General Resources for All Levels
Looking for resources to make your life easier as a troop leader? Here is a compilation of some of the best resources available--for all levels.
Volunteer Toolkit - Informational packet available for download here.
New Journeys and Badges 2017 - download a helpful flyer here!
The Girl Scout Difference - flyer to explain what makes Girl Scouts unique (response to the Boy Scouts exploring more opportunities to accept girls)
Raise Your Hand Campaign - a great campaign to empower girls to be themselves and succeed in school. Take the pledge to Raise Your Hand!
Girl Led Progression -- The Northern California council has produced this document to help leaders understand how Girl Scout experiences become progressively more girl led as the girls get older.
Journey Planning Tables -- The Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Council has published session by session planning guides for two Journeys at each level, as well as a blank planning form for you to make your own.
Journey Meeting Plans -- The Northeast Texas council has published a guide for every journey that provides meeting plans for a whole year. They are much easier to follow than the adult guides for the journeys
Jump to Journeys Patch -- Confused about which Journey to do? You can borrow the Journey books from the SU library. Also, the Northern California council as designed the "Jump to Journeys" patch to give you, as the leader/advisor of a troop/group, a taste of the activities offered in the journeys for the grade level you are working with. (There are other good Journey resources available on this website, too.) By doing the activities and earning this patch with your troop/group you and the girls will have the information you need to decide which journey to dive into. When your troop/group finishes the requirements the patch is available for purchase online from the Girl Scouts of Northern California retail store.
Take Action Plan ideas -- The River Valleys council has come up with a sample plan for a "Take Action Project" to accompany most of the journies--from Daisies to Ambassadors. Sessions and activity plans are designed to be done over several meetings, but are only suggestions and are meant to be flexible. Brainstorm and create new ones based on the needs of the community and the interests of all involved.
ScoutingWeb --The online scouting resource for leaders of girls. You can find crafts, meeting ideas, skits, ceremonies--all separated by program level.
Leader Lobby --If you are feeling overwhelmed by ScoutingWeb, this is a smaller version with a few different things in it.
Council's Own programs--Most Girl Scout councils offer "council's own" programs for patches/badges that have been developed by their council, and may be specific to something in their area. This Yahoo! group has files of the different council's own patches, and is a big help for finding council's own programs when you are looking for something tailored to your girls' specific interests. You must join the Yahoo! group to get access to the files and messages. Please check with each council BEFORE beginning any of these programs--some councils require advance approval, some do not share with other councils, and many councils are now discontinuing the Council's Own programs with the changes in program introduced a couple of years ago.
Creative Ways to Hand out Badges and Patches--Courtesy of our own Barb Hunter Mahan and Gretchen Thompson, this is a copy of a handout from a course that they have given at Leaderfest. It was also distributed at the Association 52 meeting in November 2008.
Beyond Ziplock Baggies (More Creative Ways to Hand out Badges and Patches)--From a Yahoo! discussion group.
The Girl Scout Cookie Sale Songbook--A whole bunch of songs to sing while the girls are selling cookies.
Bridging Poems--Poems to be used in Bridging Ceremonies, from a variety of sources. See file attached below.
Volunteer Toolkit - Informational packet available for download here.
New Journeys and Badges 2017 - download a helpful flyer here!
The Girl Scout Difference - flyer to explain what makes Girl Scouts unique (response to the Boy Scouts exploring more opportunities to accept girls)
Raise Your Hand Campaign - a great campaign to empower girls to be themselves and succeed in school. Take the pledge to Raise Your Hand!
Girl Led Progression -- The Northern California council has produced this document to help leaders understand how Girl Scout experiences become progressively more girl led as the girls get older.
Journey Planning Tables -- The Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Council has published session by session planning guides for two Journeys at each level, as well as a blank planning form for you to make your own.
Journey Meeting Plans -- The Northeast Texas council has published a guide for every journey that provides meeting plans for a whole year. They are much easier to follow than the adult guides for the journeys
Jump to Journeys Patch -- Confused about which Journey to do? You can borrow the Journey books from the SU library. Also, the Northern California council as designed the "Jump to Journeys" patch to give you, as the leader/advisor of a troop/group, a taste of the activities offered in the journeys for the grade level you are working with. (There are other good Journey resources available on this website, too.) By doing the activities and earning this patch with your troop/group you and the girls will have the information you need to decide which journey to dive into. When your troop/group finishes the requirements the patch is available for purchase online from the Girl Scouts of Northern California retail store.
Take Action Plan ideas -- The River Valleys council has come up with a sample plan for a "Take Action Project" to accompany most of the journies--from Daisies to Ambassadors. Sessions and activity plans are designed to be done over several meetings, but are only suggestions and are meant to be flexible. Brainstorm and create new ones based on the needs of the community and the interests of all involved.
ScoutingWeb --The online scouting resource for leaders of girls. You can find crafts, meeting ideas, skits, ceremonies--all separated by program level.
Leader Lobby --If you are feeling overwhelmed by ScoutingWeb, this is a smaller version with a few different things in it.
Council's Own programs--Most Girl Scout councils offer "council's own" programs for patches/badges that have been developed by their council, and may be specific to something in their area. This Yahoo! group has files of the different council's own patches, and is a big help for finding council's own programs when you are looking for something tailored to your girls' specific interests. You must join the Yahoo! group to get access to the files and messages. Please check with each council BEFORE beginning any of these programs--some councils require advance approval, some do not share with other councils, and many councils are now discontinuing the Council's Own programs with the changes in program introduced a couple of years ago.
Creative Ways to Hand out Badges and Patches--Courtesy of our own Barb Hunter Mahan and Gretchen Thompson, this is a copy of a handout from a course that they have given at Leaderfest. It was also distributed at the Association 52 meeting in November 2008.
Beyond Ziplock Baggies (More Creative Ways to Hand out Badges and Patches)--From a Yahoo! discussion group.
The Girl Scout Cookie Sale Songbook--A whole bunch of songs to sing while the girls are selling cookies.
Bridging Poems--Poems to be used in Bridging Ceremonies, from a variety of sources. See file attached below.
| bridging_poems.docx |