Girl Scout Way Legacy Badge

Here we are again with another project - but at least this is badge work.

The Brownie Girl Scout Way Try-it is part of the “Legacy” badge set introduced in 2011. This badge replaces the older Girl Scout Ways (Brownie Try-it).

We've been "working" on this badge for a few weeks. I typed up the basic requirements for all of the badges and grouped them together in card slots in my binder. This is also how I store the badges (because I lose stuff.) Since we are independent of a troop, I can keep up with her progress on badges better this way. I like it because I can document when she does activities from the heart instead of being told to. I think it means more that way and shows that she is truly growing in character. Here is what it looks like:

When I was planning out the first couple of months to order her journey badges, I added the fun patches that she had earned and I plan to do all at once (shipping is expensive at GSUSA).

These aren't the best pictures, but you may be able to see that I date the activity and sometimes make notes of how we did it right on the card. Then, when they are complete, I can transfer the card into her Girl Scout Scrapbook along with any pics we took. I do the project life pocket pages, so these are a smidge smaller, but it works for us.

I created these on my word program 5x7 size and then screenshot them into my paint program to print out. That way I can print them out at whatever size I want at the time. Strange, I know, but it's my process...

She had already completed all of the activities for this badge, except for the girl scout tradition. We do S'mores all the time, so I wanted to do something different for her to earn the badge.

We decided on Sit-upons! We do our sessions on the kitchen floor so we aren't distracted by anything else going on on the TV (or XBox). I have ceramic tile and it is cold and hard. These sit-upons will make it more comfortable and Girl Scout-y.

I found a lot of different ways to do these, but I settled on the no-sew version with duct tape. The supply list is real simple and cheap! Duct tape, grocery bags from the store, and reusable vinyl bags from the Dollar Tree.

before

We just filled the reusable bags with the grocery bags and taped around it with duct tape and voila! These are very comfy and I wonder why we didn't make these sooner! They look very much like the old boat cushions that floated if they went into the water. Miss Thing is looking very proud of herself!

after

And here is a better picture of the Brownie Girl Scout Way card that I made.

Until next time!

Thinking of and Thanking Our Soldiers Overseas

This week we are focusing on getting some homemade and store bought Christmas cards out to the soldiers overseas. The deadline is Dec 1st, so we're kind of under the gun. This is a cause that is close to our family's hearts because I have been deployed during the holidays, and this time of year just amplifies your homesickness. I encourage anyone who has the time to participate because I can tell you from personal experience that it really makes a difference for the moral of a soldier to be remembered and appreciated when you are away from your family.

This is their website for instructions: Operation Christmas Cards
This is their Facebook page if you like updates: www.facebook.com/operationchristmascards/

This has to be the best thing about being a Girl Scout Juliette family. When my daughter was a daisy in a troop, we spent one meeting decorating cards for the military, then the next meeting putting stockings together for our Service Unit's holiday service project, then on to cookie season, then World Thinking Day, then bridging. It was always hard to get any badge work done. Now, working independently, we can do stuff like this and take side trips and still sit down and work on the journeys whenever we want. I just love it!

On to the next project!

Guess Who's 8!

I guess I blinked! I don't have to tell another mother that time flies when you have kids. It just seems like yesterday that we were using sippy cups and potty training. (sigh)

So here are some highlights of the fun!

And yes, there's a patch for that.

Until next time, Happy Everything!

Swaps, swaps, swaps

There are several explanations for SWAPS or Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere. The basic idea is that they make it easier to make friends. I mean, you have to approach someone to swap with them, and you will probably have to introduce yourself as well! I have to admit that my little brownie is so wrapped up in having a swap that she forgets to be shy.

Lately we've been working on swaps. Whew, swaps are fun... tags and pins are not fun. We are making snowmen for the Winter/Christmas themed swap in a Facebook group that we joined. After spending hours on Pinterest (you know you do it too), we really had a hard time narrowing down our choices. We really wanted to do the melted snowman, but I think with 55 of them (the requirement for the swap), I don't think we would have any fingerprints left, so we settled on the beaded snowman. He's so cute.

We worked on this a couple of days because I had to go back to the store to buy more black beads. Then we had to attach the tags, which really didn't take too long.

So, since we already had the beads out... Miss Thing wanted to make Christmas ornaments!

Toy Soldier, Snowman, Penguin, Christmas Tree

The patterns for all of these except the Christmas tree is on MakingFriends.com. There is also a beading pattern for the Girl Scout, but we will save that project for another time.


So until next time - Happy Crafting!

Listening to the Past - Retired Brownie Try-It

Listening to the Past -
Retired Brownie Try-It

Today we spent the day at Pioneer Village in Searcy, AR.  This was the perfect opportunity to complete the Listening to the Past Try-It. There are 6 parts to this Try-It with a requirement to complete 4 activities to earn the badge.

1. Community Stories.
2. If These Buildings Could Talk
3. Visit the Oldest Cemetery
4. Tell Stories of the Past
5. Acting Out
6. Games of the Past

We chose to do 1, 2, 3 & 6.

We got to see the old meeting / school house; climbed all over an old wagon;
milked a "cow" and meandered around the animal stables

Look who's already in trouble with the law!

This is a trapper's cabin

Although I haven't looked for the Listening to the Past badge, I made a small card to put into our Girl Scout scrapbook. Even if I never find or buy the patch, it was an awesome activity that created memories and possibly built character in my daughter (probably). We had such a ball checking everything out at our local Pioneer Village, and it turned out to be a learning experience as well. I highly recommend it!

Until next time!