Scout's Own Ceremonies
How to Plan a Scouts' Own
Theme: Friendship

Opening Song:     The hills in their glorious heights
(Everybody)        Surround us by day and by night
                          Sing praise to the hills

Morning Prayer:
1.......................Oh, wonderful new day, unfolding to the children of men! 
                         Bring us afresh the visioin of beauty; Show us anew the path our feet must tread;
Everybody..........Flood our hearts with the warmth of love;
                         even as thou dost fill the waiting valleys with sunshine;
1.......................And lift our hearts to the vast dome of sky, which day and night, shelters us all, children of
                         one Father.
Everybody..........So shall we, brave and rejoicing, go forward in our untrodden paths, quietly fulfilling
                         our appointed tasks,
1.......................Until, grateful, peace-filled, and unafraid, we face the setting sun, the evening shadow, and
                         the quiet night.

Song:                 Make new friends, but keep the old,
(Everybody)       One is silver and the other gold.
                                        (repeat)

2.......................These are the things I prize and hold of dearest worth:
3.......................Light of the sapphire skies,
4.......................Peace of the silent hills,
5.......................Shelter of forests, comfort of the grass
6.......................Music of birds, murmur of little rills
7.......................Shadow of clouds that swiftly pass,
8.......................And after showers, the smell of flowers
9.......................And of the good brown earth, --
10.....................And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.
11.....................IF YOU WANT A FRIEND - BE ONE!
12....................."May naught mar the joy of our fellowship here.
13.....................May none remain lonely and hungry of heart among us.
14.....................Let none go hence without the joy of new friendships
12.....................Give us more capacity for love and a richer consciousness of being loved.
12-13-14............Overcome our coldness and reserve, that we may throw ajar the gates of our heart and
                         keep open house this day.

Closing Song:      Peace
(Everybody)        (repeat softly, leave site)


A Progressive Scouts' Own

Girls gather in a circle.

Sing:   America the Beautiful

Two girls stand on each side of the trail.  Group is led silently to fire ring.  Just before circling the fire ring, they pick a small twig and march by the fire ring where the fire is burning, throw a twig on the fire and make a wish to themselves for the camp.  They then form a circle.

Poem:   (Pre-assigned)   "A Camp Girl's Wish"

            I wish that all the girls on earth
            Could live among the hills
            And listen to the singing stars
            The clouds, the rain, the hills,
            And hear the living songs of birds
            The humming toil of bees
            And have the friendly, dignified
            Companionship of trees.

Repeat in Unison:   Girl Scout Promise

Sing:   When e'er You Make a Promise

(Second poem given by another girl - favorite spot - instruction given below)

          I meant to earn a badge today
          But a brown bird sang in a tall oak tree
          And a butterfly fluttered over the field
          And the falling leaves were calling to me.
          And the wind went sighing over the land
          To sing the grasses to and fro
          And a rainbow held out its shining hand
          So what could I do, but laugh and go.

(Group is led to a favorite spot where they pic or select themselves a flower or beautiful branch of leaves, that has previously been placed there.)

(Group is led silently back to the lodge.  All circle around the porch.  Light bearer is stading there with a lighted candle in her hand.)

Light Bearer:     God bless this lodge from thatch to floor
                       And they that enter at the door
                       Blessed let them be.
                       God bless this lodge and at this door
                       Let every girl leave garlands gay
                       Tho some are near and some ar far
                       Yet somehow all are here today.

(Everyone leaves her garland or branch or leaf on the porch.  Go inside lodge, encircle fireplace.  A girl is standing by a fireplace with a small bowl of coals from the fire, put them in the fireplace.)

Fire Bearer:      See how my hearth is quickened and warm
                      To comfort the traveler out of the storm
                      I will bring you dreams and save you from harm.

Feast Bearer:    (She is standing by tables with a bowl of food or fruit.)
                      See how our table with food is spread.
                      Apples and honey, grapes and bread.
                      Let us give thanks to God and pray,
                      That the whole world, through Thee, be fed.

Prayer:            To Thee, O Lord, we consecrate this lodge
                      And we dedicate the hours we spend in it to Thee.
                      Thy blessing on our work and play, we ask
                      Lord, let us see the beauty of our common task.
                                                             Amen.

Note:     This is an example of a progressive Scouts' Own.  In preparing a progressive Scouts' Own, simply pick               your own stations to visit, your own theme and participants and you will be prepared to proceed.


Tree planting Ceremony

Formation: Form a circle around the location

Leader: Good friends!  Troop Number ____ would leave with (church, school year, park, etc...) a token that each year will say that those who trod these paths today have left a growing memory here to bring new loveliness each year.

GS#1:     And so I dig the sod
              Wherein to plant this tree,
              That it may grow and ever say,
              To others who may pass this way,
              "Behold a living glory here,
              Beauty's a gift of yesteryear."   (digs sod)

GS#2: Prayer: Teach me how to be kind and patient as a tree.  Joyfully the crickets croon under shady oak at noon; Beetle, on his mission bent, tarries in that cooling tent.  Let me, also cheer a spot, hidden field or garden spot -- Place where passing sould can rest, on the way and be their best.

GS#3: Trees have their enemies on every side - storms, lack of rain, insects, gnawing animals, old age, and diseaes, but most of all -- humans with their careless fire and destructive ax.

GS#4: Trees must have air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, and sunlight to keep them well.  The oldest living things of any kind on earth are trees.  A few giant sequoias are more than 3,000 years old.

GS#5: The tree we are planting here today is a ___________________. (Tell interesting facts about this tree, where native, use, etc...)

(Plant tree - or the tree could have already been planted.)

GS#6: Each of us carry a packet of soil from our own home, garden or plot we love.  We will all step up and add our soil to the soil around this tree, making a silent wish for the good health and long future of this __________ tree.

(Step to tree one at a time, or if larg group, march around and drop in soil.)

GS#7: May this ____________ tree grow tall and beautiful.

GS#8: May the sunshine and rain be kind to it and Girl Scouts guard and cherish it.

GS#9: May it, in turn, furnish cool shade for passersby and shelter for birds.

GS#10: And make this       (Place)        a more pleasant place for everyone who passes this way.

Group: Sing- "Tree Song"