The Get Moving Journey is part of the "It's Your Planet—Love It!" series. Get Moving Journey as a Sleepover Take the Energy Hog Challenge. This workbook includes a lot of information, including information on different types of energy, a quiz for auditing your home, an energy journal, and suggestions for family Hog Buster energy pledges. A LA Times article highlighted the impact Girl Scouts can have on energy conservation using the Girls Learning Environment and Energy (GLEE) program: Science pr
For over a century, Girl Scouts have proudly worn distinctive uniforms that symbolize the high ideals for which Girl Scouting stands. Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling…Read On!Junior Uniform Guide
The aMUSE Journey is part of the "It's Your Story—Tell It!" series. In this Journey, you will: Explore roles you play in your life and try on new ones—play a role-playing game, invite actors to talk about the characters they’ve played, or learn to spot stereotypes on TV, in movies, or in ads. Plan a Take Action Project, such as putting on a performance that creatively urges an end to stereotyping, drawing a graphic novel to share with younger girls, or starting a “mix it up” day in the school ca
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 It is amazing how far technology has come in the past decade. Camera phones and editing apps have certainly changed how people take and store their photographs. There are many free apps that anyone can download and use to make delightful collages that can then be printed for gifts. The old Girl Scout Junior Badge Book had the Camera Shots badge, and it is one that my girls earned when they were in fifth grade. This badge is a bit different than the old badge, simply because of the digital aspect of it. I would recommend using two meetings to earn this badge since the girls had a really great time earning it. In fact, many of the photos they took were used for their perpetual Girl Scout scrapbook that we kept for almost six years. Photo from Pixabay Step 1 Learn About Digital Cameras From an Expert Photography is one of the most popular hobbies, so it should not be hard to find an expert. There is probably one among the parents in your troop. Ask her to spend 15 minutes talking about her hobby and what makes it so interesting. Ask her to bring in some of her cameras to show the girls. Step 2 Take Tons of Pictures You will want to ask parents ahead of time to send in a camera for their daughter to use if the child does not have a phone equipped to take a picture. If you are short on cameras, then have the girls take turns posing for pictures for each there and taking pictures of landscapes and inanimate objects. Give each girl a sets number of pictures to take so turn taking can happen quickly. Photo from Pixabay Step 3 Edit Photos Here is where some parent volunteers can step in. If the girls have camera phones, then they can easily edit photos. For the ones that do not have this and are using a digital camera, download three photos to edit on a laptop. One of my favorite free websites to edit photos is Canva. You can create all kinds of fun things to your photos, as well as touch up, resize and crop. Step 4 Make a Digital Photo Project You can use a free site like Be Funky to create a photo collage on the computer or use one of the free phone apps to create a photo collage. Either one can be uploaded to your computer and saved if you wish to use it for a future project. They can be printed out and used for your scrapbooks, bridging invitations, or as an end of the year gift to your girls. Click on this link to find out what photo deals are going on at Walgreens. Scroll down and get the latest deals for your troop's pictures! Image created by the author in Canva Step 5 Share Your Photos This is easy to do. Have the girls send you the photos so you can upload them to your groups Facebook page, Shutterfly account, or even in an email to parents.
Juniors earn their Outdoor Journey by completing their three outdoor badges and then doing a “Take Action Project”. To complete this journey, Juniors should: Earn Animal Habitats badge Earn Camper badge Earn Eco Camper badge. Complete a Take Action Project The capstone “Take Action Project” should focus on making the outdoor world a better place....
Girl Scout Juniors earn circle badges, typically edged in purple. Additional badges are also available through a girl scout's council. Contact your council or visit their website for more information. Some STEM badges are completed in steps. They are listed progressively and are noted as first (I), second (II), and third (III) depending on the order or level of difficulty. Animal Habitats Automotive Design (I) Automotive Engineering (II) Automotive Manufacturing (III) Coding Basics (I) Digital G
Updated April 2023 At this stage of their lives, many girls love animals. Whether they are indoor pets like dogs or cats or outdoor animals like horses, a love of four legged friends is a very common thing. Image created by the author in Canva The Junior Girl Scouts Animal Habitats badge is not one that your troop can earn inside during a meeting. More than likely the children have covered this topic in school several times through the years, so those steps that lend itself to being indoors may seem a bit boring. The steps to earn this badge use words like “explore” and “investigate”, and these are active, outdoor words! 1. Find out about wild animals 2. Investigate an animal habitat 3. Create an animal house 4. Explore endangered habitats 5. Help protect animal habitats This badge is perfect for a field trip. Many zoos, as well as nature centers and even some veterinary clinics offer Girl Scout badge programs. Contact those and plan for a fun, outdoor experience with your girls! If you cannot find a program in your community, why not ask for one to be created? You may also want to contact a local birdwatchers club to guide your girls on a birdwatching hike.
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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.
How to design and sew a whole-cloth quilted blanket for camping, with junior ranger patches sewn on. Great for National Park enthusiasts!
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 The definition of geocaching, according to this geocaching website devoted to it, is “... a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.”. Your girls have an opportunity to go outdoors and have a new adventure while earning the Girl Scout Junior Geocaching badge. This badge will require two meetings to earn if -one to learn the basics of geocaching and the other to actually do it! If you are lucky, your Councilman offer this as a badge earning event and your girls can earn it in one day. Image created by the author in Canva Step 1 Prepare for Your Adventure More than likely, your girls have not heard of geocaching before. Here is a short video that will describe, in a nutshell, what they are about to learn. Next, introduce the terms they will encounter as they learn about it, such as FTF, waypoint, CITO, TFTC, terrain rating. You can find the definitions of these and more at the geocaching website. For a game to help the girls remember some of the terms, write down some of the definitions on a piece of paper. Divide the girls into groups and read one term aloud. Have one girl write down what they all agree the answer should be. Then see if they are correct. Then do the next term. Some examples are: GPS—global positioning system: the system of satellites and software that lets us find our position CITO—cache in trash out: leave no trash behind, and take as much of other people’s trash as we can FTF—first to find: no one has seen this cache besides the owner TNLN—took nothing left nothing: signed in logbook if you neither took nor left a trade item TFTC—thanks for the cache: signed in logbook as a thank you to the cache own Step 2 Learn to Use a GPS Receiver Divide the girls into teams. Hide different items and give them the coordinates to find them. Step 3 Make a Trade Item Use some of your leftover craft materials to make a Swap. Each girl can make one for her own collection and make one extra for the Geocache box. You may want to make something that has your troop numbers on it. Step 4 Go on a Geocaching Adventure This is the fun part-take your girls out for their hike! Don't forget the Swap you made to leave in the box. Step 5 Take Part in a Bug’s Travels Get your own travel bug and send it on its own adventure.
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Flowers are an important part of our world. They provide beauty ...
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Flowers are an important part of our world. They provide beauty to our homes both inside and out. What looks more beautiful than a house surrounded by bright and colorful flowers? Floral arrangements convey emotions we may not be able to express. A bouquet of roses can be one way that one person tells another that s/he has deep feelings or love for the other person. When a friend or family member dies, flowers are often sent as a way to express your condolences. If an apology is in order, many times flowers can help express the sincerity of the one who needs to apologize. Here is an easy lesson plan to help your troop earn the Junior Girl Scout Flower badge. Image created by the author in Canva Flowers are also an important part of our ecosystem, as they provide food for insects and herbivores. The Girl Scout Flowers badge can be earned while on a field trip to a florist or be earned during your regular meeting time. Step 1 Uncover the Science of One Flower If the weather is cooperative and you are in an area that has lots of different flowers, then the easiest thing to do for this part is to go on the flower hunt. You will need magnifying glasses for each girl, as well as a notebook and pencil for sketching. Available on Amazon Set of 12 Mini Notepads from Amazon Step 2 Look Under the Petals This is more fun if it is hands on. Go to the supermarket or local produce store and buy one or two bouquets of flowers so that each girl can compare two that are similar. Have some fact sheets about these flowers for the girls to read. They can compare the similarities and write them down in their notebook. Step 3 Find Out How Flowers Help People Girls can make no sew lavender sachets as one of the steps for earning the Junior Girl Scout Flowers badge. Photo from Pixabay Flowers not only help people emotionally, but they also help them physically as well. Aloe vera helps in the healing of cuts and burns, chamomile is known for easing indigestion and insomnia and lavender helps us unwind and relive stress. For this step, the girls can make no-sew lavender sachets. Materials White fabric squares cut to the size you feel is best Sharpie markers Lavender A bag of lavender flowers is perfect for making the sachets with your girls. Available on Amazon Have the girls select two squares and create designs on each one. When they are done drawing, place lavender in the center of the clean side. With a hot glue gun, used with adult supervision, they can glue them closed. Step 4 Have Fun With Flowers Here is another step that lends itself well to crafts. Since your girls are older, you can do a more complicated flower craft. Here are some video tutorials on how to make different paper flowers. Step 5 Send a Message in Flower Code To keep expenses down instead of creating a corsage, why not have the girls make a boutonniere? Here is a video with easy directions. Materials One flower for each girl Sprig of leaves or baby’s breath Floral tape Large stick pin Here is the video tutorial.
Getting Started with Girl Scouts Daisies and Brownies
Help your girls in the 4th - 5th grade learn about the world and earn badges doing it. Plan your troop meetings with ease with these ideas.
The Get Moving Journey is part of the "It's Your Planet—Love It!" series. Get Moving Journey as a Sleepover Take the Energy Hog Challenge. This workbook includes a lot of information, including information on different types of energy, a quiz for auditing your home, an energy journal, and suggestions for family Hog Buster energy pledges. A LA Times article highlighted the impact Girl Scouts can have on energy conservation using the Girls Learning Environment and Energy (GLEE) program: Science pr
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*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Camping and Girl Scouts go hand in hand. It was one of the goals of founder Juli...
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.
Our Junior Girl Scouts completed the Flowers badge by attending a two-hour program at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati . In th...
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Girl Scout Manners Sheet: Girl Scout Law Word Search: GS Good Character Word Search: GS Coloring Pages: GS Bingo Game: GS Cootie Catcher: The worlds strongest girl GS web site The Girl Scout Official Web Site with Games and Activities GS Top Inspiring Women Web Site
The Digital Photographer badge is part of the “It's Your World - Change It!” badge set introduced in 2011. It replaces the retired Camera Shots badge. 10 Photography Tips for Beginners Digital cameras have so many buttons, it can sometimes be tricky figuring out how to turn on one! In this step, get a handle on some basics. CHOICES – DO ONE: Interview a local photographer or photography student. To find a professional photographer in your area, consider calling the local paper or a nearby por
The Scribe badge is part of the “It's Your World - Change It!” badge set introduced in 2011. It replaces the retired Write All About It badge. What is a Haiku? A haiku is an unrhymed three-line poem. It is based on a traditional Japanese poetic form. write the first and last lines with five syllables each, and the middle line with seven syllables. the pattern of syllables looks like this: Line 1: 5 syllables Line 2: 7 syllables Line 3: 5 syllables Here’s another way to visualize the same thing:
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 As the girls in your troop get older, they will be able to take on more and more responsibility. One of the things they may already be doing is caring for a younger sibling for a short while when Mom or Dad are running a quick errand. But what if something happens while on their watch? Earning the Junior First Aid badge is one way for girls to be prepared. Step 1 Learn the Steps to Be Prepared This is a fairly quick and simple step to do. Have the girls create a small chart on a half piece of white construction paper. In red marker, they need to write these steps: Check-See to see if it is safe to check on the person. Then see if the person can talk or respond Call-911 Care-Stay as calm as possible and ask another person to get an adult if one is not around the immediate area This chart can be placed by the phone at home or on the refrigerator. Step 2 Talk to First Responders and Step 4 Find Out How to Handle Urgent First Aid Issues Ask a first responder, like a police officer, to speak to your girls as one of the steps to earn the Junior First Aid badge. Photo from Pixabay Find out if there is someone in your troop community who can talk to the girls about what it is like to be on the scene of an emergency. If you cannot find someone and you meet in a school, ask if the school nurse can stay a bit extra and be a special guest at your meeting. She or he has certainly had emergencies over the years and s/he can talk to the kids about what to do if something happens at home or at school. Include questions about how the girls should handle urgent issues to combine the fourth step with this one. Step 3 Make a Portable First Aid Kit If your girls did this as Brownie Girl Scouts, then they may not have it anymore. Even if they do, you can make a different version of the kit for them to take camping or to keep in their school backpack or Girl Scout bag. Parents can even keep this in the glove compartment of their car. The key to creating this particular kit is to make it portable, so it needs to be small. Similar Four Pack Available on Amazon This colorful set of travel soap containers comes in a 4 pack. The perfect vessel for this kit is a travel soap container. Inside you can place: Band Aids in different sizes Individual packets of a topical antibiotic Q-Tips for applying the ointment Individual packets of moist towelettes or alcohol wipes Have the girls write “First Aid” in Sharpie on the top. Step 4 Find Out How to Handle Urgent First Aid Issues Lots of kids have peanut or other life threatening allergies. Do a "Peanut Drill" on what the girls should do if someone in class has a reaction. One girl should run to the nurse, one runs to the office, one goes to the teacher next door, etc. Image created by the author on Canva Step 5 Know How to Take Care of Someone Who is Sick Talking to the girls about how to make others feel better when they are sick is one step in earning the Junior First Aid badge. Ask the girls what their parents or caretakers do to help them feel better when they are sick. Tell the girls what you and your co-leader do for their daughters, and what your parents did for you. Has any of this changed over the years?
Updated April 2023 To be honest, this badge and the requirements look a bit boring for fourth and fifth graders. But in reality, this is ...
This is the third in a series of posts on the Craft and Tinker Badges. I previously wrote about the Daisy and Brownie plans. I did th...
Girl Scout Juniors earn circle badges, typically edged in green to match the uniform. Air Force Pride Badge Agent of Change (Junior Journey) Along the Wilderness Trail Badge Animal Habitats Badge Animals in Your Community Badge Aquaculture Badge Archaeology Badge Archery Badge (GS of Historic GA) Asia Badge Beaches Forever Badge Bicycling Badge Birth of Our Nation Badge Bowling Badge Bronze Award Brownie Wings Camper Badge Camp Together Badge (retired) Canoe Crusaders Badge Celebrate Alaska Patc
The Get Moving Journey is part of the "It's Your Planet—Love It!" series. Get Moving Journey as a Sleepover Take the Energy Hog Challenge. This workbook includes a lot of information, including information on different types of energy, a quiz for auditing your home, an energy journal, and suggestions for family Hog Buster energy pledges. A LA Times article highlighted the impact Girl Scouts can have on energy conservation using the Girls Learning Environment and Energy (GLEE) program: Science pr
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Grab your pens and lets’ scribe! Do you have a passion for writing, but not sure where to start? Look no further! The Junior Scribe Badge is waiting for you to unlock your inner writer with these fun activities.
New badges this year (2021) include a series of Math in Nature badges sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. This post is taking a look at the activities for the Junior version with the idea of giving leaders a quick resource they can review to decide whether to do the badge. If you decide to do the badge I highly recommend that you review the VTK plans as the given talking points are what connect the activities and math. Requirements According to Badge Explorer: Juniors explore patterns found in nature and use math to create their own. Steps 1. Identify symmetry in nature 2. Explore bilateral symmetry in nature 3. Create nature-inspired art with circular symmetry 4. Find fractals in nature 5. Search for the Fibonacci sequence Purpose When Juniors have earned this badge, they'll know about symmetry, fractals, and the Fibonacci sequence. They'll have identified patterns and shapes in nature. Activities Identify symmetry in nature After a discussion about symmetry and lines of symmetry, the girls either make a symmetrical paper snowflake with six lines of symmetry, find and draw or photograph symmetrical things in nature or team up and follow each other's actions in a symmetrical manner. Explore bilateral symmetry in nature The troop discusses the concept of bilateral symmetry and then does one of the following: Using roll paper, girls team up to trace halfway around each other's bodies. Each girl then finishes her body and fills it in. Discuss what is and isn't symmetrical. Create a butterfly out of wire coat hangers and decorate Take a leaf and fold it in half down the middle and either trace/rub half on paper or press half into clay. Then draw or sculpt the other half Create nature-inspired art with circular symmetry Using materials provided, the troop talks about circular symmetry and then does one of these projects: Using nut butter and birdseed, create a bird feeder with circular symmetry Using items found in nature create an outdoor design that has circular symmetry Using art supplies, create a work of art with circular symmetry Make a tetrahedron This is isn't a badge requirement, but is given as an opening activity. The leader makes a tetrahedron with toothpicks and clay (photo given) and challenges the girls to make the pyramid bigger by adding more triangles. They discuss how this is a never-ending pattern and how nature has never ending patterns. Find Fractals in nature After discussing what fractals are and showing examples like leaves, rivers and lightning bolts, the girls go outside and look for fractals. They then draw them or photograph them. Another option is to talk about fractal flowers and then to make fractal flowers out of pipe cleaners and beads and then to put them together in a bouquet. The final choice is to give each girl a piece of clay and a twig. The clay is pressed flat and the twig pressed in the center of it, flat against the clay. Girls then use a tool to create the tree branches as fractals. Search for the Fibonacci sequence The troop discusses the Fibonacci sequence (talking points given, not hard to follow even if you have no clue what it is) and then girls create a Golden Rectangle (directions given). Then they look for the Fibonacci sequence/spiral in either fruit, flowers or animals. Resources VTK provides several resources for leaders to use with this badge. They include photos of symmetry in nature, photo of a snowflake, photos of butterflies, a page on designing with circular symmetry, photos of art with symmetry, photos of natural fractals, photos showing Fibonacci in nature and directions on how to make a golden rectangle (with illustrations). My Comments My girls wanted more art badges. Well, I just found one, and it teaches some math concepts too. Seriously, don't let the awful design of VTK scare you away. Look at this post, pick out what you want to do. Then go to VTK and, if you haven't done so, create a year plan and add the two meeting plans for this badge to the year plan. Then click on the first meeting and scroll all the way to the bottom. Find the activity you selected and click on it and read the script. You can teach this even if you had no idea that Fibonacci was a thing ten minutes ago.
Perfect for Bridging ceremonies or first meetings! Welcome your brand new Juniors with this clever candy wrap. Buy once, print as many times as needed within your troop. Please no sharing file outside of troop. Simple print on your home computer or outside printing source, follow cutting/folding directions on file and tape onto a 3.5 oz box of Junior Mints. NOTE: This printable fits a 3.5 oz Junior Mint box WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE: One high resolution PDF candy wrapper printout to cut and paste onto your candy box(es). No actual wrapper or candy box will be sent via snail mail. This listing is an instant download. LOOKING FOR A CUSTOM DESIGN? You are in luck! For an additional $5, I can customize this design to include your troop number. Simply add the listing link below to your cart (in addition to the wrapper). Please include your troop number in the "Notes to Seller" section. https://www.etsy.com/listing/506145207/custom-add-on?ga_search_query=custom&ref=shop_items_search_14 WHERE CAN I PRINT? On your very own computer with regular white paper! You can also send file to Walgreens, CVS, Costco, Fedex, Staples, CopyMax, VistaPrint, or Google the closest location near you.
Switch to Daisy Brownie Cadette Senior Ambassador Juniors have seven different Journeys available to complete. Below is a guide to help them choose which ones spark their interest. Agent of Change In this Journey, you will: Explore how powerful individual women have been throughout history, how your own individual powers can be linked together to create a powerful team, and how your team power can become community power. Plan a Take Action project that helps others. Earn 3 leadership awards: Power of One, Power of Team, and Power of Community. aMUSE In this Journey, you will: Explore roles you play in your life and try on new ones—play a role-playing game, invite actors to talk about the characters they’ve played, or learn to spot stereotypes on TV, in movies, or in ads. Plan a Take Action Project, such as putting on a performance that creatively urges an end to stereotyping, drawing a graphic novel to share with younger girls, or starting a “mix it up” day in the school cafeteria and having girls sit with new people. Earn 3 leadership awards: Reach Out!, Speak Out!, and Try Out! GET MOVING! In this Journey, you will: Explore energy and how to use it wisely by interviewing power-use experts and conducting an energy audits of a building in your community. Plan a Take Action project to fix an energy problem in your community. Your could launch carpools, work to dim the lights on city buildings, or promote energy savings at your school. Earn 3 leadership awards: The Energize Award, the Investigate Award, and the Innovate Award. Outdoor (Junior) In this Journey, you will: Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Animal Habitat, Camper, and Eco Camper badges. Plan a Take Action project that helps make your favorite park, beach, or forest a better place for everyone. Earn a Take Action Award. Think Like a Citizen Scientist In this Journey, you will: Find out how citizen scientists make observations, collect data, and work with scientists to receive feedback on research. Do 3 citizen science activities: sharpen your observation skills through 2 observation games and a SciStarter project. Plan a Take Action project that helps others. Think Like a Programmer In this Journey, you will: Find out how programmers use computational thinking to solve problems. Do 3 computational thinking activities: create algorithms to make images with tangrams; create mad libs and craft suncatchers to learn more about algorithms, abstraction, functions, and variables; and create a personal innovation to discover rapid prototyping. Plan a Take Action project that helps others. Think Like an Engineer In this Journey, you will: Find out how engineers use design thinking to solve problems Do 3 design thinking activities: design and build a paper structure that can support the weight of heavy books, an emergency shelter, and a prototype of a structure that can withstand an earthquake’s shaking. Plan a Take Action project that helps others. Easy chart for voting:
*This post contains affiliate links. *Updated April 2023 Shopping…it is an activity that most girls love! During the years your girls are Juniors, the awareness of brands and where people shop becomes more evident. The tween years are ones that advertisers heavily market to because they have many wants and Madison Avenue knows how to trigger them. Earning the Girl Scout Junior Savvy Shopper badge is one where we can help guide girls to see what they truly need and what they are convinced they want. Image created by the author on Canva Step 1 Explore Your Needs and Wants Materials One piece of posterboard divided with one side for “Needs” and the other side for “Wants” Pictures of needs and wants cut out from magazines and Sunday circulars Glue At this age children have probably learned all about needs versus wants in school. Briefly talk about this and ask some questions: We need cars to get to work. But do we need a $60,000 car versus one that is $10,000? We need to wear clothes. Does it matter where you buy them? We need to eat food. Is the store brand always better to eat than the name brand? Photo from Pixabay Lay the pictures on the table and have the girls talk about where they need to glue the different items. Talk about why they chose the categories they did. Step 2 Look Into Why You Want What You Want Ask the girls why they want something. What influences them? Commercials? Ads in a magazine? A website? Who influences them-A celebrity? A best friend? An older sibling? Talk about fads from your childhood. For me, it was Wacky Pack stickers, mood rings and Klick Klacks. Have the girls heard of these things before? What is a fad now that they feel that they must have? How do they know about it? Step 3 Find Out What Makes People Happy About What They Buy In small groups, give the girls five minutes to talk about one thing they absolutely love that she bought or one thing she wishes she had not wasted her money on. Then have the groups share. Step 4 Learn How to Decide What to Buy Here is an opportunity to go on a field trip and do community service. Go to the grocery store or a big box store with your troop and some parent volunteers. Give them each group ten dollars and the mission to buy as much nutritious food as they can for that amount. Have a meeting place where the girls can compare their purchases and see what each of them picked. Image created by the author on canva Check out and if possible, deliver the packages afterwards. Make a Plan to Buy Something You Need or Want This final step is perfect for teaching the girls how to spend their cookie money. Tell the girls how much money the troop earned and ask how it needs to be earmarked, What percentage will go to a charity? What percentage will go to a big trip or event? How much will be saved for next year? Creating and planning are both very important parts of being a savvy shopper. You cannot spend what you have not earned!
*This post contains affiliate links. Updated August 2023 Writing is one of the most powerful ways to get your point across. A well written essay can persuade a person’s opinions; a novel can transform you into another era. Poetry can make you laugh, cry and think. Because there is a lot of writing involved with this badge and some girls may be reticent to write due their interest or ability, you may want to consider doing this badge over two meetings to break it up. You can spend half of your meeting time working on this badge and then do a service project, play some Girl Scout games or do something else that works for your troop. The girls can get very creative when it comes time to earn the Junior Girl Scout Scribe badge. This resource, which can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers, includes all five steps. Available on TpT Included in this resource: Journal making activity (done at a prior meeting) Sponge activity Two options for Step 1 A fun troop activity for Step 2 Two options for Step 3 A Girl Scout themed writing activity for Step 4 A short activity for Step 5
