Jeannie, our troop leader, felt compelled to do a journey. Journeys were these new curricula items which required approximately 12 weeks to complete. Jeannie chose the World of Water journey to complete with the girls. This journey was divided into four awards. The award patches all fit together on the uniform. They do actually look pretty neat. I have to admit, but I was pretty luke warm on the whole journey idea. Like I said, I guess I don't like change.
In October, the girls toured a fire station with an emphasis on the use of water to fight fires.
In November, the girls toured the water treatment plant.
In December, the girls toured the senior center and sang carols to the residents. We combined with Troop 10052 for this event. Camille's sister is in this troop, and Camille's mom is the troop leader, Kelly Hernandez. We like to do lots of things with this troop.
In January it was time to sell cookies again. This year would be a little tougher. We set a goal of 300 boxes even though I had lost my job, and we couldn't really visit all my coworkers in their offices like last year, but I did email everybody and ask if they wanted any cookies, and several of them did, which was very nice of them. We also knocked all the doors in the neighborhood. We live in a very generous neighborhood. About half of the people we spoke to ordered cookies. The secret to our success was that we kept track of where we had been, and we went back if no one was home when we knocked. The best time to catch people at home: Sunday mornings!
I was so keen on reaching the goal of 300 boxes because I knew that Samantha was going to need a new uniform for next year. Juniors wear green vests. And she would also need new books. I finally figured out that the Brownie Try It book wasn't the only book I was supposed to have for Samantha. There was also a Brownie Guide Book. I should have known that, the Cub Scouts all have guidebooks, but the detail escaped me before now.
I had decided to get on board with the new curriculum and try to help Samantha earn all three journeys and all her badges while she was a junior. To do that, I would need to buy a lot of books, and I wanted to use her cookie money to do it. She was a trooper. She earned over $100 in cookie credits. We were able to buy her uniform, and all her books, and a few pieces of jewelry. I promised that next year I would let her buy whatever she wants. :)
In February, the troop toured the Water Resources Education Center in Vancouver. I didn't attend that one, but everyone said they had a good time and they learned a lot.
In April, the troop finished the WOW journey with a project to clean up a beach. They also attended a zoo snooze event at the Oregon Zoo. They were able to make snacks for the animals, spend the night at the zoo, and earn another council's own try-it.
In May, the troop visited a horse riding ranch. The girls learned a lot about taking care of animals. We did not visit the cemetery this year. Bea Crawford had to be out of town that week or something, but we ought to be able to go back next year.
In June we had a very nice bridgeing ceremony at Veterans Park with Kellie's troop., and we went to spring camp again. This year it wasn't near the ocean. This year we went to a Girl Scout property called Mountaindale. We slept in an enormous lodge. It was only about ten years old. It was beautiful. Camp was great. The theme was a carnival, and they had a rock climbing wall that was a big hit with everyone. Samantha loved it. I gave it a try, but I didn't love it. I loved the hiking. There were lots and lots and lots of trails all around. And I liked the 80s night dance. That was A LOT of fun. There were tons of moms there rocking out, remembering high school, and all our daughters were looking at us like we were crazy. :)
In July, the troop toured John's Incredible Pizza. They also walked in the Pow Wow Junior Parade. They looked SO good in their full uniforms!
In August, the troop went on their first "real" camping trip. That is, we camped in tents rather than cabins, and it was just our troop, not the whole service unit or council. It was great fun. We worked on the junior ranger badge and had a great time. The girls definitely want to do more of this.
What did you do when your third-grader was a Girl Scout?
