Life Skills

Activity Details

Time needed: 30–45 minutes

Materials needed:

• Computer, tablet, or phone with internet access (to look up pictures of the Capitol building)
• Paper for painting or drawing, if needed
• Pencils, markers, paint, or modeling clay (you can choose to draw, paint, or make a clay model)

Setup: 

You probably already know that there is a president of the United States. But did you know that the president is only one part of the government? In this country, lots of people work together to decide what rules are made and how they are followed. All of those people make up our government. When you turn 18, you can help choose them by voting in elections! 

Activity: 

In this activity, you will start to learn about the legislative branch of the United States government.

The United States government—and the government of every state—is broken into three parts, or branches. The government is divided in this way to make sure that power is shared, so no part has too much.

• The legislative branch makes laws.
• The executive branch makes sure the law is carried out. 
• The judicial branch decides what the law means if there are questions.

The legislative branch of government is called Congress. Congress is made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. This is the part of our government that makes laws. 

Congress meets in Washington, D.C., in a place called the United States Capitol. The Senate meets on one side of the building and the House of Representatives meets on the other. 

Next, have an adult help you find pictures of the Capitol. Make your own Capitol building with pencils, paint, or modeling clay. 

When you’re done, show your Capitol building to an adult and ask any questions you can think of. For example: Who are your state’s two United States senators? How many representatives does your state have? What kinds of issues are important to some of them?

Reflection

Think about what you just did:

1. What else do you want to know about how laws are made? Ask your family to help you learn more.

2. Would you want to be a member of Congress? Why or why not?

3. How can you share what you’ve learned with other girls?

Troop Leaders:  The instructions for all badge steps are available free of charge in your  Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit.

Girl Scouts at Home activities have been adapted from existing Girl Scout programming and optimized for use at home during a period of social distancing.

Adapted from Step 3 of the Democracy for Brownies badge. Purchase the badge booklet to complete all requirements and earn the badge. 
 

Made possible by a generous grant from the Citi Foundation.