u/ellemenopeaqu

Hi all. I'm a girl scout coleader for a group of kids who are mostly 5th & 6th graders (10-12 years old). About half do various forms of theater, either through school, summer camp or a private org nearby. Although they would never admit to it, most of them also love playing pretend (school, house and whatever the current fandom is) and games like Telephone.

Sometimes we finish everything early and are scrambling for something to do before pick up. Taking their interests into account, i thought some improv games might be a good activity for those times. Depending on the night it can be anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes (especially when parents stay to chat or fill out permission slips).

I'd love to start the year teaching them some games they can eventually start to run on their own. The thing is i have no clue aside from my kid poorly explaining games she did at theater camp. I'm happy to read whatever resources, but don't even know where to start! I'm not worried about them ever being great improv artists, just have some fun. Those associated soft skills are good too.

So... where do i start? Are there resources aimed at pre-teens? Games that are easier for ~10 kids? Or do i need to break them in smaller groups? Are there games where people can drop out along the way as parents arrive? Are there good ground rules to set for that age group?

I am hoping to take them to a local improv group's workshop & family show but getting people to attend things outside of meetings is often difficult.

Thanks in advance!

I'm a coleader for a group of girl scouts, almost all entering 6th grade and a few 5th graders (so 10-12 years old).

Last year a group of them made a few issues of a school newspaper with no adult helps aside from killing the ink on my printer. Many of them love to draw and/or write... when the topic is up to them and spelling isn't judged.

I feel like learning about zines and making their own would hit a lot of their interests and feel exciting. These kids are all about jumping in and DO-ing, not so much planning and perfection.

So really i have a few questions -

1. What would i need to teach them if we don't do computers/phones/tablets at meetings? Paper, pens, pencils, markers, old magazines, scissors, glue... anything else? I'm familiar with the 8-panel fold for song books and event passports if that is a good starting point.
2. I sadly don't generally see physical zines around in my middle-aged suburban mom life. I've seen some download sites on here, but curious if there are any that are specifically targeted to a PG audience (doesn't need to be squeaky clean, but i don't want to hand out the "sensitive topics" permission slip for this!).
3. If you were going to introduce zines to a group of tweens, would individual projects or a collaborative thing better? Both? Should i collect everything up and make copies for them to trade at the next meeting?
4. Any other awesome ideas you want to share?

Thanks in advance!

Looking at who is coming back in reality instead of just on paper, and our troop is going to be 6-10 first year cadettes, and 3 second-year juniors. Our town has 6th graders still in middle school, so i see this as a critical year as far as keeping the troop going. I want the new cadettes to see GS still has a ton to offer them before they change schools. I'm hoping to lean on Council programming as part of that - Winter camping (wish me luck!), hatchet throwing, and our Older Girl Conference. The Juniors won't be left behind - all of them can still go to our favorite STEM event, and there is a council camp out that only Juniors can do. They are a little pod and enjoy just them time.

I also want to stick with what i know they love. So, friends, can you sanity check any of this for a troop with 8-12 kids at any given meeting?

• Meeting/troop structure
  • Instituting snack while we do all the important announcements and do any 'talky' stuff. We meet during dinner time, many come from other activities and they love food. Thinking if we have families sign up to be the 'snack person', then everyone would do it 1-2x per year. We already have reusable dishware.
  • A physical troop newsletter with upcoming event info, fun facts, small challenges. Encourage them to submit drawings, poems or other things they want to share with everyone. Currently some parents don't tell their kids about upcoming non-meeting events and others just sign them up without informing them.
  • Improv games at the end of meetings when we have extra time. Most love theater and games like Telephone. They also still play pretend...so long as no one tells them to!
  • Entry activities - we've moved on from coloring and worksheets to minute to win it games, but sometimes those are too fast. With set up and families dropping early/late i need 10-15 minutes of "go do this thing" before our meeting actually starts. If they are not engaged, they will cause chaos. I need some ideas here!!!!
  • Formalizing kapers - I'd love to hear how Cadette+ troops handle kapers that don't feel kiddish. I am 100% cool with fun jobs like DJ, game leader, etc. Previously we drew a name from the stack of popsicle sticks, but they are over that.
  • Staying phone free/low tech during meetings/events - Not everyone has a phone or the same level of freedom on them. Some of the kids have little to no self-control around the phones and it just results in chaos, stress and non-girl scout behavior.
• Meeting/event ideas
  • Friendsgiving - Did i mention they love food? Thinking of doing this as outdoor cooking so there is more room and we get to incorporate fire building, another highly enjoyed thing.
  • Zines? Most already like to draw and/or write - when there are no restrictions or concerns about spelling! Some made a school newspaper last year with no teacher involvement.
  • Jackknives and soap carving
  • Having a friend teach about natural beauty products and letting them make their own product (incorporating steps from flowers & trees badges)
  • Woodworking. Maybe the bang nails into a shape and use string to fill it in? The school we meet at wants a little free library - could we build one as a troop and donate it?
  • T-shirt modification or no-new bags from t-shirts? Life skill or not cool?
  • Organize a field day in the late spring/early summer for younger kids in the community (probably associated with some other groups in town which focus on screen free fun and community building).

Before you say "What do they want to do?" - Between starting school as 'covid kids', a lot of neurodiversity, complex home lives and fear of being cringe or uncool, many of them won't say what they want to do. I get the blank stares or silly answers (to which i say we need to sell a lot of cookies to go to France or I'll take them bungee jumping if they graduate high school as girl scouts).

All of the above is based off comments from them, things they do outside of scouts and trying to increase their independence. We are still using a lot of scaffolding. Trying new things ranks really high. As does food and anything that is quickly hands-on. They are not generally interested in highest awards, but half will show up for SU service focused events like food drives.

I just wanted to give a shout out to the Fish with CARE program. My son, 8, has been fishing a few times unsuccessfully. I haven't fished since i was much older than him, so it's not like i had a clue. We signed up for the event at Wethersfield Cove.

You need a fishing license but they provide the fishing poles & bait. They had an area set up to practice casting before going near the water, but if you were already comfortable, the folks would help you get set up. When folks caught something, they helped get pictures and taught how to get it off the hook.

The folks in charge were incredibly supportive, friendly, kind and knowledgeable. It was clear they enjoyed fishing and sharing it with others. The attendees varied in age, race and gender and everyone was granted the same kindness, support and attention. Attendees were supportive of each other too, cheering for successes and giving suggestions.

If you're fishing curious or haven't fished in a long time, i'd definitely give it a go.

When you camp as a family, how close are you to girl scout 'rules'? I was packing for us to go camping this weekend and realized the mix of things i was taking was different than when we go as a troop. Some of that is, of course, the number of folks going and what is available at the campsite.

Still, i was curious how other diverge from girl scout systems when camping on their own.

I've got a campsite reserved in a few weeks at Macedonia Brook State Park. With the kids at summer camp, i don't think I will get there until about 6. Is that going to be too late? We're quick to set up camp, but i'm more worried about checking in and all that.

Also - is there firewood for sale there? Any other advice? We'll have a tent in the Red Pine area.

TL;DR - Snacks at meetings for older girls? Yes? No? How do you do implement snacks?

Long Version - Our troop is 19 girls, with an average of 10-12 at any meeting. Most meetings are almost exclusively the current Juniors (4 4th graders and 9 5th graders) most of whom are returning next year. The other levels rarely attend due to other commitments and most are dropping out or only staying so they can attend a few council events.

Our school system goes K-6, 7-8, 9-12. Because of that breakdown i am really hoping to at least get a solid year into Cadettes for that big cluster before the dreaded middle school exodus. Trying to really listen to what they want to do and make it happen.

We typically meet 6-7:30 on a weeknight, so prime dinner time.

As part of our year end last night, one of our survey questions was "should we have snack?" with an intense YES. We have never done a regular meeting snack, even when they were Daisies!

It feels kind of silly, but i think starting the meeting with a snack could be when we do the talking part of the meeting - the news & updates, background for a badge, that sort of thing. Typically, they do not want to listen just dive into DOING.

Girl Led means Girl Led, right? And if a snack makes them happier...

Our families are mostly very supportive and happy to contribute. Is asking parents to sign up for snack duty too weird for this age group?

Aside from dietary restrictions/allergies (minimal), are there guidelines you provide?

Should i start doing RSVP on meetings so we know about how many folks to expect?

I should know better tbh! I see Chopped Challenges & Cupcake Wars in our future!

Our current pack is about 10 kids, with multiple combined dens because there are 0-1 kids in some grades.

I've taken on the job of scheduling outings for the next year. We haven't done a lot in the past but are hoping this will help with both retention & recruitment. No one every says "we had so much fun sitting in the cafeteria".

All the dens meet on the same school night weekly, with one of those meetings a month being the official pack meeting.

I believe outings in general have been limited - Flag Day Ceremony, Memorial Day Parade, raking leaves for seniors, 1 council camp out, maybe a minor league baseball game. Some of these are so poorly attended it seems worthless (my son was the only one from his pack at the parade).

For smaller packs, what is a reasonable amount of outings in a year? Should i focus on things in town and open during our meeting times? Weekend council events (Generally about an hour away)? Museum programs on weekends? Overnights?

Do i worry about adventure requirements, or just fun & interesting?

I colead a Girl Scout troop with about 18 girls are we average a little under 2 outings a month, with attendance anywhere from 2-10 girls, depending on what it is. We're able to lean heavier on council programming and do drop off/carpool, which i think factors in.

Tomorrow will be 1 month since my scleral buckle, vitrectomy & cryotherapy surgery to repair my detatchmnet. A week after surgery i had laser done to help some additional holes in my retina. My doctor is very happy with my progress, and last week my vision in the eye was 20/400 with my previous eyeglass prescription on (-3.25).

I am using a patch for most of the day when i walk my kids to school and use the computer for work, as i am experiencing double vision when i use both eyes. The doctor, last week, said i should be able to get new glasses in about 3 months, and they can add a prism for the double vision. Great, there is a plan!

For now though, i still have 2 active kids and their dad is not super helpful. I can't work from home indefinitely. I'm going to need to be able to drive, at least some of the time.

I've driven some very short distances, but it is stressful to just close my one eye. My mom said not to wear a patch because i'll get pulled over.

My doctor only told me "It's legal in CT to drive with one eye"... which i knew (my grandmother lost an eye as a child & drove) but legal and great ideas are not always the same!

Tell me about your post surgery return to driving? How long did you wait? Any tips or tricks to gain back confidence?

TL;DR - Our SU is partnering with other town orgs for some free, low-frills fun youth events. Looking for ideas that show how fun Girl Scouts is without feeling like a sales pitch or feed into the idea we just craft & sell cookies.

Extended Cut - There's a part of our community really focusing on managing youth screen use and encouraging play. We did a town wide book club of The Anxious Generation a few summers ago. We've got a chapter of The Balance Project. We're trying to push the Free Play Friday idea from Let Grow. At least one elementary did a big Wait Until 8th campaign as well.

We also lost a summer enrichment program this year.

The SU is partnering with a few other groups in town to do a summer activity bingo type of thing. We are also going to join on the Free Play Friday thing. While the ideal is kids are in their own neighborhoods, plenty of families worry about vehicle traffic and/or live in areas where it's harder to play with other kids.

Cub Scouts is planning a fishing event and a 'beach party' with the raingutter regatta. I've got to figure out our contribution. (This is not a competition - both groups are hurting for members and we're supportive of each other.)

I want it to at least kind of represent what we do while still being true to the uncomplicated, phone free, independent play idea. We also have very little budget. I feel like just bringing balls and chalk to the school grounds is too simple? Supplies for them to make and arrange obstacle courses? Does having crafts feed into stereotypes of GS? This is a community event and i imagine mostly preschool & elementary aged kids will attend, with some older siblings thrown in.

My hope is running it at a spot where adults can hang in the shade and chit-chat while kids are busy being kids. Provide water and maybe ice pops.

Next year i can get my troop to run a field day but we don't have the time left in the year.

I had my 3 week appointment yesterday post scleral buckle/bubble/cryo (alll the things!) and doc is happy. i mentioned I was still having pain in my brow area that worsened as the day went on.

he told me to use preservative free eye drops and I could keep them in the fridge. I could use them hourly if I wanted to.

it’s not a total fix but it feels SO good to use the cold drops! Definitely worth asking if you can do during recovery for a little relief!

Hi all,

My discounted Kelty Ashcroft has gotten me wet too many times. No matter what i do, water always seems to come in somewhere. It's time for it to go to the "good weather only" category. Here is what i am looking for:

• 3-person tent (usually it's just me or me & a kid, anything more and we use our bigger tent)
• Won't leak! It seems both Girl Scouts & Cub Scouts only camp in either the freezing cold, the pouring rain or both.
• Easy enough to set up with a kid/by a kid with help. My kids are about to be 8 & 11, and enjoy camping. They can do most of the set up, though not perfectly, with our current tents.
• Does not need to be ultra-light or small, but don't want the bulkiest thing ever. Generally driving to campsite or carrying gear in a wagon to campsite (tops half a mile).
• Challenge 1 - because this is often with scouts, i don't always have a perfect choice in location. A little forgiveness goes a long way.
• Challenge 2 - At cub scout camp they want us to use the platforms, so i can't really stake anything. Or if i can, i need to use extra supplies. Would love guidance on this. Platforms are not always a consistent size.
• Challenge 3 - I'd keep using the Kelty except a lot of sites we can't tie anything to trees, so i can't just put a tarp over everything.
• Ideal fantasy - a spot to put wet gear/muddy shoes not in the sleeping area

I'm also totally open to how other folks work around some of these challenges! Both my kids want to do more camping as a family and with their scout troops. I just really, really, really hate a wet sleeping bag and watching the rain seep through the walls of the tent.

Hi! I'm a 43 year old engineer. My job is a mix of computer work (writing documents, using excel for data and reading regulations) and visiting industrial sites (indoors & outdoors, including sampling wastewater). When i am onsite i can drive as little as 20 minutes or as much as 3 hours, though typically on the shorter end of the spectrum. Work will allow me to be desk-bound as long as needed within reason. I often work at home when able.

I am having scleral buckle surgery and possibly a bubble put in at the same time. My doctor suggested i could drive myself to my follow up appointment the next day, but that seems... a lot? He wouldn't give me any indications on how long i will be out of work.

HR wants me to fill out forms for short term disability & paid leave, but i'm getting no information from the doc on what to expect work-wise.

Dr Google seems to indicate a lot of people go back at 2 weeks, though there are some follow up appointments? I know everyone heals differently, but i just want some sort of rough plan. Can anyone advise me here? I'm already anxious enough, and i don't even have a surgery date.