The first thing I did as a Girl Scout troop leader was start a new board on my Pinterest account, secondly, I made the Troop Leader binders. The third thing I did as a troop leader, was make a parent folder. This is where I tried to answer all the questions a parent would have, that way, when a parent needed to reference what we spoke about during our parent meeting, they would have it on hand. Left pocket and front page. In the left pocket is the 'About Me' page; allergy, medical, and family information are on these pages we collected from each Girl Scout. The first page was an intro with a little Girl Scout history, the Promise, the Law, the Mission, the Motto, and the Slogan of the Girl Scouts. Page 2 started with my information (name, cell, email, and address), as well as my two assistant troop leaders' information. We also put our Facebook page information. The folder then went into when and what time our meetings would be held. The place was TBA at the time of printing, but then became confirmed by the weekend. I explained membership fees, troop fees, and when they are all due. We made clear, also, who is allowed at meetings. Page 3, we covered the uniform, at this stage is Daisy, and where they could purchase it. We also covered the adult volunteer uniform and when the uniforms should be worn. You can see we also put the Girl Scout sign, Girl Scout hand shake, and the Girl Scout quiet sign so the parents could see what their girls need to learn and practice. Page 4 started with a summation of our meetings, an explanation of activity supplies, how snacks would be organized, and a quick list of Special Meetings and Events, which poured into page 5, giving the parents a view of what to expect this coming year. Page 6 covered field trips, parent/adult volunteers, and social media. I included, in the social media section, a clear statement for parents to not post negative comments and to contact a troop leader directly if they have concerns. We had not had an issue, but we put it in so we, hopefully, wouldn't in the future. Thought these Thank You Girl Scouts cookies were a cute touch. I made a short list of where we got our numbers for the troop fees. I made a much shorter version of the program guide. I add only the council events our Daisies could attend. The last page was our tentative troop meeting dates, and in the right pocket in the back was a color page for our Daisies with the Girl Scouts Promise. Thanks so much for checking out my Girl Scout Parent Folder! Update: I no longer have these files to share, but I give permission to copy the Girl Scout Parent Folder ideas I have in this post.

The Craft Chop shares SVG files, digital papers, tutorials and resources.

I get commissions for purchases made through links on this post. As a new leader one of the first things you probably heard was who started the Girl Scout organization. Her name was Juliette Gordon Low. Over the years as a leader I always tried to teach my girls more and more fun, interesting and important facts about her. Of course always trying to be fun and exciting. I want to share 25 ideas that I think your girls will love. Bookmark this page for reference, and share with other leaders. “Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting can be the magic thread which links the girls of the world together.” — Juliette Gordon Low Learn more about her life and celebrate Founders Day on October 31 Juliette Gordon Low Games I have…Who Has…Juliette Gordon Low Card Game This is an easy-to-play game that is a great way to learn about Juliette Gordon Low. Girls will match up the answers on their cards with questions on other girls cards. Get printable now 3 Games to Explore the Life of Juliette Gordon Low Activity Booklet This activity booklet has 3 very fun games all focused on exploring the life of Juliette Gordon Low. Get printable now Juliette Gordon Low Bundle Party Pack with 6 games Activity Booklet This activity booklet has 6 very fun Juliette Gordon Low party style games. Download and print to have fun with your troop. Get printable now 5 great party games to celebrate Juliettes birthday This comes from another blogger called Using Resources Wisely, you should follow and check out these 5 ideas. View Ideas Juliette Low Scoot Activity Booklet Looking for a fun and interactive way to teach your girls about the life and achievements of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts? Look no further than the Juliette Low Scoot Game! This game is a unique twist on the classic

Healthy Tagalongs Vegan Gluten-Free are made with almond flour, maple syrup, all natural runny peanut butter, no sugar added dark chocolate.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor your Juniors can ear. Get your girls brainstorming with this list of ideas.

Discover how my troop accomplished their required Bronze Award Journey with this Girl Scout Junior Amuse Journey Roundup of blog posts.

If you’re starting a new troop, this is a very exciting time for you! Even if your Girl Scout troop won’t start meeting until the fall, there are so many things to plan in advance to make sure everything goes smoothly, and your troop enjoys their time together. One part you really don’t want to get wrong as a new leader is first impressions. The perfect icebreaker activities can help your girls start off the troop year on the right foot with each other and with you. Don’t stress over what to start with! I have a compilation of some of my favorite easy icebreaker activities you can use as a new troop leader to help larger groups or smaller groups get to know each other! Here are some of the very important entrepreneurial skills your girls will learn in your troop: Introduce a Friend If your new batch of students doesn’t already know each other, this can be an amazing way to help them start to make connections right off the bat during in person meetings. You can make cards with a list of different questions on them, like: What is your favorite TV show? If you were a flavor of ice cream, what would you be and why? What is your favorite hobby outside of school? Do you have any pets? What is your favorite subject in school? You can put these questions on a word document with enough space for your troop members to write the answer to each question underneath them, and print them out with two cards per sheet of paper. Cut them in half, and hand them out to your girls with pens or pencils. This is the point where you can pair girls together. You can make the choice how to pair them, I’ve had positive outcomes from pairing new girls with people they’ve never talked to before. Encourage them to go through the list of questions with each other and write down the answers, and find common ground with each other. After everyone has had a chance to get through the questions, they will take turns introducing their new friends in front of their peers by walking through their favorite responses that the other person gave. This activity not only ensures that your students will listen to each other’s answers, it will help them build their confidence. Two Truths and a Lie Most people are familiar with Two Truths and a Lie, and for good reason– it’s a lot of fun! Two Truths and a Lie is a popular game that you can play with your new troop so you all can get to know each other, and also share some giggles! If you don’t know how to play the game, this is how it goes. Each person in the room comes up with two things that are true about themselves or their life, and one thing that isn’t true. Each person in the room takes their turn sharing their two truths and a lie, and everyone guesses which one is the lie, and then you reveal the answer and move on to the next scout. If you want to spice this game up, you can also have the girls write their two truths and a lie on index cards, shuffle them up, then read the two truths and a lie and have the girls guess whose card it is, and then guess the lie! This can also be good if your scouts are nervous to “present” their two truths and a lie upon first meeting each other. Scout Charades If you want a scouting-related icebreaker, you can customize the classic game of charades to be related to Girl Scout topics. You can have them act out terms like: Hiking Sewing Ziplining Horseback riding And more! At the end of the activity, you can explain how your girls can expect to experience all these different activities throughout the year. This has been a huge hit with my troop. This can be modified to be more like Pictionary or Taboo if you like, and you can set your own time limits. Any guessing game is an easy, fun way to teach your scouts about what they can expect from being part of your troop. If you want to go crazy, you can have the whole group act out their terms at the same time just to be silly! Helping your scouts get out of their comfort zone can launch them into building relationships, and fun games like these are an easy way to do it. Verbal Interests Inventory If you really want to get down to business, you can weave learning about each other into your planning for the year. You can print out resources that have lists of things your girls can try out during Girl Scouts, and have an open discussion about what your girls already have experience with, what they’re interested in trying, and what they’re not interested in doing. This activity is a great way to help your scouts learn what all is available to them, and give them a feeling of control over their experience. Giving them opportunities to bond over shared interests is always a good idea! If you’re interested in learning some more unique icebreaker activities, you can check out our previous post about good icebreakers older scouts will love! I hope these resources help you feel equipped and ready to approach your new troop with confidence.

*This post contains affiliate links. The Girl Scout Junior Art and Design Badge is one that will have your girls thinking about design. They will be inspired by their ideas and turn them into art. After creating their artwork they will be able to display and show their finished peices to their favorite grown-ups at their very own troop art show. Because this is a hands on badge, earning it will take multiple meetings. Available on TpT Included in this resource: All five steps Three activities for Step 1 Four activities for Step 2 Two activities for Step 3 Two Activities for Step 4 Troop Art Show for Step 5 Find the Girl Scout Art and Design badge meeting plan here.

Are you looking for a Journey in a Day for the Girl Scout Senior Mission Sisterhood Journey? Here is what I did with my troop to achieve this goal.

A stunning suncatcher wind chime the kids can make that was inspired by our fun tin can wind chimes, mixed with our nature suncatchers.

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Music is an integral part of our lives. We can remember the songs of our youth, even if we have not heard them in years, and we are instantly transported back to that era. We wake up to music on our clock radios, listen to music in the car while traveling from one place to another, work out with our favorite tunes downloaded to our phones or devices, and have music playing in the background where we work and where we shop. Music sets the tone for what is happening in television shows we watch, as well as the films we view. Yes, music is inescapable! Both the girls and you are going to enjoy earning the Junior Girl Scout Musician Badge. Image created by the author in Canva Step 1 Explore How Music is Made Here is a fun and easy guessing game that will have your girls “tuning in” to what they are about to do. Hand out each girl a piece of paper and a pencil and have them number them 1-20. Then play this YouTube video and have them guess what instrument is being played. You can also ask them to describe how they are feeling when they hear each one. The answers for this video can be found in the comments section on YouTube. Just click here and scroll down. Step 2 Travel Around the World of Music Listen to songs from other countries and ask the girls how the music is the same and different from what they listen to. Available on Amazon Step 3 Music Poll Badge Connection There are all kinds of music. Have the girls brainstorm different styles on a large sheet of paper. You may want to have some of your own ready to be played (jazz, hip hop, rock, folk, etc.) After the brainstorming session, go online and find examples of this music for the girls to listen to. Step 4 Make Your Own Music This part of the badge can go in one of two directions. First, you can have the girls make their own musical instrument. There are dozens of ideas on Pinterest for you to use. The second way this part of the badge could work, and it could be combined with Step 5 Perform Your Music. Here is a YouTube video a Girl Scout troop did to parody a Taylor Swift song. Your girls may want to work as a group, and with your guidance, create their own parody from a popular song they all like. Step 5 Perform Your Music If the girls play an instrument and have performed in the school concert, that can count towards this part of the badge. You can also have the girls bring in their instrument and perform a song for the troop for this step. Image created by the author in Canva The Girl Scout Junior Musician badge is one that can be earned outdoors if your troop is unable to meet indoors.

These No Bake Samoa Cookies are a classic Girl Scout favorite made EASY with a couple of prepared ingredients! No need to wait for cookie season anymore!

There are nearly 1.7 million active Girl Scouts operating in more than 90 countries across the globe, with over 50 million alumnae. That’s not just a lot of Girl Scouts—it’s a plethora of would-be drug dealers doling out deliciousness in the form of Thin Mints, Trefoils, Samos, and Tagalongs. Of course, the Girl Scouts are […]

While we may be in the weeks before Halloween and Girl Scout Founder's Day, it isn't too early to think about thinking about and planning your November meetings. Image created by the author on Canva With Thanksgiving only a month away, this is a good time to think about having a Girl Scout Friendsgiving meeting with your troop. You can these earn up to three Daisy petals while during this meeting Green Daisy Petal-Use Resources Wisely Rose Daisy Petal-Make the World a Better Place Yellow Daisy Petal-Friendly and Helpful Because every Council has different Covid safety rules about where your can meet and the activities you can do, you might have to tweak some of the ideas here. Hosting a Girl Scout Friendsgiving If you are planning to serve food, you will have to consider the following: Does it need to be individually packaged? Do girls in your troop have dietary restrictions due to allergies or religious beliefs? What will you be serving? Bite sized items or a complete meal? Whatever you decide to do food-wise, a SignUp Genius is my favorite way to get help, stay organized, and keep everyone in the loop. You can also ask for paper goods and beverages as well on your sign up. Girl Scout Friendsgiving Crafts for Daisies Image created by the author on Canva Earn the Green Daisy Petal In order to earn the Green Daisy petal, Use Resources Wisely, you can do a toilet paper tube turkey craft. There are many ways to create one. Here are some images and sites for you to use. Earn the Rose Daisy Petal During your meeting, girls can make Thanksgiving cards to be distributed to a senior citizen facility. Earn the Yellow Daisy Petal If you are able to serve Thanksgiving fare, ask families to bring a traditional favorite food that is on their holiday table. Girls can help their parent prepare the dish (helpful) and then share it with the troop (friendly). The girls can also have a chance to speak and explain a bit about the dish that is being served. Another way for your troop to earn the yellow Daisy petal is to make an edible cornicopia. Get enough supplies for them to make two-one to eat and one to share with someone in their family. The girls can help clean up, which is helpful, and another way to earn the yellow petal. What are you doing with your Daisy troop this November?

It is important to start your scouting year on the right foot, especially as your girls get older. Here is how I led my troop's very first Girl Scout Junior meeting.

Girl Scout Recruitment Flyer Template Free Printable according to the 9 Prime Ideas by Two Package for daisy, event, cub, poster, editable, Word, PDF, PSD.

A place for leaders to find ideas to use at your events and meetings. Ideas for Girl Scouts, or other organization inspiring girls to be leaders of tomorrow.

Learn all about bugs and with cute coloring pages …

For troops on a budget who want to earn badges, there are several retail establishments that will provide free Girl Scout field trips for your girls.

Back in January of 2015, I created my first Friday Freebie post. After 9.5 years of posting all things free for Girl Scout leaders, the list has grown to over

Growing up as a Girlscout never truly goes away as you get older. In reality, being a Girlscout actually helps you to do a lot more in life than you did.

Free Girl Scout patch programs and printables help stretch your dues and cookie money. They are also time savers in a pinch, making your leadership simple

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*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 There are many fun activities that your troop can do to earn the Brownie Girl Scout Making Friends badge. When all of the girls get along with each other, meetings run more smoothly and everyone, including the leaders, enjoy their time together more. Image from Pixabay and used by the author in Canva You may want to open the meeting by talking about what makes a good friend. Brainstorm ideas and list them on the board or a piece of poster board. There are many books about friendship that you can read to the girls as a springboard for earning the Making Friends badge. A Available on Amazon This is one if the best children's book series ever written. These short, sweet stories that teach valuable lessons. The illustrations are hilarious. Frog and Toad Are Friends is another classic from children's literature that has withstood the test of time. One short story from this anthology is enough to have girls get the idea of how important friends are. Available on Amazon. Another thing your co-leader and you can do is bring in a few photos of yourself and a friend that you still keep in touch with. The younger you are, the better your girls will enjoy it! Tell them a story about your friendship through the years and why this person is so important to you. Step 1 Make a Friendly Introduction (game) The first thing your co-leader and you need to do is help the girls learn how to make a proper introduction. As adults, we have all experienced being introduced to a new person and then quickly forget that person's name! Here is how to properly introduce yourself. 1. Teach girls to do a proper handshake (firm, not floppy) With COVID-19, how about elbow touch or just a wave 2. Look a person in the eye and say "Hello. I'm (your name). 3. The other person will respond, "I'm _______." 4. The first girl repeats the other person's name and says, "Nice to meet you, ______." Have the girls do this with you, your co-leader, or a few of the other girls. Then it is time for the game. There are many online "Getting to Know You" bingo games available. A search of this in images will lead you to several different ones or use Pinterest to find one. Download the one that will work best for your troop and make a copy for each girl. Then have them play until someone gets a Bingo. Step 2 Show Friends You Care (craft) This gift that the girls are be making will be shared with someone who is NOT in your troop. Feelings will get hurt if girls start making this for others and someone does not have a person making a gift for her. \ Materials Hinged wooden box Foam brushes Modge Podge Scrapbook or tissue paper Construction paper Markers Mints Lifesavers Sweet Tarts candy Paper plates A sheet of paper you have prepared that says the following: "We were "mint" to be friends" "You are a "Lifesaver'" "I think you are a 'Sweet tart'" The girls then choose a color scheme and Modge Podge the crafting paper onto the box. When they are done, have the girls cut out the sayings and tape them to the piece of candy. Then have them put them in the box. Place on a paper plate to carry out after the meeting. Image created by the author in Canva Step 3 Share a Favorite Activity In small groups, give the girls a chance to share one thing they enjoy doing. If possible, see if they can give a short demonstration. Step 4 Learn How to Disagree Photo from imagerymajestic at freedigitalphotos.net There is an art to learning how to disagree with another person without hurting their feelings. Even though we all know adults who have yet to master this, as Girl Scout leaders, it is important for us to teach this to our girls. As they get older and meetings become more girl led, they need to learn how to speak to each other without putting the other person's idea down. With your co-leader, demonstrate the right way to disagree and the wrong way to disagree. (you can be humorous but not insulting). Divide the girls into pairs. Then hand each set of girls a chocolate bar. They have to disagree over who gets it and why. Then they have to figure out a compromise. Have the girls share their results and them let them eat the chocolate! Step 5 Practice Friendship (game) Honestly, most girls practice this each and every day. Unless there is some underlying issue and the girl really has no friends, each child interacts with others every single day. You can find a game to play in one of my favorite Girl Scout resources, Games for Girl Scouts. Here are some other resources for games to play for the final activity to earn the Making Friends badge. Friendship Games Youth Group Games Friendship Activities Pinterest Board What has your troop done to earn the Brownie Making Friends badge?

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 When Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of USA in 1912, she had several goals in mind. The first was to develop the minds of girls to be open to all possibilities and to their own potential, whether they chose to be a homemaker or a community activist. At that time in history, many people were isolated in their own communities, as there was no means to go places. When young women joined the Girl Scouts, they were taken out of these isolating environments and taught outdoor skills to develop their minds, their bodies and their spirituality. In addition, they were taught how to provide service to the communities in which they lived. This legacy has lived on for over one hundred years. Photo by Daria Obymaha and used by the author in Canva This is an incredibly fun and popular badge for girls to earn. We have become a culture of foodies, whether we are watching shows on The Food Network or The Cooking Channel, pinning recipes that maybe someday we will attempt to make in our own kitchens, or actually trying out new kinds of cuisine. Children today have been exposed to a large variety of foods, but in our fast past, hurried society, many do not spend time in the kitchen…they choose their dinner from a take-out menu. Cooking is a healthier way to eat and gives children the skills they will need when they are on their own. The Girl Scout Junior Simple Meals badge is a fantastic opportunity for leaders to spend time with their girls and teach them something of value. There are the five required steps your girls need to complete. My recommendation is that this badge be earned at one time in one long meeting at a leader or volunteer's house. This is the perfect badge to be accomplished in stations, as the girls will learn more in small groups than in one large one. Having earned cooking badges with my own troop, this worked out well for us. If you choose to do this, field trip permission slips must be filled out and returned, and there needs to be three registered adults at the meeting as well. If you cannot meet longer, then break this badge up into two sessions. Set of 10 Disposable Chef's Hats from Amazon. Other quantities can be ordered as well. Give each girl in your troop her own hat and a bunch of markers. Let her write her name in any creative way she wants. Then take a photo of the girls before they start cooking...these won't be as pristine and clean when the meeting is over! Step 1 Step Up Your Skills With a Pro Before your troop can get into the kitchen to cook meals, they will need to learn some basic skills. I was fortunate enough to have a mom was a trained chef and she volunteered when we earned out Brownie cooking badge. If you do not know anyone who can help demonstrate proper techniques, call and see if the local middle school or high school cooking teacher can come in and speak to the girls. Another idea is to call around and see if a teenage culinary student would like to help. Photo from Pixabay A third idea to learn techniques and to do some of the steps to earn the Simple Meals badge is to have the girls take a cooking class. Local supermarkets have classes for kids, as well as some culinary stores. Contact your local stores and see if they will give you a group discount. Step 2-Whip Up a Great Breakfast Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. People need it to start their mental and physical engines. But most kids run out the door without eating, and the ones that do eat have a sugary cereal or yogurt filled with high fructose corn syrup and chemicals and colors. Instead, in a small group, girls can be taught the proper way to crack an egg and make a quick scrambled egg. Another idea is to make French toast sticks or pancakes. One timesaver is to prepare everything the night before and then all you have to do is just heat up the skillet and start cooking. While a hot breakfast is a delicious idea, on a busy school morning that might not be possible. Instead of a hot breakfast, the girls can have a ready made trail mix. Talk about the importance of protein and have a bunch of bowls with spoons available. Have the girls fill a few baggies with nuts (if there are no nut allergies), chocolate chips, granola, and a low sugar cereal. These are portable and can be taken on the bus when the girls are running late. Set of 12 Children's Aprons from Amazon While cooking and baking, clothes need to be protected. This 12 pack of aprons comes in assorted colors and is another fun reminder of the how they earned this badge. If you plan on working on an Art to Wear badge in the future, have the girls bring this in and they can decorate them with Sharpies or fabric markers. Step 3 Fix a Healthy Lunch or Dinner In my opinion, having the girls fix lunch is an easier idea for you to utilize, as you do not require an oven. You can make a cold lunch or on the stove top. If you choose to prepare sandwiches, have a variety of breads for the girls to choose from. You can talk about where they originated. Ideas for a Cold Lunch Vegetarian tacos or burritos-The girls can shred the cheese and cut up the vegetables Macaroni Salad Homemade Salsa-Put nachos in the toaster oven covered with cheese and beans, top with salsa Israeli Salad Egg Salad Step 4 Create a Dessert This will most likely be the most popular station of the day. Who doesn’t like dessert? There are thousands of no bake dessert ideas that can be found online. If you want to keep with Girl Scout traditions, then you can make some kind of S’mores dessert or you can make a dessert that involves utilizing Girl Scout cookies as an ingredient. Again, to keep things simple, I would keep to a no bake dessert that can be easily assembled. If you want to bake, then here are Girl Scout trefoil cookie cutters so the girls can make and decorate cookies. Image created by the author on Canva Step 5 Make Your Own Meal This step can be done at home or as the final part of the meeting. The girls need to prepare their own dish or complete meal. Personally, I would have them create their own salad from ingredients that you provide. Use the leftover vegetables from a different station and have the girls pick a protein to top it off. Earning the Junior Girl Scout Simple Meals badge is a delicious way for the girls to use some basic kitchen skills that they need to know.

Inside: Over 20 ideas for earning the Honest and Fair Petal. Crafts, Activities, Printables, Books and Sample Meetings.

Here are some Girl Scout Service Projects for Thanksgiving.

This flower friend reminds girls to be responsible for what they say and do.…

Starting a brainstorming discussion may be as simple as asking the questions: “Who (or what) do you want to help?” “What do you like to do?” Pairing the two might make a pro…

Move over Girl Scouts, there’s a new SAMOA in town. A cleaner paleo and vegan version, and it tastes pretty dang legit. If you love Girl Scout cookies but are on a restricted diet, or just love them but want a healthier version, these Samoa cookies are the best gluten free treat that everyone will love! JUMP TO RECIPE These homemade Samoa cookies are gluten free, paleo and dairy free!You would never believe it! When I first made them years ago, they became one of my most popular recipes. The

Facebook Pinterest Twitter Email Today I’m sharing a few ways to bring your girls together with some bonding activities and icebreakers that are great for any meeting or to celebrate Friendship Day on August 5th. Such an important part of being a girl organization is the friendships made during our time in scouting. A troop of devoted friends that support one another will leave a lasting impression on your girls of what friendship means for the rest of their lives. Sometimes though, youngins need that extra push to put themselves out there, or could use an activity to help them branch out. Did you know? Friendship Day is August 5th, and a great way to celebrate is to play friendship building games together. These games are a blast, and are sure to warm everyone up to one another. Afterwards, have your girls pick their favorite quotes about friendship and talk about what qualities they look for in a good friend. This will not only encourage one another to be more kind, but also value the friendships they have made along the way. Friendship Games and Activities Friendship Swap and Necklace You can make friendship necklaces or SWAPS. Silkies (necklaces) you can get from Michael’s Craft store. Unicorn charms and rings from Amazon. 12 pony beads, 1 for each line in the GS law or just make a rainbow. Here are some different friendship games below and don’t forget to have fun! Minefield Set up an obstacle course at your next troop meeting. Pair up the girls, perhaps with a new friend, and let one verbally guide the blindfolded partner through the obstacle course. Switch up the course before switching blindfolded partners! Players have to effectively communicate and trust one another to finish first. Categories This game is a great way to help girls realize what commonalities they may have with each other. Call out different categories and ask the girls to arrange themselves based on how they fit into that category. Start out with basic things like eye color or favorite food, then move onto questions about pets, favorite school subjects, or who has moved before. Girls may realize something they didn’t know they have in common with each other. Give them some time later on to connect over these new discoveries. Speed up the game to make things fun, or slow it down if the girls are enjoying getting to know each other more. Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors This tournament-style rock, paper, scissors is best with larger groups. Pair girls off and have them play best 2 out of 3 rock, paper, scissors. Ask the losers of the match to follow the winner to their next match, cheering them on. This keeps going until the last two winners face off, each with half their troop cheering them on! This is a great way to energize the group and foster some friendly competition. 2 Truths and A Lie This game is a classic for good reason. It makes players work together to figure out how they are being deceived, and gives the chance to learn about each other quickly. Have girls introduce themselves with 3 facts about them, but one is not true. The weirder the facts, the better! Sit in a circle so everyone feels more inclined to chime in. There's nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate. Unknown Here is a place to pick from 55 Other Friendship quotes to use with your troop. Dots When entering the meeting, place a colored dot on each girls’ forehead out of their sight. Without speaking, everyone must group up with those who have their same color dot. The troop has to work together in a unique way to ensure everyone gets into their right group. Your girls are bound to get to know each other a better with these bonding games. Enjoy! Friendship Bracelets Along with fun Friendship games have your girls make friendship bracelets to give to each other. A friendship bracelet is a decorative bracelet given by one person to another as a symbol of friendship. Friendship bracelets are often handmade, usually of embroidery floss or thread and are a type of macrame. There are various styles and patterns, but most are based on the same simple half-hitch knot. Get Bracelets Singing Make New Friends With Troop If you have never sung song before here is a quick video with lyrics and someone singing it for the tune. 12+ amazing resources to help you plan and organize your troop + FREE Kaper Chart Download One thing we all know as leaders we need all the help we can get to make the program fun, educational, and to help build the girl leaders of tomorrow. This post is packed full with ideas for: Kaper Chart ideas plus a free download How to organize your troop Collaboration Ideas Badge Planning Resources World Thinking Day Cookie Season Support Extra Fun For Meetings How to make your troop unique Ceremony Ideas Check it out now Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 One thing that we leaders can teach to our girls is a sense of community. When we have pride in where we live, it shows in so many different ways. For example, my boss recently sold her home in a town with two high schools and moved to a smaller place in my town, which has one high school. She attended our town’s annual community festival for the first time and when I saw her the next day, she told me she felt a sense of pride that she did not feel in her former town. The high school colors were worn by all of the youth and their parents. She told me that it was fun and she looked forward to attending again. The activities involved with earning the Brownie Celebrating Community Try it will help instill a sense of pride in your own community. Step 1 Explore Community Symbols Ask the girls if they know what a symbol is. Then pull out pictures of familiar ones-the Girl Scout logo, the American flag, and a local sports team. Then show them some that may not be familiar, like your state’s bird and your local flag. See if anyone knows what they are. Step 2 Sing Together Adults may be self conscious about singing, but children are not! No matter how tone deaf or on key they are, most children love to belt out a song at the top of their lungs. For this activity, you will want the girls to listen and march along to songs you select. There are many patriotic songs that you can download and have the girls wave little flags as they walk around. You may even want to watch some YouTube videos in advance and see some color guard flag moves for the girls to use. Step 3 Follow the Parade If you do the marching portion in Step 2, then this step is already covered. teaching the girls how to march is fun and it gets them moving. Step 4 Be a Landmark Detective This part of the badge can easily be done on a field trip. If that is not in your time budget, then you can talk about landmarks in your area and in the big cities nearby. Ask them about the landmarks in Washington, DC-I bet they can name a few! Craft Time! Do you want your girls to leave the meeting with something like a patriotic craft? There are many easy to make an inexpensive patriotic crafts for girls. All come prepackaged and in sets of 12. Available on Amazon Available on Amazon Step 5 Join a Ceremony or Celebration Girls can learn how to do the Girl Scout flag ceremony. Here are some videos to walk you through it.

We all love patches. They are eclectic, you can collect them and they can make a bold statement about your personality and what you believe in. Historically patches were for repairing things that were broken or symbolising ranks and achievements. Today they are used for all sorts of expression and fashion statements. H

What are your favorite ideas for earning Daisy Girl Scout Petals? I led my daughter’s Daisy Troop the past two years, with lots of help from a co-leader and some other parents, and we had a g…

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Mysteries have been popular with children since the days of The Hardy Boys ad Nancy Drew. Solving a mystery ties into so many real world problem solving skills for relationships and future jobs. This is a very hands on badge with lot son activity to keep the girls interested. Here is how your troop can earn the Junior Girl Scout Detective badge. Photo from Pixabay Step 1 Practice the Power of Observation With so many kids walking around with their heads down and looking at their phones, they miss a whole lot of the world going by. The power of observation helps the girls pick out the smallest details. A detective has to view the scene of a crime to find hidden clues that a criminal unintentionally left behind. This is a fun activity that the girls can do in pairs or by themselves. There are many printables for finding what the difference is between two pictures. Step 2 Communicate in Code Photo from Pixabay Girls today may learn about computer coding, but do they know about Morse code and why it was invented? Give the girls a brief history lesson about it and then have them invent their own code in teams. They need 26 items to represent each letter of the alphabet. They code can be a mix of numbers, shapes and alternative letters or punctuation marks. Have them send a message to another group with a copy of their code so the others can decipher it. Step 3 Fingerprint for Fun No set of fingerprints are the same-not even with identical twins. You can have the girls make a fun art project for this step. Materials Ed Eberly's Fun Print Book Available on Amazon Pack of 15 Ink Pads from Amazon White paper Have the girls create a picture from the Ed Eberly pages using their thumbprints or fingerprints. The girls can compare how their prints differ from a friends. For a troop project, have each girl make her name in fingerprint letters. Take a picture of her holding it for your Girl Scout scrapbook. Step 4 Try Out Detective Science Graphology is the study of handwriting. Supposedly one can figure out someone’s personality traits based upon how s/he writes. Although not a proven since at all, it will be fun for the girls to try. Have the girls write a sentence of your choosing in their regular handwriting. The have them write it again with their other hand. Then have them write it a third time, intentionally trying to change how they form their letters. Have another scout compare the three styles and see if they are consistent. Step 5 Step 5 Follow the Clues to Solve a Real Mystery Photo from Pixabay Before the meeting, wrap up a treat for each girl. Depending on how many groups you will divide the girls into, make one large box for each group that is wrapped and will contain the treat. Hide the boxes and write at least three clues for the girls to follow so that they find the box. Then they can eat the treat!