The Kindness Diaries

Earlier this spring, our daughters discovered The Kindness Diaries as they scrolled through recommended show selections on Netflix. For readers who may be unfamiliar with this adventurous documentary, here is a description of the series:

"Host Leon Logothetis travels the world with only a vintage motorbike and the kindness of strangers, which he pays back in unexpected, inspiring ways."

As we watched each excursion, I was inspired to incorporate his vision in various ways while traveling with our family this summer. I then decided to share my thoughts in this blog post, hoping to encourage other families and even Scout troops to do the same.

When planning a vacation or road trip, people may set aside a discretionary budget for souvenirs. What if your family or Scout troop decided not to buy a t-shirt, cinch sack, fridge magnet, or postcard from the gift shop at your destination, but instead, chose to spend this money to brighten someone's day or make a stranger more comfortable?

Here are some pocketbook-friendly ideas:
Buy someone a cup of coffee
Deliver a doughnut to an unsuspecting recipient
Treat a stranger to lunch
Fill a person's tank with gas
Cover another's campsite costs for a night
Pool your money and purchase a blanket for a homeless person

*If the timing and circumstances are right, consider learning more about the person's story.

As I watched Leon travel around the world, my thoughts drifted to Thinking Day. If your troop is making plans for their Thinking Day booth, host an overnight for the girls and watch an episode or two of this series for ideas and inspiration on a featured destination. While the show is rated TV-G, I would recommend adults preview the show before viewing with children and asses the appropriateness for your kiddos.  Side note:  If your troop chooses to learn more about Uganda, consider watching Queen Of Katwe (rated PG). If the girls wish to discover more about India, I recommend Million Dollar Arm (also rated PG).  Both are great stories that provide a glimpse of the respective countries and cultures. Again, I recommend adults preview these movies before showing them to the Scouts.

Whether you're heading across the country, setting out on a short road trip, or driving across town to the local pool this summer, remember Leon and his quest. With small acts of kindness, we can make this world a better place. As always, thank you for reading.

"Cultivating Thoughts" With Your Scouts

My sixth grader and her classmates had to complete a special assignment modeled after Chipotle's "Cultivating Thoughts" essay contest.  In Language Arts, they read Fue Xiong's essay "Two Minutes About Sardines" and were asked to write a narrative story about a time when food created a lasting memory.  The stories and a snack donated by Chipotle will be shared by the students at school tomorrow.  A more detailed description of the assignment can be found on my website.

I love this idea, and I brainstormed ways to incorporate it with Girl Scouts.  As you continue reading this post, I encourage you to consider how these ideas could work within your individual troop, for troops at your school, and for troops in your Service Unit. 

1. Read Xiong's essay to the girls.
2. Choose an idea from the list below.
3. Girls write narratives.  Details can be found here.
4. Print the essays on brown paper bags (or use a glue stick to adhere printer paper to the bag).
5. Distribute bags to the girls.
6. Share a snack.

Thinking Day
After the Thinking Day ceremony, have girls write a narrative about the state or country they chose to represent.  They could choose to write the story from a local person's point of view or from the point of view of a visitor.

Or have them write a narrative as a Girl Scout in the chosen state or country.

Juliette Gordon Low and Girl Scout Birthday
To celebrate the founder of Girl Scouts or organization's birthday, girls could:

• listen to leaders present facts about Juliette Gordon Low's life
• read a story about her
• research the founder of Girl Scouts on their own

Write a narrative.  Consider:

• writing from Juliette's point of view
• How has her work with early scouting impacted your life?

Juniors Scribe badge--satisfy a step or two for this badge, depending on your interpretations of the steps.

Service Projects
Ask the girls to choose their favorite service project.  They may wish to consider the following when making a decision:

• A service project completed this school year
• Favorite service project completed as a Girl Scout
• The most enjoyable service project
• The service project that made the biggest impact (on her or on those served)

Write a narrative about the project.  Again, they can write from a personal point of view or from the point of view of those being served.

These thoughts are the product of a quick brainstorm.  If you have additional ideas, please comment below, and I can update the post.  Thank you for reading!

Thinking Day Thoughts

In November, our family went on a mission trip to Nicaragua.  Our team dug trenches and helped with the construction of a school in two different communities during our week there.  When we returned to the States, my daughters came across the book A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park. This novel is written from the point of view of two 11-year-olds in Sudan. The book covers both history and geography and exposes readers to the harsh realities of life for people in other parts of the world.  It is a story of hope and perseverance, and the book provides a reason to discuss how to get involved and make a difference in this world.  Please note this book is written for readers ages 10 and up.  There are several sad and frightening sections that may upset younger readers. 

As in Nicaragua, access to clean water is a huge issue for many Sudanese communities.  Days are spent getting water to survive, yet the water is not safe to drink.  A Long Walk to Water struck a chord in our family, and it got me thinking...

World Thinking Day is February 22nd.  This year's global theme is Grow. While the intent is to invite other girls to join in the Girl Scout Movement, two goals for Thinking Day are:

• Take action and speak out on issues we most care about
• Make a difference by fundraising for projects around the world

In Nicaragua, Amigos for Christ comes alongside community leaders to help improve the standard of living for people there. They also build into the spiritual lives of the people they meet.

Water for South Sudan is the organization highlighted in A Long Walk to Water. As in Nicaragua, the villagers provide labor to drill the wells, and one well may serve thousands of people. With clean water, women and children don't have to

spend their days walking for water. Kids can go to school, which promises a brighter future.  With a well, there are healthier pregnancies, and marketplaces can be supported.  "Where safe water flows, life can blossom." 

As your girls consider their options for Thinking Day this year, I encourage you to introduce them to A Long Walk to Water.  Read the book on your own and modify the story for younger girls. Maybe they'll be moved to choose to learn more about Nicaragua or Sudan this February. "Where safe water flows, life can blossom. #LetsGrow" would look great on a poster!  Both organizations mentioned in this post offer a variety of ways to get involved and give. Water for South Sudan provides helpful tips on their website for organizing a fundraiser.

While bumping around the WFSS website, I learned about the H2O Project:

1. Make water your only beverage for 2 weeks.
2. Save the money you would usually spend on beverages.
3. After 2 weeks, donate the money you saved and give someone clean water for a lifetime.

Just think of the money that could be raised by your family, Girl Scout troop, school, or Service Unit!  If your troop chooses such a challenge, I'd love to hear about it.  Thank you for reading.

Cadette Badge: Good Sportsmanship

If my girls had decided to continue with a troop this fall, I'd have one Junior and one Cadette. Since they wished to earn badges on their own, I'm currently serving as a mentor for my two Juliettes. Last year, we had a split troop of Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts, so my younger daughter has already completed many of the Junior badge activities.  We agreed it is best for our family for both girls to work on Cadette badges this year.

My older daughter recently completed the Good Sportsmanship badge. She competed with a swim team for the summer, and we talked about the badge steps as the season progressed. As many readers prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, I thought this was the perfect time to share her badge work with readers.

STEP 1:  Create your own definition of sportsmanship.
Go to a sports event:  Aside from the swim meets, our family attended several professional baseball games this summer. During a live sporting event, there are always great examples of good and bad sportsmanship being demonstrated by athletes, officials, and fans. She followed the suggestion on page 3 of the badge booklet and jotted down 5 ways to be and not to be a good sport.

STEP 2: Be a good competitor
Get a biography of a female athlete who's a great competitor: This was a tough decision for my daughter--Bethany Hamilton or Mo'ne Davis?  She chose to borrow a biography from the library about Davis, the former Little League Baseball pitcher. After reading the book, she wrote a poem about the athlete as suggested on page 4 of the badge booklet.  

When I needed to occupy my girls one day this summer, I suggested they make Bottle Buddies. My mom is a retired fifth grade teacher. Every year, she asked her students to read a book and create a Bottle Buddy out of a 2-liter bottle and craft supplies. Remembering those projects, I encouraged my daughter to create Mo'ne Davis. She used a plastic bottle, beads, yarn, felt, popsicle sticks, paint, markers, and googly eyes. Here is a picture of her Bottle Buddy. She added beads to Mo'ne's hair, recalling a story about the time when an umpire told her to remove the beads from her hair for a game because the opposing coach said they were a distraction.

Though my younger daughter has not yet chosen her biography for the badge, she also wanted to create a Bottle Buddy. She used a plastic bottle, felt, marker, googly eyes, and brown sugar to make Michael Phelps--love those abs.  I'm sorry, she tells me this is Michael Felts. As you can see, this kid's quite a character.

Bottle Buddies make a great craft for Girl Scout troop meetings--for example, Daisies could earn their green petal as they use their resources wisely. (They are using recycled plastic bottles and supplies left over from previous crafts).  I also think this could be a fun way to recognize Founder's Day or to celebrate Juliette Gordon Low's birthday. Maybe your girls could find a way to incorporate Bottle Buddies into Thinking Day. With so many Girl Scouts watching this summer's Olympic Games, making a favorite female athlete Bottle Buddy would be a fun way to kickoff the year. 

STEP 3:  Be a good teammate
Though incredibly long, swim meets are fun to watch. Not only are the swimmers competing against the other athletes in the pool, they are racing against the clock. Additionally, the teams are competing against each other. For the past four years, I've watched the kids on my daughter's swim team continually demonstrate good sportsmanship by encouraging and supporting each other. The girls will exchange high fives before mounting the blocks, and you can hear them say "good job" and "great swim" to each other as they climb out of the pool.

In addition to being a good teammate at the pool, my daughter was able to play "Capture the Flag" with some family friends at a recent gathering. As one of the older kids, she helped the group work as a team and kept the younger kids involved.

STEP 4:  Psych yourself up
Mind over matter:  Prior to prelims this summer, my daughter was aware of her seed in the tournament and the time she needed to beat to secure a place in Championships. We talked about visualizing her start, the strokes, turns, and a strong finish. I watched her mentally prepare as she waited to mount the starting block. We were ecstatic when she swam a personal best!

STEP 5:  Put your definition of good sportsmanship into action
One of my favorite moments this season occurred just after a swimmer from another team touched the wall a fraction of a second before my daughter. When their heads popped out of the water and they saw the results of the race, the two ten-year-olds reached over the lane lines and grabbed hands. 

Both girls will play basketball this winter, and my younger daughter will complete the badge requirements at that time.

We have quite a few badges on the list to complete this year. I hope you will check back as I hope to publish again soon. Thank you for reading.

Disney World: Preparing Kiddos for EPCOT

Oh, Winter, with your gray skies, frigid temperatures, and slushy streets...our family always seems to need a little pick-me-up once we've made it through the holidays.  For several years, we have escaped to Orlando, Florida, spending a few days in warmer weather with Mickey Mouse.  Earlier this fall, I spent hours researching other vacation destinations, but it's difficult to try something new.  With Disney's Magical Express and complimentary resort transportation,  traveling is so easy.  I am thankful we never had to worry about lugging car seats and boosters through the airport when our girls were younger.  

I frequently refer to these wonderful blogs, forums, podcasts, and websites when planning a trip to Disney World (listed in alphabetical order):

allears.net
disboards.com
disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com
disneyworld.disney.go.com 
mousequestpodcast.com
mousesavers.com
www.wdwmagic.com

There is an abundance of Disney-related information at your fingertips.  Why, then, am I writing about Disney World on a blog that was created to serve as an additional resource for Girl Scout leaders?  Two reasons:

1. To share with others how I prepared my young daughters for their first trip to EPCOT. 
2. To provide ideas that Girl Scout troops could possibly use for a Thinking Day celebration.

In our Service Unit's Thinking Day celebration, troops select a region to represent.  One year, a country is chosen.  The following year, a state is selected.  To educate other Scouts and their families about the respective area, troops create a booth and include games, crafts, and/or snacks that relate to the country or state they selected.  In this post, I will share what my daughters and I did as we prepared to "visit" different countries at EPCOT.  Depending on the ages of the Girl Scouts, the following ideas could easily be incorporated in plans for a troop's Thinking Day booth.  These ideas could also serve as a springboard for something more sophisticated for the older crew.

I chose four countries:  Norway, Mexico, Canada, and China.  My girls were 3 and 4-years-old at this time, so our lessons were short and sweet.  Each lesson began by finding Ohio and the EPCOT country on a globe.  We then became familiar with the country's flag.  With my girls sitting next to me, I did a quick online search for facts about the countries.  I shared fun tidbits I thought would peak their interest.  We made a craft that related to our discussion and ended with a themed but super-simple snack.

NORWAY:  
The girls glued cotton balls to a polar bear coloring sheet like this one before enjoying "antique snowshoe pretzels" (Snyder's of Hanover Butter Snaps Pretzels).  

CANADA: 
After learning about Canadian wildlife, the girls made moose antlers.  They traced their hands on construction paper, cut them out, and taped them to the headband I measured for them.  Looks like we learned about Norway and Canada on the same day!  Since I already had an open bag of those "snowshoe" pretzels, I didn't have to come up with another snack.

CHINA:
Panda masks!  We used white cardstock and black construction paper to make these adorable masks.  I had them look at a picture of a panda bear before cutting out the black eye patches and nose.  We used a circle cutter to make the eye openings and ears.  Their favorite part of this lesson was watching a live feeding on Panda Cam.  While they enjoyed the live telecast, I quickly heated some store-bought egg rolls in the oven for our snack.

MEXICO:
This was my favorite lesson!  The girls made ponchos by painting brown paper grocery bags.  I cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for their heads.  I made slits down both sides of the bag for their arms.  They painted the bags using bright colors.  When they were finishing the project, it was almost time for lunch.  I decided to make them black bean quesadillas to celebrate the end of our Mexican lesson.

While I will admit EPCOT proved to be a complete bore for these little ones that year, my husband and I were glad they were familiar with a few of the countries we visited during our trip.  In any case, we had fun learning!  It's important to point out that our girls (now ages 10 and 9) absolutely love EPCOT thanks to Agent P's World Showcase Adventure.  Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!

Bridging Ceremony Invitation

Since our troop does not meet during the summer, I decided to branch off a little and share some of the birthday invitations I have made for my daughters over the years.  The invitations featured in Birthday Party Invitations:  Part One, Part Two, and Part Three were easy to make just by using circles (and ovals) and a little imagination.  

The girls in our Girl Scout troop have made invitations during our meetings on several occasions like our Thinking Day Tea, our Mother's Day Tea, and our Bridging to Juniors Ceremony and our Bridging to Brownies Ceremony.  On several occasions, we have given them cardstock, markers, and the freedom to create their own invitations.  When the girls were Daisies, I printed the event details on cardstock and cut them so the girls could glue the cardstock to the back of the invitation.  Once they bridged to Brownies, I started printing the specifics on a sheet of paper.  I thought the invitation with handwritten details would be a cute keepsake.

In this post, I will describe how to make this rainbow invitation that could be replicated for your next troop event. 

RAINBOW BRIDGING INVITATION  

Inspiration provided by this pin.  I made this invitation for our girls to give to their families when they were bridging from Brownies to Junior Girl Scouts. I also talk about this invitation in this post about planning and preparing for our Bridging Ceremony.  The Girl Scout Bridging Arcs resemble a rainbow, in fact the Bridge to Brownie Award used to be a rainbow.  What an easy theme for an event!

Directions:
1.  Cut light blue cardstock into 5 1/4" x 3 1/2" rectangles.
2.  Using a pencil, lightly draw a fluffy cloud shape on white cardstock.  This cloud happens to be 4 1/2" x 3" at it's highest points.  If you have a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutting Machine, you may wish to use the Cricut Create a Critter Cartridge to cut the cloud shapes.  
3.  Cut red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple ribbon into 4" pieces.
4.  Tie colored pony beads to one end of each ribbon.  
5.  I used a 1/4" rectangle hand punch to cut holes about 1" from the bottom of the cloud's edge, spacing the holes about 1/2" apart.
6.  Arranging the ribbon in rainbow-colored order, thread each ribbon through one hole and adhere to the back of the cloud.  I used a glue stick.
7.  Glue the cloud to the blue cardstock.
8.  Handwrite or print party details on another piece of cardstock and adhere to the back of the invitation.

I had the ribbon remaining from our Girl Scout ribbon Law flip flops project, and the beads were left over from various projects like beaded Christmas ornaments.  Therefore the cost to make this invitation was minimal.

I invite you to check back as our Junior Girl Scouts will be making invitations later this year to satisfy a badge requirement for the Social Butterfly badge.  Thank you for reading!

Service Project: Project Linus

Project Linus is an organization that "provide(s) love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer(s).”  The Cincinnati Chapter distributes the blankets "through dozens of sites, including hospitals, social service agencies, shelters, pregnancy centers, police/fire/EMS units, etc. in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton & Warren Counties in Southwestern Ohio."  In January 2013, I entered a blog post about Thinking Day.  I wrote, "the (Thinking Day) theme for 2013 is 'together we can change children's lives,' and 'every mother's life and health is precious.'  Our girls have decided to make fleece blankets for Project Linus this year."  I asked readers to check back to read about the project.  I recently realized I failed to come through with the post.  Here we are an entire year later...

Our Daisy and Brownie troops combined to work on these blankets.  In the months leading up to our February event, I watched for sales on fleece at various fabric stores.  I purchased this fleece on sale at JoAnn's, also using a 40% off coupon. 

Here are the Cincinnati Chapter Fleece Blanket Guidelines from their website:

The Cincinnati, OH Chapter prefers single-layer fleece blankets. While we can place a certain number of double-layer blankets, most of the facilities receiving our blankets find them too heavy.

• Baby -- 1 yard, cut in half yielding two 30" X 36" blankets. Finish with a hemmed or crocheted edge. (no fringe, please)
• Toddler -- 1¼ yds
• Child -- 1½ yds 
• Teen -- 2 yds 

Blankets, just like kids, come in many sizes. They need not be these exact dimensions.

Please refer to this website for additional instructions and considerations.  The website discusses purchasing supplies, preparing the fleece, cutting the fleece, tying the fleece.  It also provides diagrams and troubleshoots potential problems.  My advice to you...use a good pair of scissors!

Our girls voted to complete the extra steps required by Project Linus to earn the official Blanketeer patch.  The patch measures approximately 3 inches high and 2 inches across and features Linus himself clutching his signature blankie.  They can be ordered from the Chapter for $1.75 each.  To earn this patch, every girl had to make a blanket to donate.  They had to recruit someone to make an additional blanket to donate.  They had to donate money or supplies to the organization.  A portion of the money the troops earned through the Cookie Sale was used to cover the cost of the fleece and some supplies for the organization.  I contacted our Chapter for a Wish List, but this link will give you an idea of the requests.  Knowing other family members would be making additional blankets, I purchased more fleece than we needed for the girls.  Several mothers reimbursed me for this extra fleece.  It was a good deal for all of us.  Please note that the Chapter Coordinator has changed since we worked on this project.  I would suggest contacting the Chapter before starting a project to learn of any changes that may have been made over the last year. 

Since our girls were Daisies and younger Brownies, we leaders decided to prepare the blankets before the meeting.  I placed a number on each blanket.  When the girls arrived at the meeting, they were given a number.  One by one, they claimed the fleece they would tie.  This not only saved us time, but there were no issues with girls not getting the print they wanted.  They spread out and got to work.  We leaders were happy with our decision to prepare the blankets in advance because several of the younger girls needed our attention as they were tying their fringe.  Most of the girls finished their blankets within the hour-long meeting.  Please refer to this website for drop-off locations and instructions.  Thank you for reading!

Thinking Day: Greece

The Girl Scout troops in our Service Unit coordinate a huge Thinking Day event every year.  As I understand, individual troops choose a state or country to represent.  One year they choose a state, and the next year they choose a country.  Troops decorate a booth to represent the country or state they have chosen.  During this fundraising event, Girl Scouts, their family members, and friends visit the booths.  They purchase tickets that allow them to do the craft, play the game, or enjoy a snack at each booth they visit. This year will be the first year our troops attend this Service Unit Thinking Day.  Our girls will not create and run a booth this year.  Once they experience the event, they will be able to vote how they are interested in participating next year. 

To celebrate Thinking Day in 2012, our girls had an opportunity to learn about Greece.  Decades ago, the grandmother of one of the girls in our troop immigrated to the United States from her small village in Greece.  The girl's mother agreed to interview the grandmother about her life as a young girl in Greece.  The mother then shared the grandmother's stories with us.  She brought books from the library so the girls could look at pictures while she presented information about Greek architecture and Greek contributions to the modern world.  She introduced the girls to the Greek alphabet and helped them count to ten in Macedonian.  They were also given a brief history of the Olympic Games.

Finding Greece on the globe.

 

Our favorite part of the meeting was when the mother shared some fascinating stories of the grandmother's childhood.  Everything from her home and her chores to her toys and her education was so different from the lives of young girls living in the United States.  The girls were then given the opportunity to try on an outfit the grandmother wore when she was around their age. 




The girls finished up the meeting by making an Olympic torch.  This craft did not cost us a dime because we had the paper remaining from a previous craft.  The girls also worked on an Olympic rings coloring sheet while they enjoyed Greek cookies.  We all had fun learning about life as a young girl in Greece.  Thanks for reading!

Thinking Day Ceremony and WAGGGS Pin

As I wrote in my last post, Girl Scouts around the world celebrate Thinking Day on February 22^nd.  Thinking Day gives us the chance to talk about our similarities with other Girl Scouts around the world.  We are a part of a global community, working to make the world a better place.  The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) announces a theme for Thinking Day each year.  

For Thinking Day 2011, we used the 2010 theme.  We had a tea party with a lesson to help the girls understand hunger and poverty and what they can do together to help others who are suffering.  In 2012, our girls learned about growing up as a girl in Greece (this post is coming soon!).  The theme for 2013 is "together we can change children's lives," and "every mother's life and health is precious."  Our girls have decided to make fleece blankets for Project Linus this year.  Please check back in late February to read a post about this event.

New girls in our troop receive the WAGGGS Pin during our Thinking Day celebration.  This pin shows that the girls are a part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.  It is worn on the Insignia Tab above the Membership Pin.  On it are three leaves representing the Girl Scout Promise, with a flame that stands for loving all the people in the world. The compass needle is to guide you, and the two stars are the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The outer circle represents the World Association, and the golden yellow trefoil on a bright blue background stands for the sun shining over the children of the world.  

When our girls were Daisy Girl Scouts, we had an informal ceremony before the new members were given their pins.  I modified a Thinking Day ceremony from Ceremonies in Girl Scouting:

THINKING DAY CEREMONY

1. On February 22nd, Girl Scouts around the world celebrate Thinking Day.
2. February 22nd is the birthday of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell.
3. Lord baden-Powell founded Boy Scouts in 1907.  Lady Baden-Powell started Girl Guides in England in 1909.
4. Juliette Gordon Low was inspired by the Baden-Powells and founded Girl Scouts in the United States in 1912.
5. Today the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) reaches girls in 145 countries around the globe.
6. Thinking Day gives us the opportunity to recognize the similarities we have with Girl Scouts around the world.
7. Thinking Day reminds us that Girl Scouts is part of a global community.
8.  As we "think globally," we must "act locally."  As Girl Scouts, we are building courage, confidence, and character and working to make the world a better place.  

Prior to the meeting, I wrote these statements with a Sharpie on individual index cards.  We asked each girl to stand in a line and read her part loudly and clearly so the rest of the troop could hear her.  The first time the girls participated in the ceremony, they were in Kindergarten.  It was quickly evident that some girls could already read while others were struggling.  They were all quiet and many of them needed help with most of the words on the cards.  The next year we repeated the ceremony for the girls who were new to our troop.  I learned from the past and assigned each girl a specific part.  They were sent home with a copy of their lines so they could practice reading.  They returned the day of the ceremony and read their parts perfectly.  Certainly it takes a little more time for leaders and girls to prepare, but it is definitely worth the effort.  The girls were so much more confident the second year, and they had more fun.  Thanks for reading!