March 12 is the birthday of Girl Scouting. This is the day the first Girl Scout meeting was
held in the United States in 1912. The first troop consisted of Juliette Low, two other
adults and 18 girls.
Juliette's niece, Daisy Gordon, was the first girl registered in America. The week containing
Girl Scout birthday is known as Girl Scout Week. The Saturday and Sunday of the week
that includes March 12 are designated as Girl Scout Sabbath and Girl Scout Sunday respectively.
During this week, troops should make a special effort to celebrate Girl Scouting.
Here are some "firsts" you can share with your troop:
- March 12, 1912, the first Girl Guide company in the US was organized.
- The first camp was held in the summer of 1912.
- In 1913, the name was changed to Girl Scouts.
- The first uniform was blue.
- The first Girl Scout Handbook was called "How Girls Can Help Their Country."
Here are some ideas to help you celebrate Girl Scout Week:
- Get together with other troops in your Service Unit to sing songs, do skits, or play
games that celebrate Girl Scouting.
- Bury a time capsule with items your girls feel represent Girl Scouting today and their
expectations for Girl Scouting in the future.
- Schedule an act of service in your community.
- Make posters depicting Girl Scouts to display in schools and libraries.
- Invite a Destinations participant to your meeting to explain about her trip. (Call or
Nancy Suhaka at Council for a list.)
- Invite an older Girl Scout troop to your meeting to tell what they do in Girl Scouting.
- Learn about WAGGGS. Pick a country and learn their Promise, Law and Motto in their language.
- Start the Everyone Belongs patch and find out about Girl Scouting in each of the countries you pick.
- Learn to make Friendship Bracelets and pins and share with another troop.
- Learn more about the games and activities from 1912.
- Participate in a service at a place of worship on Girl Scout Sunday or Sabbath. Download a Girl Scout Sunday Responsive Reading.
- Learn about Girl Scout history by visiting GSUSA's Girl Scout Museum online.
- Find more ideas at Happy Birthday Girl Scouts! (on the Scouting for All Seasons site).
- Also check
GSUSA's archived site for some suggestions made by troops. Be warned, because this is an archive of the site, it is slow-loading and there are some broken links!
|
