Girl Scout Spirit

Camp Time Tuesday: Bandannas

Bandannas are awesome! They can be used for so many different things that help Girl Scouts at camp!

Bandannas can...

    1. keep hair out of your face when working with a campfire

    2. protect your head from bugs on hikes and around camp

    3. protect your nose and mouth from dust

    4. be used like a sit-upon

    5. clean your face in place of a napkin

    6. be used as a sling

    7. act as a bandage to cover a wound from dirt and help stop bleeding

    8. wipe sweat or dirt off of your skin

    9. cool you off on a hot day if they are damp

    10. even be played with as dolls!

ban·dan·na

  [ban-dan-uh] 

noun

1. a large, printed handerchief, typically one with white spots or figures on a red or blue background.

2. any large scarf for the neck or head.

Also, ban·dan·a.

Origin: 
1745-55 

earlier bandanno from the Hindi word bādhnū; meaning tie dyeing

(Definition from dictionary.com)

 

Various uses of bandannas were common among Girl Scouts of earlier generations too. 

From the mid 1950's Girl Scout Handbook: "Because a bandanna has many uses it is called the adventurer's friend. It can become a kerchief, potholder, bandage, signal flag, trail marker, or a bag in which to carry food or treasures." 

While we wouldn't try to use one as a potholder today, we love the idea of a bandanna being called the adventurer's friend!

Here are 4 illustrations from the late 1950's Brownie Scout Handbook showing girls how to make a doll from a bandanna! 

Memory Books

For Daisies and Brownies, making memory books is a great activity, and a memorable craft! These super cute books are also very fun to keep things in from every month of the year! These memory books are made of six or twelve pages. Inside the page (envelope), the girl can keep things that represent events that she participated in or things that she made or received! This is a great craft for the beginning of the year. 

Each Girl Scout needs one piece of cardstock paper, with two hole punches on the short end, and six or twelve 9 X 12 inch clasp envelopes with two hole punches on the bottom end. If she wants each envelope to hold items from one month then she needs twelve. If she wants it to hold things from two months, then she will use only six clasp envelopes.

1. Decorate the paper, which will be the front of the memory book. You can use paint, markers, stickers, stamps, or paint sponges. You can write your name, initials, or draw/paint a scene of your own! This example has a scene of all four seasons!

2. Write the name of the month(s) on the front of the page. Now decorate the page with crayons, markers, paint, stickers, or whatever looks fun to you! Do the same with the rest of the envelopes.

3. When the artwork is dry, tie everything together with the paper on top and the envelopes in order. Tie it all together with the ribbon of your choice!

Now you are ready to keep memories inside!!!

Camp Time Tuesday: Edible Campfires

If your troop is learning how to build a campfire, here's a fun activity to help them learn the steps! Edible campfires can be made at a meeting or on a camping trip. They are a great way to introduce campers to building a real fire. 

This activity works best with Brownies and Juniors. It ties in well with the Junior Camper Badge Step 2 - learn a new skill. 

Step 1: Purchase all of the supplies needed to make an edible campfire. You can purchase these at Kroger, WalMart, Target, or any other local grocery store. 

There are many variations on the supplies, but here's what we used. 

• paper plates
• small plastic drinking cups
• plastic forks
• plastic spoons

• one pack of birthday candles
• rod pretzels

• small stick pretzels
• shredded wheat cereal (without sugar coating)

• candy corn
• mini marshmallows

Step 2: Give each Girl Scout a paper plate to build her campfire and another paper plate to hold the rest of her supplies, a plastic cup (filled with water), a plastic fork, and a plastic spoon. The plastic cup is the bucket of water, and the fork and spoon are the rake and shovel. 

Step 3: Each Girl Scout will need a handful of mini marshmallows to make the fire circle. Your troop can practice cleaning the fire circle with the shovel and rake. It is important to clear any leaves, trash, and extra ashes out of the fire circle. Scatter ashes into the woods near your fire circle. 

Step 4: Break the rod pretzels into shorter pieces for the logs. Remind campers that the logs of the fire are called fuel. 

Step 5: Crush some pieces of shredded wheats cereal for the smallest pieces of wood for your edible campfire. This is the tinder of the campfire and it is the most important part of starting the fire. As much of the tinder as possible should be placed under the kindling.  

Step 6: Add some stick pretzels inside the logs. These smaller pieces of "wood" are called kindling.

Step 7: Touch the candle to the edible campfire to actually "light" the fire. 

Step 8: Add candy corns to the fire to represent the flames. 

Step 9: You can eat your edible campfire! Enjoy!

Here are the same steps we taught our sister's Brownie troop on a recent camping trip.

After the fire dies down, you can practice "raking" the fire to separate the logs and hot embers. You can also practice "sprinkling" a bit of water on the smoldering logs to help put them out. 

Age Level Activities: Brownies

One of the Brownie Legacy Badges in The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting is called Fair Play. It includes many activities about following the rules, playing sports, and being part of a team. For Step 1, choice 1, Brownies teach rules of a game to family or friends. As Program Aides at our sister's Brownie troop meeting, we joined the girls in playing games such as Mother May I? and Red Light, Green Light.

We went outside to play the games and the girls had fun running in the field and trying to win. With families being so busy, this badgework is a great opportunity for girls to play group games that are not as common in neighborhoods today. These games could be played during a meeting, a weekend outing, or on a camping trip. 

 

Happy Halloween: Girl Scout Spirit Style

Looking for a Halloween costume? You might like this vintage Girl Scout Style:

Last year, our sister was a Brownie for Halloween! She wore the Brownie uniform from the 1960's - a light brown dress with a collar, buttons, and a pocket in the front. Sewn onto the dress at the top of the pocket was a patch that says, "Girl Scouts USA." To complete the vintage look, she posed for pictures with an old Brownie carrying case. 

We did not have a vintage Brownie Beanie, so she wore her contemporary one. It still looked very cute and she remembered to perform the old Girl Scout Salute. 

Our sister loved trick-or-treating as a Brownie and all of the neighbors loved her costume too! This Halloween, you could be a Girl Scout from another time period, whether you are a Brownie, a Junior, or any other age level or rank. You could even dress up like a Girl Scout Mariner or a Girl Scout from the first troop in Savannah! 

Have fun dressing up and incorporating a little Girl Scout Spirit into your Halloween plans!

 

 

Wondering how to date a uniform? Here's a great website that allows you to figure out the years the uniform was worn just by looking at the tag on the inside of the uniform! You can also look in the Girl Scout Collector's Guide: A History of Uniforms, Insignia, Publications, and Memorabilia. It just so happens to be on sale right now if you would like to purchase a copy. Check it out on the GSUSA Website!

After looking at the tag on the vintage Brownie uniform, we determined that the tag was sewn in Girl Scout garments from the mid-1950s to 1968. We then consulted the Collector's Guide and learned that this particular dress was introduced in 1961. 

Juliette's Birthday Scavenger Hunt

With funds from the Girl Scout Cookie Sale, our sister's troop bought art supplies to honor Juliette Gordon Low's artistic ability. As Program Aides, we enjoyed helping set up this scavenger hunt! We bought art supplies like crayons, colored pencils, erasers, markers, and paint brushes. We also took with us a number of paint stir sticks to mark the boundaries of the scavenger hunt. On a fall camping trip, we hid the items in the grass. Each girl had a paper bag and hunted for one of each type of art supply. In the end, they each collected all five of the different items. This kept the scavenger hunt "honest and fair." 

The girls loved finding the art supplies in the field! After the scavenger hunt, we donated the art supplies to a local children's charity. It was a great way to remember Juliette Gordon Low on her birthday, and our sister's troop loved completing this fun service project! 

Happy Birthday Juliette Gordon Low!

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Juliette Gordon Low's birthday? On a camping trip, our sister's troop celebrated Juliette's October 31st birthday with marshmallows - a Girl Scout favorite! By putting candles in the marshmallows and singing "Happy Birthday" to Juliette, our founder was remembered and honored for her courageous and inspiring actions. And before you blow out the candles, don't forget to make a special 100th Anniversary wish for the upcoming century of Girl Scouting!

Gifts of Gratitude: Veterans Service Project

Here is a fun and simple service project for any age level! While this is a great project for any time of year, it ties in well with Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. As you are planning your November activities, you might consider this service project.

Step 1: Purchase toiletries that your local veterans hospital has on its wish list. Items might include toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush, or lip balm. When we helped shop for the supplies, we found this handy toothbrush/toothpaste set. All of these items were purchased at the dollar store. Be sure to purchase items that you can thread a twist-tie through.

Step 2: Cut paper into bookmark size strips and hole punch. Gather some colored pencils, crayons, or markers to decorate the bookmarks. 

Step 3: Print out stickers with a thank you message. If you do not have the extra time to print out your own stickers, you can purchase some patriotic stickers at a craft store.

Step 4: Let your troop get to work! Have fun and be creative decorating the bookmarks! 

Ideas for drawings include: patriotic flags, stars, or Girl Scout symbols. Remind your troop to not write any names or personal information on the bookmarks.

Step 5: Attach the finished bookmarks to the toiletries with a twist-tie or ribbon. You can laminate the bookmarks if you have extra time.

Step 6: Donate your gifts of gratitude to your local veterans hospital. 

Winter Scarves Service Project

Looking for a fun, easy service project? All levels of Girl Scouts will have a great time with this simple activity! 

First, pick out a few favorite solids/prints in the fleece section at your local craft store. Tip: The thinner fleece is much easier for the younger levels to cut. As much as the Daisies loved the pink polka-dot and flower pattern in the pictures below, it was thicker fleece and difficult for them to cut. 

Measure and pre-cut each individual scarf to create the size you prefer. Remember that childrens' scarves are not as long as adults.We used a scarf we already had as a guide. At the meeting, the girls cut the fringe on each side of the scarf. 

For 19 scarves, we bought 4 3/4 yards of all four fabrics combined. Each of the four fabrics was 1.194 yards. Purchasing fabrics on sale can really lower the cost for your troop. With all four fabrics on sale, this service project cost only $27 ($22 in savings)! 

The girls were thrilled with the final results! Our local homeless shelter greatly appreciated the donation!!! Tip: If your troop doesn't have enough scissors for all of your girls to do this at once, you can make stations and have them rotate between this project and other activities.  

Have fun with this super fall/early wintertime service project!

We Rocked the Mall: SWAPS

Here are pictures of just a handful of the SWAPS that we got during Rock the Mall. They are all so cute that we can't pick a favorite! 

Here are some SWAPS that honor the 100th Anniversary and Rock the Mall. We think it would be a good idea to put Juliette Gordon Low's picture on a real bill too. 

Here are some SWAPS that represent the many states that Girl Scouts came from. It was fun to swap with and meet Girl Scouts from so many places across the country!

These SWAPS celebrate Girl Scouts' 100th birthday. We like them because they are so festive!

The true themes and ideas behind Girl Scouting are shown through these SWAPS. From the uniform to the Girl Scout Promise, these SWAPS are Scout-tastic! 

Camping is a major part of Girl Scouting, so we really like the s'mores, the sleeping bags, and the bandana! Those brownie SWAPS from a Brownie troop in Virginia also look good enough to eat!