Girl Scout Fun - March Edition

I've worked with Girl Scouts for nearly 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 cookie booth sale! Be sure to contact your association booth manager to schedule the place and time. Plan for potty breaks, and rotate the girls if you have more than one location. The girls usually have a great time working at booths, and you can have a treat for them afterward like pizza, ice cream, or whatever they have voted on. If you have younger girls, you might consider letting them bring their own money and going for fast food and letting them order their own food. Many young girls may not have had that experience before!

Learn knife safety. Practice on soap bars or peel carrots for snack.

Tie some knots. It's fun to practice with licorice ropes.

Make plans to celebrate the Girl Scout birthday with another troop. Make and decorate cupcakes to share. If you have candles, remember fire safety (put hair up or down the back of the shirt; stop, drop, and roll demonstration; etc. They can't hear this stuff enough!) Make friendship bracelets - two identical: one to keep and one to give to a friend. You can have the five colors of their worlds of Girl Scouting (World of the Arts - Violet, World of the Out of Doors - Gold, World of of People - Blue, World of Today and Tomorrow - Orange, World of Well-Being - Red) plus green and then use three colors at a time. The bracelets could be braided or just knotted at intervals depending on their ages. When they exchange bracelets, have them describe why they chose those colors (my favorite World of Girl Scouts, or my favorite colors, etc).

Make a time line of events in the Girl Scout Movement on a piece of big butcher paper. You can get all of the dates in the handbook. Then let the girls add in their birthdays. Have the girls make their own life-lines with major events in their lives.

On March 3, Japanese Children's Day and Doll Day are celebrated. Fifteen special dolls are arranged in a ceremonial fashion with the Emperor and the Empress in a place of honor. Artificial cherry and orange trees and household utensils are included. Girls dress in formal kimonos and serve tea and cakes to friends. Perhaps you could sample some Japanese food or do origami.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17. Have a green meeting where you make green/shamrock crafts or eat green food. Eat potato soup, Irish stew, or make Irish soda bread or even baked potatoes. Have a potato toss.

Learn about snakes. (St. Patrick allegedly chased them out of Ireland.) [Note that in this myth "snakes" were a derogatory term for Pagans living in Ireland at the time. If any families in your troop are practicing Pagans, this could be a touchy holiday for them.] How many kinds of snakes are there? How many are poisonous and how many are beneficial?

Have a shamrock relay by making two large shamrocks out of green paper. Divide into two teams of equal players. Each team receives two shamrocks. At a signal, the team moves forward by stepping on the shamrocks. While standing on one, they must move the other one forward  for their next step. If you take a step off the shamrock before getting to the finish line, that player must start over. The first team with all the players across the finish line wins. 

Have a potato relay. Make a a line on the floor with masking tape for each team. The object is to roll the potato down the line with a a shillelagh (or a fairly thick, knotted stick). The player then runs the potato back to his team for the next player to use. The first team to get their potato over the finish line wins.

Beginning on March 21, Iranians celebrate the twelve day festival of No-ruz (Noh-rooz). This Muslim festival is symbolic of new life and growth, and the goodness of Allah. The festival table is spread with seven foods, all beginning with the letter "s" plus symbolic items. There is a legend that the earth trembles as the new year begins, so an egg is placed on a mirror and when cannons are shot, the egg trembles. Gardens of Adonis are grown with quick-growing seeds such as lentils and wheat. 

Plant some seeds and watch them grow, or plant some seedlings or plants. you could do some beautification at a local park or open space, or even join an effort to rid an area of non-native plants.

Passover is celebrated, which commemorates the Israelites' departure from Egypt and the first barley harvest. This is a family feast of Thanksgiving and freedom, with unleavened bread and many other traditional foods. Sample some of these foods and learn about the traditions.

Talk about good outdoor manners and conservation skills. Know how to protect and appreciate the natural world.

Take part in a conservation service project such as planting seedlings on a hillside to prevent erosion, repair trails, clean fire circles at a park, organize a newspaper or aluminum can recycling project at the girls' schools. Trim bushes to keep paths open, adopt a highway, take down old yard sale signs or flyers posted in the neighborhood. The possibilities are endless!

Hold a "Baby Shower" to benefit babies born to mothers in shelter or jail.

"Adopt" a grandparent at an eldercare home.

Make and fly a kite.

Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Have the girls find (but not pick - just show somebody else [or take a photo]) a smooth edged leaf, a Y shaped twig, something alive, a smooth rock, a pebble smaller than a pea, a pebble as big as a grain of rice, something that looks like something else, something prickly, somebody's food, a dark green and a light green leaf, a pinch of dust, a pretty thing besides a flower, something with more than four legs, something you pick things up with, a leaf with symmetrical veins, something dead, something yucky, something bumpy, a seed that travels by wind, something soft, and something furry.

February Fun for Girl Scouts

 

I've worked with Girl Scouts for nearly 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!

Keep working on Thinking Day activities. Have an imaginary trip around the world and play songs or games or have food from different parts of the world. Make Thinking Day paper chains  to count down to Thinking Day. On each chain, write one good deed or nice thing they should do for someone.

Celebrate Lunar New Year. Do some origami or calligraphy. Sample foods, learn about customs, try chopsticks, etc.

Have a "loud singing" contest - especially good for a rainy day when everyone feels cooped up.

Spend time going over personal safety - calling 911. fires, strangers, how not to get lost (and what to do if it happens), etc. There are patch programs that help with teaching these topics - if your council doesn't have one, check out other councils' owns.

Celebrate Valentine's Day. There are lots of crafts, foods, etc. to try. Have the girls bring Valentines for each other, or have them write positive notes about each girl in the troop to exchange. Or, have a Valentine, cookie, sticker, or other exchange.

Discuss that our founder, Juliette Gordon Lowe, was def. Learn the alphabet in sign language. Learn how to say your name. See if you can have a person visit who knows sign language. Perhaps they could teach you to sign a favorite song or the Girl Scout Promise.

In February, The French people have a lemon festival in the town of Menton. A parade of lemon-filled wagons in the lemon parade travels through streets lined with lemon, orange, grapefruit, and tangerine decorations. Make a lemon meringue pie, lemonade, or a lemon tart to celebrate. To learn more about the festival, you can visit this link.

Hold a coat or blanket drive in your community to benefit a homeless shelter.

Learn how to jump rope. Play Double Dutch.

Attending the Thinking Day event is a must! This a great chance for the girls to participate and know that they are part of a larger organization thank just their own troop.

Celebrate Lincoln's birthday with building log cabins or making old-fashioned vegetable or stone soup. Celebrate Washington's birthday - anything with cherries seems to work. Or, get a copy of the children's book George Washington's Breakfast and make food from the book. Or, talk about the presidents in general. How many have their been? What are the requirements for becoming president? Make silhouettes of the girls' heads by shining a light past their profile and tracing onto a piece of black construction paper. Mount on a circular piece of paper. How do the girls think they would look on a coin?

Much of the world celebrates Shrove Tuesday or Carnival, or Fat Tuesday. In South America, there are parades, tricks and revelry, masks and games, and feasting. Cut mask shapes out of fun foam and decorate, make parade floats out of shoe boxes, share Mardi Gras beads, and feast on Cajun food or a king's cake.

First Aid - work on your First Aid badge (each age level has their own) - teach some simple First Aid skills such as what to do for a nose bleed or a knocked out tooth. 

Sew dunk bags. These could be made out of open weave dish rags or have duty lace curtain material or any kind of heavy (not tulle) netting material you can find. Sew two pieces of fabric together around three sides. Sew a casing around the top, and insert a drawstring. Practice proper dish washing techniques for camping.

Play the feelings game. Start the discussion by relating an incident where someone's feelings were hurt because of something someone said. Ask the girls to name some feelings. As they name them, write them down on strips of paper (e.g. happy, sad, scared, proud, mad.) Have the girls take turns taking a strip and acting it out without words or sounds. Discuss how you can tell how a person feels by looking at her.

Girl Scout Fun Ideas for December

I've worked with Girl Scouts for nearly 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!

Note: Please be careful to remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas! If all of the girls in your troop are of one faith, you could go ahead and do the typical crafts, holiday caroling, etc. However, it is much better to remember that Girl Scouting is not a Christian organization, and that we want to inclusive to girls of all faiths. As such, this might be a perfect opportunity to learn about other faiths by doing activities such as Hanukkah dreidels, something related to Kwanzaa, etc. 

Take part in a service project benefiting others, such as a food drive, toy drive, or gift giving to those less fortunate.

Have a cookie exchange.

Decorate cookies or cakes to donate or keep.

Make gingerbread houses with graham crackers and small milk cartons.

Make angel dolls. Cute what material approx. 8"x 5". Satiny material looks great. Fold down 1/3 and stuff a ball of stuffing for the head, tie with attractive cord. Add a second piece of material approx. 4"x 12", tie around the shoulders with a cross cross in front for wings. Add doll hair, use markers for faces, and make a halo with star garland.

Make sock snowmen: Take one boys' tube sock, turned inside out (so you have the fleecy side out). Stuff with three balls of polyester stuffing, (largest at bottom, smallest on top for head). Turn down cuff of sock; stripes form hat. Decorate with black pompoms for face and buttons and add a shiny piece of orange felt for the nose. Glue with tacky glue or glue guns (be careful!). Tie ribbon around the neck and sing Frosty the Snowman.

Take an outdoor hike, especially in the rain. Notice all of the changes taking place (bare trees, etc.) Be sure to take along a trash bag and pick up any trash you find. If everybody doesn't have a raincoat, cut holes in large trash bags for arms and heads. Jump in puddles. Find a rainbow.

Make rain pictures. Put a piece of paper down on the ground, weighted down on the edges so it won't blow away. Sprinkle some dry tempera paint on the paper. Let rain sprinkle on the paper. Look to see what designs were made.

Play with your food! On December 23, the Festival of the Radishes is celebrated in Mexico. Giant radishes are carved into figures of people and animals. Prizes are awarded. Practice knife safety and carve a few radishes, too. Perhaps you can even practice making beautiful garnishes for food during the holidays. 

To the best of my knowledge, this booklet originated in the San Francisco area (the original specified places in that area along with including a San Fran phone number.) The ideas I have shared are not my own, though I have modified a few to include more updated information.