Before the meeting:

1. Contact a local historical society and ask about the availability of blueprints. Let them know that you have a group of fifth graders that would like to examine the blueprints. Make sure that blueprints are for the selected engineering discipline. Schedule a date and time to visit.
2. Contact parents and legal guardians to let them know Cub Scouts will be visiting a historical society to view blueprints. Remind them of the meeting location date and time and to bring a completed Activity Consent Form.
3. A few days prior to the visit, contact the historical society and confirm the visit.

During the meeting:

1. Gather Cub Scouts. Explain that a blueprint is a written and/or picture design of a project. Their home and school began as a blueprint. Historical societies have blueprints of buildings that were built long, long ago.
2. Ask Cub Scouts to examine the blueprint. Items to look for:
   • Title block – The title block is often found at in the bottom right corner. Typically contains the company logo and contact information, project name, site address, date drawn and approvals.
   • Grid system – Blueprints include a grid system along the horizontal and vertical edges to aid in referencing a particular spot on the drawing.
   • Legend – A legend helps with reading the blueprint. Symbols, abbreviations, notes and other practical information relevant to each drawing appear on the blueprint. A legend is the key to understanding their meanings.
   • Drawing or plan – The drawing or plan is the largest part of a blueprint. This is an illustration of a particular view, feature, or system of the project.
   • Revision block – The revision block lists any changes made to the blueprint. Will include a date, description of the change and the name of the person making the change.

After the meeting:

1. Send a thank you note to the historical society.