Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!...Our Near Sleepover

I have fond memories of sleepovers with my friends once I reached junior high. I loved lying on the floor in my sleeping bag, watching music videos on MTV and talking with my friends about cute boys. When I was younger, though, I was the kid who often cried and asked to go home when it was time to go to sleep.  I remember Girl Scout Camp being especially stressful for me--not only was I not sleeping in my own bed, but I was bunking in an unfamiliar lodge or platform tent.  Our troop is planning our first overnight lodge camping trip for this fall.  The girls in the troop are in first grade, and most of them have never been to a sleepover.  I thought it might be best to invite the girls to my house for a "Near Sleepover" to practice for our big overnight.

Since this was a Pajama Party, we decided this was a fantastic opportunity to participate in a service project.  Our girls and their families went through closets and drawers to find gently-worn pajamas they could donate.  Our troop collected 71 pairs of pajamas that we delivered to Matthew 25 Ministries.   

Girl Scout Law ribbon flip flops

The girls arrived at my house at 6pm.  They were instructed to wear their pajamas and to bring their sleeping bags.  Special stuffed animals and blankets were welcome, of course.  When the girls arrived, they made a friendship pin that they each got to keep.  I had asked the parents to purchase a pair of flip flops the girls could decorate during our party.  These flip flops were available at many stores for around $2 a pair.  Prior to the event, I bought spools of 1/4" ribbon in each of the Daisy Petal colors, including royal blue for the Promise Center.  I cut four 6" pieces of ribbon in every color for each girl and placed them in a plastic baggie.  The girls tied the ribbons in knots onto the flip flops.  I explained that each color ribbon represents the Daisy petals and corresponding component of the Girl Scout Law. 

We surprised the girls with Strawberry Facials.  I pureed the strawberries and milk before the party.  Moments before we were ready to apply the mask, I added the cornstarch.  The girls wore the mask for about 10 minutes, and we continued our program that focused on the dark purple petal (respect myself and others). 



I read the "One-of-a-Kind Body" chapter out of Joy Wilt's You're One-of-a-Kind to the girls which explained that every person's body is unique and special.  Then I read Zink the Zebra  which is a story about a zebra with spots instead of stripes.  It was written by a young named Kelly Weil who was battling cancer.  "Zink questions why she is treated differently by others just because she looks different on the outside."  I came across a Zink the Zebra Leader Guide that proved to be an amazing resource for this program.  Our girls made Zink Storybooks that can be found on pages 21 and 22 in this guide.

After the lesson, the girls made banana boats.  They filled their bananas with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and marshmallows.  We wrapped them in foil and popped them into a 325-degree oven for about 10 min.  Gooey and delicious!

The girls settled into their sleeping bags around 8pm to watch Dolphin Tale.  This movie tells the story of the relationship between a boy and a dolphin who lost her tail in a crab trap.  It tied in perfectly with our lesson for the evening.  Parents picked up their daughters around 10pm.  All of the girls were asking when they could come back to stay until morning.  The night was certainly a success!