Modular Design

Cub Scouts · Adventure, Elective

Modular Design is about building big things from small pieces that fit together. You'll invent your own model, write instructions for it, and see if someone else can build it. Then you'll rebuild the pieces into something totally new.

Why it's worth it

The International Space Station, shipping containers, and even some houses are built from modules: parts that fit together in many ways. In this adventure you'll invent your own model, write instructions clear enough for someone else to follow, and then rebuild the same pieces into something totally new. That's how real designers and engineers think.

Start this week

Find three things at home or school that are made from repeating parts, like a bookshelf or building bricks.
Dump out a box of building bricks or blocks and build anything you like, no instructions allowed.
Ask your adult if you can take photos of your model as you build it.

Requirements · 6

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

Requirement 1
Learn what modular design is and name three things built using it
Tip: Look for things built from repeating parts, like building bricks, shipping containers, or bookshelves.
For example: Three things built with modular design: the International Space Station, made of modules launched separately and joined in space; cargo ships carrying stacked shipping containers; and office cubicles that can be rearranged.
Requirement 2
Build a model from modular building pieces without any instructions
Tip: Use building bricks or blocks and make anything you imagine, no instructions allowed.
Requirement 3
Write step-by-step instructions for building the model you made in requirement 2
Tip: Write each step clearly. Drawings or photos of each stage can really help.
For example: Write each step with a number and a picture: "Step 1: Put two long red bricks side by side. Step 2: Stack a blue square on each end." Count the pieces you need at the top.
Requirement 4
Have someone build your model by following your instructions
Tip: Give your instructions to a friend or parent and watch quietly. Note where they get confused.
For example: Give your instructions to a family member and stay quiet while they build. Note every place they get stuck, then fix those steps. That's called testing, and engineers do it all the time.
Requirement 5
Use the same modular pieces from requirement 2 to build a different model
Tip: Take your model apart and use the same pieces to make something new.
For example: If your first model was a car, use the very same pieces to build a robot, a bridge, or a house. Notice which pieces are most useful in both.
Requirement 6
With permission from a parent or legal guardian, watch a video showing something being built with modular design
Tip: With a parent's okay, watch a video about modular homes, bridges, or space stations.

Talk about it together

What was harder than you expected about writing instructions?
Where did your tester get confused, and how did you fix it?
Which of your two models do you like better, and why?
What's something big you'd like to see built from modules?

Helpful reads

Cub Scouts: a guide for families, How Cub Scout ranks and adventures work from kindergarten through fifth grade, what an adult partner does, and how to keep it fun at meetings and at home., Families · Leaders · 4 min read

For leaders & parents

Give each scout the same set of pieces to make the instructions swap fair and fun.
Talk about how unclear instructions are a chance to improve, not a failure.

People & places that can help

Public library — Many libraries have building brick clubs and maker spaces.
NASA (opens in a new tab) — See how the space station was built from modules.
International Space Station (opens in a new tab) — How NASA and its partners built the station one module at a time.
NASA Space Place (opens in a new tab) — Kid-friendly science and engineering activities from NASA.

Webelos, Rank · 7 requirements

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.