Today I am thankful for Girl Scouts. I have been a Girl Scout leader since my daughter, Rachel, was in kindergarten. Rachel will be entering high school next week. When I reflect back on the activities we did and lessons we tried to teach to 5 year olds, it gives me such an incredible sense of pride to see how far we all have come. Our troop consists of four of the original girls from our Daisy Troop. Currently we only have five girls in our troop so I think our retention rate is pretty darn good. We had as many as 20 troop members at one point - those were the days when I had lots of motivation and energy for seven, eight and nine year olds.
While we have done many projects, badges, community service projects and fantastic field trips, we will be participating in an event this year that I have always wanted to do, but never pursued. Each year Girl Scouts all over the world participate in International Thinking Day which is each February. One of the activities available is an International Postcard Exchange. Interested troops register for this exchange and from September to Thinking Day in February, you exchange postcards with troops all over the world, as well as troops throughout every state in the United States. I am so excited to see the different places we will visit through our postcard exchange. Each member of our troop will participate by supplying postage, postcards and their time in writing out the cards. In speaking with a friend who had done this previously, her troop had received so many cards from so many interesting places.
I think this will be a wonderful experience for the girls and I am very excited about it as well. We will attend our local International Thinking Day event in February 2009 to display and share our postcards. I will keep you posted. It will be such fun to share info about our area here in South Florida with troops from all over the world and to find out things about those troops and areas as well.
Today I am thankful for Girl Scouts for providing incredible opportunities for the girls, as it is all about them, but I have gained so much from this experience as well. It has been so rewarding to guide them along the way and watch them learn and mature.
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6 comments:
I, too, was a Brownie and Girl Scout. My mother was our leader and it meant a lot to me. To this day, I have wonderful memories of our weekend trip to Chicago. How she managed 12 or 13 girls on the train ride from Michigan and the cabs to the hotel and El to museums, etc. is still amazing to me. She had helpers, but still she was the organizer of the whole thing. That has always been an example to me as I am sure you are to your daughters.
I began in Brownies and went all the way to Seniors. Those adventures were just wonderful.
Stop by my blog, I am having a GIVEAWAY.
I must say, I am thankful for girl scouts too. It is always alot of fun, everything we do. I loved when you were the leader. You always know how to make everything fun!!!! (:
And it gives you more time with your sweet Rachel! I'm betting that's the "best" part. I was a leader in Yuma, AZ for a very short time before we had to move. Can't say I loved it though.......
Smoochies,
Connie
What a wonderful opportunity to teach girls. When I lived in Hong Kong, I was a Daisy Leader, which was something designed for pre-brownies. It was such a joy to help the little ones earn their badges. Karen
That postcard exchange is such a great idea!! I cant wait to see what cool places you get them from!<3
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