Our First Troop Round Up

The girls were excited to go to Camp Cedarlake today! They all wore their new Daisy shirts, and were happily surprised when Josie's mom gave them Daisy headbands to wear! We were glad that we had an early start, because we didn't know where the shuttle point was, and we had to backtrack a bit. That's OK! We were still one of the first troops to arrive at Troop Round Up! It was awesome, because we didn't have to wait in long lines for the different activities!

As soon as the girls got off of the bus, they saw the bubbles. They couldn't wait to get started!

Doesn't it look like Emmie's in the bubble?

We walked from place to place in a Daisy chain!

The girls were one of the first groups to get to make slime with a mad scientist. The slime would be used to make a tar pit, and in the afternoon, the girls could be paleontologists and get dinosaurs out of the slime! So we made a note to stop back by later on in the day.

Then the girls spied another activity that they had to try!

And then another...this time, it was a teambuilding activity called the Squeezebox. Look at how the girls squeezed themselves in!

We stopped by a book bus where we got to make pictures with recycled folders, and then choose a book to keep from the bus. We were amazed that someone was just going to throw all of these folders away! It's a good thing that we know how to use resources wisely!

Then the girls saw a big inflatable activity. They had to put on a huge velcro suit, and try to stick themselves to the wall. It wasn't easy!

We had fun hula hooping next!

Then we walked to another area of the camp for more activities. Along the way, we found a footbridge. Perfect photo opportunity! Ah, the cuteness!!!

We found our mad scientist again, and explored the "tar pit."

We visited a station with lots of rocks and minerals, too!

Then there was one with a model of our blood! There were red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It was so much fun to stick our hands in the "blood."

Before we left, we had our first big experience with SWAPS. SWAPS are "Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere." Girls trade them in situations where they meet girls from other troops. It's fun to see all of the different SWAPS, but it's MORE fun to meet new friends in different Girl Scout troops. After all, part of our Girl Scout Law is to "Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout."

We're all ready to head home from Troop Round Up. We had a terrific time!

I took a LOT of pictures...these were just some of my very favorites. To see the whole batch, click here.

A New Year, and New Journeys Together

We had our first meeting for the year today! It was wonderful to see all of the girls again...now they're big first grade girls! We are excited to start a series of journeys together this year!

Today we started the "Between Earth and Sky" journey. This is part of the "It's Your Planet--Love It!" series of journeys. The themes are to build character, confidence, and strong sense of self while developing a deeper appreciation for the world around us.

We're working on the Blue Bucket Award, which is the first part of the "Between Earth and Sky" journey. (Each journey will take us three months of the year. At the end of our journeys, we'll earn the Summit Pin Award.)

Daisies earn the Blue Bucket Award when they show that they are aware of their feelings, and the feelings of others. We practiced filling our buckets with good feelings...we had so many good feelings, that it got a little messy! That's OK!

You need a vehicle for a journey...whether it's your own feet, a car, or other form of transportation. After we read Let's Go For a Drive! by Mo Willems, we made cars from recycled materials. 

The girls seemed excited to get their Daisy books. On the back, there's a meeting schedule for our year, along with some of our special activities. Try to remember to send the Daisy book on meeting dates...the pouch will be a great spot to put our badges! Welcome back to Girl Scouts, Daisies! It's going to be a great year together!

A Visit to the Police Station and Fire Department

Today the girls were so excited to earn their very last petal, "Respect Authority." They visited the Police Station and Fire Department!

Last Regular Meeting of the Year

 We love snack time...it's a great way to start our meetings after a busy school day!

 

Notebooks from cookie boxes? You bet!

The girls have earned all of their Daisy petals this year, and we couldn't be prouder! We'll have a pizza party to celebrate the end of our first year of Girl Scouts!

Friendly and Helpful!

At our meeting today, we talked about the ways that we can be friendly and helpful. There are lots of ways to be friendly to others...all sorts of others--animals and people! We painted birdhouses to help birds have a place to live. The Daisies did such a beautiful job! Look at these creative girls!