I love that my scouts want to try and so everything. I'm the same way, I wish I could do and try everything, but with limited amounts of time and resources, we have to pace ourselves. During our end of the year planning meeting last year, I felt like the girls wanted to try and do two years worth of programming in a year!
Last week we worked on the My Best Self and Snacks badge, which lead us right into the start of week's badge, My Great Day. Before we did our sit down activity, we played a little game. I call it the human blob. The girls stand in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder, and put their arms around each other. Without letting go or breaking the circle, they have to work together to walk across a predetermined patch. It sounds simple and easy, but it's really quite complicated! The whole point of the exercise it to teach them about good communication skills and basic leadership concepts. Yes, in scouting we are teaching our girls to be the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, this exercise, in essence, allows them to hone in on specific leadership and communication skills. It took them a while to get the hang of it, but eventually they seemed to get it. I know we'll do this exercise again in the future as it's such a great learning tool!
After our little game, we sat and asked, what's your routine like? I used my daily schedule as an example- get up with my daughter, get her on the bus, accomplish a slew of things around the house, errands, filling orders for my Etsy shop (if I had any that day), get my daughter off the bus, help her with homework, then some rest time (hahaa!), cook dinner, clean up from dinner, get my daughter in bed, and then, maybe, some TV or a book before bed. We all have some sort of a routine, so the girls were asked to put it onto paper. Even at school they have a routine. Putting it on paper gave them all a chance to realize that they do have some form of a routine and how important it is in their daily lives.
We're going to be finishing up this badge later on, but to end the meeting, we gave the girls some materials to take home (thank you back to school clearance and coupons that stocked up our troop for pennies!). Each girl was given two, large pieces of construction paper and a box of crayons. We explained to them what a family tree was. They were asked to make a family tree and go at least as far back as their great grandparents. They will then have to bring this back for our next meeting when we will then work on the badge My Family Story.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Brownies, year 1, meeting 2
This whole being pregnant and being a leader thing is NOT easy. I laid down last night around 8 to read a book, thinking I could get in a few chapters. Instead, my husband woke me up at 9:45 to tell me to put away the Kindle safely. My troop wore me out! And, I completely forgot a few things we needed for the meeting. For example, I forgot the list of how to earn Brownie Bucks and the new food pyramid (luckily I had a "back up" I could use in the badge pamphlet).
The start of our meeting today, we wrapped up the requirements for the badge Making New Friends (which we started last week). After that, we began work on the Healthy Habits badge. We normally have snack time at the end of the meeting, but as a change today, we did snack time first since it had a hidden agenda there. I purposely signed my daughter up for snacks this week to make sure we would have a good, healthy and teachable snack. Ok, I know, many people hear healthy and automatically think something that tastes like cardboard. The chef in me says shame on you! It is very possible to have tasty, yet healthy foods. To simplify it for the girls, our snack was 100% fruit juice (no junk added) and "natural" granola bars (meaning no processed sugars in them- the ones I bought have honey, dried fruit, some nuts and oats in them and are very yummy!). We also got a chance to learn about a balance meal, the food groups and other healthy eating habits.
Our next activity was very fun, and a little bit silly. We had each girl come up one at a time and we asked them each where a specific organ in their body was. Some we knew they wouldn't know (for example, where is your large intestine, or where is your esophagus). Once we had asked all of our girls where these organs were, we then asked them about some common pains they have felt before. We related it back to those body parts, and what to do if it hurt. Of course there was that old mom saying- if your stomach hurts, try pooping first. Yeah, we went there, but we know it holds true so often!
In the end, we covered good hygiene practices, how long we should be sleeping at night and a few other things along those lines. Our hopes was that they would keep all of this in mind until our next meeting, but the next badge we would be working on worked into this one as well (which all of these will work into our upcoming journey sleepover).
The start of our meeting today, we wrapped up the requirements for the badge Making New Friends (which we started last week). After that, we began work on the Healthy Habits badge. We normally have snack time at the end of the meeting, but as a change today, we did snack time first since it had a hidden agenda there. I purposely signed my daughter up for snacks this week to make sure we would have a good, healthy and teachable snack. Ok, I know, many people hear healthy and automatically think something that tastes like cardboard. The chef in me says shame on you! It is very possible to have tasty, yet healthy foods. To simplify it for the girls, our snack was 100% fruit juice (no junk added) and "natural" granola bars (meaning no processed sugars in them- the ones I bought have honey, dried fruit, some nuts and oats in them and are very yummy!). We also got a chance to learn about a balance meal, the food groups and other healthy eating habits.
Our next activity was very fun, and a little bit silly. We had each girl come up one at a time and we asked them each where a specific organ in their body was. Some we knew they wouldn't know (for example, where is your large intestine, or where is your esophagus). Once we had asked all of our girls where these organs were, we then asked them about some common pains they have felt before. We related it back to those body parts, and what to do if it hurt. Of course there was that old mom saying- if your stomach hurts, try pooping first. Yeah, we went there, but we know it holds true so often!
In the end, we covered good hygiene practices, how long we should be sleeping at night and a few other things along those lines. Our hopes was that they would keep all of this in mind until our next meeting, but the next badge we would be working on worked into this one as well (which all of these will work into our upcoming journey sleepover).
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Brownies, year 1, meeting 1
You'll have to excuse me for a moment while I turn into a Mom here for just a moment..... my little girl is a Brownie this year!!! Yes, I had already seen her in her Brownie vest back in May at our investiture, but it didn't really hit me until today. On top of that, I have some exciting news- we recently found that I am having another Girl Scout! I know my awesome membership representative is silently thinking something along the lines of oooo yay, a new member, more numbers for us! Let's face it, girlie #2 will be in Girl Scouts one day just like her big sister and mom!
So, new year, "new" troop. Sadly, we had one girl move out of state, and another had to transfer to another troop that met at a different time. However, we did gain two scouts from a troop that disbanded, and two completely new scouts. I had no doubt in my mind that our four new scouts would fit with our special group of girls (they fit in perfectly- you would have never known they were new!). Like all first meetings of the year, it took us a while to get back in the habit, but once we got started, the girls were quick to remember.
Our first order of business after our openings- a new kaper chart! We all loved our Daisy kaper chart, but it was obviously a kaper chart for Daisies, with Daisy kapers. We're Brownies now, so we need a Brownie kaper chart! We all know that we all need to help clean up and set up, so those we did not list specifically. We also are no longer in need of one person each to pick out a song, a grace, lead us in the pledge, promise and law, and start the friendship squeeze. Instead, we have someone to lead our opening, and someone to lead our closing. We still have our snack person, but no specific snack helper. Also listed on our new kaper chart is pet rock duty and elf shop duty (more on those two later). We also have a "general" spot for helpers, and one blank spot. The girls haven't decided yet what to list as their last kaper, but hopefully they will decide soon.
Well, what do you do when you have new scouts in your troop, and not everyone knows each other? You go grocery shopping! Ok, you don't actually go to the grocery store, but you do get to play a fun game. The premise is that as you go around the circle introducing yourself, you then have to say, "and I am buying _____ at the grocery store." The item you are buying has to start with the same first letter as your name. For example, when it was my turn, I said, "hi, I'm Lindsay, and when I go to the grocery store, I am going to buy some limes." Here's the hitch- you also have to list what everyone before you is buying, and their names. So if you're last to go, you need to pay close attention! It's a fun game, and a great way to learn new peoples names.
Ok, back to that kaper, elf shop duty. Back in May when we had our planning day, the girls found the Brownie Elf paper doll at the back of the guide book. They asked that we find something to do with it this year. I told them I would come up with something, and that I did! After I flipped past the Elf and another page of clothes, I found a few pages of items with prices on it, and a few pages of pretend money. Oh, and more thing, the girls voted to do the money manager badge at our planning meeting. After some copies were made, a quick shopping trip to the back to school section at Target, so came the Elf Shop. All of the girls were given a Brownie Elf, the Brownie uniform, a pouch to store them in, and were started out with 17 Brownie Bucks (what we're calling the pretend money). Then we had a discussion about needs vs. wants, and things that the girls would need to "provide" their elves with. For example, even though it's still blazing hot here, it will get cold eventually, so they'll need to buy a sweater, warms socks, or a hat for their elf. We then got on to food, and our elves need to eat just like us. However, we need to feed our elves good, healthy good before they eat "junk" food. The Brownie Guide book provided us with the perfect example- Girl Scout cookies and broccoli. We need broccoli, but want the cookies (unless it's Girl Scout cookie season, at which point it's ok to tell our customer that they need the cookies). We also touched on how the girls would earn Brownie Bucks, but said we would go over that in detail at our next meeting.
Next order of business, the pet rock. Yes, I know at first glance this may sound cheesy, but it actually is one of those "bigger picture" sort of things. That's about all I'm going to say because it's also one of those secretive things we like to do in my troop. Don't worry, it's really, really cool!
Well, that was our first meeting! It went really well, and, we actually finished ON TIME! Shocker, right?!
One more thing- Zumba! The weekend following our first meeting, we got to participate in a special Zumba class that was put together just for our Service Unit. One of the local Zumba instructors is certified to teach Zumba to kids, and she did an amazing job. The girls had a blast, and I hope we get to do it again!
So, new year, "new" troop. Sadly, we had one girl move out of state, and another had to transfer to another troop that met at a different time. However, we did gain two scouts from a troop that disbanded, and two completely new scouts. I had no doubt in my mind that our four new scouts would fit with our special group of girls (they fit in perfectly- you would have never known they were new!). Like all first meetings of the year, it took us a while to get back in the habit, but once we got started, the girls were quick to remember.
Our first order of business after our openings- a new kaper chart! We all loved our Daisy kaper chart, but it was obviously a kaper chart for Daisies, with Daisy kapers. We're Brownies now, so we need a Brownie kaper chart! We all know that we all need to help clean up and set up, so those we did not list specifically. We also are no longer in need of one person each to pick out a song, a grace, lead us in the pledge, promise and law, and start the friendship squeeze. Instead, we have someone to lead our opening, and someone to lead our closing. We still have our snack person, but no specific snack helper. Also listed on our new kaper chart is pet rock duty and elf shop duty (more on those two later). We also have a "general" spot for helpers, and one blank spot. The girls haven't decided yet what to list as their last kaper, but hopefully they will decide soon.
Well, what do you do when you have new scouts in your troop, and not everyone knows each other? You go grocery shopping! Ok, you don't actually go to the grocery store, but you do get to play a fun game. The premise is that as you go around the circle introducing yourself, you then have to say, "and I am buying _____ at the grocery store." The item you are buying has to start with the same first letter as your name. For example, when it was my turn, I said, "hi, I'm Lindsay, and when I go to the grocery store, I am going to buy some limes." Here's the hitch- you also have to list what everyone before you is buying, and their names. So if you're last to go, you need to pay close attention! It's a fun game, and a great way to learn new peoples names.
Ok, back to that kaper, elf shop duty. Back in May when we had our planning day, the girls found the Brownie Elf paper doll at the back of the guide book. They asked that we find something to do with it this year. I told them I would come up with something, and that I did! After I flipped past the Elf and another page of clothes, I found a few pages of items with prices on it, and a few pages of pretend money. Oh, and more thing, the girls voted to do the money manager badge at our planning meeting. After some copies were made, a quick shopping trip to the back to school section at Target, so came the Elf Shop. All of the girls were given a Brownie Elf, the Brownie uniform, a pouch to store them in, and were started out with 17 Brownie Bucks (what we're calling the pretend money). Then we had a discussion about needs vs. wants, and things that the girls would need to "provide" their elves with. For example, even though it's still blazing hot here, it will get cold eventually, so they'll need to buy a sweater, warms socks, or a hat for their elf. We then got on to food, and our elves need to eat just like us. However, we need to feed our elves good, healthy good before they eat "junk" food. The Brownie Guide book provided us with the perfect example- Girl Scout cookies and broccoli. We need broccoli, but want the cookies (unless it's Girl Scout cookie season, at which point it's ok to tell our customer that they need the cookies). We also touched on how the girls would earn Brownie Bucks, but said we would go over that in detail at our next meeting.
Next order of business, the pet rock. Yes, I know at first glance this may sound cheesy, but it actually is one of those "bigger picture" sort of things. That's about all I'm going to say because it's also one of those secretive things we like to do in my troop. Don't worry, it's really, really cool!
Well, that was our first meeting! It went really well, and, we actually finished ON TIME! Shocker, right?!
One more thing- Zumba! The weekend following our first meeting, we got to participate in a special Zumba class that was put together just for our Service Unit. One of the local Zumba instructors is certified to teach Zumba to kids, and she did an amazing job. The girls had a blast, and I hope we get to do it again!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
How to do a journey in a day!
Confession time- when I have blonde moments, they are pretty massive (and usually a tad embarrassing). I will be the first to preach about how much I love Google Drive, yet this blondie forgot to use it for you all!
So, with that being said, I finally uploaded some files that many of you have emailed me about (please, keep emailing away! I love helping you and your girls out!).
First file, my original plans from our Daisy-Brownie sleepover (not included were the pages we read during the sleepover)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2L6gPq7RdP1b0F0X2M4aTY1LVE/edit?usp=sharing
Not listed- I took the Brownies and the Daisy and split them up in to two patrols each (so four patrols total), and we told them that once they transplant their take action, to please rinse and recycle their plastic bottles.
Second file, a little how-to guide that you may find useful
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2L6gPq7RdP1X0QxWkVVZEJiNEE/edit?usp=sharing
Not listed- sample kaper chart (for those who don't know what a kaper chart is, it's like assigned "chores" during GS events. We used in ours things like help set up for breakfast, clean up after snack, clean bathrooms, mop).
In addition, check what resources your council may have. For example, I found on my council's website a handy form that can help you budget for any event and a helpful checklist to help you keep track of needs (mainly GS required things, ie: adult to girl ratio, extra insurance for specific activities, and more). And of course, Google! I'm not the only leader blogging out there. So many other awesome leaders have shared their own resources with us (that's what Girl Scouting is all about, sharing!).
Hope that helps!
So, with that being said, I finally uploaded some files that many of you have emailed me about (please, keep emailing away! I love helping you and your girls out!).
First file, my original plans from our Daisy-Brownie sleepover (not included were the pages we read during the sleepover)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2L6gPq7RdP1b0F0X2M4aTY1LVE/edit?usp=sharing
Not listed- I took the Brownies and the Daisy and split them up in to two patrols each (so four patrols total), and we told them that once they transplant their take action, to please rinse and recycle their plastic bottles.
Second file, a little how-to guide that you may find useful
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2L6gPq7RdP1X0QxWkVVZEJiNEE/edit?usp=sharing
Not listed- sample kaper chart (for those who don't know what a kaper chart is, it's like assigned "chores" during GS events. We used in ours things like help set up for breakfast, clean up after snack, clean bathrooms, mop).
In addition, check what resources your council may have. For example, I found on my council's website a handy form that can help you budget for any event and a helpful checklist to help you keep track of needs (mainly GS required things, ie: adult to girl ratio, extra insurance for specific activities, and more). And of course, Google! I'm not the only leader blogging out there. So many other awesome leaders have shared their own resources with us (that's what Girl Scouting is all about, sharing!).
Hope that helps!
End of the year trip, second year Daisies
Guess who's Daisies were among the top earners in their Service Unit? If you guessed mine, you deserve a Thin Mint (if you have any left). Seriously, my girls ROCKED cookie sales this year! I do, in part, credit the planning we did. It kept them focus and on the goal at heart. Our end of the year trip was 100% paid for by their cookie funds. The parents had to pay nothing. Yes, you read that correctly, our parents were on the hook for zero dollars!
Our fun filled day started out with a trip to the Birthplace in Savannah. If you ever have a chance to visit, plan in advance so you can reserve a spot at one of their programs (they have them for all levels). It was SO much FUN! The girls got to play a few games and took a mini-tour of the house. After the tour, they got to go to the carriage house to do a few arts and crafts. They wouldn't let us adults in though (it was a surprise). It did give me a chance to slip into the gift shop to buy some Birthplace pins and patches (still using cookie money).
Next up, lunch time! The girls opted to eat at Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant). It was sooooo good! We got there a little early, but it was ok since they have a waiting area for people about to be seated (by the way, make reservations in advance!). While the girls were waiting, I left my trusty co-leaders with them so I could slip into the gift shop to buy them some patches and pins.
The next activity of the day was a trolley tour of the city. It was fun, but it was also a nice break in the day (we had to leave our hometown at 7 AM and we didn't get on the trolley until nearly 3 PM). A few girls did snooze for a bit, but I was not about to wake them!
So, what do you when have a troop of awesome girls who raised SO much cookie money? Treat them Build-A-Bear, duh! It was a surprise though. I knew it was something all of them had wanted to do, but we simply said that after the trolley, we had a special activity for them to do. We all pilled into our cars and made our way to the mall. Once safely inside the mall, we had them close their eyes and we lead the way. We then told them to open their eyes, and we (the adults) had to hold our ears. I would have loved to let them get any bear they wanted, but we did have a budget. They all got a bear and all opted for the Brownie uniforms.
Our day was finished off with a meal in the food court, and very quiet cars (they all slept on the way home!). We didn't get home until 9:30, but, it was worth it. The girls all had a blast!
We still had cookie money leftover too! We used the leftovers buy the girls their Brownie vests (and all the necessary patches), re-register all of the girls and our troop product managers for next year, and saved the rest for a few activities for next year. Ok, I have to brag just one last time- my girls ROCKED it!
Our fun filled day started out with a trip to the Birthplace in Savannah. If you ever have a chance to visit, plan in advance so you can reserve a spot at one of their programs (they have them for all levels). It was SO much FUN! The girls got to play a few games and took a mini-tour of the house. After the tour, they got to go to the carriage house to do a few arts and crafts. They wouldn't let us adults in though (it was a surprise). It did give me a chance to slip into the gift shop to buy some Birthplace pins and patches (still using cookie money).
Next up, lunch time! The girls opted to eat at Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant). It was sooooo good! We got there a little early, but it was ok since they have a waiting area for people about to be seated (by the way, make reservations in advance!). While the girls were waiting, I left my trusty co-leaders with them so I could slip into the gift shop to buy them some patches and pins.
The next activity of the day was a trolley tour of the city. It was fun, but it was also a nice break in the day (we had to leave our hometown at 7 AM and we didn't get on the trolley until nearly 3 PM). A few girls did snooze for a bit, but I was not about to wake them!
So, what do you when have a troop of awesome girls who raised SO much cookie money? Treat them Build-A-Bear, duh! It was a surprise though. I knew it was something all of them had wanted to do, but we simply said that after the trolley, we had a special activity for them to do. We all pilled into our cars and made our way to the mall. Once safely inside the mall, we had them close their eyes and we lead the way. We then told them to open their eyes, and we (the adults) had to hold our ears. I would have loved to let them get any bear they wanted, but we did have a budget. They all got a bear and all opted for the Brownie uniforms.
Our day was finished off with a meal in the food court, and very quiet cars (they all slept on the way home!). We didn't get home until 9:30, but, it was worth it. The girls all had a blast!
We still had cookie money leftover too! We used the leftovers buy the girls their Brownie vests (and all the necessary patches), re-register all of the girls and our troop product managers for next year, and saved the rest for a few activities for next year. Ok, I have to brag just one last time- my girls ROCKED it!
Meetings 22-32
Boy did I manage to get behind in blogging! The new scout year is just around the corner and I haven't finished blogging about this year, oops! I'd hate to leave you all hanging, so you're about to get the Cambell's version. But fear not, I promise not to leave out important details!
Meeting 22
Today we continued on with our journey, Between the Earth and Sky. Since we started our Blue Bucket of words activity, this was the first meeting where I did not have to remind the girls that were writing down positive words to stick in the bucket (spoiler alert: they wrote down a few funny things). Once we read and discussed the latest chapter, we headed back out to our "old" garden to get some work started on it. It was great being back in the garden!
Meeting 23
Today's meeting was very much last week's meeting. The biggest difference was that our garden time was more aimed at getting out some nasty stuff we found. Ok, time for a pet peeve of mine- so called "weed prevention" tarp. Let's get real for just a moment here. The stuff does not work and most of them can actually pollute the soil, which in turn can pollute the overall environment. We happened to find this in the garden (we had finally gone deep enough to find this plastic ickyness). So the majority of the day was spent ripping it all out. It was a good lesson for the girls though.
Meeting 24
GIRL SCOUT BIRTHDAY! Fact- on March 12, 2013, GSUSA turned 101 years old! Crazy, right?! Well, the even crazier part was what did today- a whole lotta relaxing! No, really, we had a meeting where we kicked back and just relaxed. Of course we had some cake first, and then we watched Brave (it's Girl Scouts, you have to throw in those good female role models wherever you can, right?).
Meeting 25
Today was much like 22 and 23- wrote out blue bucket words, read a chapter in our journey, discussed it, and worked on out garden. I know, boring, but the girls really enjoy getting out there and getting dirty.
Meeting 26
Earth Hour (not to be confused with Earth Day) happens every year on March 29. During Earth Hour, people, even whole towns and cities, pledge to "power down" for one hour (this usually begins around 8 or 8 :30 PM). By power down, I mean go off the grid, as in turn off anything and everything electronic, or anything that uses electricity to charge its batteries. Earth Hour may only be one simple hour observed every year, but it's a precursor to something much bigger! As such, with Earth Hour just a few days away, we all talked about it and pledged to power down. Most of the girls are already in bed that late at night, so with it being a Saturday, we decided to observe it as a troop earlier in the day. It was a challenge, but most of the girls made it happen. We discussed what we do while not using electricity. We could read a book, play outside, play a card or board game, or even take a nap. This discussion was also part of us working on the Global Action award (which is similar to the Global Action Theme badge from WAGGGS). BUT, the even bigger picture here, we, as a troop, took the Forever Green pledge and committed to help the environment. But, more on our project next year!
Meeting 27
Guess what we did today? We finished up Between the Earth and Sky. To celebrate, we held a classroom vacation! Between the Earth and Sky depicted our favorite flower friends taking a fun trip around the country, many of the destinations being places most of us had not yet been to. So help bring their journey to life, I helped the girls out by pulling up a bunch of photos of where they went. We then reflected on the journey and the many lessons we took from it. We finished up the day by finishing our garden. Knowing that we may not meet at this school again next year, we planted several lovely perennials (grasses and flowers) so the school would have something lovely.
Meeting 28
Today was not Earth Day, but it was just a few days before. Like our meeting before Earth Hour, we talked about the meeting and more things we can do to help the environment. Ok, so, uhm here's there thing..... though I am not a natural blonde anymore, I still tend to have massive blonde moments, and don't remember what activity we did next. In my old meeting planner I had written down "recycling activity," but I'm sure we did more than that (this is also what I get for being so behind on blogging!).
Meeting 29
For today's meeting, we invited Emily Post, figuratively that is. We had a manners lesson that started with all of us wearing skirts or dresses (me too!). We learned about proper manners seeing as how we would be soon be visiting some important places in Savannah (our end of the year trip!). We did have some really goodblackmail leverage for the girls though. They had asked that for their trip, we have lunch at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah). We just happened to mention to them that occasionally she was actually in the restaurant. So, if they were acting up and using poor manners, it would embarrass Miss Paula to bits! Ok, so the chances of her actually being there when we were, were slim, BUT, it was a good motivator for them to pay attention. They learned the basics and more- chew with your mouth closed, don't talk with food in your mouth, use your silverware, and more I have forgotten by now. However, the fun part came next- our semi annual "blind" taste test. The one where I tell them I know exactly what each and every one of you are allergic too, and this ain't it, so you have to try it! As usual, my kid ate everything without question, while the rest were a little iffy. I was nice this time and got a few "normal" things this time. One of them was dried, candied strawberries,which was a hit. The fun one though was my cupcakes. It was chocolate based, but it also had in it coconut and zucchini. Yes, I got my girls to eat a GREEN VEGETABLE! Yes, I do have a bit of an evil streak in me. I really do love sneaking in these taste tests because it gives the girls to broaden their culinary pallets.
Meeting 30
Remember our top secret project from last year? We did one again this year, only better! Well, not really better so much as it was different. Random useless trivia for the day- one of the very few things our illustrious founder, Juliette Gordon Low, could not do was sew. Hey, guess what my Daisies now know how to do? SEW! Ok, now I'm just bragging, but seriously, we taught them how to sew today so they could make small pillows as a part of their Mother's Day gifts. That pretty much took up all of the meeting!
Next up is our end or year trip, but that I will make a separate blog for because it was AWESOME!
Meeting 31
The first part of today's meeting was spent finishing our pillows. All the girls had left to do was stuff them and sew up the enclosure. After that, we made some cute pinwheel looking flowers with toilet paper rolls that we attached to some mason jars. The jars were used to make bath salts (epsom salt, a little baking soda and a few drops of essential oils of their choosing). We finished that off with some pretty ribbon and tada! All of their Mom's loved it!
Meeting 32
Today was not only our last meeting of the year, but it was our last meeting as Daisies! We did two things today. The first was a quick rehearsal for our bridging. I purposely had put off learning the Brownie Smile song until the end of the year just so they could sing it at our bridging. After that we did something very important- we planned out next year. I put everything on a table for the girls (journeys, badges, supplemental badges) and told them to take some time and read it over. After that, we spent a few minutes voting on what all they wanted to do, and so now we have our year one Brownie plan!
Bridging
Our bridging wasn't anything grand, but it was special. Our girls began all in their Daisy tunics, and for one last time, we sang the Daisy song (after the pledge and promise of course). One by one, the girls took off their tunics and crossed our bridge where they received their Brownie vest and bridging certificate. Once all of the girls had crossed, they gathered up to sing the Brownie smile song!
We had an extremely successful year two. Something that I am extremely proud to say is that 100% of my girls are registered and will be returning next year. Sadly though, one girl had to move, so she will be in a new troop in a new state next year (we will miss her dearly!). I can't wait for next year! The girls planned out a REALLY fun year!
Meeting 22
Today we continued on with our journey, Between the Earth and Sky. Since we started our Blue Bucket of words activity, this was the first meeting where I did not have to remind the girls that were writing down positive words to stick in the bucket (spoiler alert: they wrote down a few funny things). Once we read and discussed the latest chapter, we headed back out to our "old" garden to get some work started on it. It was great being back in the garden!
Meeting 23
Today's meeting was very much last week's meeting. The biggest difference was that our garden time was more aimed at getting out some nasty stuff we found. Ok, time for a pet peeve of mine- so called "weed prevention" tarp. Let's get real for just a moment here. The stuff does not work and most of them can actually pollute the soil, which in turn can pollute the overall environment. We happened to find this in the garden (we had finally gone deep enough to find this plastic ickyness). So the majority of the day was spent ripping it all out. It was a good lesson for the girls though.
Meeting 24
GIRL SCOUT BIRTHDAY! Fact- on March 12, 2013, GSUSA turned 101 years old! Crazy, right?! Well, the even crazier part was what did today- a whole lotta relaxing! No, really, we had a meeting where we kicked back and just relaxed. Of course we had some cake first, and then we watched Brave (it's Girl Scouts, you have to throw in those good female role models wherever you can, right?).
Meeting 25
Today was much like 22 and 23- wrote out blue bucket words, read a chapter in our journey, discussed it, and worked on out garden. I know, boring, but the girls really enjoy getting out there and getting dirty.
Meeting 26
Earth Hour (not to be confused with Earth Day) happens every year on March 29. During Earth Hour, people, even whole towns and cities, pledge to "power down" for one hour (this usually begins around 8 or 8 :30 PM). By power down, I mean go off the grid, as in turn off anything and everything electronic, or anything that uses electricity to charge its batteries. Earth Hour may only be one simple hour observed every year, but it's a precursor to something much bigger! As such, with Earth Hour just a few days away, we all talked about it and pledged to power down. Most of the girls are already in bed that late at night, so with it being a Saturday, we decided to observe it as a troop earlier in the day. It was a challenge, but most of the girls made it happen. We discussed what we do while not using electricity. We could read a book, play outside, play a card or board game, or even take a nap. This discussion was also part of us working on the Global Action award (which is similar to the Global Action Theme badge from WAGGGS). BUT, the even bigger picture here, we, as a troop, took the Forever Green pledge and committed to help the environment. But, more on our project next year!
Meeting 27
Guess what we did today? We finished up Between the Earth and Sky. To celebrate, we held a classroom vacation! Between the Earth and Sky depicted our favorite flower friends taking a fun trip around the country, many of the destinations being places most of us had not yet been to. So help bring their journey to life, I helped the girls out by pulling up a bunch of photos of where they went. We then reflected on the journey and the many lessons we took from it. We finished up the day by finishing our garden. Knowing that we may not meet at this school again next year, we planted several lovely perennials (grasses and flowers) so the school would have something lovely.
Meeting 28
Today was not Earth Day, but it was just a few days before. Like our meeting before Earth Hour, we talked about the meeting and more things we can do to help the environment. Ok, so, uhm here's there thing..... though I am not a natural blonde anymore, I still tend to have massive blonde moments, and don't remember what activity we did next. In my old meeting planner I had written down "recycling activity," but I'm sure we did more than that (this is also what I get for being so behind on blogging!).
Meeting 29
For today's meeting, we invited Emily Post, figuratively that is. We had a manners lesson that started with all of us wearing skirts or dresses (me too!). We learned about proper manners seeing as how we would be soon be visiting some important places in Savannah (our end of the year trip!). We did have some really good
Meeting 30
Remember our top secret project from last year? We did one again this year, only better! Well, not really better so much as it was different. Random useless trivia for the day- one of the very few things our illustrious founder, Juliette Gordon Low, could not do was sew. Hey, guess what my Daisies now know how to do? SEW! Ok, now I'm just bragging, but seriously, we taught them how to sew today so they could make small pillows as a part of their Mother's Day gifts. That pretty much took up all of the meeting!
Next up is our end or year trip, but that I will make a separate blog for because it was AWESOME!
Meeting 31
The first part of today's meeting was spent finishing our pillows. All the girls had left to do was stuff them and sew up the enclosure. After that, we made some cute pinwheel looking flowers with toilet paper rolls that we attached to some mason jars. The jars were used to make bath salts (epsom salt, a little baking soda and a few drops of essential oils of their choosing). We finished that off with some pretty ribbon and tada! All of their Mom's loved it!
Meeting 32
Today was not only our last meeting of the year, but it was our last meeting as Daisies! We did two things today. The first was a quick rehearsal for our bridging. I purposely had put off learning the Brownie Smile song until the end of the year just so they could sing it at our bridging. After that we did something very important- we planned out next year. I put everything on a table for the girls (journeys, badges, supplemental badges) and told them to take some time and read it over. After that, we spent a few minutes voting on what all they wanted to do, and so now we have our year one Brownie plan!
Bridging
Our bridging wasn't anything grand, but it was special. Our girls began all in their Daisy tunics, and for one last time, we sang the Daisy song (after the pledge and promise of course). One by one, the girls took off their tunics and crossed our bridge where they received their Brownie vest and bridging certificate. Once all of the girls had crossed, they gathered up to sing the Brownie smile song!
That's me and my new little Brownie! (And a preggo trying desperately not to bawl her eyes out!)
We had an extremely successful year two. Something that I am extremely proud to say is that 100% of my girls are registered and will be returning next year. Sadly though, one girl had to move, so she will be in a new troop in a new state next year (we will miss her dearly!). I can't wait for next year! The girls planned out a REALLY fun year!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Daisies, Year 2, Meeting 21
Confession time- I am jealous of everyone who gets to spend Thinking Day at any of the World Centers. After seeing this year's celebration photos online, I felt a little bummed that I wasn't around. BUT, in a few years, I figure I can get sneaky and convince the girls to save for a trip during Thinking Day (I know, I'm terrible!).
Sticking with the theme, and having little party shakers, I downloaded a bunch of music from this year's focus countries for the girls to listen too. We basically had a listening party before we prepared for our Thinking Day feast. Everyone brought in foods from a country they had relatives/ancestors from. But before we could eat, we had to sing a song we had been working on for literally the past 6 months:
It's a hard song, but hey guess what, MY DAISIES SANG IT!!!!! We sang this song during our opening at Girl's World Forum with the fabulous Melinda Caroll. I knew it would be a challenge, but I brought it back for the girls and they learned it. They knew it so well that instead of having us call out the first line, they called it out and had their families repeat it!
Before we ate, our new girls received their WAGGGS pins. It took everything in me not to cry! I'm so proud of them all though. It was something they will remember for a long time, and because I promised I wouldn't make them sing Babala Gumbala again until next year (they have made sure I remembered every week before we sang a song). As for that food, we tasted foods from Egypt, Turkey, Poland, Sweeden and a few others I have already forgotten (sorry!). No surprise, they all came back for seconds.
Though the focus countries for next year's Thinking Day have not yet been announced, I can tell you that the focus MDG is number 2, achieve universal primary education for all. After that, it leaves one more MDG for us to cover in 2015!
Sticking with the theme, and having little party shakers, I downloaded a bunch of music from this year's focus countries for the girls to listen too. We basically had a listening party before we prepared for our Thinking Day feast. Everyone brought in foods from a country they had relatives/ancestors from. But before we could eat, we had to sing a song we had been working on for literally the past 6 months:
It's a hard song, but hey guess what, MY DAISIES SANG IT!!!!! We sang this song during our opening at Girl's World Forum with the fabulous Melinda Caroll. I knew it would be a challenge, but I brought it back for the girls and they learned it. They knew it so well that instead of having us call out the first line, they called it out and had their families repeat it!
Before we ate, our new girls received their WAGGGS pins. It took everything in me not to cry! I'm so proud of them all though. It was something they will remember for a long time, and because I promised I wouldn't make them sing Babala Gumbala again until next year (they have made sure I remembered every week before we sang a song). As for that food, we tasted foods from Egypt, Turkey, Poland, Sweeden and a few others I have already forgotten (sorry!). No surprise, they all came back for seconds.
Though the focus countries for next year's Thinking Day have not yet been announced, I can tell you that the focus MDG is number 2, achieve universal primary education for all. After that, it leaves one more MDG for us to cover in 2015!
Daisies, Year 2, Meeting 20
Even though this week's meeting involved zero glitter, it still haunted us. Glitter on my GS bags, glitter still on the floors, glitter everywhere. I am never working with glitter again, and this time I mean it!
Today was a bit low key. We read chapter 2 of Between the Earth and Sky and tied it into a field trip we were about to take. With cookie season in full swing, and the girls working so hard, they deserved a break. Our schools had a 5 day weekend during President's Day. We used that Tuesday off for a fun day out with the animals. But, we had to establish ground rules because we most certainly were not going to act like animals in front of the animals. And what a perfect opportunity to sneak in another money lesson! We talked more about our goals and what we want to do with our cookie profits. Disney is a very real goal for next year, but this year's tangible goal can have many fun things to do around it. When we went to zoo, the girls were given an option- have a snow cone or ride on the train. We couldn't afford to do both (they were the same cost). So they all had to vote, BUT, the hitch was that they all had to agree. No surprise, they choose snow cones.
It was a good lesson though. Cookie booths had only just begun, but showing them that if they don't meet all of their set goals, they will have to pick and choose which activities they want to do. I can let you on this much (because I am writing this after cookie season ended)- the girls knew that just for their basic goals, everyone needed to sell 150 boxes of cookies. I can proudly say that my Daisies averaged 267 boxes per girl! And our top earners sold over 600 a piece! So yes, they earned enough to visit the birthplace, have lunch at Paula Deen's and more!
Today was a bit low key. We read chapter 2 of Between the Earth and Sky and tied it into a field trip we were about to take. With cookie season in full swing, and the girls working so hard, they deserved a break. Our schools had a 5 day weekend during President's Day. We used that Tuesday off for a fun day out with the animals. But, we had to establish ground rules because we most certainly were not going to act like animals in front of the animals. And what a perfect opportunity to sneak in another money lesson! We talked more about our goals and what we want to do with our cookie profits. Disney is a very real goal for next year, but this year's tangible goal can have many fun things to do around it. When we went to zoo, the girls were given an option- have a snow cone or ride on the train. We couldn't afford to do both (they were the same cost). So they all had to vote, BUT, the hitch was that they all had to agree. No surprise, they choose snow cones.
It was a good lesson though. Cookie booths had only just begun, but showing them that if they don't meet all of their set goals, they will have to pick and choose which activities they want to do. I can let you on this much (because I am writing this after cookie season ended)- the girls knew that just for their basic goals, everyone needed to sell 150 boxes of cookies. I can proudly say that my Daisies averaged 267 boxes per girl! And our top earners sold over 600 a piece! So yes, they earned enough to visit the birthplace, have lunch at Paula Deen's and more!
Daisies, Year 2, Meeting 19
As I write this post, cookie season is long over (thank GOODNESS!). Cookie season this year was exceptionally stressful, but it was well worth it.
Last year we used a lot of cookie based recipes on our booth posters. The girls loved that, so I made sure to print those out before today's meeting. Being a little more than a week away from cookie booths, and just days before cookie delivery, we used today's meeting to prep all of our booth posters. I'm that crazy leader who lets the girls dictate what they want to use for their materials. Long story short, so much glitter everywhere! And that glitter followed us around for all of cookie season. Anyway, the girls made 2 tri-fold poster and 4 hand held signs. We ran out of time to do our cookies from home donation jars, but they told me what they wanted I did that once I got home (again, all the glitter, oh my goodness!). Everything looked cute, but if I can, next year, I fully intend on discouraging the glitter (though knowing these girls, they will insist on more glitter).
Last year we used a lot of cookie based recipes on our booth posters. The girls loved that, so I made sure to print those out before today's meeting. Being a little more than a week away from cookie booths, and just days before cookie delivery, we used today's meeting to prep all of our booth posters. I'm that crazy leader who lets the girls dictate what they want to use for their materials. Long story short, so much glitter everywhere! And that glitter followed us around for all of cookie season. Anyway, the girls made 2 tri-fold poster and 4 hand held signs. We ran out of time to do our cookies from home donation jars, but they told me what they wanted I did that once I got home (again, all the glitter, oh my goodness!). Everything looked cute, but if I can, next year, I fully intend on discouraging the glitter (though knowing these girls, they will insist on more glitter).
SU Thinking Day Event
So, if Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, then Founder's Day (Juliette Gordon Low's birthday) is like Girl Scout Christmas. With that being said, Thinking Day is to Girl Scouts what Purim is to the Jews (well, not really, but it was the closest analogy I could think of). Thinking Day is a special Girl Scout holiday where all of us Girl Scouts and Girl Guides pause to remember and celebrate our Scouting/Guiding sisters world wide.
This year our focus countries were Venezuela (that we helped represent), Ireland, Jordan, Pakistan and Malawi. Seeing as how we are in the middle of the Millennium Challenge, we have also added in the aspect for a focus MDG the past few years. This year was the twin theme of MDG 4 and 5, reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health. To make it easier on the troops, we split up the responsibilities Take for example us and Venezuela. My troop created the board/presentation. Another troop made SWAPS and a third troop made food from Venezuela. A few of the larger troops did all of it for one country or MDG, but most of us teamed up. It went over fairly well. We also had a station where the girls could make friendship bracelets to donate to the Sangam's store where they sell them to make money for programs. We had so many activities, but the best part was in the end, we fulfilled the requirements to earn the WAGGGS Thinking Day patch which the girls can put on the front of their uniform!
This year our focus countries were Venezuela (that we helped represent), Ireland, Jordan, Pakistan and Malawi. Seeing as how we are in the middle of the Millennium Challenge, we have also added in the aspect for a focus MDG the past few years. This year was the twin theme of MDG 4 and 5, reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health. To make it easier on the troops, we split up the responsibilities Take for example us and Venezuela. My troop created the board/presentation. Another troop made SWAPS and a third troop made food from Venezuela. A few of the larger troops did all of it for one country or MDG, but most of us teamed up. It went over fairly well. We also had a station where the girls could make friendship bracelets to donate to the Sangam's store where they sell them to make money for programs. We had so many activities, but the best part was in the end, we fulfilled the requirements to earn the WAGGGS Thinking Day patch which the girls can put on the front of their uniform!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)