My Brownie Starter Kit - Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and

My Brownie
Starter Kit
WELCOME! And thank you for volunteering...
Each Girl Scout meeting provides an opportunity to explore new worlds and learn new skills. For this
reason, there is no strict meeting agenda for Girl Scout Brownies. You do not need to worry about sticking
to a rigid set of activities that may not appeal to your girls. Instead, the key is flexibility based on the needs
and interests of your girls. Each time your troop meets, you should have a plan for what will happen at the
meeting.
There are six parts of a troop meeting: Pre-meeting Activity, Opening, Troop Business, Activity Time, Clean
Up and Closing. These parts are meant to create a natural flow for the meetings and provide a “balanced
diet” of fun, learning responsibility and accomplishment. For more information on setting up a meeting,
look in Volunteer Essentials under “Holding Troop Meetings”.
There are plenty of resources at your fingertips, like the Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, the three
Journey books (Wow! Wonders of Water, Brownie Quest and A World of Girls), Volunteer Essentials and
Safety Activity Checkpoints (found at girlscoutsgcnwi.org). And once you’ve completed all of the necessary
leader training, you can try out some of the ideas from the printed resources, your trainers and other
leaders in your training session. Feel free to substitute these ideas and activities for those listed in this
Brownie Starter Kit. The following meeting plans are suggestions to help you to develop a routine with your
girls. Adapt them to meet the needs and interests of the girls in your troop.
Most troops have a parent meeting before their first troop meeting. At this time you can discuss
expectations – theirs and yours – regarding such things as help with troop meetings, troop money-earning
programs, chaperoning field trips, how girls will get to and from meetings, transportation for field trips,
uniforms, handbooks, troop dues and when and where the troop will meet. It is a good time to let families
know that the troop can do more and achieve more if everyone helps out. This is also a perfect time to
answer questions or assist parents with the on-line registration process; all girls must be registered Girl
Scouts in order to participate in the troop meetings. At this meeting, you can hand out required forms,
including the Girl Health History form.
Many new leaders have questions about the logistics of their meetings. Keep in mind that the troop belongs
to you, the girls and their parents, so together you decide what works for the entire group. Here are some
tips to get you started:
Meeting Frequency
You can choose to meet weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Many leaders start with bi-monthly meetings and
make adjustments accordingly.
Meeting Times
Many things, such as transportation, meeting space availability and other obligations will dictate the time of
your troop meetings. The two most common times are immediately after school and after dinner. Meetings
usually last between one hour and two hours.
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Meeting Locations
Schools, churches and community centers are the most common places for meetings. Convenience,
safety and resources should be considered when selecting a location for meetings.
Troop Dues
Many troops support their activities with troop dues at each meeting. These dues typically range from $.50
to $2 per meeting. Another option is to collect a lump sum of dues a couple of times a year. This should
be discussed at your parents’ meeting. However, you need to be sensitive to the economic realities of the
families in your troop. The troop should also do troop money-earning activities, such as fall product and
cookie programs, during the year to offset troop expenses. Also, remember that your troop can engage in
field trips and activities that have little or no cost.
Snacks
Some troops have a snack at each meeting. For girls whose troops meet in the evening after supper, snacks
might be only an occasional thing – making a healthy snack to complete a Brownie badge requirement or a
troop party. For girls whose troops meet right after school, you might plan to have a snack when they arrive
at each meeting. Be sure to allow time for this in your meeting plans. Some troops rotate who brings the
snacks by sending a specially-marked, large container home with the girls whose turn it will be. Others add in
an extra $.25-.50 per meeting to the dues to cover the cost of snacks. Discuss this at your parent meeting.
Be sure when planning snacks for your troop to check the girls’ health histories (found on the reverse side of
the girl registration form) to determine if anyone has food allergies such as peanuts, gluten or chocolate. If
this is the case, please remind everyone that these items are off limits at your troop meetings.
Troop Size
The recommended size for a Girl Scout Brownie troop is 10-20 girls, though some troops may have more
than 20 members. Always ensure that at the group meetings the girl-adult ratio outlined in Volunteer
Essentials is followed. Often, a troop’s size will start very small and increase as new girls learn about the fun
your girls are having. Regardless of the number of girls in your troop, you want to make sure that you have
plenty of adult support, in the form of co-leaders and parents.
Remember that you are not alone. You have many people who can help you – members of your service unit
whom you will get to know at service unit meetings, your membership specialist and many other staff and
volunteers in our Girl Scout Council.
Girl/adult partnerships in Girl Scouting are the key to our success. So, after your troop settles into a routine,
girls should be involved in the planning of their meetings and activities. Even the youngest Brownie Girl
Scout will have an idea of what she would like to learn and do after participating in a few planned meetings
and having a chance to look at the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting and the three Journey books.
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Tips for Successful Meetings
• Be prepared! Read through each meeting plan and gather the supplies you need for the meeting a day
or two ahead of time. Bring a few extras – you might have a few new girls join your troop.
• Familiarize yourself with the resource books. Brownie Leaders need: The Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl
Scouting, the three Journey books (Wow! Wonders of Water, Brownie Quest and A World of Girls),
Volunteer Essentials and Safety Activity Checkpoints (find this online at girlscoutsgcnwi.org).
• Sit down with your co-leader and decide who will lead which parts of the meeting.
• Be early! Especially for your first meeting. This way, you can set up the meeting space in an arrangement
that will be best for you.
• Greet each girl as she comes in – it will reassure them that you are glad she’s here. It will help you to
learn all of their names, and help them to get to know you, too.
• Smile and be friendly to everyone. If parents ask you questions you cannot answer yet, tell them you will
find out and get back to them. (Be sure you do!) It might even be handy to have a notebook with you so
you can write down all of the parent questions.
• Have a few “tricks” up your sleeve, just in case you finish something quicker than you planned. Check
out the More to Explore and Resources sections of this kit for ideas.
• Bring your Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to every meeting.
Don’t forget the invaluable resources around you. These include fellow leaders, volunteers and many online
resources:
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Council website: www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org
Program opportunities: www.gcnwiprograms.org
Uniform components, patches, etc.: www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/shop
National website: www.girlscouts.org
Barbie “I Can Be...” career exploration activity: forgirls.girlscouts.org/beanything
Pinterest Brownie board: www.pinterest.com/gsgcnwi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GirlScoutsGCNWI
Twitter: @GirlScoutsGCNWI
Instagram: @gsgcnwi
Welcome to Girl Scouting! An extraordinary adventure awaits!
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CONTENTS
p. 2-3
p. 4
Welcome
Tips for Successful Meetings
p. 6-7
Meeting 1
p. 8-9
Meeting 2
p. 10-11
Meeting 3
p. 12
Investiture Ceremony
p. 13
More to Explore
p. 13
Get to Know You Games
p. 13
Girl Scout Promise: Snowball Fight
p. 13
Girl Scout Law Activity
p. 14
Girl Scout Motto
p. 14
Explore the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
p. 14
Cadette LiA and Program Aides
p. 15
Brownie Story with Actions
p. 16
Team-Building: Magic Carpet
p. 16
For Fun: Beanbag Challenges
p. 16
Take Home Time
p. 17
Basic Flag Ceremony Commands
p. 18
Girl Scout Promise and Law
p. 19
Pre-Opening Activities
p. 20-21
Kaper Charts
p.22
Brownie Smile Song
p. 23
Make New Friends
p. 24
What Brownies Do
p. 25
Journeys At a Glance
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Meeting 1: Welcome to Girl Scouts
Pre-Meeting Activity:
Welcome the girls as they arrive. Have them make a
nametag for themselves while you wait. It can be as
simple or elaborate as they want.
Materials Needed:
• Markers, stickers, crayons, etc.
• Blank paper with two holes punched - one per girl
• Yarn - enough for each girl to attach the nametag
around the neck
• Scissors
Opening:
Have everyone sit in a circle. Introduce the concept of the Brownie Ring
(Brownie Girl’s Guide on page 22). Starting with a leader, go around the
Brownie Ring and have each leader and girl introduce herself to the group.
You may choose to have everyone tell the reason why she’s excited to be a
Girl Scout.
Materials Needed:
• Poster with Girl Scout Promise
written on it
Demonstrate the Girl Scout Sign. Explain to the girls that you are going to
recite the Girl Scout Promise, something that all Girl Scouts say (page 2 of
the Girl’s Guide). Have girls talk about what each line means.
Troop Business:
This is the time to discuss troop business by collecting paperwork, dues
or anything that you needed to come in from families, such as forms or
permission slips.
Hold up three fingers on your right
hand. That’s the Girl Scout sign!
Materials Needed:
• Group Kaper chart (ideas on
pages 20-21 of this kit)
Talk about Kapers and a troop Kaper chart (Brownie Girl’s Guide on page
22). Explain to the girls that at each meeting, everyone will be assigned a Kaper (an opportunity for girls
to participate, i.e., passing out snacks, opening or closing ceremony planners, distributing or collecting
troop supplies, clean-up checkers, special helpers – have these picked out beforehand); if everyone
shares the responsibilities, it will make the meeting go much more smoothly and everyone gets to help!
The assignments will be listed on a Kaper chart. Form the girls into small groups of 3-6 girls. Let them select
a symbol for their group (hearts, birds, flowers, etc.). Ask them to draw and color their symbol on their
nametag so you can tell which group they are in. While the girls are making their nametags, you can put the
symbols on your troop Kaper chart.
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Meeting 1
Activity
Tell the girls that you are going to start their Brownie
experience by earning the Girl Scout Way badge.
Show them the badge packet from the Brownie
Girl’s Guide and read the information on the cover.
Materials Needed:
• Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, including the Girl
Scout Way badge requirements
• Brownie Smile Song (page 22 of this kit)
Girl Scout Song
Brownie songs are a really fun Girl Scout tradition. Start by learning the “Brownie Smile” song found in the
resources section of this starter kit. (Girl Scout Way badge requirement #1)
Getting to Know Juliette Low
See pages 10 and 11 in the Brownie Girl’s Guide for information about Juliette Low. Share the information
with the girls. Girl decision time: explain to them that you are going to have a Juliette Low Birthday Party
at the next meeting and you need their help to plan the party! Read the three options on page 3 of the
badge packet. Have the girls decide which one they want to do. How else do they want to celebrate?
(Girl Scout Way badge requirement #2)
Clean Up:
Clean up is part of all Girl Scout meetings. This time, clean up helps to earn their Girl Scout Way badge
(requirement #4). Ask the girls to come up with three ways to leave the meeting place better than they
found it and then do at least one. You can also teach the Brownie Tidying-Up Song (learn another song for
Girl Scout Way badge requirement #1, the sidebar on page 6 of the requirements has the song).
Closing:
Many Girl Scout troops use a Friendship Circle to close their meetings (Brownie Girl’s Guide on page 23).
Girls and adults form a circle. Everyone crosses her right arm over her left arm and holds hands with the
person next to her. The leader (or a designated girl – i.e. someone whose birthday is this week) begins by
making a short, silent wish. When the person finishes her wish, she gently squeezes the hand of the person
to her left. That person makes a silent wish and squeezes the hand of the person to her left. The wishes
continue around the circle, until each person has had a turn and the squeeze returns to the person that
started the Friendship Squeeze.
The leader dismisses the group by saying “Goodbye, Girl Scouts,” and still holding hands, each girl turns
to her right and goes under her own arm. The circle is now facing the outside, and the girls release hands.
(Note: It is important to check that each girl has her right arm over her left, or the girls will not be able to turn
out of the circle at the end.)
If there is any information to pass out to parents, have it ready in advance with each girl’s name on top so
you will know whose information was left behind. Have one leader pass out the information as girls leave the
room to meet their parent.
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Meeting 2: Girl Scout Way
Pre-Meeting Activity:
Have the girls’ nametags ready to be picked up.
Materials Needed:
• One light-colored folder per girl
• Markers, stickers, crayons, etc.
• Girls’ nametags
Using folders to send home information is a good way to keep
everything organized. Use the left side pocket to send information
home and receive information back (signed forms, at home activities, etc.). Use the right side to store
papers so the girl has a keepsake for her Brownie year. Have light-colored folders and give the girls the
opportunity to decorate them as they arrive. Ask girls to write “To and From Meeting” on the left and “To
Keep” on the right.
Opening:
Recite the Girl Scout Promise as a group.
Troop Business:
Look at the Kaper chart to see who does what this week. Show the girls their
progress on the Girl Scout Way badge.
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Materials Needed:
• Poster with Girl Scout Promise
written on it
Materials Needed:
• Group Kaper chart (ideas on
pages 20-21 of this kit)
• GS Way badge requirements
Meeting 2
Activity
Girl Scout Song
Brownie songs are a really fun Girl Scout tradition. Start
by learning the “Brownie Smile” song on page 22 of this
kit. (Girl Scout Way badge requirement #1)
Girl Scout Law Team Mural
Materials Needed:
• Poster board with Girl Scout Law written on it
• White construction paper - one per girl
• Washable markers, colored pencils, crayons
• Masking tape
• Optional: white sheet or long length of craft
paper
• “Make New Friends” song (page 23 of this kit)
• Activities that girls chose for Juliette Low’s
birthday party
Share the Girl Scout Law with the troop. You should
have a poster with the Law written on it; it’s also in the
Brownie Girl’s Guide page 2. Give each girl a sheet of
construction paper; she should trace one hand onto the paper. She then writes her name and how she
practices the Girl Scout Law on the paper either in words or in picture form.
Display the papers in one of these ways:
1. Tape individual papers to long length of craft paper
2. Put it on white cloth and make it the troop banner
3. Tape individual sheets together to create mural
Practice for Investiture
Do a practice run of the Investiture Ceremony found on page 12 of this kit.
Juliette Low’s Birthday Bash
Here’s your chance to do whatever the girls chose in the previous meeting to celebrate Juliette’s birthday!
Clean Up:
Everyone cleans up; don’t forget to sing the tidying song again, found in Meeting 1.
Closing:
Friendship Squeeze - just like you learned last time!
Materials Needed:
• Invitation to Brownie
Investiture taking place next
meeting
If there is any information to pass out to parents, have it ready it advance
for girls to put in their new Brownie folders. The next meeting is the investiture/rededication ceremony into
becoming a Brownie Girl Scout. Invite parents to attend in order to take pictures and celebrate with the girls.
Each girl should wear her uniform (Brownie vest or sash) to the next meeting.
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Meeting 3: Investiture/Rededication and
Planning the year
Pre-Meeting Activity:
Have the girls’ nametags ready to be picked up.
Materials Needed:
• Handmade puzzels in envelopes
• Girls’ nametags
Before the meeting, glue pictures from calendars, greeting cards or
magazines that show the different kinds of things a girl can do as a Brownie Girl Scout. Cut them into pieces
to create puzzles. Put each picture into a separate envelope.
Once girls enter the room, they can put together the puzzles that you’ve created. You can ask them if that is
a picture of something they would like to do in the future. These puzzles can now be used as decorations for
the ceremony today!
Opening:
Recite both the Girl Scout Promise and Law together as a group.
Troop Business:
Look at the Kaper chart to see who does what this week.
There is one more step to earning the Girl Scout Way badge; ask the
girls to go through the requirements to identify what they’ve already
completed and what is left. (Hint: They’ve completed Steps 1-4; only
#5 is left and they’ll do that today.)
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Materials Needed:
• Girl Scout Promise and Law
posters
Materials Needed:
• Group Kaper chart
• Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl
Scouting, include the Girl Scout
Way badge requirements
Meeting 3
Activity
Brownie Story
Read the Brownie Story together from pages 17-19 in
the Brownie Girl’s Guide. Ask each girl what she liked
about the story. Congratulations! You’ve finished the
Girl Scout Way badge! Using the rhyme found in the
story, girls can earn their official Brownie Pins in the
investiture. (Girl Scout Way badge requirement #5)
Materials Needed:
• Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
• Optional: at least one copy of each Brownie
Journey book
• A Brownie Pin for each girl who is taking part in
the investiture (www.shopgirlscouts.com)
• Decorations for investiture/rededication
• Mirror
• “What Brownies Do” (page 24 of this kit)
• “Journeys at a Glance” (page 25 of this kit)
Investiture/Rededication Ceremony
Families of the girls have been invited to attend this
investiture or rededication. The room should be set up in advance for this. A guide for how to do the
investiture is on page 12 of this kit. When a girl is invested, it means she is officially welcomed into the Girl
Scout family.
If a girl was a Daisy, she is already part of the Girl Scout family and she rededicates herself to Girl Scouts.
Rededication can be incorporated into the investiture ceremony.
Because girls have earned their Girl Scout Way badge, you can also include this in the investiture
ceremony. The badge can also be purchased individually in a Girl Scout Gathering Place shop or online.
Future Planning
Now is the time to discuss what you are going to do for the rest of the year. There are many resources you
can have available for the girls to look through. See pages 8-9 in the Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
for a helpful worksheet the girls can fill out. Have the girls pick what they would like to do next! Here are
some suggested resources to help you:
• “What Brownies Do” - a one-page guide that shows all of the Journeys and badges available as a
Brownie (page 24 of this kit)
• Journeys - these are the core leadership program for girls. What Journey would the girls like to do?
Pages 30-31 in the Brownie Girl’s Guide give the girls a little information on the Journeys. You can also
have copies of the Journeys available.
• Badges - there are six other legacy badges, two financial literacy badges and two cookie badges
the girls can earn from the Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. There are also 15 other badges that
complement the Journeys (but the girls can do them even if they are not doing that particular Journey).
• Council’s Own Awards - our council, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, has several
awards that you can earn that are on our shop website. Check them out at
girlscoutsgcnwi.org/uniquely-ours.
• Program Guide - GSGCNWI has many activities planned for the year which provide leaders and troops
the means to earn all or part of Journeys and badges. Check out the ones for Brownies and meet other
girls: gcnwiprograms.org.
Clean Up: Closing: Everyone cleans up; don’t forget to sing the tidying song again.
Friendship Squeeze - just like you learned in the first meeting! If there is any information to pass out to parents, have it ready it advance for girls to put in their new Brownie folders.
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Investiture Ceremony
The troop leader welcomes all of the guests, explains what an investiture is and how it will be carried out. She then tells
guests that they will be involved in a little “Brownie Magic”. Explain to the audience the basics of the Brownie Story that
you have read and discussed with the girls (or have them participate with you in the story with actions on the back of
the cover of this booklet).
LEADER: Let’s all go to the magic land of “Let’s Pretend”. Please stand and repeat after me… Cross your little fingers…Stand upon your toes…
That’s a bit of magic every Brownie knows…Now we all are standing in a forest glade…Listen very carefully and see the magic made…
Quickly have a “pond” appear. (It is usually made with a large mirror with leaves and twigs around it, covered with a sheet or large towel, and
quickly uncovered when you finish the rhyme.) If you have girls who are 2nd year Brownies, designate a special place for them – maybe have
them all be trees – have them wear sign that says “I’M A TREE”, while the girl next to her can wear a sign that says “ME, TOO!” – it doesn’t have
to be elaborate.
LEADER: Here we are deep in the woods. See our beautiful pond. You can almost hear the wise old owl say “Welcome!” (Pause) Let’s see, who
will be welcomed to Brownie Land today?
LEADER: New girls come strolling in. Leader stops them and says, “Who comes to the magic Brownie woods today?”
BROWNIES: The girls from __________ (neighborhood, or school or church, etc…)
LEADER: What do you want?
BROWNIES: We want to be Brownies!
LEADER: Come, we invite you to our land of pretend, and we will weave a little magic and you will see yourself as a true Brownie elf!
Have one of the leaders seat girls in the proper place. She stays with the girls so they know they have someone who can help if they forget their
part -- designate ahead of time who will do this.
LEADER: Leader goes around to each new girl (separately) and taps her on the shoulder and says: Brownie to be, come with me! Leader takes
girl by the hand to the pond where the girl repeats this rhyme.
BROWNIES: Twist me, and turn me and show me the elf, I looked in the water and saw myself!
LEADER: Are you ready to be a useful Brownie and help others? If so, say, “I do”.
BROWNIES: Each Brownie makes her promise, using the Girl Scout sign. On my honor, I will try, to serve God and my country, to help people at
all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Leader presents pin and takes girls to a new area where she is welcomed with the Girl Scout handshake by another adult or the returning
Brownies. Leader then goes back and taps another until all have received their pins.
LEADER: Let us welcome these new Brownie Girl Scouts, and now I’ll ask them to put into song something they will be doing throughout the
year as they become discoverers, ready helpers and friend makers.
BROWNIES: Sing the Brownie Smile song (which they have learned in preparation for their investiture).
LEADER: Can everyone please stand? We will now “un-magic” ourselves and return to our meeting place where we would like to invite you to
stay, welcome our new Brownies and have some refreshments.
As the words are repeated, one adult quietly covers and removes the pond so it will not get stepped on.
LEADER: Repeat after me… Uncross your little fingers; come down off your toes, then the magic goes away, as every Brownie knows! Welcome
back to the meeting place of Brownie Troop #_________. Thank you for participating in our investiture ceremony.
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More to Explore
If you need more ideas for your Brownies...
Get to Know You Games
Name Chase
(Think Duck, Duck, Goose - Girl Scout style!)
1. Ask girls to sit in a circle. Choose one girl to be “it.” We’ll call her Amy for now.
2. Amy stands up and walks around the outside of the circle tapping each child on the shoulder and saying
the girls’ names, with prompting if necessary.
3. At some point, when Amy taps a child on the shoulder, she will say “Girl Scouts” instead of the girl’s
name (Bernice, for example). Bernice, who was just tapped, must now jump up and catch Amy before
she can sit down in Bernice’s place.
4. If Bernice succeeds, Amy has another go. If she fails, Bernice will take over as “it”.
Yarn Toss
Materials: Ball of string or yarn
1. Everyone sits in the Brownie Ring.
2. The leader starts by saying her name and something fun about herself (or her favorite book or her
favorite color, animal, month, etc.).
3. She holds onto the end of the string and tosses the ball to a Brownie on the other side of the circle.
4. The Brownie says her name and something on the topic.
5. She holds onto the string and tosses it to another Brownie.
6. Go around until all of the people in the ring have had a chance to participate.
7. Ask the girls what the activity’s purpose was? (To get to know them better, to show how connected
they are, to show how valuable each of them is, etc.)
Girl Scout Promise: Snowball Fight
Materials: half-sheets of paper, each with one word from the Girl Scout Promise written on it. There should
be one set for each girl.
1. Divide the girls in half with a line in the middle.
2. When you say “go”, the girls should crumple up the papers and toss them over the line - it’s a snowball
fight!
3. After 3-5 minutes, tell the girls to pick up all of the pieces that make the Girl Scout Promise and place
them in the right order. This is done individually.
Girl Scout Law Activity
Post a copy of the Girl Scout Law that has words printed large enough for all the girls to see. Read each line
to the girls. Have the girls repeat the words after you. At each meeting, you can choose one or two phrases
from the Law (i.e., I will do my best...to be considerate and caring...courageous and strong). What do these
words mean? Once girls understand the meaning, they can share with each other how they are considerate
and caring...courageous and strong.
Girl Scout Motto
More to Explore
Tell girls that the Girl Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” Place your girls into small groups to create a short skit
about being prepared for various activities. You can pick from this list or come up with some of your own:
• Bad weather (i.e., what to do if you are caught outside during a rain storm)
• A house fire
• When the power goes out
• An injury like a cut or fall
• A long trip
Have each small group present their skit to the others. What are some other situations Brownies can “Be
Prepared” for?
Explore the Brownie Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
Girls can do a scavenger hunt with the Girl’s Guide to familiarize themselves with what is in the guide. Make a
list of ten items they need to find. Here are some suggestions:
1. What day is Founder’s Day? (page 25, October 31)
2. Where can you find a picture of the Girl Scout Sign? (page 2)
3. In what year did the Girl Scouts start? (page 10, 1912)
4. What is the Girl Scout Slogan? (page 10, “Do a good turn daily”)
5. What are the names of the four world centers? (page 13, Pax Lodge, Our Chalet, Our Cabana, and
Sangam)
6. Name the four Special Opportunity Awards. (page 36, Cookie Activity Pin, World Thinking Day award,
Global Action award, International Friendship Recognition pin)
7. Which Brownie badge looks like the most fun?
8. What are SWAPS? (page 12)
9. Find Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana on the map. (pages 14-15)
10. Have you been to any of the countries that have USA Girl Scouts Overseas on page 16?
Cadette LiA and Program Aides
The older girls in your community need to work with Brownie troops in order to earn their leadership awards.
Consider having them come in to help with your troop. Not only does it give the older girls an opportunity to
earn their awards, but it helps the Brownies to understand the “Connect” part of the Girl Scout leadership
philosophy and gives them the opportunity to learn from others.
The LiA awards (Leader in Action) are earned by Cadettes for facilitating specific activities during the
Brownies’ journey. You can find more information about them in your Brownie Journey leader guides.
Program Aides have gone through a council training class and help Daisies,
Brownies and Juniors with all of their program needs (badges and Journeys). They
are a wealth of Girl Scout information and can be valuable to you in teaching songs
they know, demonstrating the Girl Scout traditions and facilitating activities. If you
are interested in getting a Program Aide to help your troop, contact
[email protected].
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More to Explore
Brownie Story with Actions
Have the girls count off 1-6. This will divide your troop into six smaller groups. Give each group their “cue word” and
let them practice their sound and motion, so they know what to do when their “cue word” is read. You can also make
cards for each group so they remember what to say and do.
Word
Sound
Motion
Girls
Granny
Brownies
House
Owl
Forest
Giggle
Oh, my!
Be prepared!
Come in!
Whoo-whoo
Moannnnn
Hands in front of mouth
Both hands slap knees
Stand and make Girl Scout Sign
Motion with right hand to come in
Bend arms and flap hands
Sway with arms up and with fingers
moving
Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived in England with their granny and their father. The girls
played all day while the granny and father had to work very hard. One day granny told the girls about the
Brownies, who used to do lots of things to help around the house. “They are gone now,” she said, “but we were
always so much happier when they helped.” The girls wanted to know where the Brownies had gone and how to
get them to come back. Granny said, “Only the wise old owl knows!”
That night, when everyone else was asleep, one of the girls ran out of the house into the magic forest. There she
found the wise old owl. “Please,” said the girl, “where can I find the Brownies to come and live with us?
The owl said, “I know where two live – right in your house!”
She was very surprised! “Tell me how to find them,” she begged.
He told her to go to the pond in the magic forest, turn around three times and say, “Twist me and turn me and show
me the elf…I looked in the water and saw…….!” The wise old owl said, “When you finish the rhyme, you will see the
Brownie in the magic pond.”
The girl went to the pond in the magic forest and did as she had been told, but nothing happened! She went back
to the forest and found the wise old owl and said, “Something must be wrong, I did all you told me to do and I only
saw myself! And I am not a Brownie!”
“Are you sure?” said the owl. “To be a Brownie, you must be ready to help those around you, make friends
wherever you can and every day try to discover something new.”
“I’d like to be a Brownie,” said the girl.
“Then go home and try,” the wise old owl said kindly. He touched her hand with his feathers, and suddenly she was
back in her house, in her own bed.
Quietly, she woke up her sister, and told her all that had happened. Together the girls tip-toed into the kitchen and
began to clean the house. In the morning, when granny and father saw the house, they wanted to know what had
happened. “Who did this?” said granny and father. The girls danced around and shouted, “It was the Brownies!”
And from that day on, theirs was a very happy house near the forest, all because of the Brownies!
More to Explore
Team-Building: Magic Carpet
Materials: Tarp large enough for 10 girls to stand on. Bring more than one if necessary.
1. Split the girls into groups of approximately 10.
2. Ask these girls to stand on the tarp. If you have more than 1 group, they can work simultaneously.
3. Say: You are all on a spaceship. The spaceship runs on solar energy. Every so often the spaceship has
to be flipped over so that it can be recharged, but you have to do it without getting off the spaceship or
without having any other member of your team touch anything off the ship. If your team steps off the
ship or touches the ground, the entire group must start over.
4. If a girl asks for help during the activity, provide it. Asking for help is good practice for the girls.
For Fun: Beanbag Challenges
Materials: One beanbag per girl
1. Throw a beanbag in the air, turn around and catch it again.
2. Throw the beanbag up and backwards over your head and try to catch it behind your back.
3. Throw the beanbag in the air, clap your hands once and catch it. Then try clapping your hands twice,
then three times and so on. How high can you go?
4. Throw the beanbag up, jump and try to catch it. Jump twice; jump three times and so on.
5. Throw it up, kneel down and try to catch it.
6. Throw and catch with just your right hand, then do with just your left.
7. Try throwing it up and catching it with your eyes closed.
8. Balance the beanbag on your right foot, then throw it up and catch it from there, then do the same
with the left foot.
9. Throw the beanbag up and catch it on one of your feet.
10. Balance the beanbag on each shoulder while you walk, run, jump, etc.
Take Home Time
Some troops prefer to use a two-gallon size bag for girls to take home instead of a folder each week. The
girl’s uniform, patches, badges, paperwork, etc. all fit in the bag perfectly. Don’t forget to label the bag with
the girl’s name: “Abby’s Brownie Bag”.
If you choose to use the baggies, that means the Pre-Meeting Activity would change in Meeting 2 of this kit –
girls can decorate an investiture/rededication invitation to their parents instead.
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Basic Flag Ceremony Commands
You will need:
• American Flag
• Brownie Girl Scout flag
• Two flag stands
If your troop does not have these, you can borrow them from the Girl Scout Council office. Call 312-416-2500.
You must leave a $25.00 deposit which will be given back to you when you return the equipment.
• One girl (or adult) to direct the group by reciting the commands. She is called a caller.
• One girl to carry each flag. These two girls are called flag bearers.
• Two to four girls to walk on either side of the flag. Their job is to see that the flag never touches the floor
and are called the Color Guard. They help the flag bearer get through doorways and around obstacles.
OPENING FLAG CEREMONY
CALLER: “Please stand for the presentation of the flag”
(If you have an “audience”, such as at an Investiture/Rededication Ceremony (parents, invited guests, etc.), this
is the signal that the ceremony is about to start.)
CALLER: “Girl Scouts, Attention”
(This is the signal that all of the girls should be ready to start the program.)
CALLER: “Color Guard, Attention”
(If the color guard comes to “Attention”, it is also a signal for them to be ready to start.)
CALLER: “Color Guard, Advance”
(The color guard carries the flag(s) toward the front of the room and stands in front of the flag stands. The
American Flag is positioned so that it is on the right – which would be the left of the audience.)
CALLER: “Color Guard, Post the Colors”
(The Flag Bearer places the flags in the stands, with the help of the color guards -- the American Flag last.)
CALLER: “Color Guard, Honor your Flag of your country”
(The Color Guard salutes the Flag by placing her hand over her heart and then returns to “Attention.”)
CALLER: “Would you all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?”
(Color Guard stands silently at attention and does not participate in The Pledge of Allegiance, songs, poems,
Girl Scout Promise, etc.)
CALLER: “Color Guard, Dismissed”
(The Color Guard walks to the back of the room.)
CLOSING FLAG CEREMONY
(Takes place after your activity.)
CALLER: “Please stand for the retiring of the colors”
CALLER: “Color Guard, Attention”
CALLER: “Color Guard, Advance”
CALLER: “Color Guard, Honor your Flag”
CALLER: “Color Guard, Retire the Colors”
CALLER: “Color Guard, Dismissed”
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Resources
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Pre-Opening Activities
Resources
Pre-opening activities should be things the girls can do with little direction from you, leaving
you free to greet girls or talk with parents. Below are some pre-meeting activities you can try.
•
If your troop is meeting at a school, start your meetings on the playground and allow the girls to play
as you wait for everyone to arrive.
•
Bring the girls together for a snack before the meeting starts.
•
Set up three or four puzzles around the room and allow the girls to work together on whichever
puzzle they choose.
•
Greet girls as they arrive and direct them to decorate a paper bracelet. Have an adult tie each girl’s
bracelet on her right wrist when she is finished. (Before meeting, cut construction paper into 2” wide
strips about 6“ long for bracelet and punch a small hole in either end; also cut 3” length of yarn.)
•
Get a troop set of reusable cups. Have the girls decorate and put their names on them so that they
can be used for each meeting.
•
Set up boxes, bins, bags or whatever containers you have available around the room for a bean bag
toss. Girls then stand beside a chair or behind a line ( jump rope, ruler, other marker) and toss the
bean bags or balls into the containers. A girl gets three tries before she must pass the beanbags to
the next girl.
•
If meeting in a large space, leave jump ropes, hula hoops and other fitness toys around the room.
Allow girls to rotate between each activity at their own pace.
•
Do an ongoing service project as part of your pre-meeting activity. Make greeting cards each week
for nursing homes, thank you cards after a field trip or get well cards for a children’s hospital.
•
As each girl arrives, give her a trefoil cut-out and a piece of yarn. Punch two holes through the trefoil
and tie each end of the string through one of the punched holes (so they make a name tag necklace).
Have girls write their name on the trefoil and allow them decorate it as they see fit. Let them wear
their name tag necklaces for the remainder of the meeting.
•
Make blank books by folding three sheets of computer paper in half and placing them inside a
folded sheet of construction paper.
Staple along the fold to hold the book
together. Set out plenty of crayons and
markers and hand each girl a blank book
as she arrives. If the girls do not finish
their books, collect them and pass
them out at the next meeting.
•
Ask each girl to bring a stuffed animal to
the meeting. Come prepared with three
or four extras in case girls forget. Tell
them to put on a puppet show for one
another using their stuffed animals.
•
Leave containers of Play-Doh on tables
and allow girls to play with it as they
arrive. For a fun project, try making
homemade Play-Doh during a meeting.
Easy recipes can be found online.
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Resources
Kaper Charts
Jobs that are going to be done every meeting should be rotated in a fair manner among all of
the girls in the troop. One way to do this is by means of a Kaper chart.
To make a simple Kaper chart you will need:
• one piece of poster board
• permanent markers
• a clothespin for each girl in your troop
Draw squares around the edges of the poster board, one square for each job. (Try to have
one job for every girl. One job may need more than one girl.) List jobs (or Kapers) in squares.
For younger girls you may want to have cute names for each Kaper. Write each girl’s name on
a clothespin with a fine tip marker or pen. Clip her clothespin to the Kaper she is assigned to
do. Each meeting, move the names around in a clockwise fashion.
Suggested Kapers:
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•
Help set up tables
•
Flag bearer •
Get flag
•
Drinks
•
Lead flag salute
•
Plates
•
Lead the pledge
•
Napkins
•
Lead the Girl Scout
Promise
•
Friendship squeeze
starter
•
Take attendance
•
Bathroom buddy
•
Handling supplies
•
Lead an activity
•
Special helper
•
Promise Keeper
•
Read Kapers
•
Law Keeper
•
Dues collector
•
Stick Starter
•
Collect paperwork
•
Happy Hostess
•
Choose a song
•
Thankful Scout
•
Choose a game
•
Creative Crafter
•
Take pictures
•
Game Girl
•
Song Bird
•
Snacker – pass out snack •
•
Clean-up
•
Lead good-bye game
•
Leader’s Helper
•
Help take down tables
•
Clean-Up Captain
•
Bring a Book
Gathering Granny
Kaper Charts Continued
Resources
•
Poster board with dolls: Use heavy poster board (approx. 3’ x 2’) with two rows and seven columns (seven jobs
with two girls per job) drawn in. Put a Velcro dot on each of the 14 spaces. Allow girls to make Tongue Depressor
People with yarn for hair, cut-up material for clothes and felt tip pen faces. Leave enough room at the bottom
of the sticks to write their names. Wrap pipe cleaners around the sticks for arms and legs before giving them to
the girls to decorate. Put a Velcro dot on the back of each stick person. Rotate them on the chart each meeting,
allowing girls to do something different each week with a different person. At the beginning of each meeting, or
during the business part of the meeting, go over the chart so that each girl knows what her job is for that day.
•
Rotating cardboard pie wheel: Make a circle (pie chart) out of cardboard or poster board, and divide it into
equal parts – one for each girl in your troop. Write the jobs on the spaces. Then place this circle onto a larger
cardboard circle that has all of the girls’ names written along the edge. Use spreadable brass brads to attach the
circles together. Rotate the inner job circle so that girls get a new job each meeting.
•
Simple poster board circle with clothespins: Cut a piece of poster board into a circle and section off 4 areas:
Crafts; Clean Up; Snacks; Song/Pledge/Games. You may want to break up the last category into separate sections,
but putting them together can also work well.
Decorate clothespins for clips. For a fun craft, try gluing green construction paper to the front side. Then glue
large pom poms to the nose of the clothespin and wiggle eyes to the pom pom. Let each girl print her name along
the clothespin body.
Pin the clothespins onto the four categories, splitting the troop into four equal groups. At the last meeting of the
year, the girls can glue magnets to the back of the clothespins and stuff the body with 2 circles of tissue paper (for
wings). Let them take the clothespins home as butterfly magnets, which represent how much they’ve grown this
year in Girl Scouting!
•
Dry erase board and alphabetical rotation: Bring a dry erase board to each meeting. With permanent marker,
write in the following categories: Pledge leader, Promise leader, attendance taker, dues taker, activity helper, and
game leader. If you have snack, you could have someone to pass out snack, napkins, cups, etc. Using a dry erase
marker, list the girls in alphabetical order. Move them down one space every week, moving the last name to the top
so that there is a consistent rotation.
•
Poster board with trefoils: Take a big poster board and write the jobs on it. Next, cut trefoil shapes out of
contrasting poster board, about 4” across, and write each girl’s name on a trefoil. At the end of each meeting, the
girl with the best behavior gets to pull the names for next week’s Kapers. The poster has Velcro dots on it, and
each trefoil has the other half of the Velcro, so that the trefoils stick to the big poster. This allows it to be hung on
the wall so everyone can see their jobs.
•
In-Out bag: An In-Out bag is a good alternative to making a Kaper poster. Any time you need a job done—whether
it’s collecting dues, handing out glue sticks, or holding the flag—pull a name out of the “In” bag. When the job is
finished, put that name in the “Out” bag. When the “In” bag is empty, dump all the names from the “Out” bag back
into the “In” bag and start again.
•
Draw names: Gather one Popsicle stick for each girl in your troop, writing each girl’s name on a stick. Draw names
for jobs at the beginning of your meeting. If a girl wasn’t there when her Kaper was called, pick another name. This
will encourage girls to arrive on time!
•
Foam project display board: Use a tri-fold display board to display your Kapers. It will easily fold flat for storage
but can also stand up on its own.
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Resources
22
Resources
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Potter
Pets
My Best Self
My Family
Story
Household Elf
Hiker
Dancer
My Great Day
Making Friends
Inventor
Making Games
Letterboxer
A World of Girls
Senses
WOW! Wonders of Water
Home Scientist
Computer Expert
Brownie Quest
Want to earn
more Badges? Add
the Badge sets
Cookie
Business
Financial
Literacy
Snacks
Bugs
Fair Play
Brownie
First Aid
Give
Back
Philanthropist
Brownie
Girl Scout Way
Celebrating
Community
Meet My
Customers
Money
Manager
Painting
Use them all with
The Girl’s Guide to
Girl Scouting
What Brownies Do
Choose a Journey
and earn the awards
* Remember to add in trips, outdoor adventures, the
cookie sale and more! See ideas in all the girl’s books.
Resources
At a Glance
Brownie Grade Level
It’s Your World: Change It!
Brownie Quest
Theme: 3 school friends meet one another and meet the Brownie Elf while learning
about the three keys (Discover, Connect, and Take-Action)
Sessions: 7
Awards: Discover Key (talents, Girl Scout Law, family values), Connect Key (team,
healthy living), Take-Action Key (project), Quest Key (sum it up)
Synopsis: There are 2 stories in the girls’ book. The ELF Adventure can be done at
home where the girls view a problem situation and come up with a solution.
The Trail of the Keys is done at meetings. Girls discover their own and their
families’ talents, connect together to explore diversity and health living, and
translate that into a take-action project. The Brownie Elf, who has always been featured
through Brownie lore, provides help and connects the girls to the Girl Scout Law.
It’s Your Planet: Love It!
WOW! Wonders of Water
Theme: exploring the water cycle and Ways of Working as a team
Sessions: 9
Awards: LOVE Water (how they use water), SAVE Water (speak up to save water),
SHARE Water (reaching out to the community), WOW! (recognizing the
efforts they made)
Synopsis: the Brownie Elf takes the girls on an exploration of the water cycle.
Through it, girls have the opportunity to talk about resources, use them
wisely, reach out to the community and celebrate success. This Journey
lends itself to badge tie ins. For example: “Green Tea” works with Manners
Try-It.
It’s Your Story: Tell It!
A World of Girls
Theme: A “flip” book containing fictional stories on one side and real life stories on
the other. Clues to creating positive change in the world
Sessions: 10
Awards: Hear a Story Award (stories hold clues for making the world a better place),
Change a Story Award (power to change things for the better), Tell a Story
Award (confidence and knowledge to educate and inspire others), Better
World for Girls! Award (girls understand they belong to a large and farreaching world of girls)
Synopsis: Girls learn about different parts of the world, playing games and
understanding cultural differences. Explore clues and role-play, their self-image and the media.
They create a team quilt to share. Lots of field trips and badge tie-ins for this one: library,
Thinking Day, scavenger hunt
The Brownie Journeys also have opportunities for Cadettes to gain leadership as they go on their own
journey.
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