Girl Scouts

My kids started Kindergarten last week and today my daughter came home with a sign up sheet for the Girl Scouts. I was not in Girl Scouts and other than the fact that they sell cookies, don't know a lot about them. Anyone care to share some experiences with Girl Scouts? Did your girls join and what age is best to start this? Thanks for the feedback.

 

I was a Girl Scout for most of my childhood and teen years. Because I had had a good experience I had my oldest daughter join....she stayed a year, and decided she didn't like it. Fast forward 12 years to the twins, and BOTH wanted to join. So WE did, yes that's right I joined again with them, this time as a leader.


Girl Scouting is about helping girls be leaders and helping them become successful adults. Yes they sell cookies, but the reason behind the cookies is teaching the girls confidence, marketing, goal setting, sales, and how to achieve their goals. Each troop is different, but most will work with your girls on journeys to becoming the best girls, and women they can be. There are crafts, camping, cooking, first aid, reading, sewing, auto mechanics, computers, environmental conciousness, recycling and so much more.


Here is the national website for GS

 

I loved, loved, loved being a Girl Scout. I am competitive and enjoyed selling cookies. Beyond that, we did crafts, dances (I stink at organized dancing!) and we went camping where we learned knife skills, fire starting (camp fires!), cooking, using a compass, etc. I also went to Girl Scout camp in the summertime and learned I can survive a week with latrines! :lol:

 

I also did Girl Scouts and my daughter did it last year (1st grade). She wanted to stay in it this year as well, but choices needed to be made and GS was what got cut.

There isn't much I can add about GS in general, than what was already mentioned above. The program really is a good one and teaches girls some wonderful things. It also gives girls some wonderful opportunities to do things they may normally not be able to.

I don't really think there is a "best" time for your daughter to start. If she is interested, and it will fit in your schedule, let her try. The activities they plan for the meetings are age appropriate. I believe all the girls in the troop would be in the same grade, or one grade above/below. At least that's how it worked when I was in it and for my daughter last year.

 

Yeah, what they said. My girls joined last year, in Kindergarten and I'm their troop leader! :good:

 

We joined last year and my girls love it. It was awkard at first because I didn't know anyone, but we had to start a new troop so all of us were new. Now two years in, all of our girls know each other and all of us moms, too, and my girls really look forward to the meetings every month.

 

I think it all depends on the troop. My oldest daughter did GS for 4 years. Her troop was very laid back, meeting just once a month. It was perfect for us. They had a great time, but over the last 2 years the troop just wound down. The girls went to so many different schools, both in town and a half hour away, and were in other activities that made scheduling a nightmare. Her troop just faded, and she's fine with that.

My middle daughter did GS for 2 years. Her leader did a GREAT job, but was seriously obsessed with GS. This was her life. We were asked in May to commit to an event in September, for example. It was just too much for us, and Joey never had a super good time, though she was happy to be with her friends.

My youngest was just a Daisy for one year, in kindergarten. I was not at all impressed by her leader. They only read stories and had a snack. I expected more, and they met 2x a week.

Our town's GS program, at the volunteer level, is also a wreck. There have been recent issues with embezzlement and just not treating other leaders as adults.

No one is doing GS this year. Instead, they are all doing 4-H at the farm where Joey occasionally takes riding lessons. One meeting once a month that they all go to is much better than 5 separate ones! They are all happy yo be around horse and try something new.

I think GS can be great, I have great memories of Girl Scouting, it just didn't work out for my girls.

 

Abby started Daisies last year in K and has great leaders, young and hip and do a lot of fun stuff with the girls...crafts, dancing etc...she LOVES it - made a lot of friends etc...she is planning on joining again this year - I'm not sure where the Brownie troop is out of but she really loves Daisies...

I was a GS for 5 years (Brownies and Juniors)...I considered Cadets but at that time none of my friends wanted to take it that far, so I didn't either...and it was ok - I got into baseball at that point anyway...

 

Amy, they should bridge up to Brownies after 1st grade. I have many friends whose kids are in Girl Scouts, and when my kids went into 1st, they transitioned Daisy's from 1 year to 2. So, she should be a Daisy for another year.

Almost all the girls I know started Brownies in K, and some are still in as cadets. It seems the ones that are into the travel sports leagues have dropped it, but the other girls have continued.

 

Maddie has been a GS since Kindergarten as a Daisy and will be starting her first year as a Junior in 2 weeks...lol. She loves it, and I love that she does. I was only a GS for 3 years- Junior. This year I chose to lead the troop or we may not have been able to participate. We have a troop that is on the smaller side which suits us just fine.

They did change the makeup of GS:
Daisy is K & 1st
Brownie is 2nd & 3rd
Juniors is 4th & 5th
Cadets is 6th-8th
Seniors is 9th & 10th
Ambassadors is 11th & 12th

 

Thanks Danielle for the list! I never been part of the GS myself so this is really ALL new to me! I just went to a 'meet & greet' meeting for Daisies. There were 12 Moms seem to be 'all new like myself' because they were asking questions and etc. My twin daughter said she want to be with her new friends from class room. It turns out, with split up Kindergarten my son had to come with us and he had 4 girls in his class he knows while my daughter has 3 in her class. The first meeting will be on 10/15th so let's hope this troop leader be very successful year!

We have to wait on the boy' scout until 1st grade. Why is that?

 

Meghan began in Daisies in Kindergarten and really liked it. She continued in first grade and had some really good leaders (heehee, I am one of them). She has now bridged to Brownies and we are leading the troop again this year. She and her friends have a lot of fun. We do crafts, dancing, have gone bowling, roller skating, etc. We meet every other week during the school year.

 

I inquired about whether there was a troop at our school last year when my girls were in K, and the local organization emailed me back and said I was welcome to start one. Eeek, no thanks! But I just got a notice about an informational meeting at another 1st grade parent's house this weekend (for Daisies). Since it would be a new troop, even though my kids would be joining in 1st grade, they wouldn't feel like "newbies." And since it would presumably be school-based, hopefully that would help with scheduling. (My kids basically couldn't go unless meetings were at school, since I can't leave work to drive them anywhere.)

I really hope it works out -- I think GS is a great organization -- but I have no idea what kind of leaders we're going to get, and I just can't possibly be one of them at the moment.

 

I think it all depends on your group too. I was the leader for 3 years and my parents reallly never helped and I put a ton of my own money into it. I finally said I could not lead it anymore and both the girls and I stopped. I think if you have coorporative parents and a good leader then it should be fun.

 

We have about 7 (or 5) second graders interested in joining girl scouts but no one who wants to be a leader. Audrey keeps asking me when Girl Scouts is going to start.

 

Cassie is currently a second year Junior and has been in Girl Scouts since first grade. We made her wait until Ethan could join Cub Scouts because it would have been a huge deal if she started before he did. I'm currently one of Cassie's troop leaders. I used to be a Cub Scout leader, but stopped and moved to GS because Cassie's troop would not have had enough leaders. Right now she's still having a great time with it.

Cub scouts is organized much differently than Girl Scouts. They have a 1st - 5th grade Pack and grade level dens. By 5th grade it seems the boys are starting to get a little bored with the program because pack activities have to be geared to fit that huge age range. If kinder was thrown in, it would make the age spread even more difficult to work with. I know that a kinder level was tested at one time, but discontinued.

 

This is how I got stuck being a leader. I was a horrible leader I just wish I would have had more parental help.