Earn the Junior Camper Badge: Step by Step

Ready to trade screen time for green time? Camping is the ultimate Girl Scout tradition, and earning the Junior Camper Badge is the perfect excuse to plan an unforgettable outdoor getaway. Whether your troop consists of seasoned trailblazers or first-time campers who are a little nervous about sleeping in a tent, keeping them engaged is the key to a smooth trip. From a hilarious Camping Mad Lib for the car ride to essential step-by-step PDF skill guides, we’ve rounded up everything you need to map out the perfect camping itinerary!

Junior Camper PDF Badge Requirements

Start planning your adventure
Gain a new camping skill
Find your inner camp chef
Try a new activity
Head out on your trip—and have some nighttime fun!

➡️ Complete download provided by GirlScouts.org.

Camping Mad Lib

Get ready for some serious campfire giggles! This interactive fill-in-the-blank game is the perfect way to pass the time in the tent or pass the miles on the drive to the campsite. Have the girls call out silly words to create a wild camping adventure story they’ll want to read out loud over and over again.

➡️Download for free!
➡️ Take a look at more printable games.

Step 1: Start planning your adventure

Discover, plan trips, and reserve campsites, permits, and tour spots at thousands of federal public lands and outdoor destinations across the country.

➡️ Go to Recreation.gov

Step 2: Learn a new camping skill

Choose from 10 different camping skills:

Ropes & Knot Tying
Rolling & Packing
Outdoor Cooking
Tent Pitching
First Aid
Leave No Trace
Identifying Nature
Wildlife Watching
Compass & Map Reading
Fire Building

➡️ Get free downloads with your patch purchase.

Step 3: Find your inner camp chef

Curated by RefreshCamping.com so you can spend more time camping and less time cleaning.

➡️ Get recipes for 25 one-pot meals.
➡️ Get more camp cooking resources.

Step 4: Try a new activity

Learn about Leave No Trace and do a scavenger hunt without disturbing nature.

➡️ Get the PDF free with the patch purchase.

5. Head out on your trip—and have some nighttime fun!

From stargazing and telling spooky campfire stories to playing night games with glow sticks, adding some nighttime fun is the perfect way to wrap up an unforgettable day in the woods!

➡️ Shop for glow sticks.

Now all that’s left to do is download your checklists, pick out your one-pot meals, and head for the woods! Watching your Junior troop master a new skill like knot-tying or pitching their own tent is an incredibly proud moment for any leader. Pack your sense of adventure, remember to Leave No Trace, and enjoy every minute of the journey. Don’t forget to tag us in your troop camping photos or leave a comment below with your own go-to camping hacks!