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!"

5 Ways to Save Money on Summer Child Care and Camps

Summer vacation is already in full swing for our school, and with it brings the parental panic of what to do with the kids.

If you've ever priced out summer child care or summer camp, be prepared for sticker shock. I've found day camps as costly as $400 a week - per kid. Even tougher is my soon-to-be first grader isn't quite old enough for some of the local camp options. And I felt strongly enough that I didn't want to try to find a babysitter after losing three sitters for spring break who had committed and then backed out.

What's a working parent to do?

Here are a few ways we saved money on summer camps and summer child care:

1) Shop around. While the YMCA spring break camp close to home was $165 a week, we found another YMCA camp that was a 20-minute drive for a mere $100 a week. Multiply it by multiple kids, and throw in a carpool, and suddenly that deal looks even sweeter. And yes, I'm planning to take advantage of the summer drive for a week or so this summer, too, since that Y is in a district with a longer summer calendar than our local kids.

2) Volunteer. If you're blessed with patience and some extra vacation time, why not volunteer to offset the costs of a camp experience? This will be my third summer volunteering as a leader at Girl Scout camp, and by doing so - I send my daughter to Girl Scout camp for FREE, and my son goes to "little brother camp" for a mere $25. A steal.

3) Make a trade. There are a few weeks that, rather than spending hundreds on a camp experience, I am trading with a few of my stay-at-home friends. I take the kids to a Vacation Bible School in the morning and take care of the lunches, and they will watch the kids in the afternoon. Instant playdates for them, day care for me, without a summer-long commitment for either.

4) If you're patient, wait for a deal on Groupon, Deal Chicken or Living Social. My kids are going to a Pacers basketball camp for half the cost this summer. Groupon and like deals make camps affordable - particularly if the camp isn't quite a "full day" and you either have to take time off or pay for the "extended care."

5) Take advantage of wierd work schedules. My husband works retail hours, so on those weeks when our school isn't in session but the rest of the world is, my husband is planning to request days off during the week/trade so he works on weekends instead. The kids will hang out with Dad part-time, and I'll fill in the gaps with vacation time.

Also, we make a point of having a weekly budget for camp fees. If we went short one week we could justify spending a bit more on a camp we knew our children would love (i.e. tae kwon do camp) because we were still under our budget for the summer.

What works for you in lowering your summer day care options without sacrificing quality?

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. 

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. 

Brownie Senses Badge - Earn It At Camp

Earning the Brownie Senses badge is a great activity for day camp or troop campouts - very easy to fill in on those dead spots, like when it's too cold to swim!

Here's how we met the Brownie Senses badge requirements during our camp week:

SIGHT
We held a nature scavenger hunt throughout the campground. There are many nature scavenger hunt lists available online or on Pinterest if you are looking for ideas.

LISTENING
We did a listening hike for our early morning hike to breakfast. The goal was to listen for 10 different sounds. It was great for those sleepyheads who weren't quite up to singing yet! :-)

SMELL
We played the "smelly game." We lined the girls up while one of the leaders was in the leader meeting and asked the girls to pull their bandanas over their eyes.  Then we walked a small bottle of various essential oils down the line and asked the girls to guess the smell. Some of the essential oils we used included lemon , grapefruit, cinnamon, lavender, oregano, and peppermint .

I have to say, the faces were priceless on some of the girls. What I thought would be pleasant - like the evergreen trees in a holiday blend - created some of the most unusual reactions!

TASTE
We used the magnifying glasses from our bug kit to look at the taste buds on friends' tongues. We also talked about the different types of taste - salty, sweet, bitter, sour and umami.

TOUCH
We adapted the "feel wheel" idea from the requirements by reusing some of the lunch bags and putting small items, some found at camp, some from home, inside each one. The girls had to go to each bag and guess what was inside.

Note to leaders: The Senses Badge requirements are not included in the Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting. You do have to purchase the Wonders of Water badge insert to get the full sheet of requirements if you would like alternatives to these activities.

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Projects on Pinterest.

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

Bug Day: Earning the Brownie Bugs Badge

Girl Scout camp is a natural place for your Brownies to earn their Bugs badge. Last week at day camp, we celebrated mid-week with "Bug Day" in our unit.

We started our day with a Bug Hike. Each girl had a small container for a bug box and magnifying glass for collecting bugs along the way. "Bugs" wound up being loosely defined. We wound up with a vast collection of everything from mosquitoes and ants to spiders and slugs. But the girls loved exploring what's down below and slowing down for a bit. They truly didn't want to end their hike!

The girls also took time to observe and learn about the bugs they collected. I found this great bug observation worksheet on Pinterest. Even the girls who admitted at the beginning of the day that bugs freaked them out loved studying their insects and other creatures!

We also did a couple of bug-related crafts. A very quick one to do is the coffee-filter butterfly, which I think is a Girl Scout camp standard. The girls decorate their coffee filters with markers, then get the filters wet to spread the colors. When the coffee filters are dry, they use a pipe cleaner to create the body and the antennae.

We also gave each girl a small container of clay to make their own bug creations. They were allowed to use any crafts supplies or found items, including rocks, leaves and sticks, to make their insects. I was impressed with some of their creative interpretations - from bugs sitting on sticks to carving designs of snail shells to entire scenes!

Rounding out our bug badge day were a discussion about what we know and want to learn about bugs, creation of a team bugs poster that hung in our unit house all week and learning the "Wings of a Butterfly" song for our camp skit.

If I had the wings of a butterfly

If I had the wings of a butterfly (butterfly). 

Up to the hills I would fly. (I'd fly)

There I would remain as a butterfly. 
There to remain till I die.

Chorus! (pronounced ch-or-us) 

Oo la, Oo la, Oo la, Oo la. Repeat.

Oo la, Oo la, Oo la, Oo la. Once More.

Oo la, Oo la la la, Oo la. Last Time.

Oo la, Oo la la la, Oo la la.

Second verse....

(Replace butterfly with skeeter, airplane, dragon fly, fairy, chicken, etc., ending last verse with "If I had the wings of a Girl Scout.)

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Projects on Pinterest.

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

Edible Fire Safety Tutorial for Kids and Scouts

With the recent drought and wildfires in this country, teaching kids fire safety is even more important than ever. 

I loved this lesson we had during Girl Scout camp, which taught the girls how to safely start and put out a campfire for cooking.

Edible fire safety lesson for Scouts

What you'll need:

• mini marshmallows and/or cheerios
• pretzels
• potato sticks
• red hots, hot tamales or other candy
• candy corn
• cups
• plates

Directions:

1. Pull back your hair.
2. Create a safety circle outside your "fire circle." (Make sure the area is clear around your plate.)
3. Fill a "water bucket" (a cup) and keep nearby.
4. Make your fire circle ring with cheerios or mini marshmallows.
5. Create an A-frame of "logs" with your pretzels.
6. Make a teepee of "tinder" (potato sticks).
7. Light with a match (red hots or hot tamales).
8. Add your "kindling" (short pretzels or Chinese noodles).
9. Candy corn will show it's burning brighter. (optional)

The girls loved this activity, and we were sure to plan an active activity soon after!

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

Quick homemade ice cream

Hand-cranked ice cream made by my mother-in-law is one of my favorite memories of summer. But, being a diabetic and aiming to reduce clutter in my home, I don't have the desire to buy and store an ice cream maker for the occasional summer treat for my kids.

Instead, I stumbled on a simple recipe for homemade ice cream that's portion-controlled and quick to make! The kids loved the process, and in 10 minutes - just a few quick songs on our playlist - they had a cool treat on a hot summer day.

Easy vanilla ice cream
1/2 c. half and half or whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. sugar
Put in a small plastic bag and seal.

In a gallon bag, add 6 tbsp. ice cream salt or kosher salt, then fill halfway with ice. Add the small baggie; seal the large bag. Shake 10 minutes for a soft-serve consistency.

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.