Terrific Tips for Badgework Part 1




Contents

Floating Bird Trick
Brownie Bridging Chart
Childcare Seminar and Pizza Party
Scratch-and-Sniff Really Smelly Poetry Book
Indoor Peace Dove Kite
Snack Foods Through the Years
Girl Scout Code Wheel
Girl Scout Law Beaded Bracelet
Cookie Skits for Role Playing
Celebrate Earth Day
Celebrate New Moon's Turn Beauty Inside Out Day

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"Floating Bird" Trick

Supplies:
4 pennies per girl, scissors, tape, poster board
How to make:
Fold a piece of paper in half and trace the shape shown below onto it. Cut out the shape and unfold it. Trace it onto poster board. Cut out and decorate with markers (tape won't stick to crayon). Tape two pennies to each wing as indicated.
How to do the trick:
Balance the bird by its beak on your index finger. It seems to float. Where else can you balance it?
How does it work? Think of the bird as being a see-saw. The bird's beak is the middle of the see-saw. The wings and the tail are opposite ends of the see-saw. Since the pennies pull down the wings, the bird can balance.
Progam links:
Brownie - could substitute for part of Science Wonders Try-it
Junior - Toymaker Badge

The graphic is large and will take a while to load.



Brownie Bridging Chart

by Sarah S.
This chart is in the shape of the Bridge to Juniors patch. There are 6 Bridging steps in the new Brownie Handbook. As each step is completed, color in another stripe of the rainbow. When the 6th step is completed color the border green.

The graphic is large and will take a while to load.


Childcare Seminar and Pizza Party

For: Junior Caring for Children Badge (old book requirements 1, 3, 6 - new book requirements 1, 4, 5 - See notes.)
Developed by Ellen G., adapted by Sarah S.

Facilities needed: a meeting place with one large area or 3 or 4 separate areas for setting up centers. To make play dough you will need a stove. This has been done in a church (using the fellowship hall and kitchen), and at the Plano Recreation Center, but could be done in a private home.

Materials: Each girl needs to bring: pizza money, a shoe box and (5 if working from the old book, 3 for the new book) different activities as described in the badge requirements. The 6th (or 4th) activity will be the play dough.
The troop supplies: Materials for decorating the shoe boxes and making play dough. Photocopies of pp.78-81 from old handbook (pp. 77, 80-85 in the new handbook). Ziploc baggies for taking play dough home. Discovery Diary pages similar to p 22 of old Badges and Signs. Various equipment for centers.

Personnel: A good chance to involve parents (or older girls?). You will need one adult to man each center, be sure to include your first-aider.
Here's how Troop 1579 did it:
Schedule:
3:00-4:00..........transport girls to Rec. Center, snack and game
4:00-4:15..........open meeting, business
4:15-4:45..........decorate shoe-boxes for Kid Kits
4:45-6:15..........Centers
1) First Aid - Go over first aid pages from the handbook and give out photocopied first aid pages to go into Kid Kits, fill out p. 81 (old handbook) or p.77 (new handbook)
2) Infant Care - demonstrate how to hold, feed and dress an infant several times. Could also include use of a car safety seat, high chair or stroller. (For the new badge book, this should be done by a healthcare professional who works with infants.)
3) Making play dough - Go over Baby Sitter's Quiz, discuss Discovery Diary - must take home and return
Rotation: 4:45-5:15, 5:15-5:45, 5:45-6:15,
6:15-7:00..........pizza dinner
7:00..................dismiss to parents

Notes: 1. You could include requirement 9 (both badge books) by adding another center and another half-hour. You will need toy catalogs to do this one. In that case you might want to eat after two centers.
2. Invite another troop to share the preparations and the fun, it makes it more like a party!
3. The troop could choose to supply more than one of the Kid Kit activities or pay for the food, etc. from troop funds.
4. The completion of the Observation Diary completes requirement 5 in the old badge book, 6 in the new book. The troop will then need to do one or two more requirements to complete the badge (depending on whether requirement 9 was done as part of the seminar or not.. When we were working from the old book our girls baby sat at a PTA meeting for requirement 2 and visited a local toy store for requirement 9.

Babysitter's Quiz
What do you do if:
- the phone rings?
- someone comes to the door?
- the baby cries?
- you have changed the baby, fed it, burped it, rocked it and nothing works?
- the kids are asleep and you fall asleep?
- the kids won't go to bed?
- one kid hits another?
- one of the kids gets hurt? - skinned knee? - broken bone?
- there is a fire?
- there is someone trying to get in?

Play dough
1c. flour
1/2c. salt
1T. oil
2t. cream of tartar
1c. water
Kool-Aid (for color)
Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until it sticks together, about 10 min. Knead. (Makes 2 1/2 cups)


Scratch-and-Sniff Really Smelly Poetry Book

Materials:
Eight 4" x 6" pieces of water color paper (water color paper works best because it holds the smells well)
Formulas for seven smells (see recipes that follow)
Colored pencils or pens (for cover page and to write poems)
One 4" chain and ball or 8" length of yarn or ribbon
Paintbrush, scissors, paper, pencil, hole punch

Instructions:
1. Make the pages. For pattern, draw blob shape on 4" x 6" piece of paper. Cut out. Trace pattern on water color pages and cut out. Punch hole in left top corner of cover page. Using hole in cover page as a guide, punch hole in same left top place on remaining seven pages.
2. Finish up. Brush one different smell on each page. Let dry. Write "really smelly POETRY" on cover page. Write one "smelly" poem on each remaining page. Write answer to each poem on back on page. (Note: The poems we used and their corresponding smells are listed after these instructions.) To make book, thread ball and chain or ribbon through page holes. Tie ribbon in a knot.

Smelly Recipes:
Fruit Smells: Use one part water to one part unsweetened or artificially sweetened powdered drink mix or flavored gelatin.
Pudding Mixes: Use three parts water to one part mix. (This was the best for chocolate and it was still great after 2 weeks!)
Liquids (such as almond or vanilla extract or aromatherapy oils): Put one or two drops on page. Let dry. To seal, rub white candle over top and underside of liquid drops.
Powders (such as chicken soup, coffee, Italian seasoning, spices): Use one part water, one part corn starch, one part powder. (Note: These tend to be grainy.)

Options:
1. Have each one in your group create a page and bind them all together.
2. Have teams play one another to see who can guess the most smells.
3. See who can come up with the craziest smell.

Smelly Poetry Samples:
Split-splat, splunky-splee, This one smells like....... (coffee)
Split-splat, bligga-bit, This one smells like....... (chocolate)
Split-splat, glubba-gloup, This one smells like...... (chicken soup)
Split-splat, plib-grunch, This one smells like...... (punch)
Split-splat, nud-morange, This one smells like..... (orange)
Split-splat, jig-a-lun, this one smells like....... (cinnamon)
Split-splat, sibba-wape, This one smells like....... (grape)

From the December 1999 issue of Pack-O-Fun on page 41. The magazine lists "by The Mixed Nuts". Could be used with the Brownie Senses Try-it.


Indoor Peace Dove Kite


Click here for directions and a pattern
Could be used for the Junior Aerospace badge


Snack Foods Through the Years


by Brenda Hyde
Click here for recipes
Could be used as part of the Brownie "Through the Years" Try-It



Girl Scout Code Wheel

adapted from Dec. '96 Boy's Life magazine
To make: Print the two wheels below on cardstock and fasten them together in the center with a brad.
To use: To put a message into code just turn the inner wheel until the A on the outer wheel is lined up with any letter on the inner wheel. Use a paper clip to keep the wheels from shifting. Write down the letter that is lined up with A. For every letter in the message write down the corresponding letter on the inner wheel. Your message is now coded.
To decode a message line the A on the outer wheel up with the first letter of the coded message. Hold the wheels in place with a paperclip. Read off the letters of the message from the inner wheel.

The graphic is large and will take a while to load.

Program links:
Brownie Math Fun Try-it - could substitute for #4 Alphabet Code
Junior Math Whiz Badge - could substitute for #8 Make Your Own Code (new book) or #7 (old book)


Girl Scout Law Beaded Bracelet

Here are the colors and meanings (sorry, I don't remember the web site where I got this)!:
I will do my best to be and to (then a rainbow bead)

meanings:
light blue...the sky is blue and always fair - it rains on everyone or shines on everyone
purple...purple is a cheerful color, like a friendly smile (or that dinosaur we love)
yellow...yellow is the sun's rays that care for us
green...green is the color of nature and trees that grow strong
pink...pink reminds us of babies and the fact that they need us to be responsible and considerate how what we do might effect them.
white...the color of purity - by treating others and yourself with respect, you are helping to keep your mind and body clean and pure
orange...orange is like the sunset. Even the sun must respect the authority of nature as it rises and sets each day
red...the color of fire and reminds us that misusing resources like fire can harm us and our world
brown...reminds us of animals and how they depend on us to protect and improve the world.
dark blue...reminds us of the oceans and all the Guides and Scouts on all sides of it.
rainbow...to symbolize all the Girl Scouts and Guides across the world and the fact that reciting the law is like making a promise.
from Cathi Brown, Junior Leader, GSSWPA

OR

Second Version of the GS Law Beaded Bracelet
Now since the new Daisy program has Learning Petals for learning the Girl Scout Law, I'm adding the colors this program uses for each part of the law.
I will do my best to be and to
from Emily McAllister of Huron Valley Girl Scout Council
Program links:
Daisy - could add a bead each time a girl earns a Petal and/or use them at your Bridging ceremony
Brownie - use with the Girl Scout Ways Try-it
Junior - use with the Girl Scouting in the USA Badge


Cookie Skits for Role Playing

From: Sandy Coy
These scenarios for cookie selling role play were done by our service team a couple of years ago for a Cookie Kickoff Party. This is really fun and very helpful for learning selling skills and for fulfilling certain requirements for cookie badges. I would think you could turn it into something to show parents. Anyway, good luck!
The ideas in the following are more aimed at older girls, but could easily be adapted to younger girls.
Cookie Sale Skill Builders: Etiquette, Safety & Money Management
ROLE PLAY ACTIVITY
(Assumes booth sale setting. Can adapt for door-to-door selling and delivery, focusing on safety rules, courtesy and organization.)
Materials:
play money for making change
empty cookie boxes to buy
role play character cards (described below)
You are at the local mall for a booth sale. Divide your group, half take troop cards, the other half take customer cards. Role play situations and after a five-minute stop, talk about issues. If there is time, change places and try again.
What safety issues came up while you were role playing? (Adults present at sale? Was the troop working as a team?)
What concerns did you have about the location, questions customers were asking?
Can you make a list of safety rules?
Why do you need to know your product?
Why do you need to know your customers?
Were you able to accommodate each customer?
What type of signs or information do you need to have at your booth sale?
What would you do differently at your next sale?
ROLE PLAY CHARACTERS: Be creative and make up your own troop of booth sale participants. All one level, or mixed. Throw in one or two girls and one adult with an attitude, just to make things interesting.

Girl Seller: The leader has said she is dividing the boxes sold today among all the girls in the troop. You have worked all day with only 3 other girls who have split the shifts. You don’t think the leader is being fair.
Girl Seller: You have a hard time making change. Too many people make you nervous.
Girl Seller: Your troop really needs to do well at this booth sale. If you sell enough cookies you’re going to New York.
Girl Seller: You like Girl Scouts, but you don’t want all your friends seeing you here at the mall selling cookies.
Girl Seller: You like selling cookies. You really want to be top seller again this year. You will get credit for helping this Brownie troop at their booth sale, but you don’t want them to sell too many boxes.
Girl Seller: You are new to Girl Scouting. You don’t know a lot about your troop or the cookies. You really want to make a good impression at the sale though.
Girl Seller: Smile, greet everyone. Tell them how great the cookies are and why you love Girl Scouts.

Customer-"Fact Finder": You want to know everything about the cookies before you bury them. Which kind would the seller recommend? Are they kosher? Are they low-fat? You can’t make up your mind.
Customer-"Thrifty": You can’t believe cookies are so expensive. Where is the cookie money going? How many cookies are in each box? How much money will the girls get?
Customer-"Excited": You love Girl Scout Cookies. No one ever comes to your door. You want to buy 5 boxes, but you need to pay by check or credit card.
Customer-"Mother": You are shopping with your toddler and she spots the cookies and starts crying for some. There are a lot of people buying cookies and you’re in a hurry. Your daughter won’t stop screaming until she has cookies.
Customer-"Elder I": You love Girl Scouts. You were a Girl Scout once. You would love to spend some time talking to the girls about what they do, tell them about your troop & share your fun. Don’t really want to leave to go home to an empty house.
Customer-"Elder II": Shouldn’t have cookies. Can’t really afford a box either. What can you do to help out the troop?
Customer-"Teen / Schoolmate": You recognize a friend from school selling cookies. You didn’t know she was a Girl Scout. Hang out near the booth and make fun of her. You don’t want to buy any cookies.
Customer-"Dad": You’re having a birthday party for your daughter next week. You would like to have 10-12 boxes of cookies delivered to your house.
Customer-"Cookie Lover": You don’t have any extra money right now, but you want to buy cookies. Where else do they sell them? How can you get some? Will the troop be back? Can I call someone?
Customer-"Parent": You see the Girl Scouts at the mall. You want to get your daughter in a troop. Ask them how you can get information. Where will your daughter meet? Who will be her leader?

Troop Adult: You don’t want to be here. It’s the girls’ sale. Only help if they directly ask.
Troop Adult: You think the girls are too young to handle money. Guard the cash box, and don’t let them make change.
Troop Adult: You love booth sales. Be enthusiastic and let the girls have fun.


Celebrate Earth Day

From the Scouting Links Newsletter
Submitted by Alice
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd each year to mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Here’s some program ideas to get your girls involved and "make the world a better place" ...
Some Girl Scout Program Links:
- Daisy - "Use Resources Wisely" or "Make the World a Better Place"
- Brownies - "Earth is Our Home" or "Eco-Explorer"
- Juniors - "Eco-Action" or "Earth Connections" or "Sign of the World #3"
- Cadettes & Seniors - "Eco-Action" or "Planet Power"
- The Water Drop Patch

Internet Links to Explore...
Find an Earth Day event near you - click here
Earth Day is Everyday Scavenger Hunt by GSUSA - click here
Write Your Own Environmental Credo by GSUSA - click here
Earth Day history, games, songs, activities - click here
Earth Day Craft Projects - click here
Color grocery bags for Earth Day - click here
Wildflower Coloring Books online - click here
National Wildlife Federation Environmental Education - click here
Earth Matters (our thanks to Peggy C. in South Carolina) - click here
Save 11.4 square feet of endangered rain forest by clicking this site provided by The Greater Good - click here
You can support twelve different Ecology Fund projects with a click and save up to 188 square feet of endangered habitat each day at: click here
Here are some more web sites to explore!
makingfriends.com - Earth Day
childfun.com - Earth
kidsdomain.com - Earth Day
dltk-kids.com - Earth
billybear4kids.com - Earth Day
enchantedlearning.com - Earth Day
enchantedlearning.com - Arbor Day


Celebrate New Moon's Turn Beauty Inside Out Day

May 15th is "Turn Beauty Inside Out Day". New Moon Magazine sponsors this program providing ideas on how to boost young girls' self-esteem and look at the inner beauty each has to offer
New Moon's Turn Beauty Inside Out Day
I've included some other ideas below which might be helpful for the Looking Your Best badge as well as the Being My Best badges.
Alice
Leader, Cadette Troop 1031 (Juliette's B'day Troop)
Florida

Girl Power
Girl Power! is a "national public education campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help encourage and motivate 9 to 14 year-old girls to make the most of their lives. Girls at 8 or 9 typically have very strong attitudes about their health, so Girl Power! seeks to reinforce and sustain these positive values among girls ages 9-14 by targeting health messages to the unique needs, interests, and challenges of girls."
This site is recommended by Dear Abby who referred to the "Body Wise pages to help girls make the most of their physical and intellectual abilities and feel good about who and what they are. Feeling good about oneself is a key ingredient for beauty."

Time Tested Beauty Tips By Sam Levenson and one of Audrey Hepburn's favorite poems. This poem gives tips on developing inner rather than outer beauty

Facts on Figures (author unknown)
- There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and only eight who do.
- Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14.
- If Barbie was a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.
- The average woman weighs 144 lb. and wears between a 12-14.
- One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.
- The models in the magazines are airbrushed -- not perfect!
- A psychological study in 1995 found that three minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty, and shameful.
- Models twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today they weigh 23% less.

Don't Say You're Not Important
- (author unknown)
Don't say you're not important,
It simply isn't true,
The fact that you were born,
Is proof, God has a plan for you.

The path may seem unclear right now,
But one day you will see,
That all that came before,
Was truly meant to be.

God wrote the book that is your life,
That's all you need to know.
Each day that you are living,
Was written long ago.

God only writes best sellers,
So be proud of who you are,
Your character is important,
In this book you are the "Star."

Enjoy the novel as it reads,
It will stand throughout the ages,
Savor each chapter as you go,
Taking time to turn the pages.

Some Internet Links
Troop Beverly Hills - GS event ideas, beauty product recipes, games, & more
Body Image and Self-Esteem
- kidshealth.org
- teenshealth.org
- teenhealthcentre.com


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