Cool Idea!

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Cool ideas are thoughts from Leaders for Leaders. Cool ideas are helpful tips on topics such as troop organization, getting parents to be more involved, or helping the girls be effective leaders. They can also be interesting activities such as a cool field trip that ties into a badge, a fun game or craft.

Leaders share their cool ideas on the SU 38 monthlyTroop Activity Report. Each month Leaders are acknowledged for sharing their cool ideas and one idea is recognized as the "Cool Idea of the Month". These Cool Ideas are posted below. Do you have a cool idea to share? Look to the SU38 monthly newsletter for the Cool Idea! topic of the month.   Click below to review the Cool Ideas! submitted during the month of the Girl Scout Year selected.

Scroll down for past "Cool Ideas"

January 2003 "Cool Idea!" of the month: Leaders were asked to share their ideas on how they deal with difficult behaviors in thier troop. There were quite a few great Cool Ideas! shared.  This month Sheri and Pam, Leaders of Troop 932, were recognized for their Cool Idea!

To remind the girls how gossiping hurts, have the girls work together to make a lifesize Girl Scout out of butcher paper. Then have a discussion about gossip and how it excludes others and tears people down. To reinforce this point, during the discussion, the Leader should tear off a piece of the paper doll. The girls will get the point and have buy in because they made the doll. You can also take it a step further and tape the piece back onto the doll. This shows that even if you apologize for gossiping, it still leaves "scars".

Other Cool Ideas! submitted in Janury were from:Troop 220, Ruth - There is a girl in our troop who is a bit hyper and "in your face" all the time. This child is quite bright, but it can be exhausting working with her. We try to channel all her bottled up energy in constructive ways. For example, when she's straining her arm to answer questions, we try to call on her right away (but not at the exclusion of others), and we also offer her activities away from the group to help calm her down.  Troop 378, Kim - We have one girl that delights in putting down her fellow scouts, telling their secrets, and trying to get others to gang up on her victim. After unsuccessful attemps to talk to her, this Leader went to her Junior handbook. She found the section call "Family and Friends". This sections deals with how to be a good friend. They worked through this chapter as a troop, so there no finger pointing. Thier problem scout got the point and they all learned some valuable lessons.  Troop 555, Michelle - Since we meet after school, our opening activity is a game (the running type). This helps the girls get out their "wild" energy so that they can focus on the meeting. We also do not have our own daughters in groups that we ead. This helps both mom and daughter to focus on the activity.  Troop 1283, Robin - We break the troop up into small groups to work on activites. Each group has a parent who facilitates the activity. This helps to keep the girls under control. Troop 1492, Jeanette - If a girl continues talking after being asked not too, then I pull her aside quietly and simply say that our meetings are for all the girls and that this is the time for all of us to appeciate our time together. If this does not work, then I will mention to their parents how their behavior changed our meeting. One of the girl's job at the meeting is to show the quiet sign. It helps that girls let each other know that it is time to be quiet.

December 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: This month Leaders could share an idea on the topic of their choice.

Look at the Cool Ideas! these Leaders shared:Troop 167, Kristina, Charlene, and Melissa - These Leaders offered up a Community Service opportunity. Contribute to the Kaitlyn Sierra Langstaff Fund. Kaitlyn is a Brownie Girl Scout in the Santa Clara County, who became very ill last year with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TENS), a servere form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. This has left her blind, breathing through a respirator, and eating through a feeding tube. Her parents, who care for her 24x7, both lost their jobs shortly before Kaitlyn became ill. As you might imagine, the medical bills are overwhelming (So far Kaitlyn has been in 4 different hospitals for a total of 110 days). To help support Kaitlyn's needs a fund has been set up in her name. To contribute to the fund, mail a check to the Kaitlyn Sierra Lanstaff Fund, C/O Forest Hill Elementary School, 4450 McCoy Ave. San Jose, CA 95130,    Troop 555, Michele - Go to the Build a Bear factory. It is an excellent troop outing. They offer Girl Scout parties that keep the girls very active and also have a lot of "freebies".  Troop 1492, Jeanette - After each meeting, this Leader and her Co-Leader meet to discuss the meeting while it is still fresh in their minds. They discuss what went well, what the girls liked (an didn't like), and what items that they can improve.

November 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month:  We asked Leaders to share thier Cool Ideas! on how they get the girls and parents in thier troops to share in troop responsibilities.  This month Michele Alaimo, Leader of Troop 555, submitted this Cool Idea! that was recognized as the Cool Idea! for the month of November.

This troop has almost all the parents in her troop volunteer application approved. This way, they can share troop responsibilities among more adults. On field trips, they limit the number of adults who can attend. This way, the focus is on the girls and not on the needs of the adults. Parents volunteer for the following jobs; Field Trip Coordinator, Cookie Chair, and Phone Tree Chair.  Parents also must volunteer to assist at two meetings. This responsiblity includes, filing, distributing brownie beads, seting up projects, and teaching a projects or try-it activity. These are Cool Ideas! Why not try one out in your troop?

Other Cool Ideas! submitted in November were from:Troop 300, Angi - My Scouts (Cadettes) do the entire planning of the calendar. This includes field trips and every activity. This really frees up a ton of time for the Leader. Also, she says that the parents in her troop will do anything if food is served! Troop 433, Laurie - We use "Junior Bucks" (paper bills printed on the computer) to encourage the girls to take on more responsibilites. If a girl is especially helpful, goes above and beyond expectations, or volunteers to reserach or make a phone call, she gets a Junior buck. At the end of the year, during the Court of Awards, they can use their bucks to "buy" trinkets that this Leader picks up during the year (e.g. body glitter, note pads, etc.).  Troop 779, Diane - This troop uses the patrol system in which the girls are reponsible for all dues and attendance. The troop officers plan the troop program. The parents handle transportation needs, product sales, and special events. There is a troop committee that supports the Leaders/troop and has these specific tasks: approves a girl application for the Cadette Leadership Award, audits the troop finances and selects the adults who will attend trek. The remainder of the troop responsiblities are split among the Leaders including teaching interest projects, administrative paperwork, and coordinating parties and activites with the girl chairs. Troop 792, Karen - When planning overnight activities, have the girls plan, shop, cook, and clean. This troop Leader did just that on a recent trip to the Marin Headlands Youth Hostel. She reported that the hostel was great and the girls did a wonderful job taking on these responsibilities.  Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - We use the Court of Honor system to plan meetings. The girls are in charge of this planning. These responsiblities inlcude bringing supplies, researching, and making presentations to the group. They are learning that if they do not plan and follow through with their commitments, that things will not happen.  Troop 1480, Debbie - Many of the girls work on badges independently, so as a part of the troop meeting, any girls who has completed badgework is asked to make a presentation to the group explaining what she did. She must also host a Q & A session. It has been a great way to inspire the girls to work on badges and has brought some of the shy girls out of their shells. Troop 1492, Jeanette - I have 9 different job tags. At each meeting, the girls pull a tag out of the bag and that's their job for the meeting. The jobs are: Timer - keeps the troop on track, Patrol Leader (There are 3.), Note Taker, closing ceremony (There are 2.), and Tag Collector. The girls really like the tags.

October 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: This month we asked Leaders to share their best organization / timesaving ideas. Many great practices were shared.  This month Laurie, Leader of Troop 433, was recognized for her Cool Idea!

Laurie actually submitted several helpful ideas. 1. Troop Event - Each girls is assigned an event in which she is responsible for collecting permission slips, calling girls with missing permission slips, and giving them to Laurie. Everyone in the troop must return the permission slip. If they will not be going to the event, they are to return it with "Not Attending" written on it.  2. Health History Forms - She has several plastic envelopes in which she keeps copies of all the girls health history forms. These are given to each of her field trip drivers along with the applicable girl permission slip. This way, she does not have to shuffle health history reports around every trip and if someone forgets to return an envelope, she is not missing health history forms. 3. Each girl in her troop is assigned to lead either the opening or closing ceremony. The girl who is assigned the opening also takes roll and collects dues. 4. Camping boxes - This troop's camping equipment is organized into plastic bins. Upon returning from a camping trip, girls are assigned a box and are responsible for taking it home, washing, organizing, and returning it to the next troop meeting.

Other Cool Ideas! submitted in October were from:Troop 46, Susan - This Leader's troop is going to make "pockets for walker" as a service project and to help Seniors stay organized. These pockets will velcro onto walkers to help them carry walker bottles, eye glasses, or remote controls.  Troop 167, Kristina - The Leaders of this troop meet before the school year and begin the organization process. Deciding on a few Try-its badges and field trips before the year gets started. By the time they have the first parent meeting, they have a calendar of events for the entire year. Badge and attendance are recorded in TroopManager and BadgeManager (ordered from www.ScoutTroop.com). They also have a file box with a hanging folder for each girl that they must check in every meeting.  Troop 300, Angi - This Leaders three whole punches everything, including the scout books (Kinko's will do this). She then keeps everything in appropriate binders so that they are always available in one place. She also uses her Scout books as workbooks, recording dates and makes note directly in the books.   Troop 328, Shannon - Her number one rule of organization is to delegate! Troop 555, Michelle - The school where they meet has made $300 dollars in the past 4 years via "BoxTops for Education".  This troop is having a contest within the troop to collect 1,000 boxtops as a sponsor thank you to the school.  Troop 670, Sue - To keep track of 30 Brownies, this troop sewed bandanas for the girls to wear on all field trips. Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - To keep track of their financials during the year, all checks are recorded in the check registry under the proper category for the financial report. In addition, after a troop finance report is submitted, a line is drawn under the last check that was recorded on the report, so that it is easy to know where to start recording for the next financial report. Also, they write all badge and field trip activity information on the troop attendance roster so that it is easy to record who did what on the individaul girl report. If this is not done immediately after the meeting or field trip, it is easy to do later, because the roster has the date, girls in attendance, and activities completed all in one place.  Troop 1492, Jeanette - This Leader has created a small checklist with each girls name, titled Checklist for ______. The blank is filled in with the event name and the girls are checked off if they are on the field trip. This is an easy way to record who was on the trip.

September 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: This month we asked Leaders to share their best places to shop for troop supplies. Jeanette, Leader of Troop 1492, submitted the top Cool Idea!

Jeanette found a great place to buy fabric. It is called Fabrics R Us and is located on McKee Road. She also suggests shopping at thrift stores, such as the Thrift Shop on Lincoln Ave. in Willow Glen. She says you never know what bargain you'll find for a craft or badge project.

Other Cool Ideas! submitted in September were from:Troop 220, Ruth and Tanya - They have found reasonably priced items at Michaels, RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers) and Walgreens. Also they suggest the some medical supplies are great for projects such as gloves, tongue depressors, pipettes, etc. Troop 300, Angi - This leader has found great buys at garage sales, Big Lots!, and Micheals (not always cheap, but good quality products). Also, this leader gets supplies from friends, and families who are more than happy to donate items to a wonderful organization.  Troop 328, Shannon - Here's a great end of the year idea. Take a digital group photo of your troop. Print it out in a 2x3 format. Glue the GS promise on the back of the photo. Laminate it and then hang it from a keychain ring. This is a great gift for the girls to hang on their backpacks.  Troop 378, Kim - For Craft supplies, this leader likes to shop at Michaels, Oriental Trading Company, and Lakeshore Learning. She also suggests that the best places to shop for mom thank you gifts is Petroglyph or any bookstore for gift certificates.  Troop 555, Anita - This Leader likes Oriental Trading Company because they have great fun foam craft kits for as cheap as $1.95 a dozen.  Troop 932, Sheri and Pam - Celebrated 90 years of Girl Scouting at the San Mateo County Museum of History. The museum features a variety of unique memorabilia from San Mateo County. Call 650-299-0104 for more information.  Troop 1126, Kathy - When shopping for the troop, I like to shop at BigLots!, Affordable Treasures, RAFT, and the Dollar Tree (where everything is $1.00). You find great buys on project items.

April 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: This month we asked Leaders to share their ideas on Court of Awards.  This month Kristina, Leader of Troop 167, submitted the top Cool Idea!

In November they held a Court of Awards that started with a flashlight ceremony. Then the girls entertained their families with the Girl Scout Law skit that is in the Girl Scout Ceremonies Handbook. They had a great time, and so did the parents who also were in the skit (one co-leader was covered in flour). Family, Flour, and Fun! Thanks for sharing.

Other Cool Ideas! submitted in April were from:Troop 300, Angie - The girls pick a theme for their Court of Awards and then plan around that theme. They include food, decorations, invitations, etc. Some theme's have been "That's Italian!" and "Viva Mexico". They also present a thank you gift to all the parent volunteers at their Court of Awards. For instance, one mom cooked fabulous snacks for the troop without being asked so they gave her some cooking utensils.  Troop 779, Diane - They have a formal ceremony in June, in which the girls are recognized for each award that they earn. The girls explain what is required to earn the awards and may demonstrate some of the things that they learned or make displays showing what they have done. It is girl planned. To honor their outgoing scouts, the 9th grade girls are the color guards and they retire the colors to "Pomp and Circumstance" as a sign that these are the girls that are graduating. The 8th grade girls usually honor them in some special way as well. Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - The girl awards are presented to the girls on some memento. Some awards presentations have been on a trefoil with the awards attached to streamers, a kite (which was related to a badge they earned), and on a Christmas ornament to fit the holiday theme of the Court of Awards.

March 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: The topic for this month's Cool Idea! was how to thank your sponsor for allowing your troop to meet in their facility or home.  This month Arlene, Leader of Troop 278, submitted the top Cool Idea!

This troop turned the thank you into a service project. A special school helper had passed away and a fund was set up in her memory. This troop donated money to this fund in memory of this special woman and as thank you to the school. Thanks for sharing this Cool Idea!

Other Leaders submitted these Cool Ideas! in March:Troop 167, Kristina - This troop performs garden maintenance on the school garden in the summertime. Troop 300, Angi - This troop asks the sponsor what they need. They have planted flowers in the garden, performed clean-up where needed and donated boxes of paper (usually 2 cases - about 60 dollars worth).  Troop 360, Barbara - This troop likes to donate books to the school or plant flowers in the garden. Troop 779, Diane - This troop has provided flowers for church on Girl Scout Sunday, provided cookies for coffee hour on Girl Scout Sunday and helped out serving at a church pancake breakfast. Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - This troop painted a terra-cotta pot. Then each troop member signed their names on the pot and wrote "Thanks for supporting Girl Scouts" on it. Finally, they bought a plant and it now sits outside the office door for all to see. Troop 1383, Sharon - This troop meets at the co-leader's house, so at the end of the year, they spend a whole meeting doing something for her home, like house cleaning, window washing, or gardening.

February 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: The topic for this month's Cool Idea! was how to spent cookie money.  This month's top Cool Idea! was submitted by Ruth and Tonya, Leaders of Troop 220.

Last year this troop used cookie money to host an end of the year party. The theme of the party was Hawaiian. They had Hawaiian decorations, made tropical drinks, leis, skirts, and best of all, they had a hula dancer come to the meeting. She performed a few dance numbers and then taught the girls some dances. The girls had a great time. Now that's a cool idea!

Other great Cool Ideas! submitted in February were:Troop 12, Jane - This troop loves to go to Raging Waters with their cookie money. It's a lot of fun for both the girls and Leaders. Troop 360, Barbara - They used some of their cookie money to take their moms out to Sunday brunch to thank them for all their support. They also made a game out of deciding how to use the remainder of the money. They brainstormed ideas and voted on their top three. The Leader used a big trefoil and put one idea under each of the leaves. The girls were then blindfolded and given a pin. They "pinned the trefoil". Whatever idea was under the leave that got pinned the most, was the activity that they did. How fun! Troop 378, Kim - This Leader siezed the opportunity to teach her troop budgetting and being informed consumers. This troop brainstormed ideas. They then were responsible for determining the cost of each activity. They learned a lot about hidden costs, such as insignia, site rentals, food, etc. They evaluated the feasibilty of each idea and adjusted the list accordingly. They then voted. They ranked the popularity of each idea, and, starting at the top of this list, they figured out how many activities they would do by calculating the total accumulated cost for each activity until they had used up all their cookie money. Troop 433, Arlene - This troop used cookie money to hire a horse drawn hay wagon and used it to go Christmas caroling in their neighborhood. Troop 512, Lysa - They use a portion of their money to donate to a worthy cause. There favorite uses of cookie money were an overnight at Happy Hollow and Horseback Riding.  Troop 555, Anita - This troop used brainstorming to determine that they wanted to go horseback riding, to the Egyptian Museum and Build a Bear Factory.  Troop 779, Diane - The 7th and 8th grade girls in this cadette troop put all their money in a restricted account to be used for a trek. The 9th grade funds are used for a "swan song" event.  Troop 792, Karen - This troop did their first overnight in a home. Instead of sitting around a campfire, that sat around a candle, talked, sang songs and told stories. Very cute! Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - Again, this troop uses brainstorming to generate ideas. They always use a secret vote to determine the most popular idea. This way, the girls are free to vote for the activity they really want and are not influenced by others. The girls always include a service project in this list.  Troop 1283, Robin - To celebrate the anniversary of Girl Scouts, this Daisy troop hosted a birthday party for all the other troops in their school. They had cake and punch and made birthday cards for senior citizens living in a local nursing home. Troop 1492, Jeanette - This troop uses brainstorming to generate ideas for spending their cookie money. Each girl puts their favorite idea on a post-it. They then vote secretly on one of these ideas. They have gone to the movies, swimming at a club, and pizza dinner.

January 2002 "Cool Idea!" of the month: The topic for this month's Cool Idea! was Service Projects.  The January top Cool Idea! was submitted by Kim, Leader of Troop 378.

This Leader's troop organized a canned pet food drive at their elementary school. The girls were bridging from Brownies to Junior and this was done as a project for their Leadership pin. As such, the girls were responsible for all the planning and executing of this project. They advertised the drive by making posters and making announcements on the school PA system. They also encouraged participation by holding a contest among all the classes. The class that brought in the most (based on weight) canned food got an ice cream social. The girls agreed to use troop funds to pay for the ice cream social. The cost of this project, including two ice cream socials, was about 50 dollars. The drive was highly successful as they collected over 800 pounds of canned pet food. Great job troop 378!

Here are other Cool Ideas! submitted in January:Troop 12, Jane - Through the InnVision program, this Junior troop joined up with a cub scout den, to adopt two families for the holidays. They coordinated with the cub scout den to donate non-perishable food items, Safeway gift certificates, and gifts for the families. The troop collected some of these items and used troop funds for others. The girls (and boys) learned a good lesson on giving to those in need.  Troop 220, Ruth - This troop made dog and cat toys for the Humane Society Animal Shelter. They also got their class involved in collecting blankets, pet food, toys, etc. which they also donated to the shelter. The girls delivered the donated items to the shelter and got a complete tour of the facility. The girls followed up with a Thank-You note for the tour. Now that's service! Troop 555, Anita and Michelle - February 11-15, 2002 is National Salute to Veterans week. Local VA hospitals accept Valentine Cards to be distributed on Valentine's Day to hospitalized Veterans. This troop is making cards to be delivered to the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. For more information about this project you can call 650-493-5000 x65800.  Troop 779, Diane - This Cadette troop served as guides/assistances at Fantasy of Lights, a yearly event held at Vasona County Park. It did not cost the troop anything to participate in this event and the girls loved it (especially meeting the public). This activity is open to older Scouts only.  Troop 792, Karen - This Brownie and Junior troop filled luminaries with sand for an American Cancer Society Relay for Life event.  Troop 1126, Kathy and Kris - This troop participated in several special events held at a day care (Christmas with Santa and an Easter Egg Hunt). The troop was responsible for coming up with an age appropriate craft project for each event. They agreed to use troop funds to pay for the projects. They then set up and worked the craft booth at the event. In addition, they help where ever they were needed such as in the picture booth, playing games with the children, and cleaning up after the event.

November 2001 "Cool Idea!" of the month: The topic for this month's Cool Idea! was field trips.  The November top Cool Idea! was submitted by Sharon, Leader of Troop 1383.

Sharon took her girls on a cool field trip to see the Stanford women's volleyball team play. She said that it was low cost, easy to plan, and best of all, the girls had a blast. The tickets were purchased through their ticket office at a  cost of only $3.00 per girl. Because she had booked the tickets in this fashion and they were a group of 10, her troop got to hang around after the game to talk with the players. The players were bright young women, great athletes, and excellent role models for her Cadette troop. She would recommend this event for any age group. Why not check out the Standford women's basketball team? This was a Cool Idea! We're glad you shared it.

Check out these other Cool Ideas! submitted in November:Troop 124, Theresa - When going on a field trip, make sure that each driver has a copy of the Girl Scout emergency card, "Guidelines for Drivers" (found in your Troop Leadership Resource Guide), the complete vehicle assignment list, map, and a copy of the permission slip, registration form and health history  form for each girl in the car.  Troop 278, Arlene - Her troop has created a "Good Word" booklet. Each girl writes a page with one good word about every girl in the troop. Each girl gets a copy of the book with all the good words.  Troop 328, Shannon - This troop used the small round Brownie elf stickers available at the council store, along with other stickers to decorate die cut Christmas trees and wreath ornaments.  Troop 378, Kim - We have been having an ongoing problem with conflicts between girls. Instead of standing up and lecturing (again) about being a sister to every Girl Scout, we had the girls work through the Friends and Family chapter of the Junior Handbook. The Communications and Friends for Life sections were particularly eye-opening for a few of them.  Troop 779, Diane - Hostel overnights are great this time of year. This Leader particularly recommends Pigeon Point and Point Reyes (bunkhouse). This is a good opportunity to work on the Lighthouse patch.  Troop 670, Sue - They are making simplified "sit upons". They are using recycled newspaper folded inside a big zip-lock bag.  The outside of the bag will be decorated with recycled fabric scraps. This is a good project for a young Brownie troop. Troop 1283, Robin- For service projects, the Second Harvest Food Bank has a small plastic bag called "Kids can help too!". It is just the right size for young children, like Daisies and Brownies. This Leader encouraged her parents to take their daughters shopping and let them fill the bag with a few appropriate canned goods. This way, the girls were more involved in this important service project.  Troop 1485, Melissa - At one meeting, this troop made "Kindness Cookies" (sugar cookies decorated with frosting and sprinkles) and flag pins. The girls made them to give away to someone who is helpful or important to them.  Troop 1492, Jeanette - This troop made arrangements to earn the Horse Lovers badge at the Calero Ranch Horse Stables. For a very reasonable price the girls were able to learn about the horses, put some of their tack on, and best of all, they got to ride in the arena for 30-40 minutes. With the help of a docent, each girl got to try different or new things. .