Girl Scout Ways in April

I've worked with Girl Scouts for over two decades (it really doesn't feel like that long!) and one of the things I loved most about having a Girl Scout troop was our holiday and seasonal activities. The ideas I share in these monthly posts are from a New Leader Booklet that was shared with me when I started leading Girl Scout troops in the early 2000s. Since our council (and as far as I know any other) no longer shares this information, I want to make it accessible on the internet. Enjoy!

Have a "Silly Party" to celebrate April Fools Day. Call the girls prior to the party and tell them to wear whatever they have on at the moment (a "come as you are" idea). Have everyone bring something "different" to share as the food part of the party. Then, exchange presents - a totally useless/tacky item from around the house, wrapped beautifully. Play goofy games and sign silly songs.

Talk a walk and notice all the spring time changes. Don't forget to take a trash bag with you to pick up any trash you find along the way.

Celebrate Earth Day. Talk about recycling, cutting up six-pack rings, waste from fast food, etc. Bury different waste products (lettuce, apple, plastic, paper, Styrofoam). Plan to dig them up in six weeks and then again in six months.

Make recycled paper. Tear up paper and put in water in a bowl to soften. (You can add a small amount of colored paper to color your finished product). Put softened paper in blend, pour out onto an open section of newspaper. Place a piece of window screen over it and squeeze out excess water with a board. Let dry for several hours. Make invitations to the Court of Awards ceremony on the recycled paper.

Make "food chain" - paper chains starting with one thing and each ring is something that east that thing. Play some nature games. Another activity that would go with the food chain is to watch The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten (it's on Netflix and SchoolTube). 

Make travel sit-upons for bringing to Camporee. Decorate a square of fabric with markers and laminate with clear contact paper. The sit-upon can be folded and carried in a pocket.

Talk about fire safety and practice fire building with edible camp fires. Have the girls tie back hair and check for clothing that might dangle into the fire. Give out paper napkins (fire circle) and clear clear with a fork (rake). Make woodpile by stacking wood according to size (coconut - tinder, pretzels - kindling, and tootsie rolls -fuel). Fill cup with beverage (water bucket) and have a straw (poker). Check for wind direction (back should be to wind). Add two "mini-handfuls" of coconut tinder. Make an "A" with kindling in center of fire circle. Place red-hot (fire starter) under top bar of "A". Put candy corn (match) on fire starter to light. Add more candy corn (flames) and add more kindling and tootsie rolls (fuel). Put flames out by sprinkling from fire bucket (sip). Eat everything so you leave a clean fire circle.

April 6 is North Pole Day - a celebration of Arctic wilderness. Do some activities with magnets, discovering polarity. Learn how to use a compass.

April 7 is World Health Day. Is there a service project your troop could become involved with that promotes good health? Perhaps you could hold a drive to collect hygiene products to send to people in need. Tuck toiletries such as soaps, shampoos, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face cloths, etc into a pair of new socks and tie with a ribbon. Perhaps you could even include gift cards for fast food chains as well. Donate to a homeless shelter.

April 14 is National Dolphin Day, to remember all sea creatures. Take part in a beach clean up or learn about sea creatures. Eat goldfish crackers and do a craft with fish.

Celebrate Spring! Decorate a pot with rubber stamps paint and plant a pretty flower.

Make butterflies with tissue paper twisted in the middle with a pipe cleaner or a clothespin.

Have a She and Me game day at a local park. You could have teams of girls and their adults taking part in different activities like three-legged races, egg toss, etc.

Initiate a book swap. 

Learn some simple facts about women scientists, Then put the name of one scientist on the back of each girl and let her go ask yes/no questions to figure out who she is. Only one question asked of each person!

Plant trees for Arbor Day!

Make a collection of tree leaves. Arrange the leaves carefully between sheets of newspaper or blotting paper and press them under bricks or books for several days. Mount the leaves neatly on sheets of poster board or drawing paper. Label each leaf with the name of the tree. Make sets to show which are deciduous and which are conifers or make plaster casts of leaves.

April Monthly Themes

 In what now feels like another lifetime, I was a preschool teacher. Each week we would have a new theme that I built our lessons around. It was fun and it gave a fresh look to our classroom. Weekly themes can easily be incorporated into your after school programs as well. I use a lot of Magic Tree House and the Magic School Bus when I plan our weekly themes. Our Book Buddies group reads the Magic Tree House books (our goal is to complete one book a month) and we use the Magic School Bus as a kick off for the science aspects of some of our Project Learn lessons. 

Week 1 Robin Life Cycles (featuring our returning pair Bertram and Bonnie and their nest)

Week 2 Plants & Photosynthesis
    - Magic School Bus Gets Planted Season 3, Episode 10

Week 3 Easter & Eggs

Week 4 Medieval Times & Castles
    - Magic Tree House #2 The Knight at Dawn 

Week 5 Frogs & Friends

We have a two-year rotation on our themes and revamp the projects that go with them when we revisit them to keep the projects fresh and fun. Our facility works with grades 1-3 so it's unlikely that kids will have repeat activities while they're with us. We do have some consistent themes (like our Robin life cycle celebrating the mating pair that has returned to our Club to make their nest for the last five years) but we will find different activities to pair with those themes to keep kids excited and engaged.

Read Across America Week

   Read Across America Week was always one of my favorites both as a youth and when my own children were growing up and it's something I still love today. My favorite part has to be the themed dress up days (even though the idea of just chilling out and reading all day is a very close second!). Not one to turn down a good dress up opportunity, here's our dress up line up for this year's Read Across America Week.

Monday - Fox in Socks: Wear your craziest socks (bonus points if they have foxes on them!)

Tuesday - Green Eggs & Ham: Wear green (and enjoy some green eggs and ham for snack today)

Wednesday - Wacky Wednesday: Anything goes (as long as it's Club appropriate) - crazy hair, clothes on backwards, even Halloween costumes!

Thursday - Thing Thursday: Grab a buddy and twin today

Friday - Oh the Places You'll Go - Career Day! Dress as the career of your choice today.

Spotlight on March

 Happy March, Friends! I hope you enjoy the March Spotlight post. Currently, there are Read Across America Week and Spring Break resources in the works. To be able to read the full newsletter, click on the image below to make full sized.

Much Love,

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 7th Day - Door Decorating

 On the seventh day of Christmas Break encourage your kids to spend some creative time decorating their bedroom doors. 

Supplies You Will Need

large piece of butcher or art paper the size of your kid's bedroom doors OR wrapping paper to cover the door
construction paper
fabric scraps
glitter
novelty items
string
paints
makers
glue or tape
scissors
notepad and pencil

Here's a fun way to give kids free reign to their artistic impulses while adding a holiday touch to your home. With a door-sized piece of paper and a few art supplies, your kids will keep busy an entire afternoon completing this project.

Lay paper flat across your work surface. If your children share a room, you may divide the paper into parts with a pencil line so each child has a "space," or the kids may wish to work together to create a design. Use construction paper, glitter, paints and other available art supplies to make a colorful holiday picture. For extra fun, add a "mailbox" to the lower portion of the paper by attaching a large envelope and a notepad with a pencil on a string. Throughout the holiday season, family members and guests can write greetings to the child. Kids always love to get note, especially those that praise them for accomplishments, compliment them for kindness to others, and communicate to them how much they are loved. When the project is finished and dry, hang the decorated paper on the bedroom door with masking tape or small nails. You might string mini lights around the doorway to draw attention to the door.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 4th Day - Homemade Gift Wrap

On the fourth day of Christmas Break, make some personalized homemade gift wrap.

You Will Need

large roll of craft or butcher paper
markers, crayons, paint, etc
items unique to the person receiving the gift

Ask your kids what trait they think of when they reflect on a certain friend or family member and you'll have the beginnings of a gift wrap idea! Here are some examples just to get you started: 

If the person loves shopping, wrap the gift with a map of your local shopping mall. Instead of a ribbon, use a long cash register receipt or several taped together.

For a sports enthusiast, wrap the gift with a page from a sports magazine and tie it up with a a new headband or a pair of socks.

If the recipient enjoys gardening, wrap the gift in floral design fabric and top with bunches of seed packets tied together for a clever bow.

Wrap a gift for someone with a great sense of humor in the comic section from the Sunday newspaper. Write your own joke in the gift enclosure. 

For the person who loves to cook, print a special recipe on the wrapping paper. Fill the packages with ingredients called for in the recipe. Attach a kitchen utensil or gadget to the bow.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 3rd Day - Holiday Card Mapping

On the third day of Christmas Break, try this fun and educational activity with your kiddos.

Supplies you will need

Map of the United States, North America, or the World
Scissors
tape or thumbtacks
envelopes from incoming holiday cards

Whether you or your kids are brushing up on your geography or learning the locations of states, capitals, and countries for the first time, this activity will be educational and fun to do each day through the month of December.

Post the mail where it seen readily. Then as holiday greetings arrive in your mailbox each day, share the messages with your kids and save the envelopes the cards came in. Cut off the postmark from each envelope. Read the location of the postmark (or return address if you have multiple coming through the same sorting facility), locate it on your map, and tack or tape the postmark to the correct spot. If the location happens to be a small town that is not printed on the map, use the closest major city as a reference point.

In addition, older children may enjoy calculating the distance the card traveled to get to you. And, save the postage stamps - your kids can start a new hobby that can last a lifetime.

If you're like a lot of families, you may not have a map of the United States lying around to use for this project. I've made a printable map that you can download and use on a smaller scale. Just click on the image above and you can see it full size and save to your device.