Philathropist Brownie Badge - Retired

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

This is a retired badge, but an important one to me. Since it's retired, you'll have to search! I managed to find 23 from the Girl Scout Greater Alaska council. You may also be able to find some on ebay, google or Facebook groups.

For this badge, I contacted a local food panty and homeless shelter, Loaves and Fishes for St. Louis to come out and speak to our girls. Our guest speaker was a Girl Scout dad, so he was incredibly patient with our girls who blurted out answers in excitement.  

If your girls have a service project, this is a good badge to consider.

Learn what every person needs
We had a discussion with our guest speaker. He described the shelter and the girl discussed what needs vs. wants. Since it's a shelter - our girls had lots of questions. The organization also offers people free clothing (from donations) and has a food pantry. The girls took turns giving suggestions on how we can help those in need.
Investigate how to help people who are hungry

Our guest speaker was a former police officer, so part of his current job is to canvas areas where the unhoused may be to see if they want shelter or need any food. He explained this to the girls and discussed the best type of food donations for the unhoused is pop top canned food like ravioli. We took a trip to WalMart on a different day and the girls picked out pop top canned food such as meat, tuna, chili, and pastas.

Find out how to help people who need clothes

We held this meeting at the end of fall so it was preparing to be cold in Missouri. The girls shouted out what people need in the cold - and Mr. Tom, our guest speaker confirmed the need for coats, socks, gloves, and hats for the unhoused. At Walmart, we purchased these items and some hand warmers.

Know how to help in times of emergency

As Brownies, our girls are 7, 8, and 9 years old. They can't make a huge impact now, but understanding that others are in need was our main focus. As a group, we discussed what it feel like outside and how others would feel if they were outside without a coat, hat or gloves. Each girl was excited to bring in thier donation and present it to the organization. Mr. Tom said we had the largest donation from a Girl Scout troop --- they needed a box truck!

Think ----and act! ---like a philanthropist

Our plan was 3 fold - go to the store with a portion of our Treats and Reads funds, collect gently used clothing from our own home, and ask friends and family for donations. We collected over 1600 items!

Our Troop's Plan:

We took 1/2 of our Treats and Reads money - roughly $400 for a service project

Take a trip to WalMart for a tour & shopping

We divided in 3 groups to buy diapers, pop top canned food, gloves and socks

Host a Clothing Drive focusing on coats, hats, gloves.

We collected over 1600 items!

Supply List

Philanthropist Badge - they are available online here

Dry Erase Board

Thank you Gift
Trash bags

My Best Self - Brownie Badge

 Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

Our meeting was fun filled, with stations, group activities and movement. Our troop has 23 girls, so there's no way we can every stay in one spot for too long. For this badge, I mixed and matched the requirements so I'll detail it a bit differently but also identify which requirement it goes to.

1. Get to know your body
2. Eat and Play in a healthy way
3. Find out how your body works
4. Know what to do if something bugs you
5. Meet a health helper

All About Me Game (#1, #2)

This is an interactive game with lots of movement.

Start with all the girls in one place - we have meetings in our elementary school's small gym and they stood in the middle.

I explained that we are all different, but there are things that we have alike. They needed to have their listening ears on to participate. 

With 4 adults in each corner of the gym and the girls in the middle, the adults took turn reading statements of characteristics they may identify with along with a fun way to get to that corner.

Example:

• If you have curly hair, crab walk to me.
• If you have red hair, skip to me.
• If you have had your tonsils or adenoids removed, crawl to me.
• More

Then we broke the girls into 3 groups to rotate stations.

Station 1 - Tasting new healthy Foods (#2)

They tasted starfruit, pomegranate, colored carrots, mango, sweet peppers, and squash. The voted with thumbs up or down. Parents were quite surprised their picky eaters tried different foods. Pomegranate was the most favorite and Squash was the least favorite.

Tip: these fruits and vegetables were pre-cut in gallon bags. The volunteer here had gloves and paper plates to serve the food. 

Station 3 - Journals (#4)

Each girl brought in a picture we could use to decorate a journal. At this station they decorated their journals with their photo and adhesive gems. The adult volunteer here talked to them about journaling and about who they could talk to if something bothered them. 

Station 3 - My Body Vitals (#1, #3)

At this station, the girls measured their heart rate, temperature, and oxygen level. Our Mom- RN helped to man this station, but anyone could have. Each girl learned how to take their temperature with a forehead thermometer, listened to their hearts, and measured their oxygen levels with a finger oximeter at baseline then after 100 jumping jacks.

 Group - Meet a Health Helper (#1, #3, #5)

One of our moms is a registered nurse and agreed to talk to the girls. I asked the parents in advance if they were comfortable about talking about menstrual cycles and no one objected. I assured parents that I would stay away from any reproductive talk as these girls are 7, 8 and 9.

Each girl got a copy of the book, The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls. This book is amazing! We have some ripe girls, so I wanted to touch on body odor as well. Our nurse started at the beginning and told the girl what page to turn to and they had a mini discussion on how their bodies will change. The conversation went from armpit and leg hair to tampons (some girls have older sisters). We had a very natural talk and sent the girls home with a personal copy of the book to talk to their families if they had more questions.

Supply List

The Care and Keeping of Your: The Body Book for Younger Girls

Journals

Adhesive Gems

Oximeter

Forehead Thermometer

Kid Size Stethoscopes

Variety of Fruits and Vegetables

Paper Plates

Zip Lock Gallon Bags

Poster Board

Markers

Have you earned this badge yet? What fun activities did you do?

Opting out of 2024 Girl Scout Cookie Rewards?

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

Have you seen the 2024 Cookie Mascot? Axolotl is a cute little amphibian! It's native habitat is Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City!

Did you know you can opt out of cookie rewards? Or even reward your Girl Scout or troop with other cute items!

This is council dependent, but if your troop unanimously votes to opt out of rewards, they can earn more money per cookie box - Junior level and above.

Never fear, you can still reward the girls with something relevant to the Mascot with some of these fun Axolotl Rewards.

Axolotl Earrings

Axolotl Necklace

13" Axolotl Plush

Axolotl Diary

Axolotl Blanket

Axolotl Wearable Blanket

Axolotl Makeup Bag

Axolotl Stickers

Axolotl Tote

6 Piece Small Plush Axolotl Toys

Mini Axolotls Bundle

Axolotl Onsie Sleeper

Axolotl Glow in the Dark Blanket

Axolotl Lunch Bag

Axolotl Beach Towel

Axolotl Keychains

Does your council allow troops to opt out of rewards? Comment below if you are opting out this year!

Household Elf - Brownie Badge Homework

                         

Do you offer your Brownies homework? Household Elf and My Great Day  are perfect ways to start!

I created a PDF so I could print it out as well as email it to parents of the badge requirements. I explained that it was completely optional and they had one month to complete it. But there was a due date so if they wanted a troop purchased badge, the tasks needed to be completed by the due date.

*Please complete at least 1 task per number (5 total tasks)

Brownies will earn their badge by learning how to make their home clean and green.

1. Save Energy

•      Find out about three ways to use less energy, then plan with your family to be more efficient energy users. Being efficient means you’re careful to use only what you really need. 
• Clean the lint filter after every dryer load
• Wash with cold water instead of using energy to heat water.
• Replace five regular lightbulbs with energy-saving ones, ,
• Be "in charge" of making sure the lights are turned off when a room is empty.
• Look for "vampire energy eaters", aka, things that are plugged in when not in use. Ask an adult to unplug it for you.

2. Save Water

• Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. 
• Make a sign to put next to the sink to remind your family to do the same.
• Take a shower instead of a bath for a week
• Take timed or shorter showers for a week

3. Go Natural

• Make a natural cleaner 
• Mix 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water in a spray bottle
• Clean all mirrors and glass top tables in your home
• Bonus: Clean the windows too

4. Reuse or recycle

• Collect 20 leftover plastic bags and take them back to a store that recycles them
• Use resources wisely and create a new, useful item out of leftover plastic bags
• Help pack your lunch in reusable storage containers instead of plastic baggies
• Gather clothing that is no longer worn and save it for donation  - Used the donations for our Philanthropist Badge

5. Clean the air

• Plants filter the air naturally. Put a plant in your favorite room. For two weeks, notice if you can tell a difference in the air. Share your observations with an adult. 
• For more fun: try growing the plant form a seed or decorate the plant pot – or both!

Printable Household Elf Homework

How to earn 10 Brownie Badges in a Semester

What a fun semester we had! Our troop has 19 first year Brownies and 4 second year Brownies. This is my first year as troop leader and we were busy! I am fortunate to have 3 co-leaders with me always ready to jump in and I appreciate them!

This semester Brownies had the opportunity to earn 10 badges, attend a camp in at our children's museum, attend some fun activities and more!

Here is a list of what we accomplished the first semester:

Official Badges

GS Way 

Home Scientist

My Great Day***

Pets

Designing Robots

Bump in the Night

Household Elf***

My Best Self

Philanthropist

My Own Budget

We earned these official badges during our hour and a half meetings. It is my personal preference to earn 1 badge per meeting to avoid having to keep track of who completed which step. 

Fun Patches

Ice Cream Social* 

Roller Skating*

Magic House Camp In*

Halloween Fun Patch***

Grocery Store Tour*

Thanksgiving Fun Patch***

Ice Skating**

Caroling**

Winter Break Fun Patch***

Pottery Painting Party*

*Troop Field Trip Activity

**Service Unit Activity

***Homework - optional fun

Let me know if you have any questions!

My Great Day Brownie Badge - Homework

Do you offer your Brownies homework? This was a perfect opportunity to do so!

I created a PDF so I could print it out as well as email it to parents of the badge requirements. I explained that it was completely optional and they had one month to complete it. But there was a due date so if they wanted a troop purchased badge, the tasks needed to be completed by the due date.

*Please complete at least 1 task per number (5 total tasks)

1. Start your day right 

❏ Set a morning alarm 

❏ Get up and dressed/teeth brushed 

❏ Bonus Point - make your bed :) 

2. Sort out your stuff 

❏ Gather all your home school supplies 

❏ Agree with your parents on a place to store them. 

Some ideas: ● Shelf ● Bin ● Backpack ● Desk 

3. Make homework a breeze 

❏ Write a schedule for your day- when will you work on school works 

❏ Have time for meals

 ❏ Don’t forget to plan breaks 

4. Plan ahead 

❏ Make a list of three things you can do if you’re bored at home 

❏ Make a list of three things you want to do when the quarantine is over 

5. Help others get organized 

❏ Help pick-up a room in your house that ISN’T your own bedroom 

❏ Ask what ingredients are needed for supper and help get them out 

And that’s it! You’ve earned the Great Day Patch! I hope you feel like you’ve had a great day and are ready for many more great days at home.

Printable My Great Day Homework

Service Unit Activity - Brownies Caroling

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

 Our Girl Scout Service Unit organized nursing home caroling.

They sent out a SignUp genius to our Facebook page, limited it to 20 girls, offered 3 different Saturdays and leaders signed up from there.

We had about half of our troop sign up to go caroling at a nursing home in December. 

We brought canned food for a local food pantry as a donation.

It was super cute! They provided the songs and told us to come dressed festive. I provided our girls fun holiday headbands and they sang their little hearts out!

Service Unit Activity - Roller Skating

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

Our local roller skating rink had a Girl Scout Event for Juliette Low Gordon's Birthday! This was not an official Service Unit event, but could easily serve as one -- just add a service component like canned food donation.

We had about half of our troop attend as this was an activity during the week. 

Side bar: My girls were invited to a skating party this spring and could not skate! I couldn't believe it! My husband and I decided that roller skating would be a family activity from here on out because we did it as kids. Now my kids can confidently skate and it makes me proud! It also translates to ice skating, so while they aren't expert ice skaters, they aren't hurting themselves either!

Supplies:

Girls Roller Skates

Adult Roller Skates

A Bump in the Night - GSSA Council's Own - Brownie Badge

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

This is a Council's Own Brownie badge from GSSA - Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. You will have to order directly from them online or over the phone if you are not local to this council.

I was so excited to plan this badge! We hiked, explored the dark, learned about nocturnal animals, did a craft and had s'mores! This also helped with the girls' progression to overnights.

1. Learn about nocturnal animals 

• We watch a YouTube video and I quizzed them afterward
• We also talked about what we thought we would hear or see while out there
• This will depend on what you have access to. We had internet and a TV, but reading a book would be fun!

2. Look for nighttime sights 

• We stopped the creek and lake after our hike.
• We didn't see anything --- it was October we when did this. Maybe it's better in the summer for sights like lightening bugs.

3. Go on a nighttime adventure

• We went on a night hike on a trail in my subdivision. It was DARK, but the girls were brave and had fun!
• We have over 20 scouts, so we paired them up. I led, there was a Mom-Volunteer in the middle and two co-leaders in the back.
• Our girls started the song: "We're going on a bear hunt" I don't know the song, but they led it and everyone sang along.
• My neighbors were thrilled to see us and stood outside with flashlights waving, it was cute!

 4. Explore in the dark

• After our hike we broke into two groups - for s'mores and a glow in the dark rock painting craft.

Supply List

• Bump in the Night Brownie Badge
• Kid size headlamp - may have one from 2023 cookie sales
• Glow in the dark rock painting project 
• A learning tool for nocturnal animals - book, YouTube video, etc
• Glow Sticks
• S'mores supplies - sticks, graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows
• Fire 

My GS Way - Brownie Badge

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

This was our very first meeting of the school year with our first year Brownies. It was low key enough to throw together and helped up start traditions we now do every meeting.

1. Sing Everywhere

• If singing is new to your troop, find a good call-response song and go from there
• Boom-Chick-A-Rocka was our go to
• Here is a link for popular Girl Scout songs

2. Celebrate Juliette Low's Birthday

• Honestly, we first had to learn who Juliette Low Gordon was. 
• We read Here Come the Girl Scouts                                                            
• We had cupcakes, party hats and confetti! It was fun!
• Juliette Low was born on October 31 - it's a good Halloween meeting    

3. Share a Sisterhood

• We wrote pen pal letters to a troop in Pennsylvania and sent them these super cute bracelets
• This can be substituted by writing letters to a Daisy troop that you know
• Tip: writing is still hard at this age. Pair them with an adult or strong writer

4. Leave a Place Better than You Found It

• Our meetings are in the elementary school gym. Our JLG birthday party created quite the mess, so we cleaned this up. But this is a tradition we continue.

5. Enjoy Girl Scout Traditions

• We started the sister circle with the squeeze
• Started to learn the Girl Scout Law and Promise (see patch below)
• Kaeper Charts were introduced this meeting    

Supply List

• Book : Here Come the Girl Scouts
• Cupcakes/Snack
• Brownie Bracelets
• Party Hats
• Party Blow Horns
• Napkins
• Pencils, Markers, crayons
• Print out of Pen pal Letters
• Envelopes

Home Scientist Brownie Badge

 Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

I am a chemist for work, so I was so excited to do this badge with my Brownies. I allowed each girl to do their own experiments because, why not? In our meetings, we utilize a lot of parental help. 90% of my parents are registered volunteers and are more than happy to help us, so they cleaned up the messes we made!

Each girl got some safety glasses and a lab coat to start.

Be a Kitchen Chemist

• Ice Cream in a ziplock bag
• Ingredients needed: rock salt, heavy cream, ice, sugar, vanilla, pint ziplock bag, gallon ziplock bag, gloves
• Combine - sugar, cream, vanilla in a pint size bag
• Add the bag to a gallon bag of ice
• Add rock salt to the ice
• SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
• Enjoy!
  
  
  

Create Static Electricity

• Try to separate salt and pepper with a balloon
• Blow up a balloon
• Create static with rubbing
• Pour a small amount of salt and pepper on a plate
• Hold the balloon above the mixture
• Both salt and pepper will be attracted to the balloon but the pepper is lighter so it should connect to the balloon

Dive Into Density

• Hypothesis: Will it sink or float?
• Teach the girls about what a hypothesis is
• Have a bucket of water
• Test items such as an apple, pencil, paper, paper clip to see if it sinks or floats
• Record your results

Make Something Bubble Up

• Mentos Gyser - 
• Ingredients: 2 liter of diet cola, 3-5 mint Mentos, Lab coat, goggles
• Drop the mentos in the cola
• Stand back and watch the fun
• TIP: use room temperature to warm soda

Play with Science

• SLIME -
• Ingredients: 8oz glue, 1 Tbs baking soda, 2 tbs contact/saline solution, & food coloring
• Add glue and food coloring to the cup and stir until combined.
• Mix in baking soda and stir
• Mix in saline solution (the more you add, the thicker it will be)
• Knead the slime - using your hands, knead the slime until it holds together

Supplies List:

• Lab Coats
• Safety Glasses
• Gallon Zip Lock Bags
• Pint Size Zip Lock Bags
• Rock salt
• Heavy Cream
• Ice
• Sugar
• Vanilla 
• Knit Gloves
• Plastic spoons
• Balloon
• Salt
• Pepper
• Plate
• Bucket
• Floating/ Non Floating Objects
• 2 liters of diet cola (1 per girl)
• Mentos (3-5 per girl)
• Glue
• Baking Soda
• Contact/saline solution
• Food coloring
• Plastic Cups
• Popsicle sticks

Hi, I'm Ashley!

Hi there!

My name is Ashley. I am a second year troop leader, this year of all Brownies. I am a wife, a mom, soccer mom, new gymnastics mom and I work full time. I was the troop co-leader and was handed the troop over the summer. It seemed daunting at first but I'm getting into my groove, no longer planning meetings day of and actually enjoying this journey.

I have two daughters in my troop. Savannah and Eden - 2nd and 3rd grade. I also have a 17 year old son who is a junior in high school and plays competitive soccer. So I'm basically busy 100% of the time.

I am BUSY!

But, through it all, Girl Scouts has become a priority and I'm determined to give these girls the best I got.

We currently have a troop of 23 girls, and I'm willing to go up to 25... I say this now, but I'm also not the cookie lady. I appreciate her efforts and will make her life as easy as I can.

Our troop now has 3 co-leaders. I plan all of our meetings. They jump in where ever I need them. It's working for us. I will utilize them fully for cookie season though. I appreciate them and one of them is always available for ratios. I am fortunate in that aspect!

We meet at our elementary school and it's free. That process was simple. I contacted the secretary, sent her the proposed dates (2 Mondays a month) and our insurance verification from counsel and it was all set. Now, to get into the school sometimes is complicated - every door is always locked and only custodians are there but I'd rather have top notch security and be safe.

We meet from 6:00 - 7:30pm 2 Mondays a month. Not always every other Monday, it varies based on the school. It is a jammed packed meeting for Brownies. I'm still trying to work the kinks out here. 

We typically earn one badge per meeting. With 23 girls, it's easier for me to do everything in one meeting. I have not had one meeting yet where all 23 girls show up so I can't imagine trying to span out badges.

How to Sell 1000+ Girl Scout Cookies

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post, but these are all products I recommend. 

I have two daughters who each sold over 1000 boxes of cookies last cookie season. 

Here are my top 10 ten ways to maximize your cookie sales:

1. Set a goal
• Have your Girl Scout look at the prizes to set a goal
• Involve the entire family - Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Siblings
2. Pre-Order a lot of extras
• Place your normal pre-order and more (especially Thin Mints!)
• Last year we pre-ordered 1500 boxes (750 per girl) then went to cupboards for more
• If you have cookies available, you will sell them (especially if you don't want to pay for them)
3. Go Door to Door - (over and over and over again)
• Pre-order door to door, then have extras on hand while delivering
• Use a collapsible wagon to deliver AND sell more
• Go door to door in your neighborhood, a neighboring neighborhood, even their grandparent's neighborhoods 
4. Take multiple forms of payment - council specific
• Take Venmo, PayPal, Credit Cards and Cashap
• It's easy to get a YES to cookies when they can Venmo you
• Have the QR codes available
5. Cookie Booths/ Lemonade Stand - council specific. 
• Decorate a table, make some signs and sell away! 
• In your neighborhood
• At Church (every Sunday if granted permission)
• At sporting events
6. Social Media 
• Record a short, sweet video of your Girl Scout and post online to your friends and family
• Let them know they are on hand
• Be willing to deliver
7. Utilize the cupboard
• Work with your TCM (Troop Cookie Manager) or troop leader to get replacement cookies Once you sell our of a favorite cookie, replace them with more from the cookie cupboard
8. Get a Collapsible Wagon
• The wagon will be useful for all things Girl Scouts
• Take a wagon of cookies and a big sign outdoor events. Have your Girl Scout walk around (with an adult) at their sibling's sporting events. My oldest son plays soccer and during games, the girls sell cookies. Always works out.
• Find popular places close to college campuses
9. Sell Everywhere
• Always have cookies available
• Sell while out to dinner - if allowed
• At your Place of business 
10. Cookie Paraphernalia
• Remind people it's cookie season often!
• Shirts, flyers, post cards - Search online, there are lots of ideas

Selling cookies is fun! Involve the entire family.