To all our wonderful volunteers that give their time to Girl Scouting – here is a “Thank You” in song form!
Enjoy Leader Appreciation Day!
Yours in Scouting!
Posts Tagged ‘GS’
History 101: November
2012
11.13
11.13
“Try to look beyond your own immediate work to see its value for the community, putting into your routine some service for others…”
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the Scouting Movement, date unknown
For this month’s History 101, we will explore events that took place during the month of November. Girl Scout History information is collected from the Girl Scout website (check it out for more history!).
Yours in Scouting,
Song: Penguins Attention
2012
10.18
10.18
Can’t get enough of silly songs! You’re in luck! This week is another silly song. The words just repeat over and over, the motions change – and get sillier! Which is why the Daisies & Brownies love this song!
Penguins Attention, Penguins Begin
Have you ever seen
A penguin come to tea
Take a look at me
A penguin you will see
Penguins Attention, Penguins begin
The first time through the song, there are no motions. The motions are added with each time you sing the verse.
Right arm flapping
Left arm flapping
Right leg flapping
Both feet marching
Head bobbing
Spin in circle
Stick out tongue
The last time the verse goes like this:
Have you ever seen
A penguin come to tea
Take a look at me
A penguin you will see
Penguins Attention, Penguins dismissed.
Here is a video that does a great job with the motions. They announce what the motion is before they do it. You can add that to the song, or leave it out.
Yours in Scouting,
SWAP – Crazy Leader
2012
10.15
10.15
Today’s SWAP is a super easy one. Something a frazzled leader can crank out at the last-minute for a leader gathering! And I really think it says it all about being a leader!
Skill Level: Daisy – Adult
Supplies: Card stock, sticker paper, scissors, safety-pin, laminating (optional)
Directions:
Step 1: Create a graphic in a Word based program (or if you’re really fancy a photo program!). You can draw a shape and add text and graphics to it. I used the phrase “You don’t have to be crazy to be a Girl Scout Leader. We can Train You.” You can create your own phrase that is all about your Girl Scout leader experience!
Step 2: Print onto full size sticker paper. Or if you can find circle sticker paper that’s even better. You can create the SWAP with that template!
Step 3: If you use a full size sticker paper, place it onto a sheet of card stock paper and cut out your shape. At this point you could laminate the page. It will make it a little stronger and durable (and save your SWAP from water spots like mine has!)
Step 4: Add safety-pin and id tag and you’re done!
Happy SWAPPING!
Yours in Scouting,
Song: 3 Blind Jellyfish
2012
10.11
10.11
Girls love to sing songs that are silly and have some kind of motion to them! Leaders love to teach these songs because, well there isn’t a real tune usually and you can’t mess it up! 3 Blind Jellyfish is a fun, silly song that girls will pick up quickly.
3 Blind Jellyfish
3 (hold up 3 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
3 (hold up 3 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
One fell off – awww! (sad faces)
2 (hold up 2 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
2 (hold up 2 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
One fell off – awww! (sad faces)
1 (hold up 1 finger)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
1 (hold up 1 finger)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
One fell off – awww! (sad faces)
No (hold up 0 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
No (hold up 0 fingers)
Blind (cover eyes with hands)
Jellyfish (arms make jellyfish motion)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
Sittin’ on a rock, woo (hands up in the air)
None fell off – yeah!! (happy faces)
This video was taken at one of my council’s camp properties (which now being sold – sad face!). They do a great job with the “sittin’ on a rock” part! It’s hard to describe that! I had also forgot about having 3 girls leading it and them “leaving” as a jellyfish “falls off”!
Yours in Scouting,
SWAP: Cowboy Hat
2012
10.08
10.08
What Western themed event wouldn’t be complete with out a great cowboy hat?! This cowboy hat is a great one for older Scouts to work on for their SWAP collection.
Skill level: Junior – Ambassadors (because of the bead work)
Supplies: 18 pony beads (brown), cording (24 inches), safety-pin
Directions:
Step 1
Step 1: Make the cow hitch onto the safety-pin. Make sure that the ends are even. Here’s a video to show you how to make this hitch. I make my hitch a little differently than the video – I make a loop and feed the ends through the loop. I hope the video helps you! I am sometimes “knot” challenged! I can “make” a knot/hitch, I just don’t remember the name or if I am doing it correctly!
Step 2
Step 2: String 2 beads onto cord. Feed left cord through beads and then feed right cord through the beads. When complete beads will be horizontal as shown in photo below. Tighten cord.
Step 2 – completed
Step 3
Step 3: String 3 beads onto cords using the same technique as above. Tighten cord.
Step 4
Step 4: String 4 beads onto cords using the step 2 technique. Tighten cord.
Step 5
Step 5: String 7 cords onto left string. Leaving one bead to the side on the left.
Step 5A
Step 5A: Skipping the bead on the far right, feed the right cord through the next 6 beads.
Step 5B
Step 5B: Using the left cord, add the bead and feed the cord through the second to last bead on the left.
Step 5C
Step 5C: Using right cord, thread it through the second to last bead on the right. This row can be a challenging step, but working with the girls a couple of times, they will catch on.
Step 5D
Step 5D: Work to tighten this row. This is how the row should look when completed. This represents the brim of the hat.
Step 6: Add one last bead.
Step 6
Make an overhand knot with the two cords together.
Below is a video to show you how to make an overhand knot.
Your cowboy SWAP is complete!
Yours in Scouting,
Songs: Top 10 Girl Scout Songs – Traditional
2012
10.04
10.04
Leaders always tell me they would love to teach their girls to sing … but. And then the but is usually followed by excuses like, “I don’t know the songs”, I have a terrible singing voice”, etc. I used some of those same excuses in the beginning also. I had found song books that had the words and the music, but I don’t play a piano (and who has a piano in their meeting space anymore!). I did find CD’s that had many of the songs. I would play these and the girls & I would learn the songs together. I never focused on the “I have a terrible singing voice” part of it. I like to sing and I’m sorry if I miss a note occasionally! It happens! The girls (especially if they are young) don’t really care if you are on key or note. They get their confidence from you!
This is my list of the top 10 traditional Girl Scout songs everyone should hear and maybe learn – one time in their GS life!
Because everyone should know that it’s ok to make friends all along the way!
A great homage to our Girl Scout Promise. (Confession time: I will sometimes get weepy with this one!)
This song my oldest (23) learned this when they were Juniors. They used to have fun making up hand motions for it!
If you’re a Brownie, you need to know this one! It makes you smile!
This one is perfect at a campfire or around a lake. Many girls today don’t know this one, but it is beautiful!
Again another great one for the campfire!
7. Whene’er You Make a Promise
This one was great to teach the girls when they had to learn how to sing a round. It also is a really pretty song!
This one is new and a lot of people don’t know it very well yet. I have seen a few flash mobs done to this song and they get me a little teary eyed!
This song is how we closed our meetings from the time they were Daisies until Juniors. It’s a great transition song to go from the craziness of meeting time to going home with the parents! Also if you use the hand motions, it puts you right into your closing circle for the Friendship Squeeze!
This one is very beautiful and simple. This would be great at a service unit/association event. It would be another great closing or wind down song!
And because I couldn’t stop at ten (I couldn’t leave these two out!) – Bonus Songs!
I just like this song! It’s fun!
This one I hear every time I pick my daughters up from summer camp. It’s their closing song as part of the closing ceremony for parents. If I could get away with it (ie not embarrass my daughter’s too much) I would be crying buckets during this song!
What is your favorite traditional Girl Scout song?
Yours in Scouting,
Video: GS Rock the Fair
2012
10.03
10.03
I love a flash mob! I get all teary when I watch them! I have no idea why, it just makes me happy! Today’s video is from the Girl Scouts of Orange County as they rock the OC Fair!
Yours in Scouting,
History 101: October
2012
10.02
10.02
“I am thinking of you today and in spirit I am with you…”
Juliette Gordon Low, Founder, Girl Scouts, excerpt from “Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthday Message”, The American Girl, October 1924
For this month’s History 101 lesson, we will explore events that took place during the month of October and during the 2000′s. Girl Scout History information is collected from the Girl Scout website (check it out for more history!).
2000 – 2009: Studio 2B is introduced. New badges were introduced: Global Awareness, Stress Less, Adventure Sports, and Environmental Health.
Next month, 2010′s!
Yours in Scouting,
Song: Peel the Banana
2012
09.27
09.27
Action Songs are some of the best songs to teach girls! The words are easy and there are motions to make it fun & silly!
Peel the Banana is a song that the girls can also change and change to make it their own silly song!
Peel the Banana
Form banana
form, form banana
Form banana,
form, form banana
Peel banana,
peel, peel banana,
Peel banana,
peel, peel banana.
Then you go, bananas
go, go bananas
Go bananas,
go, go bananas.
Variations (change out the words above in italics with the words below):
Potato
Peel potato
mash potato
Corn
Shuck corn
Pop the corn
Orange
Peel orange
Squeeze the orange
Here’s a video with the motions:
Has your troop added any unique fruit or vegetable to the song?
Yours in Scouting,
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