Friday, October 18, 2013

Earning our Pets Badge


On Monday we visited Sandy Hill Equestrian Center in Chester as part of our work towards our Pets badge.  We learned how to clean and groom the horses and practiced on ponies Ladybug and Tupelo.  We toured the farm, learned what horses eat (hay, grass and grain), saw their stalls and paddocks, saw the indoor ring where people ride when the weather is bad, and even got to meet a couple of race horses and see the identification tattoos on their lips.  At the end of the tour we were able to watch a lesson and learn about different gaits (walk, trot and canter) and watch some jumping.  Thanks to Lauren and Kathy for sharing your barn and horses with us!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

My Family Star


During your Brownie’s first adventure on the Brownie Quest, she discovered some of the talents and qualities that make her special.  Be sure to ask her how she describes herself.

Before our meeting on 10/18, she has an important job to do, and she needs your help!

Read the questions on the accompanying activity sheet and discuss them with your Brownie.  You can talk about a value of the Girl Scout Law that is especially important in your family.  Ask her to share specific examples of what it means to act on each of the values described in the Law.

Your Brownie can fill in the family star on page 51 of her Quest book, or fill in, cut out, and decorate the enclosed star.  Better yet, create a unique family star of your own using a paper plate, cardboard, aluminum foil, glitter, stickers, or whatever craft materials you have on hand.  If you are feeling especially ambitious, you could even try to create a 3-D star using the template posted earlier this week.

If you have time, ask your Brownie to read and discuss Chapter 1 of “The ELF Adventure” (page 10 - 15 of her Quest book) with you.  


Read the Girl Scout Law with your family

I will do my best to be
honest & fair,
friendly & helpful,
considerate & caring,
courageous & strong, and
responsible for what I say & do,
and to
respect myself & others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
  •   What line from the Law is most important in your family?
  •   Why?
  •   Write your family’s favorite line and the reason it is your favorite in the center of your star.
  •   An example could be COURAGEOUS  Sometimes it is hard to do what you know is right - that’s why being courageous is so important!
  •   Who is in your family (mother, father, grandfather, aunt, sisters, brothers)?  Write their names in the points of your star.
  •   What special quality or skill do your family members have?  Write those under their names.
  •   After you fill in your star, decorate it if you want to.  Add colors, stickers, glitter, or whatever else you have handy and bring it to your next Brownie meeting to share with your Girl Scout sisters!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Meeting Notes - October 11, 2013

During this meeting, we began work on our Brownie Quest.  We discussed some of the things that makes each of us special and unlocked the first key on the first step of our Quest - Discovering Ourselves.  We then did a scavenger hunt to find clues to the second key - Discovering Our Values.  We discussed the values (things we think are important and that we try to live by) of the Girl Scout Law and gave examples of each.  The girls brought home a Family Star project to work on this week that will help them to unlock the third key.....stay tuned to find out what it is!

We also celebrated the International Day of the Girl by discussing the importance of education for girls.

  • Globally, 66 million girls are out of school.  (UNICEF)
  • There are 33 million fewer girls than boys in primary school.  (Education First)
  • Girls with 8 years of education are 4 times less likely to be married as children.  (National Academies Press)
  • A girl born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.  (UNESCO)
  • Educated mothers are more than twice as likely to send their children to school.  (UNICEF)
  • School is not free in over 50 countries.  (UNESCO)
  • A girl on planet earth has a 1 in 4 chance of being born into poverty.  (The World Bank)
  • A girl with an extra year of education can earn 20% more as an adult.  (The World Bank)
We read Beatrice's Dream: A Story of Kibera Slum by Karen Lynn Williams, which is the story of an orphaned girl in Nairobi and what she has to go through in order to get an education.


Our Photo Journalist for this meeting, Emma, captured some images from the evening.













Saturday, October 12, 2013

3-D Star Template

You can access the template for the My Family Star project here; or for those who are looking for a way to pass the time during our days off from school next week and would like to make a 3-D Family Star for our 10/18 meeting, go for it!!!


Friday, October 4, 2013

Fall Fundraiser Time!


It is time for the Girl Scouts "Mags & Munchies" Fall Fundraiser! Unlike the selling of Girl Scout cookies in the winter, the fall fundraiser is a bit of a mod-podge of products and sales strategies.  The ways you can raise money for our troop include:

  • Your fall fundraising packet is in a box by my front door.  Please come pick it up ASAP so you can start selling!
  • You will find a permission slip in your packet.  If your daughter is going to participate in the fall fundraiser, you must return the completed permission slip to me.  I will leave a pen in the box so you can fill it out and leave it when you pick up your packet.
  • Magazine sales by mail ~ In your fundraising packet you will find a booklet for magazine sales by mail.  If you complete and return the booklet, our troop receives money whether people buy anything or not.  The people will receive just the one mailing and their information will not be sold.  There is a space for you to put a personal message, so you can write something like "No pressure!" or "Maybe a renewal or holiday gift?"
  • Magazine sales in person ~ Also in your packet is a catalog and magazine order form so you can take orders in person.  If you do this, you must collect the money at the time the order is placed.  Checks should be made out to "Troop 5030".
  • Magazine orders online ~ Also in your packet you will find a sheet of "business cards" and instructions for setting up a web page for magazine orders.  You can then share the link on Facebook or Twitter, email it to friends and family, and hand out the cards to people who would like to place orders but find themselves without cash or a checkbook.  I created one for Elizabeth yesterday to see how it works.  Check it out, see what you think, and let me know if you'd like help setting up one of your own.
  • Nut sales ~ Lastly, in your packet you will find an order form for nut sales.  This works like cookie sales; you take orders on the sheet and then collect payment when the nuts are delivered just before Thanksgiving.  If you choose to take online magazine orders, you can also set it up to send emails to people asking them to order nuts.  Be sure these are people who are local or who you will see for the holidays, because you will be responsible for getting the nuts to the buyers.
The girls can earn various patches and rewards for their participation, and the troop gets a healthy percentage of the income to support our activities.  The fall fundraiser goes through October 27 and orders/monies are due to the troop by October 29 so we have time to input them into the website before the deadline.  

I would really, really appreciate if someone would volunteer to manage the fall fundraiser on behalf of the troop.  This task would include collecting order forms and magazine sale booklets, making sure the money gets to me so it can be deposited in a timely manner, entering the orders into the website, picking up the items when they arrive, sorting them, and getting them to the appropriate people for distribution.  Please let me know if you are willing to take this on.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Teen Beach Movie

A few Teen Beach Movie moves for your viewing pleasure...