More Girl Scouts--Meetings Fall 2014

October:
We met at the beginning of the month to plan our Bridging and Awards Ceremony.  Normally, we have the ceremony at the end of the school year or during early June, but we put it off this year.  Once the girls decided what they wanted to do for their ceremony, they decorated skulls for Day of the Dead of Día de Muertos.  We discuss what the day was, the Mexican culture and the development of the holiday, and then provided the supplies for them to design their own skulls. One of the most exciting parts of the night was that my niece got to join us via Skype.  I had mailed her the craft supplies, so she joined in the discussion and then got to do the craft right along with us.  All the girls loved that she was joining us.

Two weeks later, we met with their families to perform our ceremony and bridge 4 young ladies from Brownies to Juniors and 3 young ladies from Juniors to Cadettes.

November:
We met twice this month.  The first meeting was spent planning meals and beginning discussions around a Scouts Own for our Service Unit Campout in December.  We finished the night with the girls creating a Thanksgiving craft.

The second meeting began with our Parent Cookie Meeting/Training and then concluded with the final discussion/plan of the Scouts Own we are leading at the campout next month.

1st Girl Scout Meeting of 2014-2015

Tonight, 6 of our 10 girls were able to meet.

 We began with a get-to-know you activity (to just catch-up b/c it has been a while since we've been together).  They chose a Skittle, and each color was assigned a memory--something more precious than gold, something that makes you feel warm, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh, etc.  The girls had a great time with this.

We then had them look through ceremonies for Bridging and Investiture and plan their Awards and Bridging Ceremonies, which we will do at the beginning of October.

Finally, they began planning their Bronze/Silver project.  With two levels, we are trying to kill two birds with one stone.  We will have them do one project to accomplish both Awards.

We filled our time together, they had great conversations, and we can't wait to see what this year holds.

What have you done to kick-off the new Girl Scout year?

Order of the Arrow & Boy Scout Camp

Tonight, we had the privilege of watching my nephew be tapped out for Order of the Arrow, a special recognition in Boy Scouts.  I am so proud of him!  This is an honor bestowed upon him by his fellow Boy Scouts.

He probably would have gotten it 2 years ago had they not moved.  I have been upset for him that he was not chosen in his home troop, here where he used to live, b/c he wasn't here in person (as a reminder to them that he does exist), he wasn't known well enough in his new troop, and that it has taken so long.  Finally, he was chosen by his new troop, and we got to go to Summer Camp to watch/experience the ceremony.

Way to go, Bub!  Gram and I are super, super proud of you!  Love you!

He was lounging when we first arrived at camp.

Telling us something about his camp experience.

He was in charge of their Flag Ceremony.  He was so good and a great Caller.

Walking and talking with his Gram.  Moments like this make me sooooo happy!

Before the OA Tap Out.

After the Tap Out Ceremony.

Girl Scout Ceremonies

Tonight, we had our Rededication/Awards Ceremony, Bridging Ceremony, and Investiture Ceremony.

We chose to do a candlelight ceremony for the Rededication/Awards Ceremony.  Each girl had a part and lit a candle.  My wonderful co-leader read the parts of those not in attendance.

We were supposed to do a candlelight ceremony for the Bridging Ceremony, but we chose not to include the candles this time.  Again, each girl had a speaking part, and my co-leader read the parts of those not in attendance. 

Our final portion was the Investiture Ceremony.  As each girl said a part, she would step forward and take the hand of the girl before her.  By the end, all the girls were holding hands and welcoming the new girls.

We ended the night with a Friendship Circle, which included the parents and siblings, and then cupcakes and cookies.

Christmas in September

Today, I spent the morning with my BFF and her kids purchasing items for our Girl Scout Awards, Bridging, and Investiture Ceremonies.  We even splurged and got Sprinkles cupcakes.  Yummy!

When I returned home, I met Mom at Granny's.  She had begun setting out Christmas decorations that we plan to sell in our Christmas in October sale.  I helped bring in heavy boxes and set things up.  When we finished for the day, we had emptied around 25 tubs and boxes, emptied a portion of the shed, and emptied a hall closet. We still have at least 13 more boxes and tubs to unload.

I found pictures of my great, great grandparents and other relatives. We found the box of ornaments Granny had bought/collected for me.  Each one with my name and year. I haven't taken the time to go through the box yet, but I will at some point this Fall. I found some other items I want my brother and sister-in-law to have.

We ended the evening having dinner with my great aunt, her three kids, and two of the three spouses.  It was a great meal with wonderful conversation and laughter.

Girl Scout Bridging, Awards, and Investiture

Next Saturday, we will be holding our Bridging Ceremony to Bridge three Brownies to Juniors and two Juniors to Cadettes. We will also be handing out the awards and badges they earned since January.  We will end with an Investiture to welcome our new girls and rededicate our existing girls.

I am looking for ideas and input for our ceremonies.  Please comment with any ideas you might have.  I would greatly appreciate it.

Happy New Year!

It has been a while since I last posted.  Time flies when you're having fun!  How is your Girl Scout year going?

Ours has been busy, but not so busy all at the same time.  A Junior Troop was disbanding, so the remaining girls joined us in September.  These girls have been a wonderful addition as we had two Juniors in our troop.  They have been able to focus on the Agent of Change Journey and discuss ways that lead them to more leadership roles.

In November, members of a disbanding Brownie Troop joined us to add to the fun, friendship, and experience.  The Brownies have been working on their Brownie Quest Journey and have all but finished.  With all the new girls, they have earned the new Making Friends badge.

In December, those interested walked in our local Hometown Christmas Parade and helped pick two tags from the local Angel Tree.  Our girls are so kind and giving.   After donating blankets, comforters, etc. for the Share the Warmth campaign and gloves, hats, and scarves for Warm Hands, Warm Hearts, they voted to adopt an Angel from our community.  The girls chose two.  For those who were available, we met at our local superstore and purchased two shirts/blouses, two pairs of pants, and items related to their wish list.  What a great experience!

Our January meeting brought us cookie training and COOKIE Sales!!  The girls are out and about selling away.

February is going to be a fun month, and I hope March tops it.

What are you doing to celebrate the 100th Anniversary?

We have some extra Brownie Try-Its from the old program.  If you are in need or are interested in earning some, let me know.

First Meeting of the Year

Have you had your first meeting yet?  We did at the beginning of September, and it was so much fun.

We began our meeting with a "get to know you" activity.  Another troop disbanded and the girls wishing to stay in Girl Scouts joined our troop.  We were so excited to meet 4 new girls.  The girls had fun getting to know each other and the leaders.

GSNETX had shared information about 9-10-11, a service project.  We discussed ways to help end world hunger and conserve energy while at the meeting.  We communicated with the girls beforehand, so they each brought their 10 food items.  We will weigh our food and then donate it to our local Food Pantry.

We enjoyed nachos and fruit before ending the night with two ceremonies.

We never held a Bridging Ceremony at the end of last year for our two girls going to Juniors.  The new girls joining us never had a ceremony either, so we held a Bridging Ceremony.  It was a simple ceremony with speaking parts by the "Brownie Leader" and the "Junior Leader," the girls crossed an imaginary bridge, and ended with everyone singing "Make New Friends."

We then had a Rededication Ceremony so our girls who are remaining as Daisies and Brownies could take part as well as our new Juniors.

What did you do for your first meeting?

Spring and Big Decisions

Spring meetings and re-registration are coming to an end.  I can't believe the end of May is already here.

How have you celebrated the end of another Girl Scout year?

What was your end-of-the-year ceremony like?

What plans do you have for the summer?

Are you planning to return next year?  Plans already in the works?

We just held our last Service Unit Team and Leader meetings.  I made a difficult decision, but I have stepped down from my Service Unit Team.  There are various reasons, but overall, I will miss the work I have been doing.  I have enjoyed working with leaders as they begin/continue their journeys.