Girl Scouts: Get Out the Vote (New Outdoor Badges)

Girl Scouts in the 21st century has always disappointed me in the limited number of outdoor experiences compared with when I was a girl. Yes, I was blessed to have a leader who was taking us backwoods camping by seventh grade. But there simply weren't the badge options - or that visible opportunity - for girls these days, unless you had a leader who enjoyed the outdoors.

That is slowly starting to change.

Girl Scouts is adding one new badge for the Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior levels. Girls can take this short survey and help Girl Scouts of the USA choose the theme: outdoor environment, outdoor survival or outdoor recreation.

This survey runs through Nov. 30, 2014. You can vote as often as you like! The badge topic with the most votes wins!

Letterboxing Love: Clue into this old-fashioned outdoor activity

Get a clue. Take a hike. And discover letterboxing on a sunny summer afternoon.

What is Letterboxing?

Letterboxing is kind of a live-version Clue. (Think geo-caching without the technology.)This English game date backs to the 1800s but came to North America only recently, boosted in part by an article in Smithsonian magazine.

I love this description tucked inside a letterbox in a local park:

"Letterboxing is an intriguing past time combining artistic ability with delightful "treasure hunts" in beautiful, scenic places. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by following clues, and then recording their discovery in their personal journal with the help of a rubber stamp that's part of the letterbox. In addition, letterboxers have their own personal stamps that they use to stamp into the letterbox's logbook."

Brownie Girl Scout letterboxing badge

I first learned about letterboxing when I was a Brownie leader and stumbled on a Letterboxing Badge. My first instinct was "What the heck is letterboxing?" And I'll admit to being hesitant when my co-leader suggested we explore the badge.

As I'm the type of Girl Scout leader who tests everything out before she inflicts it on her scout troop, I did some digging and took my children on a letterboxing hunt in one of our local parks.

I had researched clues online for a couple of locations that were within one park, and printed them off for our reference. Some were very much a treasure-hunt kind of feel (Take 10 steps north, then 350 steps west along the trail.)

Other clues included QR codes posted online or narratives that were much more descriptive in nature, like this one:

There once were some ponies who were great friends. They used to all live close together but one pony moved far away. Due to distance and busy schedules, the ponies don't get to see each other very often. Sadly, the Ponies only get to spend one weekend each year together on Mackinac Island where they frolic and play all around the island gathering letterboxes near and faaarrrrr. Whew, their pony legs get tired walking around and have you ever seen a pony ride a bike?? Now there's a site! :) This summer, two Michigan ponies decided to road-trip down to "Indy" to see thier far off friend. The Ponies spent one whole day letterboxing in Crown Hill Cemetary there. (The third largest non-government cemetary in the country and home to some wonderful letterboxes.) Any time spent together is great, letterboxing together is amazing. Well, before they knew it, it was time for the Michigan ponies to head north again but before they left..... They decided to leave a box near their far-away friend to remind them of the great time they had together. Constructed in 2000, Independence Park is the 13.5 acre home to Indiana's first all-accessible playground area for persons with disabilities. The ponies loved the idea that at this park everyone can play together! (And take time out to find their box!)

From the Parking area, follow the paved path East until you come to the Welcome area. (A sign is posted noting it as such.) Going straight in from the path as far as you can, check behind the shrub just to your left. The Ponies left some math for you to do!

What we discovered - when we were able to find the letterbox (there were admittedly a few duds) were stamps and a log book for past visitors to mark their trail. My daughter took her ink pad and made a copy of the stamp in the letterbox in her letterboxing journal.

For kids who normally take long hikes at a set pace, it was definitely a different feel but made for an enjoyable and unique family afternoon!

Ready to get started on a letterboxing adventure? What you need:

• Time.
• Clues. Two sites to check out letterboxing locations in your city are http://letterboxing.org and http://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/directory/us/. 
• A rubber stamp.
• A small notebook or journal to mark where you've been along the way!

An InLinkz Link-up

Bug Fest (Wordless Wednesday, belated...)

Sit-upon sewing tutorial

Sit-upons - the name says it all: Something to sit upon to keep yourself clean and dry (and hopefully itch-free) when sitting on the ground. 

I remember my mom making these for camp when I was a Scout. That sit-upon lasted through several summers of camping, storms and mud pits, and I finally tossed it when my volunteering at camp days were over.

Flash forward two decades, and my daughter got her camp letter. Sit-upon topped the list. Of course, now it was cushioned with the "You can use a stadium cushion" line. Which we don't have in our home. 

Granted, I was tempted by the on-sale Jayhawk stadium seat cushions that were selling for $5 each. Really tempted. But knowing I was buying not only for my daughter but my son and I, that's a lot to store over the next few summers. Especially if we didn't know if we'd ever require multiple ones again - and that I knew these were easy to make.

How easy? A Brownie could do it. Seriously.

My old Brownie Girl Scout book has directions on how to do it. And supplies cost me a mere $3 for cording at Joann's.

Here's how:

Spread out an old vinyl or plastic tablecloth or shower curtain, folded in half, and lay several layers of newspaper on top. Trim to fit to a preferred size. (You know what you need!)

By hand or machine, stitch the sides together. Include a piece of cord on two corners so you can easily tie around the waist. (Great for campers who are hiking a lot!)

A few minutes of work later, and you're set. I made three sit-upons in roughly an hour. My only delays were a cranky sewing machine!

While sit-upons are great for camping, I've found since making them that they are fabulous to use when you're weeding or gardening and you prefer to sit down rather than kneel.

Not your mama's Gardening badge

I realize many kids don't realize that a carrot comes from anything but a plastic baggie, and that many others have never had the thrill of playing with those "helicopter" leaves. But I had to admit, for our soon to be second-grade girls, the Plants badge for Brownies was just too rudimentary. (Particularly since they did the gardening journey series in kindergarten.)

The great thing about our Girl Scout council is that they encourage adaptation of badge requirements to fit the girls' needs. So we took advantage of the idea, and tossed the whole Plants Try-It on its side. (I should note: This badge was being retired and nothing remotely was taking its place, a miss I think for the Girl Scouts!)

Instead of seed starting and plant rubbings, here's what our Brownies are doing this month:

Planting a vegetable garden for the sisters who live at our church's convent. The girls got a huge kick out of starting their seeds last year and planting the garden, which fed the nuns all summer. So much so that we're having another planting night later this month, after the risk of frost has passed.

Growing their own mushrooms. Thanks to a very kind donation of mushroom kits from Back to the Roots, the girls are growing their very own oyster mushrooms. The kits themselves are being divided into sections of 4 to 6 mini-mushroom kits.

Experimenting with seed paper. After getting a cute wildflower seed paper from the University of Kansas during a fundraising campaign last month, I contacted the alumni association about getting seed papers from envelopes with bad mailing addresses for the girls to try out. (If that fails, I'll make my own homemade seed paper to share with the girls. Making homemade paper during a Brownie meeting can be the epitome of mess!)

Making pressed flower and leaf cards. I found this great activity on education.com that we'll be sure to try!

What other great ways have you found to teach children about plants and gardening?

Easy bird feeder "cookies"

Our Daisy Girl Scout troop has been working on the 5 Flowers, 4 Stories, 3 Cheers for Animals patch series this year, and the other leaders and I are always on the lookout for creative ways for the girls to express them selves, while staying frugal and not creating a lot of excess for parents to store!


The robin is one of the animals we've talked about this year. Most of our work around this has centered around the suggested activity of building a "bird nest" and papier mache bird, which the girls have loved. But finding something that translates into taking action, especially in the dead of winter, is challenging.


I found this activity on education.com. Technically it's for "Christmas Cookies" for the birds - but you could easily make it using any shape or cookie cutter - or even cut circles with the lip of a cup. We beta-tested it at home with a first-grader and preschooler, and the project took less than 15 minutes with clean-up. (Plan accordingly with the size of your group!)

Supplies needed are bread (they recommend slightly stale, and I agree - ours was too soft to hang), peanut butter or shortening, birdseed, sunflower seeds and/or raisins, cups or cookie cutters, straws (1 per three girls), knives to spread peanut butter with (1 per 2-3 girls) and yarn or twist-ties from garbage bags.

Simply put, you cut out bread into shapes, poke a hole in it with the straw, slather it with peanut butter and cover with birdseed. (We used raisins and sunflower seeds.) Setting these up on cookie sheets made for easy clean up!

To finish it, we used trash bag ties (which had been in my drawer for years) pulled through the hole. We're letting it dry before we attempt to hang it outdoors, so you may want to consider sending the projects home on scrap pieces of cardboard so projects don't break en route.

Messy, but fun!

Looking for more Girl Scout ideas? Visit my new scout leader resource site, Use Resources Wisely. 

Not dead yet: Our adventures with Hermie

Sunday, we officially became a family of five. Congratulations are in order.

You see, my oldest became the owner of her first "pet." While gardening, we stumbled on a green, striped caterpillar, and we brought it indoors. My daughter filled the container with leaves for the caterpillar to feast. She christened it "Lilly."

By morning, "Lilly" had become "Hermie," named after the Hermie the Wormie books. And whereas the evening before she couldn't keep her hands off Hermie, she suddenly was concerned Hermie was going to bite her. Hardly. Though the thing was eating (and digesting) its heart out.

Hermie made the travels to daycare, where it entertained a dozen children. Somehow it survived that and the drive home, despite me accidentally turning the thing on its side in transit.

This morning, Hermie wasn't going anywhere, and the kids were worried.

"He's dead!!" they screamed.

I assured him Hermie was only sleeping, cleaning out the container, gently moving the caterpillar out of the way. But I wasn't sure.

This afternoon, we had our answer.

Turns out, Hermie's going through the change, and a chrysalis is forming. It will be a fascinating experience for the kids to watch Hermie evolve!

While you were working...

Day offs for me come far and few between, so when our day care needed drivers for a trip to a nature park in town, I jumped at the opportunity to spend the day with my kids, get outdoors and enjoy the moment. And we did.

We came face to face with American toads...

Went for a nature hike....


Played in the water...

And dug under rocks to find bugs and other creatures...

That's the way summer is supposed to be, and I think it's becoming lost in the land of Wii. Me, I'll take a morning like that any time.

A green (and red) way to get rid of ants

If ants are around your home, then it must be late summer. But figuring out how to deter them without blasting a lot of ant killer is a challenge.

Water has no lasting impact. And vinegar, a solution I'd read about somewhere, didn't work for my mother, as she's often quick to point out.

In a moment of frustration recently, I asked my husband if he'd seen anything on ants in a green flyer we'd gotten in the mail. He had. The solution? Cayenne pepper. I thought he was nuts.

Good thing we have a large bottle. He grabbed the cayenne, went outside by our tomato plants and dumped the cayenne vigorously. "They spread like crazy," he reported.

According to wikihow.com:

You can also apply scents and substances that ants simply don't like for various reasons: vinegar, peppermint oil, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, whole cloves, and bay leaves. Some of these might be harmful to pets and irritating to curious children.

Yes, but still better than insecticide when little ones are around.

It's National Get Outdoors Day: What are you doing here?

Turn off the television. Say whoa to the Wii. Step outside for an hour or two!

Today is National Get Outdoors Day (yes, they have a day for everything). It's a day to remind ourselves to get out of our sendentary ways and enjoy the greatness of nature.

Still on your computer reading? Here's another reason to get off.

According to Joanne Ditmer of the Denver Post:

American youngsters spend up to six hours a day watching TV or movies, on
the Internet and playing video games, and a scant 30 minutes a week of
unregulated time outdoors. They should have 60 minutes of physical activity a
day. Our kids are nature-deprived. When they are outdoors, they're more apt to
be involved in some team competition, not just becoming acquainted with flora
and fauna, or enjoying the peace brought by special places.

...With that lack of outdoor activity, children have become more overweight. For the first time in our nation's history, kids' current life expectancy is 3 to 5 percent less than that of their parents. We can't lose a generation to "house arrest." And if our children are blind to the values of our irreplaceable natural lands, who will be the stewards of our future?

So spend a few hours or two outdoors today getting back to nature. Ride a bike, hike a trail, do something. Today, we're likely going to be taking a hike through our neighborhood park, hitting up the farmers market, possibly swimming at the neighborhood pool and just taking advantage of the pleasant 80-degree, sunny forecast.

If you need additional ideas or inspiration, 54 national and state parks and recreational areas will have activities associated with National Get Outoors Day today. Find the complete list of locations at http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/locations. And then get off the computer.