Cub Scouts Can Code – Part 2

Scouts have multiple options for completing part 2 of this award. Scouts may either complete one adventure from the following list for your current rank OR complete option A or B below. Discuss with your counselor what kind of science, technology, engineering, and math was used in the adventure or option.

Rank Specific Adventure Option:

Wolf Cub Scouts: Code of the Wolf

Bear Cub Scouts: Robotics

Webelos Scouts: Game Design

Option A:

Do all of the following. (a) Define what a computer is and research how computers have changed over time. (b) Create a timeline of important dates and include images to show the different computer designs. (c) Talk to your parent, counselor, or other adult about the changes they have seen in computers over their lifetime. (d) Record at least 10 devices in your home that use some kind of computer to operate.

Option A Resources:

• Video Early Computing: Crash Course Computer Science #1
• Video History of Computers – A Timeline
• Video History of Computers – A Timeline (Part 2)

Option B:

Do all of the following. (a) Research what binary code is, and how computers use it to store information. Find out what an ASCII table is. (b) Write a message to another Scout, your parent, or your counselor in binary code. See if they can decode it. (c) Create a set of binary cards. Take 5 notecards and write a zero on one side of each. Then on the other side write one of the following numbers along with dots of that number: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. (d) Line the cards up in number order with 16 on the far leftand 1 on the far right. Turn them over so that zeros are facing up. So 0 = 00000 in 5-bit binary. (e) Now show how to represent the numbers 1-31 by flipping the correct combination of cards that produce the correct number of dots. Convert each number into a 5-bit binary code by using a zero for each 0 card and a 1 for each dotted card in order. HINT: 20 = 10100

Option B Resources: