Girl Scout Troops 10451 and 10398 Bronze Award December 16, 2009

During the spring and summer of 2009, Girl Scout Troops 10451 and 10398 earned badges, completed the “Sign of the Star,” and participated in the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas Scoping Program to earn the highest honor for Junior Girl Scouts: the Bronze Award. The girls earned badges in wildlife and the environment to support their knowledge and skills required to participate in field work and data entry of the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas. Through the assistance of the staff from the Minneapolis Recreation and Park Board, the girls learned how to use binoculars and birding field guides, how to identify birds, enter data on the breeding bird atlas website, and raise awareness for bird species and their critical habitats. The girls of Troop 10451 provided 25 hours of  community service and identified more than 40 species of birds to the project.

Jordan Girl Scout Bronze Award Project October 9, 2009

Jordan Girl Scout Junior Troop 21220 spent time planting flowers around Lagoon park in Jordan. This community service opportunity was just one of many planned activities to help the troop earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award. The girls have chosen the theme “Beautifying Our Community” and will also be organizing the Adopt-a-Highway fall clean-up and a holiday decorating project for local community businesses. They are also spending time within their own homes with recycling and yard projects.

The troop leaders and girls met this summer and we asked the girls what they wanted their troop year and Bronze Award project to be. They really enjoy non-traditional troop meetings that allow them to explore new ideas and concepts. The girls are also really busy with other extracurricular activities, so we also wanted this year to be more flexible to meet the demands of their schedules without overwhelming them. The conversation about this type of meeting generated a lot of ideas for a project and as we put them on paper, they all fell around the general theme of “beautifying our community.” We discussed what the word “community” meant. They said things like: buildings, schools, people, your city, or even a family. Those conversations evolved into a plan for this year.



We took their ideas and did some research: Linda Steinhoff, troop leader, contacted the City of Jordan and asked if there were any projects with which our troop could help; that turned into our Lagoon Park planting project. I contacted the manager at the Schule Haus and asked what we could do; that will be our valentines card making project to be delievered to the residents. The girls really wanted to do something else that could be seen around town; that will become our handmade holiday decorations that will be distributed around to community businesses.



Some of the  girls have also worked on building Teraya’s Garden, a community garden at Jordan Elementary School dedicated to the memory of a student who was killed in a car accident last year. The troop is sponsoring this year’s Jordan Service Unit Adopt-a-Highway Fall Clean-up, as well as recycling and helping with home projects and planting trees this Spring. The girls are looking forward to finding other ways to contribute to their community.

-Carrie Speikers, troop leader

Nicollet Girl Scouts Bronze Award project June 4, 2009

As part of their Bronze Award project, Nicollet Girl Scouts “adopted” a dilapidated garden area that was adjacent to the Nicollet Public School playground. It had become both an eyesore and a hazard – as teachers had to stand guard and keep students out of the area during recess. Some of the issues included rotten timbers, exposed pieces of rebar, torn landscape fabric, dead trees, and excessively overgrown bushes.
The girls had a representative come in from a local garden center and talk to them about what was in the garden and what could be done to save some of the existing bushes. The girls learned about the different types of bushes and when/how they should be trimmed. They looked at magazines and drew up plans for what they wanted the garden to look like. They took measurements and determined what supplies were needed.

Last fall, the girls began the cleanup process. They raked out leaves and garbage, pulled weeds, and parents helped cut down the dead tree.  The girls helped to prune out the bushes that needed to go. In the winter, the Junior Girl Scouts went back and did a substantial amount of trimming. The troop also made stepping stones for the garden.  The girls wrote up a letter to request supplies from local businesses and put together a display board and scrapbook to document their project. Early this spring, the troop did a final cleanup/ground prep session.

In May the troop members and parents gathered to complete the project after the troop received the following donations: two truckloads of mulch/bark, 400 square feet of landscape fabric, four replacement landscape timbers, new rebar to secure the timbers, and $25 worth of bedding plants. Over three hours on a Saturday morning, the garden was transformed! The girls helped replace the timbers, lay the landscape fabric, haul and spread the bark, lay their stepping stones and plant flowers. The result was spectacular!

Check out more amazing photos on River Valleys Facebook fan page.

“Hooked on Books” puppet show April 6, 2009

The 10 members of Chaska Girl Scout Troop 10067 and Southern Stars Service Unit completed requirements to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award available for Girl Scout Juniors by participating with local public libraries and the Eastern Carver County School District to perform puppet shows. The troop held two shows in December and a final performance on Saturday, February 7 in conjunction with the district’s “Hooked on Books” event. The puppet shows were based on the books “The True Story of the Three Pigs” and “The Mitten.”

All troop members were involved in the many tasks of this project, including puppet design, stage creation, set-up, script writing, and puppeteering.

Front row (left to right): Cassie, Hannah, Caroline, and Hayley. Back (left to right): Erin, Bree, Carissa, Lexie, Morgan, and Becca. Troop leaders are Jenny Boothroyd, Julie Fahey, and Mollie Simon.

Delano Girl Scouts go for Bronze October 10, 2008

.

Girl Scout Troop 10896 from Delano, Minn., earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award this summer volunteering for a variety of activities related to the American Cancer Society Delano Relay for Life.

.

They began by painting and planting flower pots to be used for centerpieces at a dinner for cancer survivors. They also volunteered at the dinner by checking in people, handing out prizes, and cleaning up tables. Their award culminated in spending 12+ hours working at the relay itself setting up, helping with activities, and participating in the opening ceremonies.

.

“It was cool to see all the cancer survivors and know we helped them,” said troop member Meghan.

.

“We helped set up and work at the Relay for Life for our Girl Scout Bronze Award. It was so fun being with friends and helping out,” said sister troop member Hannah. “I really thought that it would be so-so, but it was one of the funnest things I did in Girl Scouts.  When I was helping at the Relay for Life I felt a part of the celebration because my Grandma had just been diagnosed with cancer.”
.
Pictured back (left to right): Natalie, Meghan. Middle: Marissa, Hanna, Nikki, Amanda. Front: Mary, Olivia. Not pictured: Kayla.

Girl Scout Troop 11476 Writes Books for Johnsville Kindergarten Students and Receives G.S. Bronze Award June 27, 2008

In May Junior Girl Scout Troop 11476 of Blaine, Minn., completed their Bronze Award project by illustrating and writing book sets, which the troop presented to the Kindergarten students at Johnsville Elementary.

.

The project began last fall when the girls met with Mrs. Parent, one of the Kindergarten teachers, to compile a list of topics suitable for Kindergarten students. The troop organized itself into three patrols, and each patrol selected a topic from the list, wrote the books themselves, and had them produced by an educational publisher. The book topics are Animals, The Alphabet, and Friends.

.

The troop is a fifth grade troop and felt that this would be a great way to give back to the school that they have attended for the last six years.

.

Troop 10075 earns their Bronze Award May 29, 2008

Girl Scout Troop 10075, 5th graders from Chanhassen and Victoria, earned their Bronze Award this year by volunteering with Cornerstone Women’s Shelter. They coordinated a drive for pajamas and shoes in the winter, planned and provided dinner for the families and staff, and held a carnival for the kids while the mothers attended a meeting. The girls learned about event planning, scheduling, budgeting, and what constitutes a healthy relationship while experiencing the joy of volunteering.

Back (left to right): Lauren, Clarissa, Meghan, Amy, Brianna, and Adrienne. Front: Anna, Courtney, Kalley, Jennifer, Madison, and Grace.