A fun theme for a meeting is to have a backwards event. It’s fun for kids and adults alike. Did you know? There is actually a national Backwards Day. It falls on January 31st every year. The day where the world gets turned upside down and inside becomes out and madness becomes sanity and day becomes night, at least in concept. There’s just too much seriousness in the air, and sometimes you really just have to bend all the rules and let it all hang out. The ideas to make this event fun and memorable are endless. Here are a few ideas to help get you started. Before jumping in if you have Brownie girls these two badges are all about playing games you could add some of these activities in with your badge earning activities. Ideas to earn the Fair Play badge including a complete activity booklet Ideas to earn the making games badge including a complete activity booklet Dress Backwards Wear uniform, pants, shirt, dress, sash, dress, hat, coat backwards. You wear glasses or sunglasses on the back of your head. If you have an old pair of shoes you can cut the toe of the shoe off and duct tape or glue it to the back of your heel. Meeting Arrival When girls and adults arrive say “hi” to everyone using their last name instead of their first name. Instead of girls writing their first names on a Hello my name is name tag, have them put their name on the tag backwards. Timed Obstacle Course Have the girls take turns walking around an obstacle course backward. Time and keep track of each girls time. The girl with the slowest time wins. *Don’t tell your girl’s the slowest time wins until the end. Scavenger Hunt Hide items or pictures and have the girls find the objects using clue cards with all the letters backwards. Pin the tail on the Donkey Blindfold the girls and have each one pin the tail on the donkey. The tail that is farthest away wins. *Don’t tell the girls ahead of time that the farthest tail wins. Backward Names Another fun activity is to have the girls sit in a circle and take a turn saying their name backwards without laughing. Picture Opportunity Before everyone leaves take a group picture with everyone’s back to the camera and of course you can take a forward facing picture too. evaH a taerg emit htiw ruoy sdrawkcab tneve! How about you, do you have any additional ideas that would be great for this type of event? Share in the comments below…. Party Planning Kit Printables I am so excited to present Strawjenberry’s Ultimate Party Kit! Almost everything you need to plan your troop celebration is included in this kit and can be printed at home or through your local office supply store or printer. It all starts with a personalized troop banner (two options to choose from) that includes your troop number. From there you have many different supplies to create the labels, stickers and decorations that you need. The full color party kit includes: One personalized banner Personalized party invitation Four (4) styles of placecards/treat labels, including one (1) secret bonus design “I Love Girl Scouts” flower graphic Fifteen (15) unique and colorful “badges” to use as stickers, cupcake toppers, or decorative elements on any number of party items A sheet of personalized gift tags Two (2) square backgrounds to create labels for lollipops. chocolate bars or giftboxes A set of personalized badges with your girls’ names on them (you can also opt for a troop number instead) Printable 8 1/2 x 11 Promise and Law pages–perfect for framing! One sheet of twelve (12) blank badges One sheet of twelve (12) level letters with heart (d, b, j, c, s, a, v) The sky is the limit for how you can use all of these DIY elements to create the ultimate party. All items are included and have the bright and cheerful design color scheme. Get now for any party, ceremony or event you are planning for your troop. Organize Your Troop Parties This Year with a 25+ page Leader Planner This Leader Planner is from another amazing blogger named Jen her blog is called “I am StrawjenBerry” With the help of Jen I wrote a blog post explaining everything you will get in this planner. It has everything you need to plan your troop year. The planner contains your calendar, meeting planners, rosters and badge trackers in one safe place for when you need it. Read more Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!

Updated September 2022 What is the Cadette Girl Scout Silver Award? There are three levels of Girl Scout Awards-the Bronze (earned when girls are in Junior troops), the Silver (earned when girls are Cadettes) and Gold (an individual project girls must complete before they graduate high school). While leaders do have a hand in helping the girls earn the highest award at this level, they are truly a guide at the side. Image Created on Canva First, the girl must complete at least one of the three Journeys at this level. Then the girls have to pick a project that they want to work on alone or with a group. There is a lot of planning that goes on with this, but as an older girl, she needs to stand on her own two feet to figure out what will work and what will not. These projects are meant to "make the world a better place", an integral part of the Girl Scout Promise. Once the plan is complete and put into action, then the girl has to fill out paperwork, give it to her leader, and then celebrate her accomplishment! Please note that every Council is different. What may be approved in one Council may not be in another. Each finished project has had the paperwork signed and completed, and what you are reading are the results of those efforts. Cadette Silver Award Ideas If your troop wants to earn this award, here are dozens of ideas for you to try. Clothing Giveaway This is what one troop did after their aMaze Journey to earn their Silver Award. 4 More Ideas from Girls Working on Their Own or in Pairs 50 Silver Award Ideas Give your girls this list and they should be able to find something that speaks to them. Girl Empowerment Camp Creating a Golf Program for Kids Creating a Family Space in a Hospice Center Outer Banks History Center Project for Cat or Dog Lovers Another Animal Lover Project Making a Cat Tree Image created by the author in Canva Project for a DIY'er Creating a Gaga Pit Food Allergy Awareness Building a Bird Garden Creating Good Night Blankets Girls Health Project Creating a Living Wall (Vertical Garden) Creating a Buddy Bench Anti-Bullying Project Improve Math Skills for Kids Domestic Abuse Shelter Library Project Bilingual Readers Resource Database One Girl Scout created a database of over 1,400 Spanish language books for her local library system Kitchen Renovation This trip of Cadettes helped renovate a church kitchen Literacy and Displaced Persons Silver Award Project How one girl created a library cart of school supplies and books for displaced people. Real Troop Ideas This is a listing of real Silver Award ideas that other Girl Scout troops have accomplished. 34 Silver Award Ideas from one YouTube video 10 Ideas from the Girl Scout of Western Washington 8 Silver Award Projects With a Twist This post is from the Girl Scouts of Western Washington shares the actual projects of eight different troops or girls.

This was an after school program that I put on for kids. (See all my kids' programs here! )

>>> illustrated global uniforms poster – pretty cute style

This post is part of the “Ask a Leader Advice” series. I get many leaders writing me asking me questions and help every month. This post will answer your question with tips and suggestions from my perspective and often the perspective of other leaders who have shared with me how they have done things with their troop. I also encourage you to add your advice in the comments below if you have experience with the question. LEADER’S QUESTION: “How to Raise Money To Travel With Your Troop?” Advice from one leader to another…. This is one question I get asked often is “How to raise money to travel with my Girl Scout troop?” If you know my back story you know I was a leader for 14 years and a Girl Scout myself for 12 and for all those years I was involved with a multi-level troop. So I have had the opportunity to try many different fundraising ideas not only for travel but to earn money to use for the big awards or to donate things for service projects. Before I jump in, I will start by saying fundraisers are a touchy subject with Girl Scouts, and as we all know each council handles them differently. So before pursuing any of the following ideas please check with your council. I am basing my ideas on what I know my council allowed. Yard Sale – Depending on your Girls ages a Yard sale is a lot of work but can bring in a lot of profit, and when your girls are done donate whats left to another organization who wants to have a yard sale. Car wash – If you choose the right location you can bring in a good profit from this type of fundraiser. If you wanted to add a bake sale and sell water at the car wash as well people can snack while they wait for their cars. Cookies in a jar during the holiday season – These were a big seller – the girls sold them up front before making them and then got together and purchased the material and put together the orders. Collecting Cans, Old Ink, or Cell phones – Believe it or not after 3 months of collecting, putting signs up in local businesses to get old ink and cell phones, and asking all the troops in service unit to collect cans my girls earned over $200 dollars toward their bronze award. After collecting all the cans we took the girls to a recycling facility they got to take a tour and drop off their cans for recycling. For the ink we used a company called empty4cash – click here to learn more Host a Dog Wash – This is a unique fun way to earn some cash. You can bring dog treats to give pets after wash. Maybe also include special deals for families with more than one pet. Host a Community Meal – You can get every Girl Scout level involved in this and can even work toward their cooking badge while earning money. Ideas are to have a chili cook-offs, spaghetti supper or pancake breakfasts. You could also consider trying a unique meal if you have parents with cooking skills try a new cooking adventure such as Chinese or traditional Bolivian cuisine. Few other helpful tips for fundraising that I have shared on the blog in past: A great fundraiser to do is a Hoagie Sale. Click here to read more about how to stay organized and earn money for the big trips you want to take with your girls Make more money with the annual Girl Scout Cookie sales by trying a different way to run cookie booths. Click here for ideas on how to run a cookie marathon booth. I personally do not have all the answers on how to earn enough money to go on bigger trips with your girls so I asked another leader, this is one response from a leader named Pamela Fleming who has a troop of girls who have been together since kindergarten she shared with me her story of how her girls who are now in 10th grade have went on a number of trips and plan to go on a even bigger one this summer. Pamela writes…. “My girls have been together since kindergarten. This year they are all in 10th grade. It is sometimes difficult to keep them interested in scouting. For my girls, I have found that travel is the best way to keep them engaged. Travelers visiting the United States must arrange for their visas to be processed in advance of their flights; get more information from iVisa to learn more about the necessary steps. In 2015, we visited Savannah for six days. This July, we are going to London and Paris and including a visit to Pax Lodge and Disneyland Paris. How are we paying for this travel? First, we participate in the Fall Product Sale and of course cookie sales. However, that is not enough. I do not want to burden the parents with a lot of bills for travel. Therefore, we hold Girl Scout Par-Teas. We do them in March and call it a Girl Scout Birthday Par-Tea and do another one in the fall and call it a Founders Day Par-Tea. We have food, crafts, and table games. We also offer portraits or a photo booth (done with my iPad and a photo strip printer). This last time, we had a professional face painter and the cost was $2 per face. The parents of the girls donate food and the funds come from ticket sales and the portraits/photo booth. They have been very successful and we vary the theme. Last time it was dress fancy. So that the person running the photo booth or portraits do not have to handle money, I have the girls and parents buy tickets from the cashier and use that to pay for what they are wanting to do. For the portraits, they are uploaded to Shutterfly and then the participants are given a private link to view the photos and they can purchase prints from Shutterfly or download them to their device. It keeps the costs down for us and makes it easy to deliver the pictures.” Need More Inspiration? For over 100 ideas that could get your creative juices flowing checkout this book from Richard Black called The Fundraiser Guru: 100 All New Fundraising Ideas while some ideas wont work for Girl Scout Troops there are lots of ideas to get your girls thinking about Fundraiser they can do as group. Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls! Purchase this wonderful illustrated book from Amazon.

Before I get started, please note that a lot of the prep work can be done by the girls in a meeting. But we were going to be pressed for time, so I did as much prep work beforehand as possible, because I wanted to do all of this in one meeting. It was a lot, but was GREAT! Now, you can use the suggested activities in the Junior binder, and that's fine! But as usual, I went a little outside the box. Do what works best for you and your troop! But you might enjoy one of the activities here. It took a little over an hour and a half for the actual meeting activities (which we completed, except for the shoe prints, which were a take-home for most girls), but there was a LOT of prep time! And we were careful to keep an eye on the clock. It could've taken 2 hours to do. Or you can break it up into two meetings. Whatever works. We began the meeting with a bit of a discussion about what a Detective is, and all about different codes (including the Code Talkers), etc. When talking about Morse Code, be sure to tell your girls that when it is written as a message, the dashes should be slightly elevated on the paper -- this ensures it is read right-side-up, not upside-down. (It also makes the dashes easier to see.) Make a point to talk about the different ways Morse Code can be used: light, sound, writing, etc. My 15 girls were split into three patrols (patrols are typically Juniors and up, and the next step up from buddies/pairs; here's a bunch of info about patrols), we had three stations (one overflow area for shoe prints), and the girls rotated, spending about 20 minutes at each station. If you're moving quickly, skip naming patrols and electing leaders, etc. Just split them up randomly and go! I had two parent volunteers on hand -- it depends upon how many girls you have (we had 15 for this meeting), as to how many you will need. More parents arrived towards the end, and it was great to have several helpers! I would recommend three volunteers if possible, so you can float from station to station and continue elaborating on how it ties into being a detective. To earn our badge, we did Fingerprinting, Shoe Prints, Color (Secret) Codes, Morse Code Necklaces, and DNA extraction. (We had a scavenger hunt Halloween party afterwards, which tied in nicely to the Detective Badge, and I'll list details in Part Two.) You will need at least 3 tables for this meeting, and will have to do clean up as you go. If you're going to have a snack, do it first! And I recommend removing vests before you begin the meeting, as it will get messy. I have a big Thirty-One large utility tote that I carried everything in, atop my wheeled file box (which held things like my soft cooler for the rubbing alcohol, portable recycle bin, paperwork, flag, etc.). The activity supplies were placed in labeled gallon Ziplocs where possible, and instructions were included, so I didn't have to waste time explaining it to my volunteers. They read over the instructions during snack. The only cumbersome thing was the poster frame. All of the items listed are to accommodate 15 girls. Adjust as needed. As always, you might find a shortcut to the way I did it. If so, please post and let me know how it worked! I tend to overcomplicate things at times. . . . FINGERPRINTS: You will need the following items for this activity: (Do at home ahead of time unless you are spreading this badge over more than one meeting. You can have the girls do more prep work, but it's very messy. It's up to you): - 3-4 full sized (9"x11") sheets of sandpaper - 1 four-pack of graphite sticks (Michael's, drawing/art section, or Amazon) - 1 piece of paper that's been folded in half then re-opened - Plastic gloves (optional) (Bring to meeting:) - 5 small plastic containers (reusable Glad or other brand works well) - 20+ index cards (they might mess up, so have spares) - Pre-printed fingerprint cards (see below) - 5 makeup brushes (big and old -- these will be pretty much ruined, so use cheap ones!) - 1 small container hand lotion - Poster frame (or similar acrylic type surface -- our tables are wooden and have grooves, so we needed something very flat) - Clear packing tape - Scissors - 2 stamp pads (washable ink) - 1 roll paper towels - Access to a sink for hand-washing (soap) - Pencils or pens to write names on things Tiny Glad containers worked great for fingerprint powder Prepare before meeting: - I used one four-pack of graphite sticks from Michaels (art/drawing section). You can use regular pencils (it's a pain though as you have to stop and sharpen them constantly), sidewalk chalk, or powdered cocoa. I've not tried any of that though. The graphite worked well. - Wearing plastic gloves (optional, but it's very messy. Seriously), scrub the graphite against the sandpaper (just like you're coloring the sandpaper). Periodically tap the powdered graphite onto a sheet of paper that's been folded in half then opened (powder collects in crease). Pour powder into your small plastic container and make sure the lid is on tightly. In the end you should have 5 containers. Each one will be plenty for three girls to use. (5x3=15. Adjust yours as needed for how many girls you'll have.) - Print out individual fingerprint cards: You can use card stock or regular paper for this. Cut them up ahead of time if you'll be pressed for time during your meeting. Create a sample stamped card to use as reference. Pack up everything with instructions in case there are other volunteers assisting. What to do in the actual meeting: - Have each girl write her name on an index card. Set aside. - Have each girl write her name on the card, then stamp her fingerprints onto it. - Wash hands. - Apply small amount of hand lotion (otherwise the fingerprints won't show up). - Press fingertip firmly onto poster frame. - Gently pick up some powdered graphite with a blush brush and tap it over the fingerprint. - Use the brush to gently reveal the fingerprint. - Cut off a piece of packing tape (it's easiest to have the adult helpers doing this) and press it gently keeping the edges unstuck so they can peel it off easier. - Peel it off and stick to an index card that the girl has written her name on. - Wash hands really well. :) SHOE PRINTS: This was our overlap/do-at-home activity. So if a girl finished an activity before others in her patrol, and had already cleaned up, she could do this. You may need to use some of your graphite, or some chalk, or just have them walk around on asphalt or dirt. We did not have enough time for this for most girls, so we sent it home with them. You could elaborate on it a bit, if you want it to be a more involved activity, and have the girls leave a shoe print on paper, then have each girl walk around with the paper and try to match it to the actual shoe, etc. Because of time, we needed a quick and easy fifth activity, so this was it. Shoe prints won't work if their shoes are squeaky clean. COLOR CODES (Steganography): This was based off of some research I did into Chromatography. Which was cool! But opted instead for steganography, which is basically hiding messages in pictures or text. More info on it here. Also, steganography is a hard word to say, seriously. It look like it could mean "if dinosaurs could write" or something. Practice saying it before you get to the meeting. This is an example of a much easier way to approach it. But, it wouldn't take 20 minutes and I needed comparable time for each activity. I'm glad I opted for way more complicated. The girls had a great time figuring it all out. Do what works best for you! Here's the thing. On my versions (scroll down to the red images), I can see the Morse Code symbols on the electronic version on my computer, but when I printed them out? Could not see them unless I knew to look for them. I tested it on my Daisy. She couldn't see anything but red designs. But when viewed through red glasses? We could both see the symbols clearly. So while you might be able to see something here on this site -- try printing it out and see if you still can (or not). Hopefully these will work. If not, Google is your friend! :) A great online resource for making Morse Code messages can be found here. Please note: If you have girls who are colorblind, a steganography activity probably won't work. But they can still participate if you're using a coded message like mine below (and not just colored letters to form a message, like above). Just have them work with a partner. The partner uses her red glasses and copies down the Morse Code, while the colorblind girl translates the code. You will need the following items for this activity: - Colored glasses (I made five total. Each pair was used three times) - Colored messages (variety for each group, so not everyone is working on the same message) - Scrap paper (one per girl) - Pencils (ditto) - Morse Code Key (see below) - Helper cheat sheet so the volunteers could help prompt girls if they got stuck Prepare before the meeting: - Print out the sheets below and cut each in half (each sheet has TWO messages on it; each girl needs one message -- the last message probably won't work for your troop, so discard it) - Print out the Morse Code keys (one per girl) - Create a volunteer/helper cheat sheet with translations (keep this one folded away) - Paperclip one message, one scrap paper, and one Morse Code key for each girl in each patrol (I had three groups of five, with one left over spare for each in case someone's didn't print out well). Make sure you use different red sheets for the girls in each patrol, so they aren't all working on the same message. - Bundle each patrol's packets together, so it's easy for your volunteers to pull out a new batch for the next group - Make your glasses (see below) Red cellophane glasses: You will need the following to make your own (one per girl, per group. You don't need to make each girl a pair of glasses if you're doing these activities as rotations. Just make the total you'll need per group): - Card stock - Cellophane (I used clear pocket divider cover things; you could use thick shrink wrap from packaging, etc. Just has to be thick and clear. Saran wrap won't work. Does your school have a laminating machine? I bet there's a bunch of scrap plastic you could use.) - Red Sharpies (fresh is best) - Tape - Scissors Follow the steps below to make your own. I made five glasses, but didn't bother to put ear pieces on them. The girls just held them with one hand, and it worked fine. If you have time, add ear pieces. Make sure the marker on the cellophane pieces is DRY before you tape the red cellophane over the holes in your card stock, or else you'll end up with red ink everywhere. If your marker doesn't go on smoothly, use your finger to spread the ink around. It'll make a mess though, so wear gloves (also, rubbing alcohol works well for getting Sharpie off tables. Ha!) I traced the front shape of the 3-D type sample glasses I had on hand, onto a folded piece of card stock. Then cut out the shape and unfolded. After you've cut out the glasses shape, mark roughly where to cut out for eyes, keep the shape folded in half, and use an X-Acto knife to cut the slots for the red cellophane. Use a red Sharpie to color the cellophane, which should be larger than the eye hole, but smaller than the card stock. You're going to tape the red cellophane inside the glasses shape. Red Sharpie transfers pretty easily. This is what the inside should look like with cellophane taped in. Once you're done, close and tape the card stock edges shut. Ta-dah! Homemade spy glasses! Print out all this stuff: You don't have to use my stuff. You can find others online, or make your own! But here's everything we used for the meeting. You will cut the red cards in half, and each girl in each group rotation/patrol gets a different one (so they aren't all working on the same message at the same time): "We are a great troop" and "Girl Scouts is awesome" Each word is on its own line. "This is super fun" and "Morse code is cool" "Secret codes are cool" and "Miss Renee rocks" And okay, so that last one is unusable for your troop, unless you happen to have a Miss Renee... Ha! So, just discard the #6 and use 1-5 for your group rotations. If you have more than 5 in a patrol, have them work in pairs. Each girl gets a copy of this to use and to take home and keep. Remind them that when Morse Code is written, the dashes are typically raised slightly so you know you're not looking at it upside-down. That's why the color sheets all have raised dashes. I didn't use the numbers, but it's nice to include them for reference. What to do in the actual meeting: Make sure the girls coming from the Fingerprints table have washed their hands well. Smudged graphite can really mess with this activity. Give each girl her paper-clipped bundle and a pencil. Tell her that each line of code is ONE word and to copy down the code exactly as she sees it. Don't try to translate it until you have everything copied down on your scrap paper. That way if they make a mistake, it's easier to find where they went wrong. (Reiterate how careful detectives are!) You can have them draw one of these: "/" in between each letter, if that helps. Some of my girls used their pencils to trace/color over the code on the actual paper, which made it visible without the glasses. Very clever girls! MORSE CODE NECKLACES: You will need the following items: - String/cord (pre-cut, one per girl. Make these a bit longer than necessary, to accommodate knots) - Pony beads (variety, round) - Tube beads (like these; see below) - Morse Code sheets (see above) Prepare before the meeting: Make a sample necklace for yourself. Tie knots in between the words (or you could tie single knots in between letters and double knots in between words. Whatever you like). I used the same color beads for letters (so all my E letters were one color, etc.), but you don't have to do that. The round beads are dots. The tubes are dashes. The girls LOVED this! Bucket of (tube) beads at Michaels. Super cheap and worked great! My "Miss Renee" necklace DNA EXTRACTION: Lots of great instructions online. Here's one example. Here's another. But don't worry; it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. The key is to do it at least once at home so you won't stumble in the meeting, since timing is key. The measurements don't have to be exact, honestly. But try to get close if you can. It's more about proportions. We finished the patrol/group rotations for the other activities, cleaned up, and then everyone did this together, in pairs. All my adult helpers pitched in, which was GREAT! This can get tricky in terms of timing, especially the last step, so having more hands on deck is good. You will need the following items: - Rubbing alcohol, chilled (I put mine in a cooler with ice the night before, and brought the cooler to the meeting with me) - Small clear acrylic cups -- we worked in pairs for this, so I had two per pair. (You could use mixing bowls and cups instead, or go super fancy and get beakers. I just went to the Dollar store and bought cheap punch-size acrylic cups) - Wooden popsicle sticks (skewers can work too. Toothpicks are a bit too small, IMO) - Plastic spoons - Dish liquid (any brand will do. I've heard Dawn works well but I used a clear liquid. It was fine) - Sturdy Ziploc baggies (don't get the cheap ones, they'll rip) - Frozen strawberries -- THAWED! (Frozen ones work best, because once they thaw, they're already mushy. Plus, they have the tops cut off). I bought two bags but really only needed one. You don't need a ton, maybe three or four per girl, if they're medium-sized berries) - Salt - Paper napkins (or cheesecloth if you have it. We just used generic paper napkins -- they were the soft, super cheap cheap, double-ply kind. Not the Disney Princess style that have a more solid outer layer. You want something that liquid can pass through easily, but that won't tear) - Measuring cups/spoons - Water - Clean up towels for spills Prepare before the meeting: Run through it at least once beforehand. I should've done it twice, because I forgot a step early on during the meeting and had to start over. Which was no big deal, but that meant we ran over a little time-wise. So definitely do the experiment at home first, and I'd advise doing it twice just to be safe. The night before, chill your alcohol and grab a cooler, so it'll still be cold for your meeting. And don't forget to thaw your strawberries! If you leave them out overnight on the counter they should be nice and mushy for your meeting the next day. What to do in the actual meeting: Talk to the girls about how detectives use DNA, and what DNA is (I was surprised that some had no idea, so we had a nice little quick intro to genetics). 1. Pass out the cups (two per pair), plastic spoons (one per pair), popsicle sticks (two per pair), and napkins (extras on hand in case of spills or tears, etc.). 2. Give each pair of girls a sturdy Ziploc, and scoop some mushy strawberries into each one. Make sure the baggies are very well sealed, with the air pushed out. Set aside. 3. Put 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup water, and 1 tablespoon of dish liquid in one cup per pair of girls. 4. Have them use the spoons to gently mix the solution. This will be the extraction liquid. Set it aside. 5. Take turns gently mushing strawberries in baggies for ~2 minutes, or until it's as mushy as possible (they loved this part!). Set aside. 6. Have them place the napkins carefully over the top of the second cup. Press down in the middle so it sags well, and the strawberries won't spill over. Set aside. (You can use rubberbands to hold it in place, or just fingers.) 7. Add three tablespoons of the extraction liquid to the mushed strawberries baggy. You're done with the extraction cup (but hang on to it in case you need to re-do one). 8. Re-seal baggy (air pushed out) and work it through for another minute or so, until it's very well blended with the strawberries. Don't overwork it! You want to be gentle -- don't make bubbles. 9. Open the bag and carefully pour into the cup with the napkin on top. Have one girl hold the napkin in place with the middle pushed far down, while the other pours the mixture. Watch it drip into the cup. 10. Very gently pick up the edges of the napkin, so the mushy strawberry solution is contained within, then gently squeeze it so you get as much liquid into the cup as possible. 11. Carefully pick up the cup, then tilt it slightly. Pour a small amount (about 1-2 tablespoons? Test it at home and see) of chilled alcohol down the side of the cup (if you pour it straight in and it splashes, the experiment won't work as well). 12. Set the cup down and watch. It should start to work immediately. See the white layer forming? The alcohol is pulling strands of DNA from your mixture! 13. Use popsicle stick to carefully dip and grab the DNA strands. Randomly Googled image. I was too busy to take pictures of our actual experiment, but it was cool! Next up? Detective Part Two -- Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

Spooky doesn't even begin to describe the tale behind the scene of the Girl Scout Murders in 1977. Is Camp Scott haunted? You tell us.

Last week I recreated this Cloud identification tool that I saw on Pinterest and my son has loved it! Almost every day he has been outsid...

Learn how to build a catapult! This STEM activity is so fun for kids and needs just a few simple supplies! Plus learn history in the process.

McCall's Magazine, September 1973

able Thinking Day fact card for our passports. Perfect if you chose Sweden for your Girl Scout Thinking Day or International Night celebration.…

Before I get started, please note that a lot of the prep work can be done by the girls in a meeting. But we were going to be pressed for time, so I did as much prep work beforehand as possible, because I wanted to do all of this in one meeting. It was a lot, but was GREAT! Now, you can use the suggested activities in the Junior binder, and that's fine! But as usual, I went a little outside the box. Do what works best for you and your troop! But you might enjoy one of the activities here. It took a little over an hour and a half for the actual meeting activities (which we completed, except for the shoe prints, which were a take-home for most girls), but there was a LOT of prep time! And we were careful to keep an eye on the clock. It could've taken 2 hours to do. Or you can break it up into two meetings. Whatever works. We began the meeting with a bit of a discussion about what a Detective is, and all about different codes (including the Code Talkers), etc. When talking about Morse Code, be sure to tell your girls that when it is written as a message, the dashes should be slightly elevated on the paper -- this ensures it is read right-side-up, not upside-down. (It also makes the dashes easier to see.) Make a point to talk about the different ways Morse Code can be used: light, sound, writing, etc. My 15 girls were split into three patrols (patrols are typically Juniors and up, and the next step up from buddies/pairs; here's a bunch of info about patrols), we had three stations (one overflow area for shoe prints), and the girls rotated, spending about 20 minutes at each station. If you're moving quickly, skip naming patrols and electing leaders, etc. Just split them up randomly and go! I had two parent volunteers on hand -- it depends upon how many girls you have (we had 15 for this meeting), as to how many you will need. More parents arrived towards the end, and it was great to have several helpers! I would recommend three volunteers if possible, so you can float from station to station and continue elaborating on how it ties into being a detective. To earn our badge, we did Fingerprinting, Shoe Prints, Color (Secret) Codes, Morse Code Necklaces, and DNA extraction. (We had a scavenger hunt Halloween party afterwards, which tied in nicely to the Detective Badge, and I'll list details in Part Two.) You will need at least 3 tables for this meeting, and will have to do clean up as you go. If you're going to have a snack, do it first! And I recommend removing vests before you begin the meeting, as it will get messy. I have a big Thirty-One large utility tote that I carried everything in, atop my wheeled file box (which held things like my soft cooler for the rubbing alcohol, portable recycle bin, paperwork, flag, etc.). The activity supplies were placed in labeled gallon Ziplocs where possible, and instructions were included, so I didn't have to waste time explaining it to my volunteers. They read over the instructions during snack. The only cumbersome thing was the poster frame. All of the items listed are to accommodate 15 girls. Adjust as needed. As always, you might find a shortcut to the way I did it. If so, please post and let me know how it worked! I tend to overcomplicate things at times. . . . FINGERPRINTS: You will need the following items for this activity: (Do at home ahead of time unless you are spreading this badge over more than one meeting. You can have the girls do more prep work, but it's very messy. It's up to you): - 3-4 full sized (9"x11") sheets of sandpaper - 1 four-pack of graphite sticks (Michael's, drawing/art section, or Amazon) - 1 piece of paper that's been folded in half then re-opened - Plastic gloves (optional) (Bring to meeting:) - 5 small plastic containers (reusable Glad or other brand works well) - 20+ index cards (they might mess up, so have spares) - Pre-printed fingerprint cards (see below) - 5 makeup brushes (big and old -- these will be pretty much ruined, so use cheap ones!) - 1 small container hand lotion - Poster frame (or similar acrylic type surface -- our tables are wooden and have grooves, so we needed something very flat) - Clear packing tape - Scissors - 2 stamp pads (washable ink) - 1 roll paper towels - Access to a sink for hand-washing (soap) - Pencils or pens to write names on things Tiny Glad containers worked great for fingerprint powder Prepare before meeting: - I used one four-pack of graphite sticks from Michaels (art/drawing section). You can use regular pencils (it's a pain though as you have to stop and sharpen them constantly), sidewalk chalk, or powdered cocoa. I've not tried any of that though. The graphite worked well. - Wearing plastic gloves (optional, but it's very messy. Seriously), scrub the graphite against the sandpaper (just like you're coloring the sandpaper). Periodically tap the powdered graphite onto a sheet of paper that's been folded in half then opened (powder collects in crease). Pour powder into your small plastic container and make sure the lid is on tightly. In the end you should have 5 containers. Each one will be plenty for three girls to use. (5x3=15. Adjust yours as needed for how many girls you'll have.) - Print out individual fingerprint cards: You can use card stock or regular paper for this. Cut them up ahead of time if you'll be pressed for time during your meeting. Create a sample stamped card to use as reference. Pack up everything with instructions in case there are other volunteers assisting. What to do in the actual meeting: - Have each girl write her name on an index card. Set aside. - Have each girl write her name on the card, then stamp her fingerprints onto it. - Wash hands. - Apply small amount of hand lotion (otherwise the fingerprints won't show up). - Press fingertip firmly onto poster frame. - Gently pick up some powdered graphite with a blush brush and tap it over the fingerprint. - Use the brush to gently reveal the fingerprint. - Cut off a piece of packing tape (it's easiest to have the adult helpers doing this) and press it gently keeping the edges unstuck so they can peel it off easier. - Peel it off and stick to an index card that the girl has written her name on. - Wash hands really well. :) SHOE PRINTS: This was our overlap/do-at-home activity. So if a girl finished an activity before others in her patrol, and had already cleaned up, she could do this. You may need to use some of your graphite, or some chalk, or just have them walk around on asphalt or dirt. We did not have enough time for this for most girls, so we sent it home with them. You could elaborate on it a bit, if you want it to be a more involved activity, and have the girls leave a shoe print on paper, then have each girl walk around with the paper and try to match it to the actual shoe, etc. Because of time, we needed a quick and easy fifth activity, so this was it. Shoe prints won't work if their shoes are squeaky clean. COLOR CODES (Steganography): This was based off of some research I did into Chromatography. Which was cool! But opted instead for steganography, which is basically hiding messages in pictures or text. More info on it here. Also, steganography is a hard word to say, seriously. It look like it could mean "if dinosaurs could write" or something. Practice saying it before you get to the meeting. This is an example of a much easier way to approach it. But, it wouldn't take 20 minutes and I needed comparable time for each activity. I'm glad I opted for way more complicated. The girls had a great time figuring it all out. Do what works best for you! Here's the thing. On my versions (scroll down to the red images), I can see the Morse Code symbols on the electronic version on my computer, but when I printed them out? Could not see them unless I knew to look for them. I tested it on my Daisy. She couldn't see anything but red designs. But when viewed through red glasses? We could both see the symbols clearly. So while you might be able to see something here on this site -- try printing it out and see if you still can (or not). Hopefully these will work. If not, Google is your friend! :) A great online resource for making Morse Code messages can be found here. Please note: If you have girls who are colorblind, a steganography activity probably won't work. But they can still participate if you're using a coded message like mine below (and not just colored letters to form a message, like above). Just have them work with a partner. The partner uses her red glasses and copies down the Morse Code, while the colorblind girl translates the code. You will need the following items for this activity: - Colored glasses (I made five total. Each pair was used three times) - Colored messages (variety for each group, so not everyone is working on the same message) - Scrap paper (one per girl) - Pencils (ditto) - Morse Code Key (see below) - Helper cheat sheet so the volunteers could help prompt girls if they got stuck Prepare before the meeting: - Print out the sheets below and cut each in half (each sheet has TWO messages on it; each girl needs one message -- the last message probably won't work for your troop, so discard it) - Print out the Morse Code keys (one per girl) - Create a volunteer/helper cheat sheet with translations (keep this one folded away) - Paperclip one message, one scrap paper, and one Morse Code key for each girl in each patrol (I had three groups of five, with one left over spare for each in case someone's didn't print out well). Make sure you use different red sheets for the girls in each patrol, so they aren't all working on the same message. - Bundle each patrol's packets together, so it's easy for your volunteers to pull out a new batch for the next group - Make your glasses (see below) Red cellophane glasses: You will need the following to make your own (one per girl, per group. You don't need to make each girl a pair of glasses if you're doing these activities as rotations. Just make the total you'll need per group): - Card stock - Cellophane (I used clear pocket divider cover things; you could use thick shrink wrap from packaging, etc. Just has to be thick and clear. Saran wrap won't work. Does your school have a laminating machine? I bet there's a bunch of scrap plastic you could use.) - Red Sharpies (fresh is best) - Tape - Scissors Follow the steps below to make your own. I made five glasses, but didn't bother to put ear pieces on them. The girls just held them with one hand, and it worked fine. If you have time, add ear pieces. Make sure the marker on the cellophane pieces is DRY before you tape the red cellophane over the holes in your card stock, or else you'll end up with red ink everywhere. If your marker doesn't go on smoothly, use your finger to spread the ink around. It'll make a mess though, so wear gloves (also, rubbing alcohol works well for getting Sharpie off tables. Ha!) I traced the front shape of the 3-D type sample glasses I had on hand, onto a folded piece of card stock. Then cut out the shape and unfolded. After you've cut out the glasses shape, mark roughly where to cut out for eyes, keep the shape folded in half, and use an X-Acto knife to cut the slots for the red cellophane. Use a red Sharpie to color the cellophane, which should be larger than the eye hole, but smaller than the card stock. You're going to tape the red cellophane inside the glasses shape. Red Sharpie transfers pretty easily. This is what the inside should look like with cellophane taped in. Once you're done, close and tape the card stock edges shut. Ta-dah! Homemade spy glasses! Print out all this stuff: You don't have to use my stuff. You can find others online, or make your own! But here's everything we used for the meeting. You will cut the red cards in half, and each girl in each group rotation/patrol gets a different one (so they aren't all working on the same message at the same time): "We are a great troop" and "Girl Scouts is awesome" Each word is on its own line. "This is super fun" and "Morse code is cool" "Secret codes are cool" and "Miss Renee rocks" And okay, so that last one is unusable for your troop, unless you happen to have a Miss Renee... Ha! So, just discard the #6 and use 1-5 for your group rotations. If you have more than 5 in a patrol, have them work in pairs. Each girl gets a copy of this to use and to take home and keep. Remind them that when Morse Code is written, the dashes are typically raised slightly so you know you're not looking at it upside-down. That's why the color sheets all have raised dashes. I didn't use the numbers, but it's nice to include them for reference. What to do in the actual meeting: Make sure the girls coming from the Fingerprints table have washed their hands well. Smudged graphite can really mess with this activity. Give each girl her paper-clipped bundle and a pencil. Tell her that each line of code is ONE word and to copy down the code exactly as she sees it. Don't try to translate it until you have everything copied down on your scrap paper. That way if they make a mistake, it's easier to find where they went wrong. (Reiterate how careful detectives are!) You can have them draw one of these: "/" in between each letter, if that helps. Some of my girls used their pencils to trace/color over the code on the actual paper, which made it visible without the glasses. Very clever girls! MORSE CODE NECKLACES: You will need the following items: - String/cord (pre-cut, one per girl. Make these a bit longer than necessary, to accommodate knots) - Pony beads (variety, round) - Tube beads (like these; see below) - Morse Code sheets (see above) Prepare before the meeting: Make a sample necklace for yourself. Tie knots in between the words (or you could tie single knots in between letters and double knots in between words. Whatever you like). I used the same color beads for letters (so all my E letters were one color, etc.), but you don't have to do that. The round beads are dots. The tubes are dashes. The girls LOVED this! Bucket of (tube) beads at Michaels. Super cheap and worked great! My "Miss Renee" necklace DNA EXTRACTION: Lots of great instructions online. Here's one example. Here's another. But don't worry; it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. The key is to do it at least once at home so you won't stumble in the meeting, since timing is key. The measurements don't have to be exact, honestly. But try to get close if you can. It's more about proportions. We finished the patrol/group rotations for the other activities, cleaned up, and then everyone did this together, in pairs. All my adult helpers pitched in, which was GREAT! This can get tricky in terms of timing, especially the last step, so having more hands on deck is good. You will need the following items: - Rubbing alcohol, chilled (I put mine in a cooler with ice the night before, and brought the cooler to the meeting with me) - Small clear acrylic cups -- we worked in pairs for this, so I had two per pair. (You could use mixing bowls and cups instead, or go super fancy and get beakers. I just went to the Dollar store and bought cheap punch-size acrylic cups) - Wooden popsicle sticks (skewers can work too. Toothpicks are a bit too small, IMO) - Plastic spoons - Dish liquid (any brand will do. I've heard Dawn works well but I used a clear liquid. It was fine) - Sturdy Ziploc baggies (don't get the cheap ones, they'll rip) - Frozen strawberries -- THAWED! (Frozen ones work best, because once they thaw, they're already mushy. Plus, they have the tops cut off). I bought two bags but really only needed one. You don't need a ton, maybe three or four per girl, if they're medium-sized berries) - Salt - Paper napkins (or cheesecloth if you have it. We just used generic paper napkins -- they were the soft, super cheap cheap, double-ply kind. Not the Disney Princess style that have a more solid outer layer. You want something that liquid can pass through easily, but that won't tear) - Measuring cups/spoons - Water - Clean up towels for spills Prepare before the meeting: Run through it at least once beforehand. I should've done it twice, because I forgot a step early on during the meeting and had to start over. Which was no big deal, but that meant we ran over a little time-wise. So definitely do the experiment at home first, and I'd advise doing it twice just to be safe. The night before, chill your alcohol and grab a cooler, so it'll still be cold for your meeting. And don't forget to thaw your strawberries! If you leave them out overnight on the counter they should be nice and mushy for your meeting the next day. What to do in the actual meeting: Talk to the girls about how detectives use DNA, and what DNA is (I was surprised that some had no idea, so we had a nice little quick intro to genetics). 1. Pass out the cups (two per pair), plastic spoons (one per pair), popsicle sticks (two per pair), and napkins (extras on hand in case of spills or tears, etc.). 2. Give each pair of girls a sturdy Ziploc, and scoop some mushy strawberries into each one. Make sure the baggies are very well sealed, with the air pushed out. Set aside. 3. Put 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup water, and 1 tablespoon of dish liquid in one cup per pair of girls. 4. Have them use the spoons to gently mix the solution. This will be the extraction liquid. Set it aside. 5. Take turns gently mushing strawberries in baggies for ~2 minutes, or until it's as mushy as possible (they loved this part!). Set aside. 6. Have them place the napkins carefully over the top of the second cup. Press down in the middle so it sags well, and the strawberries won't spill over. Set aside. (You can use rubberbands to hold it in place, or just fingers.) 7. Add three tablespoons of the extraction liquid to the mushed strawberries baggy. You're done with the extraction cup (but hang on to it in case you need to re-do one). 8. Re-seal baggy (air pushed out) and work it through for another minute or so, until it's very well blended with the strawberries. Don't overwork it! You want to be gentle -- don't make bubbles. 9. Open the bag and carefully pour into the cup with the napkin on top. Have one girl hold the napkin in place with the middle pushed far down, while the other pours the mixture. Watch it drip into the cup. 10. Very gently pick up the edges of the napkin, so the mushy strawberry solution is contained within, then gently squeeze it so you get as much liquid into the cup as possible. 11. Carefully pick up the cup, then tilt it slightly. Pour a small amount (about 1-2 tablespoons? Test it at home and see) of chilled alcohol down the side of the cup (if you pour it straight in and it splashes, the experiment won't work as well). 12. Set the cup down and watch. It should start to work immediately. See the white layer forming? The alcohol is pulling strands of DNA from your mixture! 13. Use popsicle stick to carefully dip and grab the DNA strands. Randomly Googled image. I was too busy to take pictures of our actual experiment, but it was cool! Next up? Detective Part Two -- Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

Use this free printable roll a first aid kit activity to pass off the girls camp certification about learning what goes in a basic first aid kit!

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.

able Thinking Day fact card for our passports. Perfect if you chose Ivory Coast for your Girl Scout Thinking Day or International Night celebration.…

Learn how to safely build a fire.

It’s cookie season! You may have seen the Girl Scouts in your area selling cookies and you MAY have ordered a few boxes already. But if you haven’t gotten your hands on a box yet, you’ll want to make this delicious recipe of Copycat Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies – my favorite! Copycat Girl Scout […]

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Explore Girl Guides of Canada's 1062 photos on Flickr!

The intimate portrait of the Queen's childhood by her governess Crawfie caused a sensation 60 years ago. Republished for the Jubilee, it enchants more than ever. This is the second part of our exclusive serialisation...

able Thinking Day fact card for our passports. Perfect if you chose South Korea for your Girl Scout Thinking Day or International Night celebration.…

In celebration of Woman’s Month, today we celebrate Women Inventors that changed History. Woman that has changed the way of doing certain things and in some way improved our way of living. Co…

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Body language accounts for most of how we communicate and so it's helpful to know what certain cues can mean to gain a better understanding of what pe

Pick something off this list of family-friendly volunteer opportunities to spread kindness and participate in community service projects with your kids.

Get the communication between you and your kids going with these conversation starters!

This cake made for an Eagle Scout awards ceremony, has the fleur de lis made of color flow and dusted with edible gold dust. The rest of the decoration is buttercream.

Yes, ANOTHER free printable this week. I know, if I could pinch you from here I would; free stuff is so dreamy! This is a quick matching manners worksheet I made tonight as a supplement to a Manner…

Make an easy DIY Girl Scout Thinking Day costume for Scandinavian countries like Iceland, but also Norway, Denmark, Finland or even Switzerland, Germany, and Poland

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My daughter just figured out how to tie knots! It's so exciting when your child learns a new skill right before your eyes. She had been tryi...

Hello fellow Scouters, Games are a vital part of your Scouting program, and some of the best games are the ones that take very little setup or supplies to do. If you have enough Scouts, and a coupl…

Are you holding an Eagle Scout Court of Honor soon? Check out the great Eagle Scout Court of Honor ideas in this post to help make your planning easier. No need to plan it all out yourself, I did all the legwork for you!

able Thinking Day fact card for our passports. Perfect if you chose Czech Republic for your Girl Scout Thinking Day or International Night celebration.…

In the past 120 years, these women have all made an impact on our world.

Two-page download includes Morse code chart to help complete step 2 and fingerprint illustrations to help complete step 3 of the Junior Detective badge.

MSNBC is reporting that Australian band Men at Work copied a well-known children’s campfire song for the flute melody in its 1980s hit “Down Under” and owes the owner years of royalties. “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” was written more than 70 years ago by Australian teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition. Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson said, “I have come to the view that the flute riff in “Down Under” ... infringes on the copyright of Kookaburra because it replicates in material form a substantial part of Ms. Sinclair’s 1935 work,”He ordered the parties back in court Feb. 25 to discuss the compensation Larrikin should receive from songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert and Men at Work’s record companies Sony/BMG Entertainment and EMI. Justiced served! In other news, I do still think "Down Under" is a worthy jam.

The purpose of a camp gadget is to make a solution to a problem with materials at hand. There is a limited selection of camp gadget ideas on page 303 of the girls program book but there are lots of…

This candy campfire activity is the perfect way to teach how to build a campfire or just a fun activity for a camp themed party!

This Blog is to share the scouting Information that has been more informative to all the Scouts and Guides.