Brownies -- December Meeting

So tomorrow's our December Brownie meeting...and I think we'll make it mostly fun and Christmas-y. One of the things I love about Girl Scouts is that it's pretty flexible -- which means it's as fun...or as boring...as you make it! We'll probably skip any World of Water projects for this month. Instead we'll do a Christmas-y craft, decorate cookies, and sing some carols to get ready for singing at the senior center this Saturday. We're also going to pass out the badges the girls have earned so far (we decided it's more fun to have some to wear now, rather than waiting until the end of the year to get everything they earned).

Here are a few craft ideas we're thinking of:

Felt Trees:
These are on sale on etsy. so there aren't instructions, but I think they're self-explanatory. I'm thinking about cutting out, stuffing and gluing the trees together, then having the girls do the decorative stitching and sew on the buttons -- both for time's sake and because I don't think most of them have sewing skills yet.

Bird Feeders:
Instructions are here. I love bird feeders for winter! And I think it encourages a love of nature and wildlife that's a great part of scouting.

Clear Globe Ornaments:
So many ways to go with clear ornaments. The snowman directions are here...but you can also do a snowy landscape w/ fake snow and mini pinecones and greenery...or you can put glitter and poms in there...or beads...or have the girls bring in small trinkets to create a keepsake ornament. Or you could just decorate the outside with glitter glue and/or paint instead.

I think we're going to go with the felt trees because I like the idea of the girls learning a new skill (sewing -- and they get a Fun Patch to boot!).

Anyone else have ideas for winter Girl Scout crafts or activities? You can also check out more on my scouting pinterest page.

Girl Scout Fire Starters

I just wrote a post on  my other blog on how to make your own firestarters for campouts. Check it out!

How to Make Fire-Starters

Wonders of Water: Meeting 3

Because we've been learning about water we decided to do a little experiment this week. The girls learned that water acts as a magnifier. We followed the instructions here, and made water magnifiers.

Materials:
cardboard (I used a cereal box)
glass microscope slides (found at Hobby Lobby -- about $3/10)
tape
medicine droppers (from pharmacy at Walgreens -- $2/16...I just asked the pharmacist if I could buy a bunch)
cups for water
newspaper and other small things to view through magnifier

Prep work beforehand: I cut rectangles out of the cardboard and then cut holes in the middle of each rectangle.

 During the meeting: The girls taped the microscope slide under the hole in the cardboard. They then folded down each end so the magnifier looked like a little table.

They filled the medicine dropper and then put two or three drops on the slide.

They put a piece of newspaper under the magnifier and looked through the glass at the magnified print. We also examined tiny beads.

The girls loved the experiment but got a little crazy with the water toward the end. The magnifiers can withstand a few drops of water but when the girls totally soaked them, the cardboard collapsed.

After we made magnifiers, we talked about how at the last meeting, the girls had come up with ways to conserve water at home. They talked about the things they had done (turning off the water when brushing teeth, using one cup for drinking all day, etc.)

We have now earned the first of the badges in this series -- the Love Water Award.

Love Water Award is the heart-shaped one on the top left

We finished our meeting by forming a Friendship Circle, singing "Make New Friends" and doing the Friendship Squeeze.

Our Kaper Chart

I've been wanting to assign the girls some jobs for each meeting. The whole idea behind scouting is that the girls move toward more independence so that eventually, they're in charge of the troop. Our girls are still young but they need some responsibilities at the meetings (and they get really excited when they have jobs!) So I finally made us a kaper chart. I kept mine simple, with pre-cut foam shapes from Hobby Lobby and a corkboard I had sitting around the garage:

Our girls are 2nd graders...the jobs we've assigned for now are:
Attendance Taker (in case we earn a badge at the meeting -- we can keep track of who participated)
Pledge Leader (for the Pledge of Allegiance)
Promise Leader (for the Girl Scout Promise)
Friendship Squeeze Starter (we end every meeting with the Friendship Squeeze)
Snack Helper
Supply Helper (to pass out craft/other supplies)
Song Starter (we also end every meeting with "Make New Friends")

We tried it out at the last meeting and it was hugely popular. I just have to be careful now, and make sure every girl gets a chance to do something!

Tissue Paper Flowers

Another craft we did with our Daisies in the spring was tissue-paper flowers. We had each girl make one flower and twisted it onto a green pipe cleaner stem to take home.

The girls, of course, loved the flowers. They needed some help from leaders but it was a fun project overall.

Pipe Cleaner Turkeys

So I'm trying to go back and remember what crafts and other projects we did last year in Daisies...for Thanksgiving, we made these Pipe Cleaner Turkeys:

They turned out super-cute, but first grade girls needed a LOT of help with them. The pipe cleaner twisting was hard. If you're going to do it, I'd suggest having plenty of parent helpers on-hand. Also, plan to have all the felt cut ahead of time so that the girls are just assembling. They really were adorable, though -- we put ours on the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Wonders of Water: Meeting 2

This week, we had a tea party and talked about water. I brought my wedding china and we supplemented with some teacups bought at the thrift store.

We brought in fancy tablecloths and silverware and had gummy bear tea (I put in a little extra sugar) and snacks. We talked a little about how to properly set a table and how to act when out for something like tea (bonus -- besides working toward the water badge, they can also get their Tea Party Fun Patch).

Then we served hot tea (since we meet in a classroom, I brought my coffeemaker and ran just water through it to heat it up.) We watched the steam rise and cooled it off with an ice cube. We talked about the three forms of water -- vapor, liquid and solid.

We moved to a circle (gotta keep the kids up and moving!) and talked a little more about water and some things they can do at home to help improve or conserve water...like drinking out of one cup for the whole day, turning off the water when brushing teeth, etc. The girls all thought of one thing to do this month to help water.

We sang a song from the Girl Scout Songbook --
Hear the Lively Song
Of the Frogs in Yonder Pond
Krik, Krik, Krikkety Krik
Boooog-up, Boooog-up!

We tried it a few times, then sang it in a round. The girls loved it -- I think because the end is really lowwww.

Then we said the Promise, made a friendship circle and sang "Make New Friends," did the Friendship Squeeze and finished!

Wonders of Water: Meeting 1

This year, our Brownie troop is going through the Wonders of Water Book.

Since we meet right after school, we always start with a snack. After that, we played the Mystery Bag Game.

Mystery Bag Game:
Need -- 5 paper lunchbags, numbered 1-5
            1 leaf, 1 grape (or piece of fruit), 1 lasagna noodle, 1 cup, 1 stuffed animal
            paper ballot for each girl

What to do: Have each girl feel inside the bags and try to guess what each item is without peaking. Have her write down the number of the bag and what she thinks is inside. When they finish, have them sit in a circle and call out guesses before revealing what's in each bag. See if they can guess how all the items are related (they're all water-related: leaves need water to live, grape is 81% water, lasagna noodles are cooked in water, cup holds water, animal needs water to live).

A picture of water. I was bored looking at all the writing...

We then talked about how not everyone has access to clean water. We discussed the three scenarios in the leader handbook on p.45 (all having to do with how you'd feel if you didn't have as much water as you're accustomed to). We talked about how protecting water is living out "using resources wisely" in the Girl Scout Law. We talked about ways to conserve water in our own lives and homes.

Since this was the first meeting, we then played a "Get-to-Know You Game."

Get-to-Know-You Game:
What to do: This is pretty much like "Concentration." We sat in a circle and clapped hands in a rhythm. I started with "I'm Laura...and I like knitting." Then the next girl had to say, "That's Laura...and she likes knitting. I'm Alexis...and I like animals." Since the girls are kind of young, we only made them remember the person next to them and their own. As they get older, you could make the game harder by making each person remember everyone who's gone before them until the last person has to recite everyone else's names and likes.

Then we sang two songs -- The Brownie Friend Song and On Top of Spaghetti.

We always end by reciting the Girl Scout Promise, making a Friendship Circle and singing Make New Friends (we do the first 2 verses). Then we do the Friendship Squeeze, and twist out of the circle and we're done!