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.

Girl Scouts visit Raptor Center March 19, 2009

In February, Juniors Troop 52763 from Oneka Elementary School visited the Raptor Center on the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine on the St. Paul campus. The Raptor Center put on a great program for the girls; they learned about several types of birds, their habitats, and what the Raptor Center does for injured birds.
The girls got to see Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles, a Turkey Vulture, American Kestrels, Owls, and a Peregrine Falcon.  They also learned about what classifies a bird as a raptor, the differences between the bird types, and what and how they find their food. Most importantly, the girls learned why the birds were at the Raptor Center.  There are about 800 birds brought to the Raptor Center each year due to injuries, lead poisoning, and human imprinting. The girls learned that it is very important to notify the Raptor Center or another local animal organization when encountering an injured or abandoned bird so that it can get the care that it needs and a has chance of being rehabilitated and released back into the wild. The Raptor Center releases birds back into the wild all year long and twice a year they do public releases at Hyland Park Reserve.
For a great educational wildlife and environmental experience, the girls of Troop 52763 encourage all troops to take a visit to the Raptor Center. For more information on the Raptor Center, visit their website at www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu.

Picture #1- Our Troop at the Raptor Center:
Back row (L-R): Paige, Tess, Kasey, Katie, Eden, Jenna, and Annie. Front row (L-R): Julia, Ashley, and Ariana.

Picture #2-  The girls listen to a Raptor Center volunteer talk outside of the Bald Eagle habitat display.

Picture #3- A Raptor Center volunteer talks about the Red-tailed Hawk.

Girl Scout Sunday is March 8 February 9, 2009

On Girl Scout Sunday, Girl Scouts around the globe are encouraged to wear their uniforms and celebrate Girl Scouting with their spiritual communities. Girl Scout Sunday kicks off Girl Scout Week, which will be March 8 – March 15, 2009.

Troops across throughout River Valleys will be sharing Girl Scout Sunday with communities of their choice. Girl Scout Junior Troop 40617 of Winona, MN is inviting community members to enjoy activities and refreshments while learning about Girl Scouts at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Leave a comment and let us know how you will be celebrating Girl Scout Sunday.

The Mother Bear Project February 4, 2009

Girl Scout Junior Troop 10286 from St. Francis stuffed crocheted bears for The Mother Bear Project, who sends crocheted bears to children in Africa who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This is what they had to say:

• “It’s fun to help people.” – Maria, age 10
• “Fun to be able to stuff the bears.” – Kailey, age 10
• “We’re going to make a lot of little kids in Africa happy.” – Caitlin, age 10
• “I definitely want to do this again.” – Katrina, age 11

Worthington Service Unit Cookie Rally February 2, 2009

Worthington Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors hold cookie boxes and order forms at their “Imagine If We Could Change The World” cookie kickoff event Saturday, January 17 at Max 493 in Worthington, Minn. Cookie sales are now under way and will continue through February 4.

Girl Scouts Collect Pajamas in Lakeville January 23, 2009

Cherry View 4th grade Girl Scout Junior Troop 24506 collected pajamas for Minnesota’s kids in need. They collected more than 80 pajamas at Cherry View Elementary December 1 – December 12. The Minnesota Pajama Program will distribute the warm pajamas to kids all over Minnesota who need them. Thank you to Cherry View families for donating more than 80 pajamas!

By Cara, Troop 24506

Horse Lovers Badge Workshop November 19, 2008

On Saturday, October 10, the Campus Girl Scouts from the University of Wisconsin- River Falls, held a workshop to help girls earn their Horse Lover Badge. A morning session for Girl Scout Brownies (and a few Girl Scout Daisies, too) focused on horse care, breed identification, and even a new twist on the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
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The afternoon session also focused on skill for the older girls, Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes. They also learned care of the horse, parts of the saddle, and more. At one of the stations the girls learned how to saddle a horse. Not having enough horses for all, they practiced with pony saddles, using each other as the ponies.
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All the girls spent some time riding on “Shrek” the horse.
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The Campus Girl Scouts planned and carried out all the activities, with the help of the Block and Bridle club.