Troop Tuesday: Flower Power!

It was the week after Spring Break and we wanted to keep things low-key. To celebrate spring, we made coffee filter flowers and dirt pudding.

These were actually more difficult than we thought they would be, but I think that had a lot to do with the fact the girls wanted their's to look perfect on the first try. We tried to stress that it's something that comes better with practice, and that every flower is unique just like each of the girls.

The dirt pudding was a hit as well! I loved it as a kid, and love when I get to share things like that with my own Girl Scout. 

Troop Tuesday: Pool Party

[My little fishies enjoying the water]

To Celebrate the end of Cookie Sales, I mean to celebrate that we sold a lot as a troop ;), we decided to have a swimming party.

Indiana has has a long winter (that continues though it's spring), but there's an indoor pool in town that was the perfect place to have a party.

The girls were so excited, and it made me so ready for SUMMER and all the fun that will happen then. :)

Troop Tuesday: Summer Day Camp!

Summer Day Camp is just around the corner! We have so much fun at day camp. We canoe, make crafts, sing, go on hikes, and spend time with a great group of girls.

If you haven't checked out the programs offered in your area- now is the time to do it because slots are filling up fast!!

Troop Tuesday: Fun with Paint

Painting with 30+ Girl  Scouts may not seem like the best idea, but we're not afraid to gt a bit messy. Plus- it's all washable!

We worked on our painting patch by using different methods to paint.

1. The girls painted a mural (pictured). They were able to add a bit of their own flair to a group project.
2. We also had the girls partner up and face paint. We limited it to just a cheek painting, but it was cute to see little hearts and peace signs :)
3. Using the same partner they girls painted their portrait- using finger paints (pictured)! It was cute to see what details they included.
4. They were also able to paint a plaster sculpture. They turned out really cute.
5. The final project was a poster. We painted their hands and put them in a circle.

The final poster was this:

They were a hit at Cookie Booth this weekend :) 

Troop Tuesday: Cookie Finder

This is going up way later than I planned, but this week has been so busy and overwhelming. I posted yesterday about my kitchen in shambles, and it hasn't changed. I also worked all day and had a bunch of Girl Scouts painting tonight so I'm so sleepy :)

I just wanted to remind you that it is Cookie Time!!

In our area cookie booths are out and girls are ready to ambush you as you walk into the store- so come prepared to order (because who could turn down their sweet faces?).

If you don't know where to go to find cookies, the new Cookie Finder app makes life easier for you! Check it out on the Girl Scout website, and never miss an opportunity to buy cookies!

Troop Tuesday: Fun with Science

I mentioned how much fun my son had with Kitchen Science, so it was only fitting to do similar experiments with the Girl Scout troop for their Science patch!

We had many stations (probably too many considering we only had 3 adults helping) and they were able to rotate from table to table.

For the Density Rainbow they added different liquids together (for this dish soap, body wash, oil, and water with food coloring). Each time they did it, the ingredients settled in the same order.

They cleaned pennies with 1/4 cup vinegar + 1 tsp of salt. Rinse after shaking in the mixture so they don't turn green.

They also got to:

Make Gak

Make Oobleck

Make Play-dough,

Fill a balloon using baking soda and vinegar.

Messy fun was had by all :D 

Troop Tuesday: Tie-Dye T-Shirts

Our troop is huge. It has 10 times the girls some of the other troops in the area has. This is great, in my opinion, because so many girls are able to build long-lasting friendships.

This gets a little difficult when we have trips as a troop. 50 girls are a lot to keep track pf, even with parent help. So one solution was to make a "uniform" for our troop. We decided to Tie-Dye shirts.

Some tips if you plan to do this with a large troop:

• Plastic. on the floor, on the kids, on YOUR hands.
• Gloves are not labelled by pairs. So 50ct will be enough for 25 girls.
• Soak the shirts. A bucket of dye may be more successful and economical. Some shirts ended up more colorful than others.
• Use gallon baggies labeled with names to store until able to wash.
• Write names on the collar with permanent markers to identify them later.

Ours were screen-printed with a cute logo after. I love how they turned out!

Troop Tuesday: Money Management

It's kind of fitting that as I work on managing our money well and living frugally that I incorporate that in our Girl Scout troop. I'm no expert, I go against my own advice, and I continue to learn from my mistakes. I don't think any of this makes me less suited to help teach the basics of money management to children, in fact I think that it helps me a bit.

One way I did this was through making paper checkbooks so we could practice balancing them. These were pretty easy to make. I cut loose leaf paper down to size, cut construction paper (big enough to fold over the loose leaf), stapled, and folded. Making over 50 took about 1.5 hours.

First we talked about how money got in the bank accounts, then about how when we used our checks or a debit card that the amount of money we had in the bank changed. They got to pick their own starting balances (some were reasonable, others had high hopes for their future income) and we talked about the expenses that would be deducted. I brought up how much Girl Scout dues were, how much it costs to live in our area (and how the costs have changed over the years) and let them pick their expenses.

This along with picking a career (and making a puppet for that) and making a wallet + Brownie Bucks or Daisy Dollars (and buying their snack for the evening with those), were fun ways to introduce this concept to the girls. I also mentioned how we as leaders have to budget the money in the Girl Scout account as well so that we can do fun things all year rather than just a couple big things and have nothing for the rest of the year.

It was a good lesson for me as well, while working I have taken the easier route for some things and my husband and I have had miscommunication about bills, so I need to take my own lessons to heart ;)

Troop Tuesday: Friendship Soup

One of our patches involved cooking, but since it was close to Thanksgiving I wanted to give it a little twist. We did a canned food drive to help with our project and to do a little more for our community.

We made Friendship Soup. To make Friendship Soup, you don't need a lot. Each person brings a little something to add to the soup, and by the time everything is in the pot it turns into a wonderful meal. We added a few of the cans of food to the pot and made a delicious veggie soup, but also ended up donating over 60 cans to the county food pantry.

To make Friendship Soup get a big pot (or in our case, a crock pot).

Add in a bunch of friends, cans of veggies (adding at least one can of broth), a little heat, and serve.

Just like this soup, in life we can accomplish big things if we all do a little to help :)

Troop Tuesday: Cookie Kick Off

We have a pretty big troop (50 girls) so even our meetings can be a little chaotic- but this weekend I participated in a Cookie Kick Off sleepover for all the troops in our county!

It was part of a national sleepover event and got us all geared up to sell cookies. I love spending time with the girls (and my own girl) in our troop, but love seeing the girls from the other troops too. It's great to see so many learning and working together. Though I really needed the coffee I got when I got home, sleep isn't really part of a sleepover lol.

It was the Cookie Kick Off and we are trying to sell cookies for our troop. With such a big troop with a variety of incomes this really funds the events we get to participate for the year. My little Girl Scout is working her hardest on selling to meet her goal (2000 boxes, this may be a lesson on setting more realistic goals!).

Look out for Cookie Booths and consider supporting the troops in your area!

Troop Tuesday: Going Green

For Troop Tuesday, I wanted to talk about the things we did to work on a badge dedicated to Going Green.  We had different areas to cover to earn the badge, but I liked that what we did was applicable even if you aren't a scout.

We planted seeds in a recycled pot made out of a toilet paper roll. These are great for veggie starts because you can plant them directly in the dirt when planting your garden!

We also made signs for our bathrooms to conserve water. Leaving the faucet on while brushing your teeth is a way to waste water (and money!), so their signs will hopefully be a good reminder to everyone in the house.

They brainstormed different ways to save energy in their homes and took those plans home to their parents.

They also got to make laundry soap. This was the most popular activity!

You need:
Borax
Washing Powder
Fels Naptha Soap
A grater
A container to store it in

The easy steps:
Grate the Soap
Mix in 1 cup of Borax
Mix in 1 cup of Washing Powder
Mix together and use 2 tbs when washing.

Simple but lots of fun for our troop.

Troop Tuesday #1

I'll preface this by saying that I was never a Girl Scout. I really only knew of them because of the cookies, but wasn't a part of a troop growing up. I wanted my daughter to join, and am SO glad that I found the troop that I did. Her leader is amazing and so dedicated to the troop, and it was her passion that got me to join as an assistant. So now, at 28 years old, I am a Girl Scout!

I love that Girl Scouts is an organization dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

I want this for my daughter, so it makes me happy to be a part of this organization. Future posts will talk about the fun projects we've done or work we have done in the community, but I wanted the first post to be an introduction. If you're interested in joining a troop, or helping one, check out the website to find one near you!