Junior Campers

Here are some resources to help you plan your Junior Outdoor Adventure!

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High Adventure

Juniors can participate in some of our High Adventure Activities! Slingshots, Archery, Flatwater Canoeing, Flatwater Kayaking, and Low challenge course elements are all high adventure activities that Juniors can participate in!

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Weekend programming

Juniors can participate in our Weekend programming!

Slingshots, Teambuilding, Environmental Education, and Outdoor Skills programs are offered for Daisy Girl Scouts.

Our weekend facilitators will lead your youth and/or troop through a series of wonderful activities such as high adventure, STEM programs, team building, arts & crafts and more! The choice is yours. There are programs for audiences of all ages from daisy to ambassador. Bring your brothers or your cousins too! Families are invited and encouraged to attend as long as one person is an active member of Girl Scouts.

Available at: Brighton Woods, Coles Trip, Crowell, Potomac Woods, White Rock and Winona.

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Outdoor Badge information

There are several outdoors focused badges that Juniors can work on! Learn more about the badges here, purchase the badge requirements to plan your outdoor adventure, and then head to your nearest Girl Scout Shop to get the Badge for your vest.

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Learn the basics of how to have a great camping trip! There are lots of ways to go camping, so here are some ideas to get started!

Purchase the badge requirements here: Junior Camper Badge Requirements

Planning

Contact your service unit to see if a teen Girl Scout troop can answer some camp planning questions.
Visit an outdoor store like REI to learn about packing to go camping.
As a group, brainstorm a packing list. Use our camping list example to get started.
View photos of GSCNC properties to decide what kind of site you’d like to camp.

Learn a new Skill

Learn how to read a compass: Junior Camper Badge Activity
Practice tying knots at a knot-tying station (available at all GSCNC properties except Aquasco)
Register for a weekend program to learn a new skill like target sports, boating, or nature skills.

Camp Recipes

Explore camp recipes:

Cookbook #1: Outdoor Camp Cookbook
Cookbook#2: Outdoor Recipes & Cooking Tips

New Activities

Use the Explore Camp Patch Program to choose an activity you have never done before!

Camping Trip

Utilize the resources on the First Time Campers page to plan the logistics of your camping trip.

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Whenever you step outdoors, you are a guest in nature’s home. This is especially true when it comes to camping. Whether or not you’ve been camping before, you will earn this badge by learning how to protect the environment on your trip. It will shape the way you camp forever!

Purchase the badge requirements here: Junior Outdoor Eco Camper Badge Requirements

There are lots of ways to earn this badge, but we have some suggestions to get started below.

Learning the leave no trace principles

PEAK Program: Online course for youth 7-12 to learn about LNT: PEAK Program - Leave No Trace
Learn the 7 LNT principles: Home - Leave No Trace
LNT Videos (ENG/ESP resource): Leave No Trace | Anza-Borrego Foundation

Planning meals with the environment in mind

How to pack a mess kit video
Try a solar cooked meal: Junior Eco Camper Badge Activity
Explore camp recipes
- Cookbook #1: Outdoor Camp Cookbook
- Cookbook#2: Outdoor Recipes & Cooking Tips

Minimal impact campsites

Learn the rules of low impact campsites: Principle 2: Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces - Leave No Trace

Leave no trace

Play a LNT game
- Game ideas book
- Play a Girl Scout-designed game
Learn the LNT hand signals: 7 Principle Hand Signals - Leave No Trace

Conservation hike

Use the iNaturalist app to identify nature that you see.
Use the Aquasco Explore Camp Patch tree ID activity to identify trees and leaves. The activity begins on page 8: Patches
Use the Potomac Woods Explore Camp Patch animal sounds and tracks hike activity. The activity begins on page 9: Patches

Junior Outdoor Art Explorer Badge toggle arrow

From murals on buildings to oil paintings of landscapes, art and the outdoors go hand in hand. Let nature be your inspiration as you explore, create, and design different kinds of art. There are lots of ways to earn this badge, but we have some suggestions to get started below.

Purchase the badge requirements here: Junior Outdoor Art Explorer Badge Requirements

Outdoor art

Learn about Georgia O’Keeffe, an artist inspired by the outdoors:
- Georgia O’keeffe history: Georgia O'Keeffe: A Brief History (School Friendly)
- O’Keeffee art tutorial: O'Keeffe Inspired Flower | Children's Art Tutorial by Nicole Miyuki of Let's Make Art
Make a nature art frame to see art all around you

Make something

Make your own salt dough impression
Make an outdoor skills bracelet: The Eight Basic Outdoor Skills Bracelet
Try nature weaving: 2 Ways of Nature Weaving with Kids | Welcome To Nana's

Music in Nature

Learn or practice camp songs while taking a walk around camp
Make a homemade rain stick: DIY rain stick craft that actually sounds like rain!
Draw a sound map

Nature Photography

Learn about micro-photography and take your own micro photos
Can’t take photos? Look at some nature photos online:
- Try to guess the animal: Can You Guess Which Animal You're Looking At Up Close?
- Find the camouflaged animal: Camouflaged Animals: Can You Spot These Animals? | Reader's Digest

Nature Design

Make a nature mandala
- Learn about nature mandalas
- Create your own mandala using items found in nature

Other badges to earn outside:

Geocacher: Junior Geocacher Badge Requirements
Junior Trail Adventure: Junior Trail Adventure Badge Requirements
Junior Camper Badge: Junior Camper Badge Requirements

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Explore camp patch

The "Explore Camp" Patch Program encourages Girl Scouts to explore the outdoors, take part in Girl Scout traditions, and more Patches.

The Nation's Capital "Explore Camp” Patch Program encourages Girl Scouts to explore the outdoors, take part in Girl Scout traditions, and discover the unique features of each of our eight camp properties.

Girl Scouts completing this patch program will hone their eight basic outdoor skills, which help improve outdoor literacy and support positive, environmentally friendly outdoor experiences. The eight basic outdoor skills are as follows: Outdoor Manners, Be Prepared, Know Your Knots, Outdoor Tools, Fire Building, Outdoor Cooking, Stay Safe, and Find Your Way.

A ninth skill, Girl Scout Traditions, accompanies the eight basic skills so girls can experience outdoor camping traditions in Girl Scouting.