Get Moving on our Energy Journey (Girl Scouts)

Our Junior Girl Scouts are going to "Get Moving" on their energy journey this winter. As a leader I admit it's sometimes been tough transitioning the journey leader guides into something manageable, enjoyable and not like school.

This week, we formally kicked it off with a talk on "people" energy and energy balance - calories in and calories out.

It's About Balance

We found a great starting point on Energy Balance 101 lesson plans from Discovery Education. The girls learned about calories and energy, then discussed how to figure out how much exercise it would take to balance out extra treats.

Because I'm very sensitive about weight issues, we also talked about ways our body uses energy without formally "exercising" - everything from watching TV (breathing, heart beating, etc.) to walking between classes to even sleeping, noting that some actions use more energy than others.

The girls learned about label reading too, and calculated how much energy they were going to take in with their Thanksgiving-themed snack (Pumpkin Pie in a Cup). I'll note that the recipe in the lesson plan did not go over well, as it seems it wasn't sweetened enough for the girls' tastes. I'd adapt it this way:

Pumpkin Pie in a Cup
Mix in a cup:
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (note: a can serves about 3 girls)
2 tablespoons marshmallow creme (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons whipped topping or whipped cream
cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice

Serve with graham crackers.

Balancing Out Our Snacks

After the girls snacked, we "balanced" the energy and playfully learned about stress management by playing our family's Yoga 4 Kids Board Game. Lots of giggles happened while the girls tried to learn yoga poses, and several girls made comments at the end of the meeting about how relaxed they were,

We also launched a steps contest. Each girl got an inexpensive pedometer and were asked to track their steps daily until the next meeting. The winner would get a prize. I have to chuckle that they all started working on their steps immediately, and one mom shared on Facebook her daughter was making laps around the house!

Badge match-up: Get Moving! Energy Journey, Staying Healthy steps 1, 2, 3, Simple Meals step 5.

How do you teach your kids about fitness, nutrition and energy? Share your ideas or questions below!

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

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!

Helping Haiti: Lessons in Love, Jewelry and Making a Difference

Never underestimate some cast-off jewelry and a bunch of fourth-grade girls.

This is the story of how trash became treasure and a life-changing moment for some girls in Indiana and in Haiti.

What started as a simple project for our Junior Girl Scout Jeweler Badge became an act of love and a major fundraising effort for scholarships for children at our mission church in Haiti.

Yes, our girls learned about creating unique designs from unwanted necklaces, but they learned more. They learned about how seemingly small efforts can build together and make a difference.

Our assignment? Design a necklace for yourself and one other person (meeting two of our badge requirements, one to make a piece of jewelry, and the other to make one to share.)

I was floored when one girl asked if we could sell them for Haiti. And even more so when the rest of the troop agreed.

What began as a simple scrapbook paper and Modge-Podge project became a whirlwind of activity. Nearly 200 necklaces were created for a sale to benefit our Hearts for Haiti program, which in part provides scholarships for children to attend school.

The girls started with a dream: Raise money for Haiti.

And then it grew.

Inspired by their idea and business lessons from another jewelry company that helps out disenfranchised women in Africa, the troop set pricing, learned about marketing (as in, no we don't need a website for a one-time sale, but there are better ways to spread the word), and set a business goal.

They dreamt big.

It was a reach, but we hoped to sell enough necklaces to raise enough for three scholarships for students in Haiti. Our eye-opening moment: A year's tuition was a mere $300 compared to American standards. 

We didn't quite make the full three scholarships, but we were inspired. And inspired others. Tens and twenties were dropped in the donation jar and as the church service times passed, our goal reached higher....

Four services later, these girls raised more than $700 - allowing for two students to attend school worry-free for a year. We're proud. But we're even prouder of the kids in their class, when the results were announced at school, who want to something too.

Scout Spa Day Test: DIY Nail Soak

What's a spa day without getting your nails done?

Unfortunately our school dress code means no nail polish, but that didn't mean the girls couldn't pamper their hands a bit.

Instead, we turned to the garden for a quick and easy nail soak, taking advantage of the random dill that had sprouted in my garden from seed this summer.

I got many of the ideas for the spa party from an old book I had, "Natural Beauty for All Seasons: More Than 250 Simple Recipes and Gift-Giving Ideas for Year-Round Beauty." In it, we found seasonal ideas for homemade spa products - many of them right from the garden.

DIY Nail Soak from the Garden

1 cup water

1 tablespoon dried dill or one small bunch fresh dill (leaves, flowers and stems)

Boil water and pour over the dill.  Allow to steep until cool. Strain the dill and use as a nail soak. 

The verdict

The girls thought it was fun to soak their nails, though they said it smelled like pickles. (Having the cucumbers there too probably did not help!)

I did notice after soaking that my nails were shinier.

This DIY nail soak  was definitely replicable for the troop!

Scout Spa Day Test: Jello Foot Baths

For our Girl Scout spa party tests, one of the funnest activities but least repeatable with a large group was foot baths and pedicures.

I found this quirky recipe in an old book I had, "Natural Beauty for All Seasons: More Than 250 Simple Recipes and Gift-Giving Ideas for Year-Round Beauty." In it, we found seasonal ideas for homemade spa products - many of them right from the garden. Well, this one wasn't. It was for jiggly foot baths made out of none other than Jello.

How to do make it:

You will need one box of Jello and container per girl. Mix up the Jello with more water than typically called for in the box directions - approximately 4 cups water to a 3 oz. box of Jello - and let set for multiple hours.

Yes, mom dutifully followed the recipe. And we rolled it out to our girls -- outside -- to see what they thought on the hot afternoon.

The verdict:

They loved it. More giggles ensued. They squished and played in the Jello for a long time.

But here's why I wouldn't necessarily do it with a large group:

1. As you can see, it takes 9x13 baking dishes or large tubs. Which means a large organizing effort or buying a lot of unnecessary tubs to pull this off.
2. (Mom answer.) Not the cleanest project to pull off. I foresee Jello all over our meeting space, whether intended or not.
3. The red Jello we bought tinted the girls' feet red for a few days!

Scout Spa Day Test: DIY Kids Facials

What is a girl's spa day without a facial?

If you want to give your girls a facial without putting harsh chemicals on their tender skin, there is a way to do it!

For the facials, I referenced an old book I had, "Natural Beauty for All Seasons: More Than 250 Simple Recipes and Gift-Giving Ideas for Year-Round Beauty." In it, we found seasonal ideas for homemade spa products - many of them right from the garden.

But one of the easiest ways to give a "facial" was to use mashed banana. (Even Dr. Oz is touting it these days.) Many recipes include mixing yogurt, honey or other ingredients to the mashed banana. For our test though, we simply mashed a banana and let the girls put it on their face. (We figured this was a project that wouldn't last long, anyway.) The girls giggled as they wiped banana on their faces, and we let them enjoy their "facials" outdoors a few minutes until they were ready to wash them off.

Count on, in general, one banana for three girls.

We also let the girls use the all-too-common cucumber slices on their eyes. They got a kick out of it, but really wanted to munch on the cukes instead!

Verdict: Girls loved it. Cost-effective (especially if you have cucumbers in your garden). Easy to pull off.

Scout Spa Day Test: Make Your Own Cocoa Lip Gloss

Our Junior Girl Scout troop is kicking off the school year with a Back to School Spa Party. Two reasons for it: I overheard more than one girl stress out already about fourth grade (and it hasn't even begun yet!) and, frankly, pampering yourself is just plain fun.

The key is finding a blend of natural - yet mostly inexpensive - items without busting the budget. So, we have opted for a number of DIY projects and spa pampering ideas.

Luckily I have an in-house tester (and a BFF) who can help me test these projects out before we try them out before a dozen girls. This week, I'm sharing some of the spa successes and failures for you to try, whether for a mom and daughter day, a Girl Scout troop meeting, or a girls spa sleepover party.

Today's test: Make your own lip gloss.

I've seen dozens of ideas on Pinterest on "DIY lip gloss." Often it involves two products: Vaseline and Kool-aid packets. Sometimes, they get a little more involved, like edible glitter, etc. 

If you are just going for the basics and don't want the sticky sweet fruit punch flavor, you can also try a brown tinted cocoa flavor. Here's how to do it:

You will need
Vaseline
Cocoa

Empty clear plastic cosmetic containers (I just bought them in bulk on Amazon, these directions are for 5 gram containers like these)

Directions
For each container: Melt 1 teaspoon Vaseline in the microwave. (This will take a 1-2 minutes, stir occasionally.) Add 1/4 teaspoon cocoa, adjusting for color/taste. Stir until dissolved. Cool slightly, then pour into cosmetic container and use.

The verdict: Easy to pull off. Easy to use. Girls liked.

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

Council's Own Badges and Patch Programs (2014)

Girl Scout Council's Own badges and patch programs offer just another way for troops to explore activities and for girls on vacation to explore where they are visiting.

Many of the Girl Scout councils have radically revamped their Council's Own patches, so an updated resource list is here.

Council's Own Badges and Patches

Alaska (Farthest North)

• Farthest North Girl Scout Council Patch
• Alaska Gold Panner
• Alaska Heritage Patch
• Arctic Survival Skills
• Do-Dad Patch
• Dog Mushing Badge
• My Family Loves Girl Scouting
• Traditional Food BadgeTraditional Foods - Try It

Central Alabama (Shop here)

• Beach Awareness (Brownie)

Central Illinois

• Council's Own - Abraham Lincoln Heritage

Central Indiana

• Our Pets Our Friends (Brownie badge)
• Renaissance
• Hoosier Home Cooking (Junior badge)
• Racing (Junior badge)

Central and Southern New Jersey

(Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product.)

• Lighthouse Try-It
• Ocean Discovery Badge

Central Maryland Council

(Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product)

• Forestry
• Racial Justice

Chesapeake Bay 

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges are in the store links under each product)

• Archery
• Roots & Shoots
• Miniatures
• Campfire
• Speaking in Sign
• Clowning Around
• Nurses Exploration
• Insects ABC

Chicago

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges are in the store links under each product)

• Dinosaurs
• Disability Awareness
• Discover Chicago
• Making Girl Scout History
• Passport to Religions
• Sisters in Scouting
• Why Tease

Connecticut

(Shop here.)

• Amistad

Eastern Oklahoma 

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges are in the store links under each product).

• Discover Oklahoma
• Oklahoma Indian Heritage

Eastern Massachusetts (Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product)

• JFK Museum
• Freedom Trail
• Plymouth Plantation

Greater Atlanta (Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product)

• Georgia on My Mind
• Go Fish
• Butterfly
• Georgia Native People

Heart of Michigan (Shop here)

• Archery
• Geocaching
• Roller Skating
• Michigan Mosaic patch

Historic Georgia (Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product)

• Hometown Hero
• Daisy's Neighborhood
• Recycler
• Coastal Georgia

Maine (Shop here.)

• Atlantic Salmon
• Food from the Heart
• Maine Lobster Patch
• Native American Lore
• Treasure ME! Patch Program
• valYOU! Patch
• Twilight

Montana & Wyoming

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges are in the store links under each product)

• Montana badge
• Wyoming badge
• American Sign Language
• Geocaching

Nation's Capital

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges and patches are in the store links under each product)

• Discover the Nation's Capital
• Be a Pal - Food Allergy Patch
• Be Prepared
• Sun Safety
• Gift of Trees - Cherry Blossoms

Northern Illinois

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges are in the store links under each product)

• Stitch in Time
• Best Bones
• Trail of Mystery
• Illinois Violets
• Illinois Cardinal
• Totally Teamwork
• Maple Syrup
• Martial Arts (Junior badge)
• Backyard Chicken (Junior badge)
• Shopportunity (Junior badge)
• Trailblazer

San Diego

(Shop here. Instructions for the badges  are in the store links under each product)

• Archery
• Native Americans
• World of Whales
• Old Town San Diego

Virginia Skyline

• Climate Change
• Disaster Preparedness
• High Tech Treasure Hunting
• News Reporting
• Our State
• Skiing
• Special Grandparents
• That’s Entertainment
• Water Shed &  Me
• Archaeology
• Caving
• Climate Change
• Hiking the Appalachian Trail
• Engineering
• Foreign Language
• Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Western Washington

(Shop here. Instructions are in the store links under each product)

• Explore Engineering
• Hands Across the Border
• Discover Port Townsend

Council's Own - No online ordering information available.

I did not include names of available badges and patches here, as there is no online ordering information available. You can click through these links for available resources.

• Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles
• Girl Scouts of Central Texas
• Girl Scouts of Central Florida
• Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi
• Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee
• Girl Scouts of Oregon & Southwest Washington

Monthly Patch Programs

• Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - Our Girl Scout troop has done several of the Central Illinois monthly patch programs, and I can't say enough good things about them or the customer service from that council.
• Girl Scouts of Central Texas

Did I miss one? Has a council retired the patch? Please let me know in the comments below.

Follow my Girl Scout Projects board on Pinterest.

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

Survivor: My week at Girl Scout Camp

Wolf spiders and little girl screams. Torrential downpour. Sunburns. Bug bites. Sleeplessness. And tears.

And that's just the adults...

But Girl Scout Camp was the best week ever.

Sure us leaders have that moment, mid-day Friday, when we look at ourselves and whisper "Three more hours." But in nearly the same breath, we're talking about the T-shirts we're making to wear next year.

A friend told me last night, after the bags were unpacked, how impressed she was that I volunteer at camp each year. But the reality is, we do it for the girls.

We have jobs. We are moms. We are the shuttle for our kids and housekeepers for our homes. But we carve out time to come up with crazy projects and suffer sunburn and downpours because the kids are worth it.

It's worth it to hear your daughter talk about will she see this girl or that girl again this year in the weeks before camp week. Some of these girls have been camp friends for three years now and are already looking forward to next year.

It's worth it to see the girls develop new friendships that may last a week, or may last years.

It's worth it to see the girls try something new and get excited about exploring creeks, pitching tents or trying out a new project.

It's worth it to hear the cheers of camp mates when a girl makes it to the top of the rockwall or is so close to passing her swimming test to go in the deep end of the pool.

It's worth it to watch the girls come up with their own impromptu skit night just because.

It's worth it to see the smile break out on the face of the shiest girl in the group because she won the all-camp contest.

And it's worth it to hear your kids say "See you next year!"

Girl Scout Camp Planning

Girl Scout camp starts in three weeks! I feel like we haven't even  had spring yet!

Volunteering at Girl Scout camp is one of the highlights of the summer for my family. This will be my third year that my daughter and I have gone to camp together - and as a bonus, someone gets to attend scout camp in the "little brother unit!"

Our planning meeting is tomorrow night, which means I've been pinning activity ideas like crazy.
For those on a quick search for Girl Scout camp activities, here's a recap of some posts in the past:

Especially For Brownies:
Earning the Brownies Senses badge at camp
Earning the Brownies Bugs badge at camp
Brownie Snacks badge campout menu

Other camping posts:
Edible Fire Safety Tutorial
Sit-upon tutorial
Everything I knew about diabetes I re-learned at Girl Scout camp

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

Multi-Level Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony (That's Not Campy)

Girl Scout bridging is a rite of passage, but often the rite feels more like a game than a celebration of accomplishments.

When having to coordinate our service unit's bridging ceremony, I was surprised that I couldn't easily find one that didn't involve rituals like stepping on stones or bringing pieces to a tree a la pin the tail... I wanted something that made it feel like the girls were actually celebrating an accomplishment - and have an event that families who were attending could actually feel like they 1) could see something and 2) not go away with the impression that this was a goofy affair, especially since several girls (parents?) were unsure about continuing into Juniors.

Our troop is actually based out of a church, so we held the ceremony at the parish's reception hall. This is a brief program but you certainly could add to it based on your group's traditions and needs.

Multi-Level Girl Scout Bridging Program Outline 

Welcome to Service Unit bridging ceremony.

• Pledge of allegiance
• Girl Scout Promise 
• “As each girl cross the bridge today, you will receive a candle. This symbolizes the light you carry to the world as Girl Scouts.” 
• Each leader will introduce their troop and say 2-3 things they accomplished, then name girls one by one as they cross bridge.
•  Daisies bridge – receive unlit candle; welcomed by Brownies
• Brownies bridge– receive unlit candle; welcomed by Juniors (siblings)
• Ambassadors bridge - – receive unlit candle; welcomed by adults.
• Ask girls to join us at the front of the stage. Candles are lit.
• Girls sing Make New Friends. 
• Close with leaders reading Girl Scout Prayer.

A Girl Scout's Prayer

Lord, help us to be good Girl Scouts
Ones whom the world can trust,
Help us respect our neighbor's rights
And never be unjust.

Help us as Americans
To be worthy of the flag we bear.
Then help us as real Girl Scouts
To be proud of the uniform we wear.

Help us to be clean, Dear Lord,
In thought, word, and deed
And help us to follow the law
That is in the Girl Scout creed.

Teach us to love our fellow man
And then to serve him, too
Help our actions to count, Dear Lord,
In everything we do.

Give us strength to carry on
And do our part each day,
Make a place in this world for us
And help us fill it, I pray.

Make us what we ought to be
And in Thy footsteps fall,
Help us to live for others
O great Scout Leader of us all.

(Candles blown out and collected.) Refreshments/gifts downstairs.Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Projects on Pinterest.

Brownie Snacks Badge: Campout Menu

Cooking with 14 Girl Scouts is a challenge, especially in a meeting format. If you're ready to take on the challenge of a campout or day camp setting, this is the perfect way for Brownies to earn their Snacks badge!

Sample Menu:
Lunch:
- brown bag

Dinner: 
- hot dogs
- veggie faces and homemade vegetable dip (savory snack)
- foil-grilled or baked cinnamon apples
- patriotic punch (slurp a snack)
- S'mores (sweet snack)

Breakfast:
- Make your own trail mix bar (eat for energy!)
- juice boxes or milk

Follow Robbie @ Going Green Mama's board Girl Scout Camp on Pinterest.

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

Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint gooey chocolate cake recipe

Girl Scout Cookies have been my life this past month: It's the curse of the Girl Scout leader.

My dad's birthday was coming up, and we were trying to come up with a unique dessert for Papa's birthday celebration. I remember we used to buy my father Thin Mints for his birthday when we were kids, and so I was on the hunt for ideas on how we could use some of our extra boxes for a good cause.

Inspired by a post doing a takeoff on butter cake with Thin Mints and Andes Mint pieces, we came up with a recipe for an amazingly chocolately concoction that made the birthday boy happy. (Photo at right is it before its baked; it all melts together in gooey deliciousness)

Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint gooey chocolate cake
Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter
1 large egg
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, broken into bits.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Beat cake mix, butter and egg until dough forms; spread into the pan. Top with chocolate chips then condensed milk. Sprinkle with the crushed Thin Mints.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool before enjoying.

Winter Olympics Party Ideas for Girl Scouts

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

The Sochi Olympics are just a few weeks away, and we're planning to celebrate it and help our Brownies kick off their Fair Play badge as well!

A Winter Olympics party has been on my must-do list for this Girl Scout year. It's a great way to take advantage of being stuck indoors.

Some of the great ideas I've found online for our Winter Olympics party next month:

Learning about Olympic Traditions

• Sochi and Winter Olympics Trivia
• Sochi Mascots
• Games Go Global Patch - World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts
• Winter Olympics Sports

Games

• Olympic Ring "Snowball Toss"



• Indoor speed skating and tabletop curling
• Olympic ring torch toss



• Tabletop ice hockey

Quick Crafts to Go

• Snowboarder



• Olympic ring bracelets
  
• Edible Olympic Torches

The challenge? Narrowing our ideas down to an hour's worth of fun!

Looking for more ideas? Check our my Winter Olympics Party Board on Pinterest.

Recycled Reindeer Ornaments

Some old bottle caps and branches from my dormant lilies should put a smile on faces this winter.

Our Brownie troop made Recycled Reindeer Ornaments to decorate a wreath for a local fundraiser recently.

Here's how we did the project - perfect for small gifts by little hands or a snowy day craft. It's quick but the girls enjoyed it.

Supplies:

Plastic bottle lids, cleaned (even if you avoid plastic, certainly a neighbor or coworker doesn't)

wiggle eyes

pom poms

glue

small twigs, branches or sticks

ribbon to adhere to back

marker if you'd like to add other accents, like a mouth

Glue the items together as below. Add ribbon loop on the back.

 Here is the finished wreath! Adorable.

This is linked back to Motivation Mondays and the More the Merrier Mondays.

Upcycled desk system for kids

My daughter has struggled her entire life with organization. She gets it honestly, as my coworkers who have seen my desk can attest.

We have tried everything to help her. Planners. The Brownie organization badge. You name it.

Our latest project came courtesy of the school pizza fundraiser. No, it wasn't a prize for selling, either.

You see, each year, we're stuck with the question of what to do with the boxes leftover from the pizzas we buy for our house. And then I got inspired by Pinterest. Somewhere, along the way, we'd seen a project about project drying racks out of pizza boxes. Granted, the post has long since left me, but the idea stayed pinned in my brain.

So this year, I took a stack of pizza boxes left over from storing them in my freezer (I don't put the boxes themselves in due to space.)

I folded in one side and stacked them, then went nuts taping row after row of peace sign, heart and flower duct tape I'd bought at the school supply clearance.

Ten minutes of effort and a few dollars' worth of duct tape later, and my daughter was blessed with a surprise on her desk: A new organizer for all of her random papers.

Now she has plenty of space for her looseleaf notebook paper, her construction paper, and her various works of art in progress!

The best part was SHE was inspired to do something as well. She took a McDonalds Happy Meal Halloween bucket that was otherwise destined for the Goodwill bin and redecorated it with Monster High duct tape for a storage bucket for her rolls of duct tape. She even took a toilet paper roll and made her own pencil holder.

What ways have you creatively reused or upcycled items to organize your home?

Recycled denim pet toys

When November brings you tornado watches and warnings, you tuck into the bathroom and work on your Christmas gifts!

My oldest had wanted to make a gift for her "dog cousin" and a pair of well-worn jeans provided just the opportunity to do so. We had seen this great idea for a fleece rope toy from Parents magazine and had tucked the idea away in our "emergency" binder of ideas.

For a few short minutes, we had a great distraction from the day's storms.

Each side of the leg was cut lengthwise into three strips, which were knotted and braided.

We wound up with simple gifts for four of our closest four-legged friends!

Patriotic Punch Recipe (kid-friendly)

This was a great Pinterest find that I adapted for our Brownie troop campout. The Camporee had an honoring the military theme, so the Patriotic Punch was a great tie-in with that and the Brownie Snacks badge. The girls absolutely loved doing this activity!

(Note for leaders: Yes, we went sugar-free for our survival!)

Patriotic Punch (per person)
Ingredients
ice
3 oz. 7-up or Sprite
3 oz. fruit punch
3 oz. blue Gatorade
12 oz. clear plastic cup

Instructions
Fill cup 1/3 full with ice. Pour in fruit punch to the top of the ice.
Add another layer of ice. Pour in blue Gatoriade.
Fill to top with ice. Pour in 7-up.

Brownie Family of God Award Retreat (work plan for leaders)

Our Brownie troop is working on our Family of God Award this year as part of a tradition for third-graders at our parish. I mentioned some time ago on my blog we were working on the award - and learned since that there are so few resources to help leaders plan how these girls can fulfill their Family of God requirements.

So, for all of you stumped leaders out there: Consider planning a morning retreat with your girls.

I am so glad my co-leader suggested this idea. We were able to allow the girls to meet most of their award requirements, give them some one-on-one time with their parents, and keep them from being annoyed that they were "still" working on this. (We had burnout with a journey experience, and I have heard other leaders say they nearly lost girls from their troop from dragging the award out too long.)

Here's what we did for our retreat:

• We blocked out a three-hour morning session and announced it early in the year. Girls were to attend with a parent.
• We jumped around the requirements, switching quiet activities with interactive ones (table or troop discussion,  parent interviews etc.)
• Our goal for the retreat was to meet several award requirements, plan a community service project and culminate in a girl-led prayer service.

Activities we completed (listed in chapter order, not in order of the day):

• Chapter 1 (I am special to my family): Make a list of four activities you can do well.
• Chapter 2 (I am special to God's family): Write your own prayer thanking God for someone special. (These were shared at the prayer service at the end of the retreat.)
• Chapter 3 (I belong to my family): List the members of your family and list two or three jobs they do in your family. (It is a wonderful eye-opener: even siblings make a difference!).
  Plan a prayer service with family members.
• Chapter 4 (I belong to God's family): Learn the names of parish staff and others who work in the parish. Why is the priest called father? What do they do to serve the parish?
  Talk to your parent about your baptism and your name. Why was that name chosen or who is your patron saint?
  Write or draw how your parish family of God does things together. What activities are there especially for youth?
• Chapter 5 (I can help my family): Make a prayer bag with names of each member of your family. Pick a name each day to pray for them or send a special thinking of you note to them.
• Chapter 6 (I can help God's family): Read John 6:1-15 (loaves and fishes). List ways you can share or draw a picture of what you can do for people to show how you love them.
  What does the word Christian mean? Talk about the special things that make us Christians. Plan a service for your parish. (Our girls voted to earn money for an Angel Tree gift at our church.)

I should add also, that much of this was self-paced. If the girl wrapped up a requirement early, we guided her toward another requirement that could be quietly taken care of. (This is important to consider; we quickly had two girls break out a pack of cards for go fish while they were waiting and had to put a stop to it!)

The prayer service was simple but an awesome experience. One table chose a reading; the other picked a song the girls all knew from church and school. The girls shared their prayers they had written that morning, and my co-leader shared some personal things their family used in their prayer life, including crosses that had been handed down for generations. The best part was that the girls came up and added impromptu prayers at the end, and they were so beautiful!

If you have other ideas for Family of God Award, or have questions, please post! I am happy to share from our experiences!

Please note: You can order the award books online here: http://store.nfcym.org/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=24