Pre-Meeting: I had the "What's in the Bag?" game set up. Girls had to reach inside paper bags to feel the items inside--but they couldn't look! They drew or described what they thought was inside. The bags had a mitten, a spoon, a small cat-shaped ring holder, puzzle pieces, and an umbrella.
Opening: We said the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girl Scout Promise, and I taught the girls the Girl Scout Law.
Song: The kaper girl chose to sing "Make New Friends."
Energizer: We did a quick energizer called "Dum Dum Dah Dah."
Circle: Several new girls joined at this meeting, so we played Lucy Lemon. (My name is Jacy, and I'm bringing Jambalaya to the picnic). I introduced the kaper charts to the girls--the first jobs had already been taken care of. They were really excited about the chart! Then, I revealed what had been in the bags! We went around the circle for each bag, having the girls guess what was inside. I was surprised at how easily they guessed all the items--next time, I'll have to choose some more difficult things to guess!
Snack
Activity: The girls made "All About Me" collages, putting their names on the back. We'll use these at the next meeting!
Game: I had planned to play "The Wind Blows," but we ran out of time! Next meeting we'll work it in, though, since the girls seemed excited about it.
Closing: We gave the Friendship Squeeze.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September Event: Teddy Bear Tea Party
As a way to recruit new Scouts and kick off the new year of Scouting, we held a Teddy Bear Tea Party in conjunction with a Brownie troop. The event was based off a GSCNC program, but you can find more ideas here. Our event was 2 hours long, but I'd recommend keeping it shorter, about an hour and a half.
Pre-Meeting: As the girls came in, they sat at the table and colored a picture of their teddy bear (or other stuffed pal) while I checked them in, had parents sign permission slips, etc.
Opening: We said the Girl Scout Promise as a group, teaching the girls who didn't already know it.
Circle: We sat in the Friendship Circle, then went around and introduced ourselves, plus our bears, telling everyone something we liked to do and something the bears liked to do. A lot of girls said their bears liked to sleep! One girl said she and her bear friend liked to snuggle--adorbs!
Song: The girls voted between the Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear song and The Bear Song. After we sang their choice (Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear), the girls sat down for storytime. I read Three Stories You Can Read to Your Teddy Bear, which is a really sweet story about a bear who figures out how to walk when his friend isn't around--though he falls on his nose quite a bit!
Snack: It's tea time! We had lemonade and apple juice to drink, Teddy Grahams, grapes, and chocolate-covered strawberries. I also made cucumber sandwiches and PB&J sandwiches as an alternative (I cut them all into triangles, like tea sandwiches. Surprisingly, I had a few girls who didn't like PB&J or the cucumber sandwiches. Luckily, we had enough other food that they didn't feel left out, but it might be worth sending a menu to parents to avoid any potential problems. (Note: When parents RSVP'd, I asked them to note any potential food allergies. Nobody in my group did, but make sure the menu is safe for everyone to eat!)
Game: Since "Tiger, Cowgirl, Princess" had been such a hit at my last meeting, and because we had quite a bit of extra time, I decided to have the girls play again at the tea party. The girls who didn't know how to play were able to catch on right away, and they seemed to enjoy it as much as everyone else! Then we played Mrs. Bear, Are You Awake? which got a bit too loud, considering we were meeting in the library's meeting room.
Closing: For closing, we did the Friendship Squeeze.
We had some extra time still left over, so thankfully one of the mothers stepped in and taught the girls how to play Human Knot. Yay, moms!
What other ideas would have been fun for a Teddy Bear Tea Party? Did you have a recruiting event? Leave a message in the comments section!
Pre-Meeting: As the girls came in, they sat at the table and colored a picture of their teddy bear (or other stuffed pal) while I checked them in, had parents sign permission slips, etc.
Opening: We said the Girl Scout Promise as a group, teaching the girls who didn't already know it.
Circle: We sat in the Friendship Circle, then went around and introduced ourselves, plus our bears, telling everyone something we liked to do and something the bears liked to do. A lot of girls said their bears liked to sleep! One girl said she and her bear friend liked to snuggle--adorbs!
Song: The girls voted between the Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear song and The Bear Song. After we sang their choice (Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear), the girls sat down for storytime. I read Three Stories You Can Read to Your Teddy Bear, which is a really sweet story about a bear who figures out how to walk when his friend isn't around--though he falls on his nose quite a bit!
Snack: It's tea time! We had lemonade and apple juice to drink, Teddy Grahams, grapes, and chocolate-covered strawberries. I also made cucumber sandwiches and PB&J sandwiches as an alternative (I cut them all into triangles, like tea sandwiches. Surprisingly, I had a few girls who didn't like PB&J or the cucumber sandwiches. Luckily, we had enough other food that they didn't feel left out, but it might be worth sending a menu to parents to avoid any potential problems. (Note: When parents RSVP'd, I asked them to note any potential food allergies. Nobody in my group did, but make sure the menu is safe for everyone to eat!)
Game: Since "Tiger, Cowgirl, Princess" had been such a hit at my last meeting, and because we had quite a bit of extra time, I decided to have the girls play again at the tea party. The girls who didn't know how to play were able to catch on right away, and they seemed to enjoy it as much as everyone else! Then we played Mrs. Bear, Are You Awake? which got a bit too loud, considering we were meeting in the library's meeting room.
Closing: For closing, we did the Friendship Squeeze.
We had some extra time still left over, so thankfully one of the mothers stepped in and taught the girls how to play Human Knot. Yay, moms!
What other ideas would have been fun for a Teddy Bear Tea Party? Did you have a recruiting event? Leave a message in the comments section!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Meeting 1: September
Pre-Meeting: As girls arrived, they made nametags out of construction paper (folded lengthwise). They wrote their names and drew something they like to do.
Opening: I led the girls in the Girl Scout Promise. Some girls were in the troop last year, so they already knew the promise. For the benefit of newer girls, I spoke each line and had them all repeat it after me. Then, we said it all together. (planned time: 5 minutes / actual: 5 minutes)
Song: Instead of a song this meeting, we played a Name Game. The girls stood in a circle. One person said her name and did the action of something she liked to do. It helped to have them draw it on their nametag when they came in so that they had an idea to share! Then, the rest of the girls mimicked the action while saying the girl's name three times. (planned: 10 minutes / actual: 5 minutes)
Circle: I quickly explained the Friendship Circle, and briefly explained our general schedule for meetings. Then, we talked about the meaning of a promise in general, and what that means about the Girl Scout Promise. We created a Troop Agreement of rules to follow while in meetings. (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
Snack: For the first meeting, I brought trail mix and juice for snack. In future, parents will bring snack. The girls got a chance to socialize with each other, which was great for the newer scouts. All the girls helped to clean up afterward. (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 15 minutes )
Activity: I read the girls a short version of the Juliette Low story. There were several phrases that the girls had to do an action during the story. They loved singing "London Bridge is falling down" and bowing and saying "How do you do" when I said "Lord Baden-Powell." (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
Game: We played Daisy to Daisy (from the Leaders' Guide). There were 6 girls, so it worked out that everyone had a partner each time they switched. Then, we played Tiger/Princess/Cowgirl. The girls loved making the noises and actions for this game! (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 15 minutes).
Tiger/Princess/Cowgirl
In pairs, the girls stand back to back. On the count of three, they turn around and strike a pose (and make sounds) to be either a tiger, a cowgirl, or a princess. The object of the game is to try and match your partner--though really, it's just fun to pretend!
Closing: I introduced the Friendship Squeeze, then taught the girls the "Good Night, Daisies" song. (planned: 10 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
"Good Night, Daisies"
Good Night, Daisies,
Good Night, Daisies,
Good Night, Daisies,
We’re sad to see you go.
Since we had some time left, I taught the girls the Button Factory song.
Button Factory
Hello. My name is Jo. And I work in a button factory.
One day, my boss came in and said, "Jo, are you busy?"
I said "no."
Push the button with your right hand.
{Each verse adds an action--right hand, left hand, right leg, left leg, head, tongue. On the final verse, end with '"Jo, are you busy?" I said "yes!"'
What did you do for your first meeting? Leave a message below!
Opening: I led the girls in the Girl Scout Promise. Some girls were in the troop last year, so they already knew the promise. For the benefit of newer girls, I spoke each line and had them all repeat it after me. Then, we said it all together. (planned time: 5 minutes / actual: 5 minutes)
Song: Instead of a song this meeting, we played a Name Game. The girls stood in a circle. One person said her name and did the action of something she liked to do. It helped to have them draw it on their nametag when they came in so that they had an idea to share! Then, the rest of the girls mimicked the action while saying the girl's name three times. (planned: 10 minutes / actual: 5 minutes)
Circle: I quickly explained the Friendship Circle, and briefly explained our general schedule for meetings. Then, we talked about the meaning of a promise in general, and what that means about the Girl Scout Promise. We created a Troop Agreement of rules to follow while in meetings. (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
Snack: For the first meeting, I brought trail mix and juice for snack. In future, parents will bring snack. The girls got a chance to socialize with each other, which was great for the newer scouts. All the girls helped to clean up afterward. (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 15 minutes )
Activity: I read the girls a short version of the Juliette Low story. There were several phrases that the girls had to do an action during the story. They loved singing "London Bridge is falling down" and bowing and saying "How do you do" when I said "Lord Baden-Powell." (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
Game: We played Daisy to Daisy (from the Leaders' Guide). There were 6 girls, so it worked out that everyone had a partner each time they switched. Then, we played Tiger/Princess/Cowgirl. The girls loved making the noises and actions for this game! (planned: 15 minutes / actual: 15 minutes).
Tiger/Princess/Cowgirl
In pairs, the girls stand back to back. On the count of three, they turn around and strike a pose (and make sounds) to be either a tiger, a cowgirl, or a princess. The object of the game is to try and match your partner--though really, it's just fun to pretend!
Closing: I introduced the Friendship Squeeze, then taught the girls the "Good Night, Daisies" song. (planned: 10 minutes / actual: 10 minutes)
"Good Night, Daisies"
Good Night, Daisies,
Good Night, Daisies,
Good Night, Daisies,
We’re sad to see you go.
Since we had some time left, I taught the girls the Button Factory song.
Button Factory
Hello. My name is Jo. And I work in a button factory.
One day, my boss came in and said, "Jo, are you busy?"
I said "no."
Push the button with your right hand.
{Each verse adds an action--right hand, left hand, right leg, left leg, head, tongue. On the final verse, end with '"Jo, are you busy?" I said "yes!"'
What did you do for your first meeting? Leave a message below!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Girl Scout Kaper Chart
It's a great idea to have a kaper chart to give the girls responsibilities at meetings. Last year, my troop use "Be" and "Been" bags: Each girl decorated a foam hand that was put into the "Be" bag. Whenever we needed someone to be a helper, we pulled a name from the "Be" bag and put it into the "Been" bag. Once all the names were in the "Been" bag, we started all over.
This year, I wanted to use a kaper chart to take less meeting time away from pulling names. My basic materials are in the top picture: a magnetic dry-erase board with a corkboard border ($7 at Target), a $1 roll of wrapping paper, double-stick tape, and push pins.
I started by cutting the wrapping paper to the shape of the dry erase board, then used the double-stick tape to stick it on. I cut some plain scrapbooking paper I had up into rectangles, then taped printed paper on top of that. Each rectangle has one job: Flagholder, Promise Leader, Song, Snack, Clean-Up, It-Girl (to start off games and such), Buddy (bathroom buddy), and Closing (to start the friendship squeeze). Since Daisy Scouts vary in their reading skills, I wanted to have visual cues for each job. I have a friend with a Cricut who let me use it to cut out the graphics.
Then, I used the Cricut to cut 2 different sizes of circles (printed paper and plain paper). I taped the smaller, plain paper on top of the larger circle. These will hold the girls' names, and I will use the push pins to move them around the corkboard border.
I'd love to see what you're doing for kaper charts! Leave a message in the comments section below to share your own.
This year, I wanted to use a kaper chart to take less meeting time away from pulling names. My basic materials are in the top picture: a magnetic dry-erase board with a corkboard border ($7 at Target), a $1 roll of wrapping paper, double-stick tape, and push pins.
I started by cutting the wrapping paper to the shape of the dry erase board, then used the double-stick tape to stick it on. I cut some plain scrapbooking paper I had up into rectangles, then taped printed paper on top of that. Each rectangle has one job: Flagholder, Promise Leader, Song, Snack, Clean-Up, It-Girl (to start off games and such), Buddy (bathroom buddy), and Closing (to start the friendship squeeze). Since Daisy Scouts vary in their reading skills, I wanted to have visual cues for each job. I have a friend with a Cricut who let me use it to cut out the graphics.
Then, I used the Cricut to cut 2 different sizes of circles (printed paper and plain paper). I taped the smaller, plain paper on top of the larger circle. These will hold the girls' names, and I will use the push pins to move them around the corkboard border.
I'd love to see what you're doing for kaper charts! Leave a message in the comments section below to share your own.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
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!
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!
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