Outdoor

Camp Early Bird Discounts Extended to 4/20!

There is still time to cash in on early bird discounts for Summer Camp with Girl Scouts! Don’t miss saving on the ultimate summer adventure when you register and pay in full for any day, sampler, or resident camp by April 20!

And these are big savings: save $40 off each resident camp and $20 off each day or sampler camp (just remember to pay in full by April 20!) All summer camps include a t-shirt and badge, plus the option to purchase a camp photo and camp bag!

Have you seen The Camp Book? Stocked full of all the details for an exciting camp adventure, this book is everything you need to find your perfect camp. Take a look and register today (like, right now, before you forget)!

Badges and Patches

Girl’s Choice Badge 2017

Girls have spoken! The winning Girls’ Choice badge topic for 2017 is in. So, without further ado, we’re pleased to announce . . .

The next Girls’ Choice badge will be Troop Camping! What a great way to build go-get-‘em problem-solvers, encourage challenge-seeking, and expose girls to new experiences as they grow their skills, confidence, and character. After all, camp life is the best life!

[Updated 2/28/17] Between February 13-17, girls across the country selected the design of the new badges!

Many thanks to everyone who voted and shared the poll with girls. That’s how we keep this process girl-led, which is so important!

We can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get started on these badges. Daisies will get a first taste of the camping fun and excitement in their first-ever Girls’ Choice badge, and then the Brownie Ambassador badges will build on that foundation.

Badge requirements will be available for download on June 15, 2017; badges and printed requirements will be in council shops by August. Keep an eye out for the badge design poll, which will be open from February 13 to 17. We will share that link in February.

In the meantime, start thinking about where this adventure will take you: Troop Camping awaits!

And girls, always remember, it’s your world.

This article originally appeared on blog.girlscouts.org.

Outdoor

Test-Drive Summer Camp: Open Houses 2017

Get behind the wheel of an incredible summer camp experience at one of our three camp locations. Bring the entire family to tour the property, meet the staff, learn about summer camp activities, and ask all of your burning questions!

PLUS, the first 10 girls who bring a friend and register for their summer camp experiences at the Open House are entered into a drawing for prizes!

Find a date and location that works for you. Of course, check out the Summer Book for complete camp details.

March 22, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Riverpoint Program Center

March 29, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Mah-Kah-Wee Program Center

April 5, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Celia Lane Little House

April 23, 2017 at 12:00 PM
Mah Kah Wee Program Center

 

Outdoor

Hosting Girl Scout Sisters: Troop 407

Ambassador Troop 407 rolled out the (outdoor) red carpet for 50 of their Brownie and Junior sister Girl Scouts for a weekend at camp.

When older girls lead the way for their younger Girl Scout sisters, it touches a special, deep place in our little Girl Scout hearts.

The Ambassadors of Troop 407 spared no detail when they planned badge activities, a bonfire with s’mores (YUM!), complete flag ceremony, and hot pancake breakfast at Riverpoint Program Center.

 

The group was especially excited to see improvements to the property, including new carpet and furniture, bigger beds on the upper floor, and new equipment in the kitchen.

Ready to book your weekend at camp? Find more information on reserving a special event at any of our locations online.

National

Get Girls Outdoors: A Beginner’s Guide

If you are just beginning to help girls get outdoors, we have some great tools to get started! The outdoors have always been a place where Girl Scouts naturally develop courage, confidence, and character. You’ll love watching them flourish in these girl-led experiences.

Girl Scouts have long been pioneers in encouraging outdoor exploration for girls, and we have never wavered in that tradition. Now, more than ever, girls need to spend time outside, but getting them there might be easier said than done.

If you’re struggling to introduce your girls to the outdoors, use this super-helpful Outdoor Progression Chart, developed by GSUSA, to slowly introduce these new experiences.

Our national girl experts have created three initial steps to take when introducing girls to the outdoors.

First, ensure that your outing is girl-led. This, of course, is the cornerstone of the entire Girl Scout experience, but it is especially important that girls can ask questions, lend ideas, and come up with a plan together.

Next, offer girls age-appropriate ways to engage in cooperative learning. The video above will point out that Daisies can plan which snacks to bring on a hike, while older girls can choose their destination and pack their own materials.

Finally, make sure that girls are learning by doing. There are so many opportunities during outdoor adventures for girls to take the lead, even if they make mistakes, such as preparing food, pitching tents, leading a hike, and reflecting on their trip.

For more tips and tricks, visit the GSUSA resource page.

Outdoor

2017 Luv 2 Run 5K

Hosted by Girl Scout Troop 1957, register yourself or your team for a race that benefits the Girl Scouts of Citrus GIFTs for Girls program.

On Sunday, February 12, 2017 at the Oviedo Mall, runners and enthusiasts from across Central Florida will run for their love of Girl Scout Cookies!

Participants will receive a t-shirt, finisher award, Girl Scout Cookies, and the chance to win more prizes.

Register now.

Academics

NASA Recognizes Girl Scout Gold Award

NASA will congratulate Girl Scouts earning the Gold Award with a certificate of recognition!

Girl Scouts who have earned the prestigious Gold Award have the opportunity to receive personal recognition from NASA.

To request a certificate of recognition, one of her many Girl Scout Champions (Troop Leader, mentor, parent/guardian) can apply online or via mail, providing:

  • Full name of the award recipient
  • Full name and mailing address of the requester

Mail your request to:
Public Communications Office
Suite 5K39
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546-0001

For more information, visit NASA’s website.

Outdoor

Help Your Family Get Healthy in 2017

It’s pretty common around this time of year: You had big hopes of turning a new leaf and really getting healthy in the new year, but now, a few months in, you’re realizing nothing has changed. The great news? Every single day is a new opportunity to make the (Small! Easy!) changes necessary to have a much healthier, happier 2017. And the truth is, it really is the small easy changes that eventually become lifelong healthy habits. These tips from Girl Scouts’ Developmental Psychologist, Andrea Bastiani Archibald, will make it painless and even fun.

Resist the Urge to Dive In
Remember your grand intentions about suddenly going to the gym every day? There’s a reason why that probably didn’t go so well. When you try to go from zero to 100, it’s overwhelming—not just physically (ouch!) but also mentally. If you think what you’re doing is going to be incredibly difficult, you might start feeling defeated before you even begin. That’s why it’s important to start small and work your way up to the bigger stuff. Bundle up and go for a walk as a family every Sunday morning. After a few weeks, try increasing it to a jog or even a full blown run around the neighborhood.

Get Her Cooking
The amazing thing about fruits and vegetables (what we should be eating most of) is that there are so many varieties to choose from. Bring your daughter grocery shopping with you and help her pick out a vegetable that interests her each week. Look up ways to prepare it together, and then—if your daughter is old enough—have her help you cook a dish with it. When you serve the finished product as a side-dish to a family-favorite main course, she’ll feel proud of her involvement and be far more excited to try it. Over the months, you’ll discover all kinds of new, healthy foods you and your family love—and your daughter will become a little chef!

Go from A to Zzzzzzs
The saying goes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but almost nothing is as important to your family’s healthy new start as getting a good night’s sleep. When you’re overtired, you’re more likely to overeat, and to specifically gravitate toward unhealthy choices. You’re also less likely to feel up for physical activity. So make sure your daughter’s bedtime (and yours, for that matter!) is early enough for her to get the recommended 9 to 11 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.

Outdoor

Pool Safety: 5 Water Safety Tips That Could Save…

Ah, summer. Time to bust out the sunscreen, pop on your favorite shades, and—yes!—take a few minutes to make sure you’re up on all the latest pool safety tips. It might seem like a downer to think about all the scary things that could happen when your little ones are in the water (drowning is the second leading cause of injury death in children ages 1-14, according to the CDC), but you’ll feel more confident and have a lot more fun at the pool when you know you’ve done everything possible to keep your children safe and happy during swim time.

Becky Simpson, Resident Camp Director and Program Manager at Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, shared these simple yet super important tips:

Get your swim on
Make sure all members of your family are comfortable in the water and know how to swim. Community centers and organizations across the country offer baby, toddler, and child swimming lessons. Start your kids off early, especially if you have a pool or they are often near the water during summer. That said, you have to know how to swim as well! If you never learned, sign up to take a class with your girl or ask about adult classes in your neighborhood.

Keep an eye out
When children are in the pool, at least one adult should always be present and actively watching (i.e. not chatting on the phone, checking social media, or reading a book). I know you might think your girl or any child in the pool would call for help if they found themselves in trouble, and that catching up on your favorite magazines poolside won’t hurt—but the truth is, when someone is drowning they’re usually fighting to breathe, let alone talk or yell. That’s why you need to be able to see the visual cues of trouble, which include paddling without making forward progress or bobbing up and down in place without moving forward or backward. When it comes to pool safety, the number one thing kids need is your undivided attention.

Lock it up
Ensure that any pool your children are near is surrounded by a tall (at least 4-foot) fence with a self-latching gate, and that your kids know they can only be in the pool area if an adult is present. Although it may seem like a nuisance to have to unlatch the gate every time you want to go in or out of the pool area (especially if your hands are full!) it’s a small sacrifice to make to ensure that your child and any other children present are kept out of harm’s way.

Don’t Bet on Inflatable Toys
Inflatable arm bands, sometimes called swimmies or water wings, are popular among parents whose children can’t swim or are just learning how to swim. Many people believe these and other inflatable water toys enable non-swimmers and weak swimmers to splash the day away without risk of drowning, but the truth is that these toys can offer a false sense of security. What if the seal around the air plug weakens, causing air to slowly leak out of the arm band or floatation ring? What if a hole is torn? When you’re looking for water safety equipment, do your research and make sure any and all safety-related floatation devices have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. Most of these are made of durable floatation foam and will last a long time.  The inflatable stuff is fun (come on, who wouldn’t want to glide around the pool on a giant, inflatable pink donut?!) but shouldn’t be counted on to keep non-swimmers afloat!

Stay away from the drain
Show your children the drain in the pool you’re using and make sure they know to steer clear of it while swimming and splashing about. When hair, bathing suits, or bodies get pulled down and trapped by the powerful suction of a pool drain, the force can be so strong that even fully grown adults can’t manage to pull a child off the vent and save them from injury or drowning. Just in case of an accident, though, keep a pair of scissors poolside (but out of reach of small children!) that you could use to cut hair or clothing away from a drain. You’ll probably never need them, but knowing they’re there will give you an extra ounce of security—which we all know as parents is never a bad thing!

This article originally appeared on GirlScouts.org.