Final Ceremony

We had our final ceremony in June. Our sister Brownie troop had their ceremony at the same time, so it was really fun to get all the girls together. We had a potluck, which is always a good idea. As the girls came in, I had them put up decorations. We made a "bridge" out of chairs, crepe paper, and rainbow paper fans. They also taped up their animal mural they had been creating all year, plus other things we had done--cookie sales goal chart, the chart we made for the "3 Cheers for Animals" Journey and more. They really enjoyed participating in the event!

We also created a "photo booth." Basically, the girls cut crepe paper and taped it up to the wall. They LOVED doing this--and it kept them busy until we were ready to start! You can kind of see it in the background of the photo above.

Our ceremony was pretty simple. The girls all received their one-year membership pin, their Tula Award from the Journey, and a certificate. The girls who were bridging up crossed our bridge, and the Brownie leaders gave them their rainbow patch! My coleader had gone to the 100th Anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., so she had swaps to give each girl as well--it was such a great idea and the girls were very excited about it!

Thanks to all the parents who helped out this year; I couldn't have asked for anything better! I'm looking forward to the summer off, but I will be posting some ideas for the "3 Cheers for Animals" Journey for leaders who are thinking about doing it next year, so stay tuned!

Meeting 5: October

It's time for our Investiture and Rededication Ceremony! We started our ceremony with light refreshments--the girls had voted on having cupcakes, so the two parents who signed up for snack brought cupcakes (red velvent, chocolate, and vanilla--yum!). They also brought cider and lemonade. I made some flavored popcorn to balance out the sweetness factor.

While everyone was eating, I had the girls vote on what song they wanted to sing. They chose "Make New Friends." Our ceremony was pretty short. I said a few words about Girl Scouting. We said our Promise and Law, and sang the song. Then I called each girl over to receive her Daisy pin (for the new girls) and a welcome certificate. The girls who came to apple-picking also got a fun patch! 

I'd love to make our next ceremony a little longer and a little more interesting. Any suggestions about how to add more oomph to our ceremonies? Leave a message in the comments section!

Plan for Girl Scout Celebrations!

Keep in mind that there are several days throughout the year when you can use a meeting to celebrate a national Girl Scout event.

October 31: Founder's Day/Juliette Low's Birthday. You can have the girls plan a birthday party for Juliette Low. Divide them into small groups beforehand plan what kind of food, decorations, and games they want to have at a party for Juliette Low. Ask the girls if they have any ideas about how to celebrate! They might want to have a tea party (to honor Low's love of tea) or make collages showing what they love best about being in Girl Scouts. Or, you can fulfill the Girl Scout Law's decree to make the world a better place by creating a birthday-in-a-box along with their own celebration to help someone in need in the area.

February 22: World Thinking Day. World Thinking Day is a time to appreciate Girl Scouts and Guides around the world. Maybe you'll have a guest speaker from another country come in to teach the girls something about his or her culture. Or, you might want to raise money for the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. Each year, a different theme is chosen (2012 is "girls worldwide say 'we can save our planet'"), so think about asking girls what kinds of projects they can do within that theme. Or, see what your local council is doing and how you can participate.

March 12: Girl Scout Birthday. Many of the activities appropriate for Juliette Low's birthday would also work here. Maybe the girls had a great idea that you weren't able to put into place in time for Founder's Day, so now's the time to use it! The girls will love that you're listening to them and feel empowered to make more troop decisions in the future.

What Girl Scout celebrations have you done in the past? What kind of activities made your meeting or field trip a success? Leave a message in the comments section below!