Girl Scout Stuff Archives

Troop 1160 worked to collect over 52 pounds of food for the Manna Food Center. The daisies delivered the food themselves and were able to get a tour of the facilities. This was just one event in a three part series of community service efforts for the troop.

A ceremony was held in Vienna, Virginia on June 17^th at Andrew Chapel to recognize service unit 50/2 Bronze Award recipients.

Troop 81356 put together three care packages to be sent to a navy troop stationed in Kuwait.

Troop 1160, a daisy troop from Silver Spring, Maryland earned two more learning petals to their blossoming daisy. Each daisy wrote and mailed a letter to their peer daisies. To get a better grasp of how the mailing process works, the troop made a trip to a local post office and received an inside view on how the letter they wrote would travel from one mailbox to another.

The Girls Scouts joined the Eleventh Annual Mothers Day at the Wall ceremony, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The event honored all those mothers that have children that have served in the armed forces and those that have served themselves. The girls showed their appreciation by showering the mothers with cards and flowers. The ceremony was brought to a finish with the Girl Scouts escorting the mothers to the wall where the they left their gifts.

Service Unit 31-7 learned about hobos by cooking on vagabond stoves, slingling their belongings from bandanas on a stick and following hobo symbols down a trail. The Hobo Encampment was created by Cadette scouts of Troop 5559, Jordan B., Katie F., Sarah E. and Jhanvee P., who planned and ran the camp as their Service Project for their Silver Award. The four girls attended the Service Unit Encampment Coordinator's training course, which is usually reserved for adult leaders. An encampment patch design contest was held and the winning patch was designed by Becca B.

Girl Scouts Participate in Environmental Learning

Cadette Troop 2686 recently completed all the requirements for the RiverWalk Program Patch at Potomac Woods. The RiverWalk is a unique environmental learning trail and patch program designed to educate girls on the importance of preserving and managing natural resources while inspiring them to spend time outdoors.   Troop 2686 completed the Activity Kits starting at the "Eco-Lab" and stopped along the trail at each Learning Trail Station. This RiverWalk is unique because it was a generous gift by long-time Girl Scout members and volunteers Sara Phillips and her daughter Dr. Barbara Sutton.

Daisy Troop 3441 was paid a visit from the Glen Echo Fire Department, as part of a Troop meeting about "Respect Authority." The girls learned about what to do in a fire, practiced what they would say on the phone to the 911 operator if they needed to call for help and got to see a fire truck and its equipment up close. Glen Echo volunteer firefighter, Megan Quinn (a Girl Scout) showed the girls her firefighting equipment and protective clothing, and carefully explained the best way to stay safe and be rescued in the event of a house fire.

Girl Scout Troop 1635 enjoyed their time at Camp Highroad as part of Service Unit 52-7's Get Real Spring Encampment.

Oxon Hill Daisy and Brownie Troops Visit Dutch Wonderland

Oxon Hill Daisy and Brownies troops recently got together for a weekend at Dutch Wonderland, an amusement park.  They made s'mores, enjoyed the rides and had fun making new friends.

Girl Scouts from Junior Girl Scout Troop 2209 held a Jump-a-thon, raising $1000 to be donated to Haiti through World Vision. For their Bronze Award project, the girls organized Brownies, Daisies and Juniors from Service Unit 54-16 for an afternoon of fun and games with jump ropes.

Six girls in Junior GS Troop 4461 of Peoples Congregational Church collected first-aid supplies for the doctors in Haiti. The girls created over 100 first-aid kits and delivered these items to the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee. These kits will be shipped to the doctors in Haiti to help the victims of the recent earthquake and other disasters. As a result of this project, the girls earned their Bronze Award.

Troop 6724 has been working on their Journeys Book, Agent of Change this year.  As individuals they created reports about Amazing Women, who used their power within to do something wonderful.  The girls worked as a team to put together a display for the library and they educated the community about the amazing women they learned about.

On June 2, 2010 Brownie Troop 678 bridged to Juniors and Daisy Troop 1448 bridged to Brownies. Following the Girl Scout tradition of helping other scouts, Cadette Kathleen M. and Junior Annika G. led the bridging.  During the bridging, they encouraged the girls to help others as they have been helped to ensure the spirit of Girl Scouts continues.

Girl Scout Cadette Won First Place in Maryland Young Writer's Contest

Girl Scout Cadette Zaynab G. won first place in the Middle School Prose Division of the 2010 Maryland Young Writer's Contest for her story How Africa Became. Zaynab joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie and is now a Cadette member of Troop 2802 based out of College Park, MD.

Junior Troop had fun with Cosmic Bowling

Girl Scout Junior Troop 1645 had a fun during an evening of cosmic bowling at Fort Belvoir with many other troops from service unit 53-2.

Brownie and Daisy Troops Learned About Fire Safety

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 4583 and Daisy Troop 2039 learned about fire safety at the Ft. Washington, MD firehouse.  The Brownies are working on their Try it and to Be Prepared Patch.

Daisy Troop Won Second Place in Community Division at the Annual Apple Blossom Parade

Girl Scout Daisy Troop 40347 entered a float in the 83rd Annual Apple Blossom Festival Grand Feature Parade in Winchester, Virginia. The float won 2nd place in the Community Division with the theme "The Magic of Girl Scouting". The crowd delighted every time the Daisies / bunnies jumped up from inside the giant magician's hat. Girls representing all levels also sat on the float and enjoyed the huge crowds.

Girl Scouts Explore Our Chalet

After three years of raising funds, Troop 3288 of Potomac, MD, took a trip to visit the WAGGGS center, Our Chalet, in Switzerland. In addition to visiting the medieval clock tower of Bern, the girls got to enjoy Swiss cuisine (including chocolate), visit a castle, try out zip-lining and march in a parade in Adelboden! Every member of the Troop also succeeded in completing the "Our Chalet Challenge," a series of activities focusing on physical challenges, knowledge of Our Chalet, WAGGGS and Swiss Culture, in addition to Community Service.

"Building" Girls of Courage, Confidence and Character

This spring, Girl Scout Troop 2618 of Fairfax, VA took a trip to the Building Museum, where they not only had a great time learning the "nuts and bolts" of architecture, but also had the opportunity to try their hand at drawing a floor plan, to scale!

2010 Thinking Day Makes Multiple Impacts

In honor of Thinking Day 2010, Service Unit 42-1 of Washington, DC invited more than 80 girls and 14 troops to take part in activities celebrating the cultures of Germany, Kuwait, South Africa, Peru, Haiti and the Philippines. The event included guest speakers, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kugler, who collect books to send to the children of South Africa, Dr. Harris McQureerir, a member of the United States Peace Corps, and traditional African dancers who showed girls how to perform Gum Boot dancing. In addition, the girls raised more than $500 and canned foods in support of service projects.

On Birthday, Girl Scouts Give Service

In celebration of the 98^th Birthday of Girl Scouting, members of Cadette Troop 6005, from Oxon Hill, MD celebrated the 98th Anniversary of Girl Scouting. Current and former Girl Scouts participated in this event as members of the choir, altar service, the offertory procession, and the flag team for the formal flag presentation. The girls also donated canned goods, pasta, and dry cereal to the Oxon Hill Food Pantry.

Girl Scouts Present Half-Time Show

This spring during Girl Scout Day at George Mason University, 615 Girl Scouts took to the floor of the Patriot Center arena for a half time performance.  Taking cues from the George Mason Cheerleaders and Dance Team, the girls practiced their routines before the game. The 2,600 basketball fans in attendance for the women's basketball team gave cheers to the Girl Scouts and their new skills.

Girl Scouts Learn to SHARE

To raise SHARE dollars, SU 32-11 of Montgomery County, MD hosted a Penny Carnival. Daisies, Brownies and Juniors participated in and hosted activities that involved pennies, including a penny pitch and a penny pinch. Girl Scouts brought spare change to donate, as well as their SHARE envelopes.

Girl Scouts Visited the Home of President George Washington

This winter, Girl Scout Troop 81201 of Frederick, MD took a trip to Mt. Vernon in Alexandria, VA, home of President George Washington.  As part of a special Girl Scout week at the home girls even got the raise the flag on the grounds! 

Daisy Troop Attended Girl Scout performance of "Alice in Wonderland"

This spring, Girl Scout Daisies from Troop 40556 of Front Royal, VA attended the Girl Scout performance of "Alice in Wonderland" at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, Maryland. The girls event got to meet with the cast after the show!

Junior Troop Helped Organize "Spread the Bread"

On March 19, members of Girl Scout Junior Troop 518 in Brookeville, MD were presented with their Bronze Award pins.  The girls' Bronze Award project involved organizing "Spread the Bread," a Service Unit event where local Girl Scouts learned about bread and then tried their hand at baking bread. The Girl Scouts then took the loaves and donated them to community "heroes," including police officers and teachers. 

Girl Scout Troops Explored the Chinese Lunar Calendar at Thinking Day Celebration

As part of a Thinking Day Celebration Girl Scouts from Oxon Hill, MD created handmade masks representing the year their were each born on the Chinese Lunar calendar. The masks showcased the years of the monkey, the hare, the snake and the tiger.

Girl Scout Troop visited the Historical Society of Frederick County

In working toward their local lore patch, Girl Scout Junior Troop 81154 visited the Historical Society of Frederick County. While there the girls how Frederick business, infrastructure, and culture have changed over the last century.  In addition to important historical facts and learning about local landmarks the girls discovered the architectural building styles seen throughout town. 

Cadette Troop Informed Others of Brazillian Culture at Thinking Day Event

In February, Girl Scout Cadette Troop 3690 of Centerville, VA helped spread knowledge of Brazilian culture and customs at their service unit's Thinking Day event.

Brownie Troop Reflected on the POW and American Flags

As part of their day of service, Girl Scout Brownie Troop 6563 of Washington, DC stops to reflect on the POW and American flags at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Girl Scout Cadettes from the Congregation Sha'are Shalom Helped Nine Brownies Earn the Lehavah Award

As part of a workshop series established to help Girls Scouts earn recognition within their faith-based communities, Girl Scout Cadettes from the Congregation Sha'are Shalom in Leesburg, VA helped nine Brownies earn the Lehavah Award, and seven Juniors earned the Bat Or Award. The awards, developed by the National Jewish Girl Scout Committee engage each girl in activities that help her learn about herself, her family, Judaism and its history, while both receiving help from others and taking part in a service project.

Girl Scouts Take on the Slopes

In spite of forecasts of heavy snow, Troop 5097 from Washington, DC took part in the GSCNC ski event at Whitetail in Pennsylvania this winter. Girls who have never skied before were able try tubing, while more accomplished skiers took on challenging trails.

Maryland Girl Scouts Find Good Reads

This winter, Girl Scout Brownie Troop 6563 and Girl Scout Daisy Troop 6077, of Oxon Hill, MD, participated in a Read-In that highlights books written by African American writers. The girls even had a chance to meet African American author Lynn Calvin. Pictured here, girls show off their favorite books.

Girl Scouts Visit Historic Home  

In February, Girl Scout Brownie Troop 4480 of Ashburn, VA visited Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. While there, the girls earned the Mount Vernon Historic Trail Patch, which involved touring the estate and gardens while learning about early American plantation life.

Girl Scouts Community Service Helps Honor Fallen Soldiers

Just missing the area blizzard, on January 29 Girl Scouts from Troop 76 and Troop 1996 of Prince William County, VA helped remove the holiday wreaths from the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.

Troop Explores Ireland on Thinking Day

Troop 6563 of Washington, DC took part in a World Thinking Day program at St. Peter's Church on March 14. As part of their participation, the girls selected Ireland as their country to study and share information with other troops. With a focus on 2010 Thinking Day theme of poverty, participating Girl Scouts troops collected canned goods to give to pantries in Washington, DC.

Service Unit Donates Food to Community Food Bank in Celebration of Thinking Day

As part of their Annual Thinking Day Celebration, Girl Scout troops in Service Unit 31-2 of Montgomery County, MD donated food to Olney Help, a community food bank.  Hosted by Junior Troop 2121, over 180 local Girl Scouts enjoyed a candle ceremony that honored diversity, explored countries around the world, and took part in a friendship circle!

Girl Scout Troop Celebrates Thinking Day by Learning a Traditional Dance from the Philippines

Pictured here, Troop 40107 of Alleghany County, WV took part in the World Thinking Day celebration by having the family of one of their Filipina Girl Scouts present a traditional dance from the Philippines.

Service Unit Celebrates Fables from Around the World at Thinking Day Event 

At the Thinking Day event in Service Unit 32-4 Girl Scouts from Montgomery County, MD celebrated fables from around the world, and shared crafts and food from many countries. In the slideshow to the left, Troop 5938 stands at a wishing well for donations that will be sent to the GS World Friendship Fund. Troop 1373 dresses in costumes as they relate their Russian fable "Baba Yaga" and share Russian tea cookies to Girl Scouts at the event.

Girl Scout Troop Discovers Italian Culture (and cookies!) on Thinking Day

Dressed like gondoliers, Troop 1273 of Silver Spring, MD shared information about Italian culture at their Service Unit's Thinking Day Event. When Girl Scouts visited their table they were able to try biscotti, view a presentation of famous places in Italy, and tried their hand at tossing pizza dough. The girls even learned to sing "If you are happy and you know it" in Italian during the presentation part. 

Girl Scout Troop Distributes Baskets to Shelters

For the fourth year, Girl Scout  from Montgomery County, MD distributed nearly 50 cookie baskets to four different shelters in Montgomery County as a community service initiative.

Prince George's County Girl Scouts Learned Knot Tying, Pitching Tents and Rolling Sleeping Bags at Encampment

Last fall, Girl Scout  of Prince George's County, MD enjoyed a lodge encampment at Camp Brighton Woods. While there, they worked on the First Aid badge, tried out basic knot tying techniques, learned how to pitch a tent and roll their own sleeping bags.

Girl Scouts of Winchester, VA Toured Frederick County, VA Sheriff's Office

This winter, Girl Scout Daisy & Brownie  of Winchester, VA took a tour of the Frederick County, VA sheriff's office. The girls watched a K-9 unit demonstration and about the stringent training of the three dog unit. In the picture the girls get to know Deputy Tanya Kittoe and her canine partner.

Junior Troop Made Blankets and Collected Clothing for Crisis Center

This February, Girl Scout Junior Troop 977 from Arlington, Virginia used their 2009 cookie proceeds to help fund their project for the Bronze Award. The project included making 20 blankets and collecting baby clothes for Birthright, a crisis pregnancy center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Brownie Troop Donated to Cole's Closet While Attending Special Performance of the Nutcracker 

This winter, Brownie Troop 233 from Springfield VA, attended the Nutcracker performance by the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center in Alexandria VA. This special performance allowed the troop to make donation of new toys, books, gift cards and care packages to Cole's Closet, an organization that helps make hospital stays for seriously ill children and their families a little easier.

Daisy Troop Took Part in an Investiture Ceremony

Last fall, Daisy troop 1678 took part in a special Investiture ceremony at the Leonardtown Wharf. The location, known for its environmental stewardship and reclamation of natural areas, helped the Girl Scout troop kick off their "Between Earth and Sky" journey.

Cadette Troop Visited Senior Residents

During the holiday season Cadette Troop 3010 made a special visit to see residents at the Asbury Village, located in Gaithersburg, MD.  While there, the troop toured each floor and stopped by rooms to sing Christmas carols and have conversations with the senior residents.

Girl Scouts Helped Neighbors by Shoveling Snow During a Record Snowfall

Continuing their commitment to community service during a record snowfall, Girl Scouts shoveled snow on the local sidewalks of Fort Belvoir, VA. The girls shoveled the sidewalks of three neighbors, plus the connecting community sidewalk and wheelchair access ramps to the road.  Over the course of the following days, the girls also worked to keep the sidewalks clear as more snow fell and the plow trucks removed snow and ice from the streets and placed it back on the sidewalks.

Girl Scout Brownie Made Snowman in Tribute to New Orleans Saints Football Team

Girl Scout Brownie T. Smalls from Manassas, Virginia, uses the winter weather as a time to "make new [snow] friends," she built a snowman in tribute to the New Orleans Saints who won their first Superbowl in February.

Girl Scouts Enjoyed Snow Days This Winter

Girl Scouts K. McGrail and I. Termaat from Troop 5958 in Ashburn, VA, enjoy a snow day as their Girl Scout Leader moms plan activities for this summer's Camp Tag-A-Long at Potomac Woods.

Junior Troop Made Blankets to Donate to Loudoun Holiday Coalition

This winter, Girl Scout Junior Troop 6029 from South Riding, Virginia went camping at Camp Potomac Woods. During their time in the woods, the girls also made blankets to donate to the Loudoun Holiday Coalition.

Service Unit Held a Caroling Party at Nursing Home

During the holiday season, Service Unit 14-3 held a caroling party at the Rose Hill Nursing Home in Berryville, VA. After the caroling the scouts gathered at a nearby park for hot chocolate, cookies and to get a sneak peek at the 2010 Cookie Sale Incentives.

Daisy Troop Donated a Box of Food to Help Others In Need During the Holidays

Daisy Troop 860 of LaPlata, MD decided the best way their troop could help others during the holiday season (and to say thanks to Grace Lutheran Church for allowing the troop to hold meetings at their location) was to decorate and donate a box full of food to help others in need. Shown here, the Daisy Girl Scouts pack up their non-perishable food items.

Junior Troop Created Food Baskets for "Operation Turkey,"

Last November, Girl Scout Junior Troop 3929 from Bristow, VA volunteered their time to help create food baskets for "Operation Turkey," a local food drive that provides Thanksgiving meals to those in the community with few financial resources.

Junior Troop Completed Final Step of the Emergency Preparedness Patch Program

Girl Scout Junior Troop 5127 of Potomac, MD completed the final step of the Emergency Preparedness Patch Program when they visited Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services' Fire Station #33. While at the fire station, girls interviewed the firefighters and learned how firefighters themselves prepare for emergencies, including learning about the firefighting uniform, boots and the fire trucks.

Girl Scout Troop Sponsored Personal Safety Workshop

Girl Scout Troop 2738 of Sterling, VA sponsored their first Personal Safety Workshop for more than 127 Girl Scouts of all ages. At the workshop Deputy Spurlock from the Loudoun County Sheriff Department presented information on how to stay safe coming home from school, playing outside, shopping at the mall or just walking down the street. The workshop allowed Girl Scouts of all levels to earn badges in self-defense and was so popular that Troop 2738 plans to hold a second workshop in the spring.

Service Unit Joined Stand Up Against Poverty Movement

Last fall, 55 Girl Scouts and their leaders from Service Unit 53-4 in Alexandria, VA joined the worldwide Stand Up Against Poverty movement on World Food Day, October 16th. The girls, along with 173 million citizens across the globe, joined in shattering a Guinness World Record for the mobilization in history.

Girl Scout Troop Held Mother-Daughter Outing

This winter, the Girl Scout Troops of St. John's Episcopal School in Olney, MD held a mother-daughter outing at a University of Maryland women's basketball game. More than 70 girls and moms attended and got a tour of the Comcast Center. The Girl Scouts gave the UMD players high fives as they took the court for a warm-up before the game. The girls had their picture taken with Testudo at center court after the Terrapins won the game!

Girl Scout Troop Made and Distrubed Blankets to Nursing Home

In December, Troop 40175 of Charlestown, WV, made and distributed blankets at the Willow Springs Nursing Home. With the help of the local Cub scouts, Troop 40175 made 102 blankets-one for each resident in the home.  After handing out the blankets and visiting with residents, the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts gathered to share and sing Christmas carols to the residents of the nursing home.

Girl Scouts Participated in Local Clean Up Day

In November, Girl Scouts from SU 53-1 of Fairfax County, VA took part in a local clean up day. The girls labeled dry storm drains, collected bags of garbage and recyclables to prevent them from being washed into waterways and practiced their map-reading skills too!

Girl Scouts Participated in the Annual City of Gaithersburg Service Project

Girl Scouts from SU 32-5 participated in the annual city of Gaithersburg service project. Each year troops from around the area plant daffodil bulbs; this year troops planted bulbs along the City's first 'green street' Rabbitt Road, which is designed to clean run-off water before it hits the Chesapeake Bay. 

Brownie Troop 2245 of Port Republic, MD enjoyed a fall camp in the glen shelters of Camp Winona.  The girls completed their "Outdoor Adventurer" and "Playing Around the World" try-its. Pictured here, the girls are on the hunt for firewood!

Girl Scouts Participated in Kris Kringle Parade

Girl Scout Junior Troop 81154 of Frede