by Chris Dixon

Created on: October 06, 2009

Girl Scouts

Brownies are so much fun for young girls, it's easy to forget there is a lifelong lesson to be learned! A Brownie meeting should begin with the girl scout promise which states,..."on my honor, I will try, to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the girl scout law"

The girl scout law states:

I will do my best to be

honest and fair, friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others, respect authority,
use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Brownies are all about having fun, but the REAL fun is in the greater good! Brownies are Girls Scouts that are in the first through third grades. But don't be deceived by their small size, they are a force to be reckoned with! When a brownie troop first forms the girls are so young that some of them haven't really figured themselves out as individuals yet. That's the best part of being a troop leader, watching little girls transform like butterflies and start to spread their wings before your very eyes. They all start out very reserved, kind of each in their own shells. But through their journey as Brownies they learn that we are all different in many ways and we are all the same in many ways. They learn to embrace each others differences, or see beyond them. They learn about personal responsibility, about helping others, about working together as a team, and they learn that one persons actions CAN make a difference, even if that person is 'just' a little girl.

Every great Brownie meeting is fun and informative. A good troop leader knows her girls and what they like and caters to them each at times. The main activity should be changed up each week. The chances that EVERY child loves crafts is slim. Some may like it, but love sports or nature or something more that can be incorporated into the activity. Each girl should feel special, because each girl IS special. Activities can not only be fun, they can also be rewarding! Brownies have a Try-It book which contains activities for the girls to try, and when they complete a certain # of try it activities, they can earn try-it badges to be sewn onto a brown Brownie vest! Try-its can be earned with their troop or individually, based on what a girls interests are. These badges are worn with pride and shown off, talked about when we meet other troops. Some badges are for community service, which is often carried into adulthood, in fact many girls keep their Brownie vests for the rest of their life as the experience of being a Brownie is often one of their most fun and treasured childhood memories!

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