During our very first journey we explored Camp Lakamaga with Girl Scout River Valley's properties. As our very first journey we chose a council led opportunity to just fully grasp what a journey could look like and how we could expand future journey's to meet our needs.
The journey in which we attended was the Daisy Flower Garden Journey. As apart of this session we focused a lot on the core foundations of Girl Scouts the "Law" portion. In our very first activity we traveled through the woods of Lakamaga to find cabins with giant post it pages on the outside of each cabin. On each post it was apart of the concepts we were learning. To give an example one of the post it's read " To be Honest and Fair". Beneath that concept each girl had to brainstorm what this meant to them and give examples of how they should be Honest and Fair. As girls each portrayed their thoughts on the various parts of their law, they started to understand how these concepts connected to their everyday interactions. I remember girls getting more comfortable and excited as we went to each large paper post it. They would yell out what they thought and would talk a little bit about why they felt their idea was important to each aspect of the Girl Scout Law.
As we finished up the large post it activity we began to transition to the next activity. This activity was to focus on Art in nature, using the concepts of being resourceful. Each Girl was instructed to collect mud. As they got excited and hopped down from the tables they set off on a mission to dig into the dirt and collect cupful's of what would soon be made into mud. Once all the girls had their cup filled with dirt, they went over to a large jug of water, and began mixing dirt and water to make a nice smooth texture of mud. With their smooth mud mixture they were then provided with a spoonful of powdered paint. Each girl got excited as they started to mix in the color they chose and how it transformed the mud mixture into a tinted almost smooth clay like paint. As each girl was ready with their natural paint, they then had a pallet to create a picture of their choosing. Girls utilized natural paint brushes such as leaves and sticks to paint a piece of paper with their newly created natural paint. Girls got creative using rocks to stamp, using leaves to brush, and using sticks to draw. In making a nature picture we saw finished art pieces of clouds, flowers, and even a tree. All paintings made from the wet mud in their cups, they got excited with how fun it was to play with mud, and even as one girl said "it's mud I'm painting Earth". It was fun to watch our Daisies connect with nature and compare their finished art work.
Soon it was time to take a quick snack break. As we made our way over to the next station we found some picnic tables to sit at and start eating a quick granola bar. All the girls were giggling at the activity they had just completed and were excited to see what would come next. When we finished up our quick break we joined into what would be Courageous and Strong obstacle course. There were various station of walking on logs for balance and playing games that encouraged trust between each of the girls. It was a little fun to watch them bounce through this station but they did quickly complete the activities. We found them asking "what's next?" So off we went on to a scavenger hunt to find each of the "Petals" from the Girl Scout law hidden throughout the trail. With every single Petal they found along the path we would stop and talk a bit about what we remember from our post it activity on why this was an important law. Girls would remember what others had said an even think of new ideas as to why they thought each one was important. Before searching for the next petal they would earn a bead and when they had found all of the Law Petals we added the beads to a string to create bracelets. The girls loved their new matching bracelets and they made sure to add the colors in matching with the law.
Our troop then transitioned over to the next activity which was heavily focused on making the world a better place and being responsible for what I say and do. In this activity girls had to pick seeds of a plant they wanted to grow. They were given not only seeds, but also a spoon, a bag of dirt, water, and a seed starter. They then colored the outside of a starter planter with their favorite colors decorating the planter and personalizing it. They took their spoons and added dirt into the planter and began planting seeds. The girls were taught a little bit about what that plant needs in order to thrive and grow. They added a small amount of water to their seedlings and put them out in the sun to sit. They were responsible to take the plant home and care for it as it grows. All the choices of flowers were also natural pollinating flowers that helped insects like ants and bees to carry out pollination. Girls really seemed to like the aspect of growing their very own plant and some even wanted to gift it to "mom".
When we finished this activity it was time for girls to make a sustainable difference in their own community with a Take Action project. Take Actions are a sustainable project that means that the problem continues to be addressed, even after the project is over. girls focus on doing something within their own community that makes an impact and teaches others how to do the same. Sustainability simply means coming up with a solution that lasts. For this activity our troop made seed bombs. They were given a paper plate, 5 spoonful's of kitty litter, 4 spoonful's of water, 2 spoonful's of soil, 1/2 spoon of "worm poo", and a pinch of native seeds. Girl's really giggled at the worm poo and needed a little explanation on what this rich dense dirt was. They quickly began mixing their mixture into a nice round ball. Some has to add a little more water to make the ball stick but they were able to make their seed bomb pretty easily and were excited to get their hands dirty. Upon finishing their seed bomb they were instructed that they were to gift this seed bomb to a neighbor, a friend, or a relative. In doing so that person could also grow pollinating flowers that encouraged foods for bees, ants, and butterflies. They were also told that they needed to tell who they gift the importance of pollination and we began discussing why pollination was also very important.
Overall the girls has an exciting time and it gave us leaders a look at what a journey badge should really look like. We went on to do all the journeys as Daisies some girls completing all of them and some only a few. Each of our girls earned the Summit Award pin which is the highest award for their level. This means they completed at least three of the offered Journeys and learned in depth skills for each, along with a take action that served their community. As leaders after learning what Journeys entailed we were able to take on our own and moved onto Between Earth and Sky as our next Journey. Most of our Journeys take 3-4 meetings with a Take Action project to give back. This particular journey though was definitely an exciting one though as we were able to see not only what is possible but also got a look at our local camp!
Comments