Attention all Girl SCout leaders!?!?

Question

I am a new brownie scout leader and need help with some stuff, like what all will i need to purchase for the craft box i am making for my troop? tell me what i am missing please i am getting or already have these things- glue gun, hot glue sticks, markers, reg. glue sticks, crayons, construction paper, foam stickers,scissors for all the girls,pom poms, glitter, popsicle craft sticks i think that my whole list so what am i missing i will possibly need?
also what are some crafts your troop has made that they enjoyed doing? i am going to have my 1st official meeting on saturday and am sooo nervous!! I don't want to seem like a total lost person you know so everyone please pray I do okay. and thanks in advance for all the comments and help you give, and and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

well there are gonna be parents there i am gonna have a meet and greet deal to let each parent meet the other and the other scouts as well. i have a co leader and a volunteer mother who one is my sister in las and the other is like a best friend, i have 11 girls in troop 2 are kids, 3 are neices, and the rest are from either my kids ballet class and school. so 5 of those are like always at my house on weekends. i am going to make a list and let each parent put there name by what they wanna bring, and us 3 volunteers are splitting up snacks at the meeting this meeting is like a welcome and christmas party deal for the troop i am making them goody bags with neat lil things for them, just to show how glad i am to be a volunteer.

Answer 1

First - there are some *great* Brownie Leader groups on Yahoo - I suggest you check them out.

Second - don't spend yourself poor! See if older troops have hand me downs. Also send out a list with the parents - for example, since I bought a new box of crayons every year, I had several boxes to donate to my troop. Yarn and felt are two other useful materials that familes may have just sitting around.

Also - your parents will thank you if you *don't* do a craft or two every meeting. There are games, songs, flag ceremonies, etc. they can learn. Ask in your area if there are some trained older girls (Program Aides) that can help.

With the help of other Brownie leaders, I compiled a document I called "How to start a troop without becoming broke."
http://www.scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/SubPages/StartTroopNotBroke.htm

Above all, enjoy yourself! It can be a lot of fun.

Answer 2

Relax! It sounds like you have an awesome craft box! Keep in mind, though, that it's going to change from craft to craft. Keep it simple, and don't get too caught up in the "craftiness" of it all. If you are looking for fun, simple crafts, try Googling "Girl Scout Swaps" for little craft projects that the girls would enjoy -- they can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. Swaps are little "share with a friend" mementos -- some Scouts are REALLY into them as a way of sharing when they meet new Scouts, etc.

Our Council has an extremely good website and resources for volunteer leaders, including a six-page list of suggestions for your "first meeting":

http://www.girlscoutsnwga.org/volunteer_zone/documents/TIPS-first_gs_meeting.pdf

Read it and get a feel for the sort of things that need to be dealt with. (Skip over all the first page stuff -- most of that are rules that govern us in our Council, as far as training, etc.)

Good luck, and thank you for taking on the responsibility of leading these young girls! Just remember, you don't have to do it all on your own -- you are the leader, not the slave. The more you share the responsiblity for different functions, the more ownership parents feel in the troop. (For example, have one mom in charge of membership forms, etc., have a couple of parents take a First Aid course so that you always have a First Aider with you, have another mom organize field trips and car pools, etc.) You're the idea person, but that doesn't mean you have to do it all! I love your enthusiasm, but make sure you share that enthusiasm -- the quickest way to burn out is to think that you are the only one who can do it!

Answer 3

Darling, you need to relax! This is a volunteer organization and you are on a budget. It is not your job to do everything, it is your job to support the girls in doing it themselves. Even kiddies of this age can take some responsibility for ideas, cleaning up after themselves etc. It's not a babysitting job, you are a volunteer, therefore you are no-one's employee. The spirit of scouting was never to provide an after school care program. The spirit of scouting was to provide opportunities for girls to learn new skills, socialise in a friendly and safe atmosphere and contribute to the community. When dealing with this age group, you will have more responsibility for organising activities than if you had older kids. Still, at this age, your sixers/ patrol leaders (or whatever you call them) should be trained to those leadership positions and take turns in running games etc. When I was a brownie leader, we used to spend more time figuring out exactly which girls to put in which patrols (to provide the best arrangement as far as personalities and character development went) than we did in organising games and activities. Anything they can do themselves, let them!! Otherwise you lose the spirit of it all, and you burn out.
So, your craft box sounds quite sufficient! If you need anything else along the way, you'll be able to go out and get it. It's a journey, not a destination, and it will be just as character developing for you as it is for the girls. If at all possible, buddy up with the "old fashioned" leaders. You'll learn A LOT and you'll find direction for your journey as a leader. A guide leader is a character development co-ordinator, not a babysitter. Make the girls work for their badges. Don't pass them for any little token gesture effort, or the badges become meaningless. Don't force them to do any, because it's really their business if they do or don't, but do encourage. Challenge them, but not too much. As you get to know the girls, you'll know how far you can push each one. One of my brownie leaders made me practise tying a reef knot for 10 weeks in a row before she'd pass me! I even had to learn to tie it with my feet! (How's that for a party trick?) One of the girls who was in my patrol for almost my entire guiding "career" was one of the laziest kids I've ever met. She wouldn't do a thing to help out. Imagine how proud we all were when we got her to wash a few wooden spoons on a camp! She was 13 and we'd had her since she was 7! Another kid, and that would be pathetic, but for this kid, it was a real show of character development. Never tell a girl to go and do something again. But, you can say things like "Oh, you've been working hard at that. It's looking good, but do you think you can re-glue that bit there a bit straighter?" or "Oops, you missed that bit there. Would you give it another quick wash please?"
Learn the art of working passively. It's those behind the scenes skills that are most important for a leader. It's hard. In this day and age, parents are just as "instant gratification" as the kids are, so you do need to be diplomatic. Don't let them walk over you or tell you how to run your troop though. They don't pay you; but most don't realise that. Oh, I could come out with illustrating stories all day, but that's not what you were asking for. I do hope there is another experienced leader to teach you all this though. You and the girls deserve the best experience, but most leaders these days don't have those skills or even know they are meant to.
There is no need to be nervous, unless there are parents watching, so I hope you send them home! Or recruit them as new leaders, hehehehheh.

Answer 4

It's going to depend on what you plan to do for crafts.

I would replace the hot glue gun with a cold one, Brownies are young and may not have the fine motor control necessary to keep from burning themselves.

Some craft ideas
http://crafts.kaboose.com/brownie-girl-scout-crafts.html

Do you have this book?
http://goshop.girlscouts.org/GSUSAOnline/GSProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=GUIDE+BOOK+FOR+BROWNIE+GIRL+SCOUT+LEADERS&menuClicked=true
.

Answer 5

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