 Detective badge?

The badge has 5 steps: 1. Practice the power of observation; 2. Communicate in code; 3. Fingerprint for fun; 4. Try out detective science; 5. Follow the clues to solve a real mystery!. 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, a pencil, tape, white paper, and a friend for the mystery. 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.