Midway through Sweet Briar College's Brownie Science Try-It Day, the clouds outside made good on their promise of snow and sleet.

Inside Prothro Hall's Josey Dining Room, precipitation was on the minds of 89 Brownie Girl Scouts, who were elbow deep in hands-on water- and conservation-themed science activities for Sweet Briar's fifth Try-It Day. The girls from nine troops in Amherst and Bedford counties, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg braved the wintry threats on Saturday, Jan. 29 to work on up to five Try-It badges.

Projects ranged from demonstrating how vegetation prevents soil erosion to cloud art - an exercise in identifying cloud types and the weather they are associated with. Volunteer students and faculty from Sweet Briar and Randolph-Macon Woman's College as well as older Girl Scouts led the activities.

Try-It Day was co-sponsored by Lanthanum Chapter of Iota Sigma Pi, a national honor society for women in chemistry, and the SBC student affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society.



Brownie Baylee Lipscomb is all ears during a break in the action at the "Going, Going, Gone" activity table. The project, part of the "Earth is Home" Try-It badge, demonstrates water erosion and erosion prevention.



A volunteer student from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Junior Girl Scout Aid Aliyah Cabell demonstrate the "Balloon Rocket," one of several activities required to complete the "Movers" badge.



Brownie Emily Roberts (left) inspects a plastic soft drink bottle for the recycling code imprinted on the bottom. She and Lexi Sale (right) are learning to sort recyclable materials by code. Caroline Hall and Beth Woerner, Cadette Girl Scouts from troop 222, led the activity.