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Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world are getting ready to celebrate World Thinking Day on February 22nd. I found a fun video that showcases the 4 World Centers. Enjoy!
Have you visited one of the World Centers? Tell us about it!
Yours in Scouting!
Girl Scouts wear two pins on their uniforms. The Girl Scout pin everyone recognizes what it is and what it represents. The other pin may be given to girls without any background and they never realize what it represents. The following ceremony can be used at a troop meeting or at a Thinking Day event.
This ceremony explains the meaning of the World pin.
Items Needed: Flannel Board; blue flannel cut into one large circle, two stars, one compass needle; yellow flannel cut into one large trefoil (leaves only), one large circle band (to go around blue circle), one stem (with flames at the base).
Girl #1. What is the World pin?
Leader: It is the pin of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It is a symbol that has deep meaning for all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. The symbol also appears on the WAGGGS flag. We are going to construct such a pin. As we do, let us consider very carefully the reason for its color and design. Then we will know how deep a feeling of international friendship it can inspire in us.
Girl #2. Why is the World pin blue? (Put up blue background.)
Leader: The field of bright flue in our pin symbolizes the sky above us all throughout the wide, wide world. We thus carry out the words of Robert Bade-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, who asked us to “Aim high – look wide.”
Girl #3. Why do we have a trefoil in the World pin? (Put up trefoil.)
Leader: On the background of blue, we place a gold trefoil because Girl Guides and Girl Scouts everywhere make a three-part Promise.
Girl #4. There are two stars on the World pin. What does the left star stand for? (Place blue star on trefoil’s left.)
Leader: We place one star at the left – the side of the heart. This star stands for the pledge that all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts try, on their honor, to keep – their Promise.
Girl #5. What does the other star stand for? (Place star on the other side.)
Leader: On the right side, the side of the ready and helping hand, we place the star which stands for our Girl Guide/Girl Scout code of conduct – the Girl Guide/Girl Scout Law.
Girl #6. What does the pointer mean on our World pin? (Place blue compass needle in center of trefoil.)
Leader: We place a compass needle in the center of the gold trefoil, between the safeguards of the Promise and the Law, to serve as a guide pointing the way to the right course in life.
Girl #7. What does the base of the trefoil mean? (Place base on board.)
Leader: At the base of the gold trefoil we place the flame. Its burning stands for the love of humankind and is the true flame of international friendship that burns in all our hearts. May this flame encircle the world with goodwill.
Girl #8. What does the gold circle stand for? (Place gold circle around blue field.)
Leader: This gold band surrounding our pin symbolizes the sun that shines on children all over the world.
Leader: Let us all, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, keep the meaning of the World pin as our inspiration in all that we do.
You can end your ceremony in a number of way:
Happy World Thinking Day!
More SWAP ideas for World Thinking Day!
AustraliaSkill Level: Daisy – Ambassador
Supplies: Card stock, stickers with animals from Australia, scissors, safety pins
Directions:
Find Australian animal clip art on the internet. Copy onto a document and print onto sticker paper. Cut out animals and place onto card stock. Add troop tag.
IrelandSkill Level: Brownie – Ambassador
Supplies: Fun foam, scissors, stencils, safety pins
Directions:
Using a stencil or other guide, draw a hat in green fun foam and pipe in black fun foam. Cut out. Glue pipe to hat. Add troop tag.
Skill Level: Junior – Ambassador
Supplies: Fun Foam, Print out of words written in Japanese, felt tip markers, safety pins
Directions:
Using the guide, draw different words onto fun foam. Add English version of word also. Add troop tag.
What country did your troop represent this year? What did you do for your SWAP? Please share!
Yours in Scouting!
If you have a booth at a Thinking Day event, you’ll want to share a SWAP, food and maybe even a craft from your country. DLTK’s website has some awesome ideas for food and crafts from a lot of different countries. If you need ideas, check it out.
The craft I’m going to focus on today is one I learned as a child! The craft is Ojo de Dios or God’s Eyes. I didn’t know the background of the craft until recently. In Mexico, the center of the Ojo de Dios is started when the child is born. Each year on the child’s birthday, the father adds to it until the child is 5 years old. At this time, the Ojo de Dios is complete.
Skill Level: Brownies - Ambassadors
Supplies: Yarn, Popsicle sticks (or wooden dowels or sticks from the yard), scissors, glue
Directions:
Variation: For older girls, you can flip the sticks over to create a positive and negative spaces in your God’s Eyes.
What craft will you showcase for your Thinking Day event?
Yours in Scouting!
It’s fun to teach the girls that Girl Scouting is bigger than the United States – there are girls around the world doing some of the same things they are doing. During the month of February it is a perfect time to showcase the Four World Centres.
On a previous post, I showcased the songs for Our Cabana (Mexico) and Our Chalet (Switzerland). In this post, I will focus on the songs for Pax Lodge (England) and Sangam (India).
On the website for Pax Lodge, they have a great story of how the song was written.
Pax Lodge Song
by Julie Felix
We wish you love (We wish you love).
We wish you light (We wish you light).
We wish you colours soft and bright.
We wish you light (We wish you light).
We wish you love (We wish you love).
We wish you peace on the wings of a snow white dove.
CHORUS
CHORUS
© Copyright Julie Felix
Here is a video with the music and words to help you teach the girls.
Here are the words for Sangam:
Sangam Song
Here is a video with the music and words.
Another great song to share and teach girls is The World Song. It would be a great song for a Thinking Day celebration.
Here is the video for this song.
What is your favorite song for World Thinking Day?
Yours in Scouting!
World Thinking Day is February 22nd. The theme for 2012 is “We Can Save Our Planet.”
WAGGS World Board Chair Nadine El Achy explains how girls can help save the planet.
Girl Scouts in the United States love to perform skits about the beginning of Girl Scouting with Juliette Gordon Low. I found a skit that shows the beginning of Girl Guiding in 1909. Enjoy!
What do you and your troop have planned for World Thinking Day?
Yours in Scouting!
February 22nd is World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. Today I have a ceremony that will help girls learn a little more about Thinking Day.
Thinking Day Ceremony
(Candles)
Leaders and girls form a horseshoe as they sing “Girl Scouts Together”, “Our Chalet Song” or some other appropriate song. Everyone is holding an unlit candle.
LEADER: “The horseshoe formation symbolizes the open Friendship Circle. In the open end of our horseshoe stand our sister Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. If they were actually here, our horseshoe would be a completed circle, extending around the world, having no beginning or end.” Leader lights her candle. “My lighted candle helps us focus on the meaning of Thinking Day: a day on which Girl Scouts and Girl Guides think about world friendship and understanding.”
GIRL SCOUT #1: “I light my candle in memory of Juliette Low, the founder of Girl Scouting, and in memory of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, founders of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.” Lights her candles from the leader’s.
GIRL SCOUT #2: “I light my candle to remind us of our own Juliette Low, who was inspired by Lord and Lady Baden-Powell and brought Girl Scouting from England to all girls in the United States.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #1.
GIRL SCOUT #3: “Girl Scouts all over the United States contribute each year to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, so international friendship may grow. May my candle remind each Girl Scout of the importance of her contribution to the fund.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #2.
GIRL SCOUT #4: “Every Girl Scout and Girl Guide has a home high in the mountains of Switzerland – Our Chalet. I light my candle in the hope that friendships and goodwill abound at Our Chalet.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #3.
GIRL SCOUT #5: “Our Western hemisphere center in Mexico is Our Cabaña will appreciate the richness of their different heritages.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #4.
GIRL SCOUT #6: “Pax Lodge is our world center in London, England. I light my candle to remind us not to forget the Girl Scouting ideals which started in this world capital.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #5.
GIRL SCOUT #7: “Our world center in India is called Sangam. It is a Sanskrit word meaning “coming together.” I light my candle so that girls and adults coming together at Sangam may spread world peace.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #6.
GIRL SCOUT #8: “My candle represents the Promise said by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. The languages may be different, but the ideas are the same.” Lights her candle from Girl Scout #7.
REMAINING GIRL SCOUTS: Each names a country in the World Association as she lights her candle – for example, “My candle represents our sister Girl Guides in Trinidad.”
After all candles are lit, everyone says the Girl Scout Promise.
GIRL SCOUT #1: “We Girl Scouts of these United States of America with loving hearts and hands now place our wishes of goodwill with the hope of peace in every land.”
ALL SING: A song of your choice.
Happy World Thinking Day!
World Thinking Day will be here soon – have you finished your SWAP’s?! Here are some more ideas for you!
Mexico:Skill Level: Daisy – Ambassador
Supplies: Fabric, scissors, pins
Directions:
You are creating a piece that could symbolize a rug or poncho that is worn in Mexico. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric (choose colors that represent Mexico or symbolize Mexico). Fabric can be fleece or something similar to a poncho material. Cut fringe on two sides of rectangle (long sides). Apply to pin. Add troop tag.
Bahama:Skill Level: Daisy – Ambassador
Supplies: Card stock/construction paper, pink ink pad, fine tip felt pen, safety pins
Directions:
The national bird of the Bahama’s is the flamingo. The girls create the flamingo with their thumb! Take thumb and place into the ink pad, put print onto a square of card stock. Create head, wing and legs with fine tip felt pen. Add troop tag.
We created two different SWAP’s for Great Britain!
Skill Level: Daisy – Ambassador
Supplies: Construction paper or card stock, foam shapes of castles, princes, princesses, or crowns, felt pen, safety pins
Directions:
Cut out the construction paper or card stock in the shape of a tag (using stencil or scrapbooking punch. If using sticky back foam shapes, peel off backing and apply to paper. Add troop tag.
Skill Level: Daisy – Ambassador
Supplies: Small baggies, various size “jewels”, safety pins, construction paper
Directions: Insert 5 – 8 jewels of various sizes into baggies. Add tag to “identify” the “Crown Jewels”. Add troop tag.
Next week, SWAP’s for Australia, Ireland and Japan! Happy World Thinking Day!
Yours in Scouting!
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