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!

Our Final Ceremony

We held our final ceremony in our meeting place on Thursday. We asked parents to each bring a dish to share for a potluck dinner, and they really responded generously! I made no-fire s'mores, which went over well. Well, except for the running-around-with-sticks part. I'd definitely make them again, but would lose the skewers.

After the dinner, we held our ceremony. The Brownies performed their safety play for the Puppets, Dolls, and Plays try-it. In addition to that, they received their Cookies Count and Sports and Games try-its. The Daisy scouts received all of the petals this year--which puts us in a bind for next year. I'm planning on trying out the Journeys program, so tune back in for helpful hints as we go through that process.

No-Fire Smores
Skewers
Marshmallows
Semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Graham crackers

Crush graham crackers into crumbs. Spear marshmallows with skewers nearly all the way through. Melt chocolate in a small bowl. Dip marshmallows into chocolate and swirl, covering the sides and top of each marshmallow. Roll marshmallow in graham cracker crumbs. Set aside to dry.