February Fun

As we begin to wind down the cookie sale, I can stop and take a look at where we are now compared to where we were at the beginning of the year.  There have been a few additions to (and subtractions from) our troop, which changed the group dynamic a little.  But, all in all, I think we have a energetic and fun-loving troop who are beginning to mature into their roles as Girl Scouts.

This month saw many, many cookie booths (and the fun's not over yet!), interesting events at the troop meetings (Valentine's Day crafting!), and our trip to the Stony Brook Millstone watershed today.  Please visit the pictures page for some cute photos of our girls enjoying a day at the watershed, learning about the process of maple sugaring. 

More trips are on the horizon.  Please check out the Upcoming Events page and let me know which ones look like good candidates.  There are many trips that you can sign your scout up for individually if the troop elects not to go.

Time again for the most anticipated event of the year for those that adore Girl Scout cookies.  The annual cookie sale!  The sale kicks off Thursday, January 19th.  Please visit the "Cookie Sale 2012" page on the site to review some information about the sale, especially if you missed the information meeting on Tuesday the 10th.  The dates, times, and locations of our cookie booths are also on that page. I have them posted on the troop calendar as well.

By now, you should have the cookie sale info packets for your scout.  If not, please contact me asap, so I can get it to you.  Please be aware, that the cookie sale is not mandatory for each scout.  However, it it IS mandatory for our troop to participate in the fundraiser if we want to have additional fundraisers throughout the rest of the year.  Also, if you choose not to have your scout participate in the cookie sale, she is not eligible for any of the patches or incentives that are earned through the sale.  She is also not entitled to the money raised during the sale that goes to offset the cost of the troop trip that we schedule for the spring.  Last year, our troop went to Hershey Park, PA for the annual Camp-O-Ree.  This year might be different since it's the 100 year anniversary of Girl Scouts, and there are celebrations taking place all over the country. One potential trip might be to Liberty State Park at the Statue of Liberty.  It all depends on how much money we raise.

Dates to Remember:
Money is Due to the Troop Leader by:  Thursday, January 26th, Thursday, February 2nd, and Tuesday, February 14th (troop meeting).
The February 14th Troop Meeting is the last day on which cookies will be taken back from parents.  (Please do not take more than you can sell assuming that you'll be able to return cookies.  If I can't unload them, we still need to pay for them.)

Click here for the Brownie Girl Guide to the 2012 Cookie Sale.  It has a lot of good information for your scout.  It's several pages long so, in the interests of being eco-friendly, I would recommend downloading it to your computer or e-reader and going over it with your scout.

Let's have a great sale, and our scouts will find out "what a cookie can do"!

December Has Arrived!

Well, December has arrived, but we're still looking for snow.  Our first meeting of the month kicked off with a lesson in wallet-making, but not with leather or cloth.  No way!  That's old-school.  Our girls learned how to make their own money-jackets with something that found in Dad's (or Mom's) toolbox.  Can you guess?  Duct Tape!  That's right.  Good, old fashioned duct tape once again proves how useful it really is. Now if we could just come up with more uses for hot glue...

The girls had a great time and, unbelievably, the craft took up the ENTIRE meeting.  Our instructor told us that she can knock out a duct tape wallet in about five minutes (!!!) 

The girls took a vote on the holiday party, coming up on the 20th.  They decided that they wanted to come to the party in the pajamas, and that we'll have a Secret Santa.  The gift limit for the Secret Santa is $1.00.  Yup, that's right.  No more than a dollar.  So, let her get creative.  Stop by the Dollar Store or Five Below, or check out the $ .99 racks at places like Target, Joann's, AC Moore, etc.  Make sure they wrap it up really pretty!  Hey, just because it's a dollar doesn't mean it can't be cool.

November Update

November came and went so fast, I hardly had time to update our webpage. I think we're all looking forward to Turkey Day and a little R&R with the family this weekend.

That said, let's not forget the less fortunate of our community, namely the Justus family on East Bettlewood Ave, who recently lost their home and possessions in a house fire a week ago.  In a tremendous outpouring of support for the family, they have been receiving donations in the form of gift cards, clothing, and other supplies almost non-stop since the fire.  Michele Phillips, our own co-leader, suggested that we put together a "mom's holiday" basket for the Beef 'n Beer benefit that will take place on Friday, December 9th at the Oaklyn Fire Hall.  As many of you already know, Katherine is the leader for our sister troop 30641, and has two of her daughters in Girl Scouts.  If you can donate anything to the basket, we would deeply appreciate it!

On another note, our QSP fundraiser is finished, and if you are waiting for your orders, I'll have them ready for you at the next meeting (tomorrow night, November 22nd at 6:30 pm).

Lastly, I'm going to put together a trip to the Franklin Institute in the near future.  Since the previous trips just didn't seem to work out, and I would REALLY like to see the girls get a trip in before the cookie sale starts, I'm going to make this one work this time.  So, rain or shine, snow, flood, earthquake, or whatever, we are going to go to the Franklin Institute.

October: Wonders of Water and QSP

For the next meeting, we're going to continue on our journey, discovering the Wonders of Water.  Please have your scout look through the refrigerator and pantry at home and make up a list of foodstuffs that has water as an ingredient.  She'll need to make a list to bring to the next meeting.  Also, please have her do pages 30 and 31 in her WOW workbook, "Water Map and Water Journal in One".

We'll be learning more about our Blue Planet, and why water is such a precious resource. We will also start a companion Try It, "Water Everywhere".  The girls will have different activities to work on between meetings, both as part of the WOW workbook and the "Water Everywhere" Try It.  Look for more information in the take home letter after Tuesday's meeting.

By now I hope that your scout has made some progress selling QSP items.  If not, we still have the rest of this week to make some sales.  Please have a look at the "QSP" page for more information.

Thanks and see you at the meeting!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 Scouting Year!

We kicked off our scouting year on Saturday, September 11, 2011 with our Bridging and Flying Up ceremony at the VFW hall in Oaklyn.  We had a great turnout, and spent the afternoon with friends, family, and our Daisys/Juniors sister troop.

Now we turn our attention to this year's activities.  Next year, 2012, will mark the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts.  In 1912, Juliette "Daisy" Low had the incredible idea to encourage girls to become active in their communities, spend time outdoors in the wilderness, and learn the kind of skills that "proper young ladies" were discouraged from learning.  Like they say, "well-behaved women rarely make history".  And, without a doubt, the Girl Scouts have been making their own rambunctious, outdoorsy, new-horizons kind of history ever since.

Since our troop consists of first and second-year Brownies, they're getting to an age where they can be introduced to new experiences and challenges with the expectation that they'll rise up and seize opportunities for adventure.  Working on our first journey, Wonders of Water, is the first step.  Later this year, we'll take day trips, and eventually graduate to overnight camping.  

Thanks for joining us in the adventure.  It's going to be a great year!