Sparkle - DIY - 150

Objective:

Don a sparkling look through the aide of glitter.

Details:

Some of your will love this objective! Others might feel a little hesitant for a variety of reasons. Even if you’re not the glittery type, you’re encouraged to give this a try. Push yourself out of your comfort zone! Think of this as a bit of a sociological experiment.

1) Acquire body glitter. Body glitters come in a variety of shades and shapes. Search around and buy one that you like. (Or borrow some from a friend!)

2) Glitter it up! Apply the glitter anywhere you’d like, as long as it’s visible.

3) Wear the glitter for a full day. You can stay home, grocery shop, go to a party- whatever you’d like!

3) ) (Optional) Take a photo of yourself wearing the glitter and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your experience in our Facebook group. (We’d love it if you all choose to share a photo of your glitter-fied self, but if you’re not comfortable skip it.)

4) In the comments below, let us know how your day of glitter went. What sort of glitter did you wear? What did it look like? Did you stay in or go out? How did other people react (or not react) to your glitter? Did you have fun with the objective, or not enjoy it?

Sparkle - Research - 100

Objective:

Find out what gems are mined in your state.

Details:

1) Spend some time researching gemstones that are mined in your state. What stones are mined? How are they mined? Where are they mined?

This objective will help prepare you for the travel objective, should you choose to participate in it.

2) Share what you learned by posting it in the comments below.

Sparkle - Visit - 300

Objective:

Attend a gem, rock and/or mineral show.

Details:

1) Identify a gem, rock and/or show you’d like to attend. These shows are events during which enthusiasts and vendors show off all sorts of cool sparkly treasures pulled from the earth.

Often called “gem and mineral“ or “rock and mineral” shows, the title matters less than what is shown.

Make sure that your event:

-Is “Limited Time” (Meaning that it isn’t a permanent display, but rather one time or seasonal)
-Showcases gems, rocks and/or minerals

For this objective you’ll most likely have to plan this out, mark it on your calendar, and wait for your chance to complete it.

2) Attend you gem, rock and/or mineral show.

3) While at the show, identify your favorite gem, rock or mineral on display. If possible, take a photo of it!

4) Share your photo from #3, as well as a description of what you’ve photographed, on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

If you couldn’t take a photo for #3, do your best to describe what you saw without the aide of a photo.

5) In the comments below, share which (a) show did you attended and (b) one or more interesting thing(s) you observed at the show.

Sparkle - Travel - 400

Objective:

Mine a gemstone from the earth or a river.

Details:

At 400 points, this objective isn’t easy. However, we chose this objective because we think it will provide an epic experience you’ll remember for a lifetime and is worth the time and effort.

1) Identify a location where you can legally mine gemstones. Make sure you note whether there is a fee to enter, as well as what tools you might need in order to mine.

2) ROAD TRIP!!! Head out to your prospecting area and search for gems! Don’t quit until you’ve found at least one! (This is why the research in step one is important! Identifying a good area will help insure you walk away with a win.)

3) Create and share a field report!
Please make sure to mention the following in your report:

-Your research leading up to your adventure. Please include where you searched and what type of gemstone was present there.
-A description of the day (Who you were with, what was the weather like…)
-What you liked about your adventure.
-What, if anything, you found challenging about your adventure.
-Anything else you think we might find interesting!

Post your field report in the comments below.

4) Take a photo of the gemstones you mined and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

Sparkle - Literature - 300

"Author Raden does a great job choosing subjects that are both interesting and significant, from the pearl that changed Tudor history to the role of Faberge eggs in the Russian Revolution to the conquistadors’ emeralds to how cultured pearls helped Japan become a world power. Her voice is entertaining and pacing is brisk, making Stoned a quick and fascinating read."

-Jane, Warrenville Public Library

Objective:

Literature: Read Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Radan.

Details:

1) Read Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Radan.

Check out the book from you local library, buy it at your local bookstore or get it on Amazon.

Prefer listening over reading? Grab the book on Audible!

2) Write a book review and post it in the comments below. Include 3 things you learned from Radan's work. 

Sparkle - Media - 150

Objective:

Watch a "hidden gem" film suggested by a fellow scout.

Details:

According to the internet, a “hidden gem” “is an idiom which means something which is extremely outstanding and not many people may know about; for example, Blame It on Rio by Stanley Donen is a good movie, but relatively unknown by the mainstream world, hence a hidden gem.”

1) In the comments below, suggest a film you consider to be a hidden gem. Make it something you really enjoy, but that not many people have heard of. (If you’ve read this far, please do this ASAP so your fellow scouts will have plenty of options to choose from.)

2) Choose and watch a hidden gem film from the comments below.
IMPORTANT: The hidden gem should be a film you have never heard of before. That’s what makes it “hidden.”

3) Let us know what film you watched and what you thought of it in the comments below.

Stellar Micro Objective - Art - 50

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Create "Index Card Art" inspired by the provided prompt.

Details:

This micro quest is part of our ongoing series, "index card art." We chose index cards for two reasons. First, index cards are inexpensive and readily available. We don't expect that it will be difficult for any of you to procure an index card. Second, many who don't consider themselves "artists" tend to stress about creating or sharing art. Using an index card instead of a sketch book lends itself to silliness. Have fun with the prompt! We're not looking for perfection, just a good time. You can save your index cards and look back at them over time, or throw them away. The choice is up to you!

1) Gather your supplies. You'll need an index card (4x6 or 5x7) and something to draw with. (Pencil, pen, markers... you get the point!)

2) Interpret the prompt below to make your index card art.

A GALAXY OF MY OWN

3) Take a photo of your art and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your art in our Facebook group.

Stellar Micro Objective - Media - 50

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Learn how to categorize stars with Crash Course Science.

Details:

1) Watch Stars: Crash Course Astronomy from PBS in its entirety.

2) In the comments below, tell us between 1-3 things you learned from the video.

Stellar Micro Objective - Art - 50

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Make yourself a handful of mini origami stars.

Details:

1) Choose a tutorial for mini origami stars. (Sometimes called Lucky Paper Stars.) You’re looking specifically for very small, puffy stars made out of one long thin strip of paper. We used this tutorial at Quest Scouts Central and it worked well, but we know different styles of instruction work best for different types of learners. This one looks promising as well.

2) Gather your supplies! All you need are long thin strips of paper. If you order a Stellar badge, we’ll send you a few double sided strips with your order! Otherwise, it’s not too hard to cut your own strips.

3) Make your stars. We suggest you make five or more, but don’t stress about it if you make less. (This is supposed to be relaxing!) 

4) Take a photo of your star(s) and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your art in our Facebook group.

Stellar Micro Objective - Photography - 50

Quest Scouts inspires your to squeeze the most out of life while collecting real-life, physical badges. 

Objective:

Identify and share an image from the NASA Space Library.

Details:

1) Head over to the NASA Space Library.

2) Under the search bar, there are pre-checked boxes for Images, Video and Audio. For the purposes of this micro objective, we’re specifically interested in images. Uncheck the boxes for Video and Audio.

3) Choose a celestial body that is of interest to you and search for it.

4) Spend a few minutes browsing your result, and choose an image that it most interesting to you.

5) Share a link to you image, as well as the reason you chose it, in the comments below and/or in our Facebook Group.

Stellar - Games - 200

Objective:

Play a space themed game from the list provided.

Details:

1) Grab some friends and play one of the following galaxy themed games listed below.

Note: Links in green bring you to a Board Game Geek description. Clicking on each game image will bring you to Amazon.*

Race for the Galaxy. Build the best galactic civilization and win! This game contains iconography that takes some time to get used to, but once you understand the game is AMAZING.

Galaxy Trucker. You’re a space smuggler doing your best to make a (not so honest) living. Build your ship and then set out. The catch? You need to make sure your ship is strong enough to make it to its destination. This game has tons of cool pieces that make for a very tactical experience.

Alien Frontiers. Are you ready to colonize space? Compete for resources as you settle on this alien frontier.

Space Cadets: Dice Duel. A “team vs. team” dice rolling space combat game. Each member of your team has a job to do. Will you be able to work together and win?

Star Realms. This game is a 1 vs. 1 player space combat. Very fun, as well as affordable.

2) Post a photo of yourself playing the space themed game you chose on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

*We encourage you to reach out to your community before buying new games. Maybe your neighbor's brother is a gamer and would love to teach you to play Galaxy Trucker. Or, if you're lucky enough to have a Friendly Local Gaming store, they probably have a couple of these titles for you to try before you buy. However, if that's not an option, clicking on any of the game images will bring you to an Amazon page. If you use our links, Quest Scouts gets a very small kick back. (Super small, but every bit counts!) So, if you're going to buy online anyway, consider using our links!

Stellar - Art - 250

“The artist has to be a guardian
of the culture.”

-Robert Longo

Objective:

Paint an imitation of The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.

Details:

1) Spend about 20 minutes researching The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. First, watch Better Know: The Starry Night from The Art Assignment. Then, find yourself a copy of The Starry Night (whether digital or physical) and examine the painting. Note the fine details of the painting.

2) ) Gather your materials. You’ll need:

• Thick paint (Van Gogh used oil, but use acrylic or any thick paint you’d like.Definitely not water color.)
  Note: The purpose of this objective, in part, is for you to work with paint. Please don’t substitute another medium.

• Brushed (Both a thick and thin brush)

• Canvas or paper

3) Paint a recreation of The Starry Night. While of course your painting won’t end up an exact replica, and throwing in your own style is fine, we want you to do your best to paint The Starry Night close to how Van Gogh envisioned it.

If you're feeling lost, there are a bunch of great tutorials on youtube.

Note: Make sure you allocate enough time for this objective. Painting isn’t a quick activity, and we don’t want you to feel rushed and get frustrated.

4) Take a photo of your painted version of The Starry Night and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your art in our Facebook group.

Stellar - DIY - 100

Objective:

Construct a Froebel Star.

Details:

Froebel Stars are three dimensional paper starts of German origin. They’re generally thought of as Christmas decorations. Let’s make one!

1) Choose a Froebel Star tutorial you’d like to follow. This one looks promising. Or you could try a fabric star! Or, find a tutorial you like better!

2) Make your star! We hope that you’ll take this time to relax and enjoy yourself as you craft. Maybe invite a friend to create along with you.

3) Take a photo of your Froebel Star and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your experience in our Facebook group.

4) In the comments below, let us know which tutorial you used and how your star turned out.

Stellar - Research - 250

Objective:

Use a star guide to identify constellations in the night sky.

Details:

1) Acquire a star guide. A star guide is a book or chart that helps you identify stars/constellations. Do your research to find out what will work best for you, but at Quest Scouts we’ve got our eyes on this book.

2) Location, location, location! If you live in a big city, don’t try this at home! City lights pollute your ability to see the night sky. Wait until you’re in a place relatively free of light pollution to attempt this objective.

3) Spend time looking for and identifying constellations. Remember, this research objective is worth a good amount of points, so take your time and be through!

4) Report back!

Where and when did you conduct your constellation finding adventure?
What did you use as your star guide?
What constellations were you able to identify?

Stellar - Visit - 300

Objective:

Take a trip to an instrument designed to show you a view of the stars.

Details:

1) For this objective, we want you to take in a view of the stars. Identify either a planetarium or an observatory you’d like to visit.

2) Visit!

If you choose to visit a planetarium, make sure to take in a show related to space. (No laser light shows! Although those are pretty cool…)

If you choose to visit an observatory, be sure to visit when it is open to the public, and take a tour inside. You should find yourself in a situation to learn about the workings of the telescope, and may even get a chance to look through it! Make sure to ask lots of questions while you’re there.

3) While on your adventure, collect three interesting facts or observations. Report your facts/observations in the comments below.

4) Take a photo of yourself in front of the planetarium or observatory. Post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. You can also share your experiences in our Facebook group.

Stellar - Visit - 300

Objective:

Check out a piece of equipment that has previously been used in space travel.

Details:

1) Identify a location where you can view a piece of equipment that has been used in space. Do your best to make your outing as space focused as possible! If you’ve got a space museum within driving distance, PLEASE OH PLEASE go for that! We want you to have the most stellar experience possible. If you don’t have a museum dedicated to space, this objective will be a bit more tricky. In this case, find any location that will allow you to view at least one manmade artifact that has been used in space. Anything from a spaceship to an astronauts leftover dinner will work!

2) Travel to your space artifact(s).

3) Take a photo of yourself with the space artifact and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

4) In the comments below, describe your experience. Where did you go? Who did you go with? Did you have a good time? Describe the piece(s) of equipment you were able to view. What were they used for?

Stellar - Travel - 300

Objective:

Identify, travel to and view a meteorite or an impact crater.

Details:

1) An impact crater is the depression a meteorite leaves when it falls to earth. Check out this impact map to identify the nearest few exposed impact crater to you. Then, look up the sites to find out whether or not you might feasibly visit one.

Note: Please do this step even if you choose to visit a meteorite.

2) If you decide to visit an impact crater, great! Skip to number five. However, while it would be AWESOME to visit an impact site, many of you will find it difficult to get to one. Therefore, you might want to go for the next best thing…

3) (Optional) A meteorite is a meteor (full or partial) that makes it through the earth’s atmosphere. If you’d like to learn more about meteorites check out this video from The Brain Scoop. (Come on, don’t skip it! Lets LEARN something new. It’s worth your time!)

4) Identify the site of a meteorite on display that you’d like to visit.

Important Note: We’re not looking for a meteorite in a collector’s house, but rather something ON PUBLIC DISPLAY, either in a museum or other public space.

Examples include:

This meteorite display at UCLA, California

This huge guy at The Museum of Natural History in New York

The Meteorite Museum at The University of New Mexico

The World’s Largest Meteorite in Namibia

5) Visit your meteorite or impact crater! Make sure to take note of 1-3 interesting things you’ve learned about meteorites or impact craters while on your adventure.

6) Create and share a field report!
Please make sure to mention the following in your report:

-Your research leading up to your adventure. Please include which meteorite(s) are closest to you and why you could, or could not, visit it/them.
-The location of the crater or the location your meteorite was found.
-If applicable, the type and makeup of your meteorite.
-A description of the day (Who you were with, what was the weather like…)
-What you liked about your adventure.
-What, if anything, you found challenging about your adventure.
-Anything else you think we might find interesting!

Post your field report in the comments below.

7) Take a photo while at your impact site or meteorite display and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.