I mistakenly planned tonight's meeting in three parts: QSP fundraiser, planning for Wacky Weekend, and Agent of Change Journey. Each segment would have taken approximately 20-25 minutes, with plenty of time for opening and closing ceremonies. Here's what ACTUALLY happened: QSP, 10 minutes, Wacky Weekend planning....the entire meeting! And while I applaud a well-planned excursion, our Junior scouts went to town planning out the meals for the weekend down to the last detail (Exhibit A, chalkboard). Consequently, parents will be receiving an email in the near future with a VERY well-thought out menu for troop camping...with an unexpected Mexican theme (who knew??).
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Wacky Planning
I mistakenly planned tonight's meeting in three parts: QSP fundraiser, planning for Wacky Weekend, and Agent of Change Journey. Each segment would have taken approximately 20-25 minutes, with plenty of time for opening and closing ceremonies. Here's what ACTUALLY happened: QSP, 10 minutes, Wacky Weekend planning....the entire meeting! And while I applaud a well-planned excursion, our Junior scouts went to town planning out the meals for the weekend down to the last detail (Exhibit A, chalkboard). Consequently, parents will be receiving an email in the near future with a VERY well-thought out menu for troop camping...with an unexpected Mexican theme (who knew??).
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Welcome to the 2012-2013 Scouting Year!
Welcome
to another year of Girl Scouts!
This
year, our scouts are embarking on a new and exciting journey as
Junior Girl Scouts. What does this mean? Well, according to Girl
Scouts tradition, the girls have officially left the Brownie nest and
“flown up” to Junior Girl Scouts (hence the golden wings they
earned during the Flying Up ceremony). The girls will be able to do
more, and more will be expected of them as they continue on the Girl
Scouts path. New badges, new journeys, new challenges and new
opportunities to learn and grow.
We held our Bridging and Flying Up Ceremony on September 8th, where returning Girl Scouts were awarded their Brownie Wings, and officially became Juniors. Some of the girls have been with Girl Scouts since they were Daisies, so this was a big day for us all. Despite the sweltering heat, we all had a great time coming together to celebrate the occasion.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Bluegrass Music!
She introduced the girls to the history of Bluegrass, how it came into being, and how it influences music today. Once the girls saw the connection between this truly original art form and the music they listen to on the radio (ahem, Taylor Swift), they really got into it. Several dance breaks were observed during the presentation, but Robin was very patient and seemed like she enjoyed how much the girls took to the music.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
SAVE Service Project
Today, our Brownie Troop helped out with the cleanup at Peter's Creek behind Oaklyn Public School. The cleanup, hosted by St. Mark's Lutheran Church, became part of the troop's Wonders of Water Journey as our SAVE Water project. Troop members Audrey, Kennedy, Erin, Riley, Anna, and birthday-girl Madeline came out today to get into the muck and clean up the creek.
The morning dawned beautifully. Eleanor from St. Mark's gave us a quick lesson in the current conditions of the creek, and explained how the creek is part of the Newton Creek Watershed. They showed us on a map where the creek is, and how it relates to the larger watershed. Then, rakes and trash bags in hand, we headed down the banks to get to work.
Two hours, dozens of trash bags, and three trucks full of trash, we were finished for the day. Other volunteers continued working in the rain, but after two hours of hard work in the muck, we were exhausted. Some of the more astonishing trash pulled out of the creek today included: a buoy from the Delaware river, a plastic shopping cart, a bike, a baby pool, a trash can, a large chunk of chain link fencing, a lumberyard's worth of pressure treated lumber, a full bag of concrete, and an inline skate. One of the church volunteers stopped for a minute at one of the three trash trucks on standby to catch his breath and look over the filthy haul. Holding a multi-pronged hook attached to a sturdy nylon line, he remarked, "Just to get to that trash, we had to pull out other pieces of trash first. It took us about 45 minutes just to get to that baby pool. There's just layers of trash out there."
I think that volunteering time today for the cleanup really brought the message home to the girls that it's vitally important to protect our waterways. The girls also got a sense of how long it takes for trash to decay after fishing out several old pieces of trash. Madeline mentioned that she found a can that "looks just like the one my dad has at home that's like the ones he used to drink as a kid." They saw firsthand how easily trash ends up in our waterways, and how much effort it takes to clean up after other people have been careless. It was hard work today, but soooo worth the newly-clean waterway and the important lesson learned.
The morning dawned beautifully. Eleanor from St. Mark's gave us a quick lesson in the current conditions of the creek, and explained how the creek is part of the Newton Creek Watershed. They showed us on a map where the creek is, and how it relates to the larger watershed. Then, rakes and trash bags in hand, we headed down the banks to get to work.
Two hours, dozens of trash bags, and three trucks full of trash, we were finished for the day. Other volunteers continued working in the rain, but after two hours of hard work in the muck, we were exhausted. Some of the more astonishing trash pulled out of the creek today included: a buoy from the Delaware river, a plastic shopping cart, a bike, a baby pool, a trash can, a large chunk of chain link fencing, a lumberyard's worth of pressure treated lumber, a full bag of concrete, and an inline skate. One of the church volunteers stopped for a minute at one of the three trash trucks on standby to catch his breath and look over the filthy haul. Holding a multi-pronged hook attached to a sturdy nylon line, he remarked, "Just to get to that trash, we had to pull out other pieces of trash first. It took us about 45 minutes just to get to that baby pool. There's just layers of trash out there."
I think that volunteering time today for the cleanup really brought the message home to the girls that it's vitally important to protect our waterways. The girls also got a sense of how long it takes for trash to decay after fishing out several old pieces of trash. Madeline mentioned that she found a can that "looks just like the one my dad has at home that's like the ones he used to drink as a kid." They saw firsthand how easily trash ends up in our waterways, and how much effort it takes to clean up after other people have been careless. It was hard work today, but soooo worth the newly-clean waterway and the important lesson learned.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
March Madness
Well, spring has arrived early this year, apparently, and we're beginning to wind down our Wonders of Water Journey. The girls received the first of their Journey badges last night, "LOVE Water". They also received their Cookie Sale 2012 pins for doing such a great job during the cookie sale.
Speaking of the sale, I wanted to extend a big thank you to everyone for pitching in and getting those cookies sold. I realize that it's very time consuming, and I know the girls and I appreciate all the hard work that went into walking around your neighborhood, manning the cookie booths, and selling at various workplaces. Great job!
As we continue onward this spring, and through to the end of the year, we'll be spending more time on fun stuff like trips and activities. Once the Wonders of Water Journey is complete, we'll turn our attention to community service projects, and earning badges, as well as mapping out what types of trips we'll be taking when the weather turns nice. Please have a look at the Upcoming Events page for a few suggestions.
On Saturday, March 24th, from 9:00 to noon, the girls will earn their "SAVE Water" badge by participating in the cleanup of Peter's Creek behind the school. The cleanup effort is sponsored by St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Although this isn't a mandatory event, if you scout is not able to attend, I would need you to have her do a community service project on her own in order to earn the badge. Please contact me for more info.
On Saturday afternoon, March 31st, from 1:00-2:00 pm, we will be doing a cleanup of the Emmanuel Methodist Church where we have our troop meetings. This is a "thank you" to the church for allowing us to meet in their building for free. The pastor had asked if we would help clean up the outside of the church so it would be pretty for Good Friday and Easter services. We will help tidy up and plant some flowers.
Please check back for more information about our troop, and be sure to check in with our Facebook page too!
Speaking of the sale, I wanted to extend a big thank you to everyone for pitching in and getting those cookies sold. I realize that it's very time consuming, and I know the girls and I appreciate all the hard work that went into walking around your neighborhood, manning the cookie booths, and selling at various workplaces. Great job!
As we continue onward this spring, and through to the end of the year, we'll be spending more time on fun stuff like trips and activities. Once the Wonders of Water Journey is complete, we'll turn our attention to community service projects, and earning badges, as well as mapping out what types of trips we'll be taking when the weather turns nice. Please have a look at the Upcoming Events page for a few suggestions.
On Saturday, March 24th, from 9:00 to noon, the girls will earn their "SAVE Water" badge by participating in the cleanup of Peter's Creek behind the school. The cleanup effort is sponsored by St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Although this isn't a mandatory event, if you scout is not able to attend, I would need you to have her do a community service project on her own in order to earn the badge. Please contact me for more info.
On Saturday afternoon, March 31st, from 1:00-2:00 pm, we will be doing a cleanup of the Emmanuel Methodist Church where we have our troop meetings. This is a "thank you" to the church for allowing us to meet in their building for free. The pastor had asked if we would help clean up the outside of the church so it would be pretty for Good Friday and Easter services. We will help tidy up and plant some flowers.
Please check back for more information about our troop, and be sure to check in with our Facebook page too!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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"!
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