Tell me about Girl Scouts for a 6 (almost 7) year old.

[ChristusG]

I know nothing about Girl Scouts. I was never a Girl Scout. I'm wondering if it is something that my 6 (almost 7) year old would like. She's very very shy, creative, loves doing activities, etc.

 

What I'm wondering is....

 

What do they do during each meeting?

Do they have activities outside the weekly meetings?

Can you be as much involved or as least involved as what you want?

Do you have to sell the cookies?

Can parents stay for the meetings? What about her younger sister?

Is there any values that I will disagree with (we are very conservative Christians who shelter their children)?

What age group would my 6 year old be with?

 

Thanks for any info you can give me!

[2_girls_mommy]

A 6 yr old is a daisy scout. Brownies are 2nd and 3rd grade. Daisy scouts are usually learning the G.S. promise and the law. They do it by doing projects and activities that teach a specific aspect of the law. (I will do my best to be honest and fair... They do a game dividing apples up fairly between all of the girls and then maybe act out ways of being fair to others, etc.) There is a new journeys curriculum for daisies available, but our troop hasn't used it. We do the basics.

 

What a troop does and how is is run is largely up to the leader. Your best bet is to get a list of leaders in your area from the Girl Scout Council office in your state and start calling them. Ask if there is a Christian or a homeschooled troop. That is what we are. Of course, it is scouts, anyone can join. But our troop specifically lets everyone know that we will pray and honor God. Part of the G.S. promise says, "I will do my best to serve God and my country.."

 

We do things outside of meetings, and daisies participate. We have holiday parties, field trips, campouts, lock ins, etc. I think as a Daisy, a parent has to be there for these activities. As a parent, you just need to enroll yourself as a scout. It costs the same as a child ($12 a year) and they run a back ground check on you, and then you are an adult member. Then you can be present for meetings and go on outings.

 

There are troops that just have a meeting once or twice a month, work on their badges and not much else. We are not that way. We are a multi age troop. We have girls from K-high school. We go together for field trips and parties and service projects whenever possible. But we do meet individually in small groups for our weekly projects. We meet once a week and once a month have an outing or a party or activity instead of the weekly meeting.

 

Just talk to different troop leaders and get a feel for them. My dds have loved being scouts.

 

 

And no, nobody has to sell cookies that doesn't want to. There are some good incentives to, so I like to. And they are easy to sell. They are inexpensive and people like them and to support the girls. But we have families that don't. Each troop decides as a troop if they will or will not. And if they don't, the dues may be higher for the members to cover costs. The troop gets $ off of the sales. Even if the troop sells, you don't have to.

[ChristusG]

Thanks so much for the info! I just looked up our local Girl Scouts and I emailed them. I asked them if there were any Christian or homeschool groups in the area....I didn't know those were possibly available! Thanks for letting me know!

[Unicorn.]

Both of my girls are in Girl Scouts, but I have a lot of problems w/ the Organization. Your dd would be a daisy, and while they are pretty innocuous, as they get older I think the message the girls receive is too much about self, and less about serving others.

 

As far as the cookies go, no you don't have to sell, but you will be pressured- greatly. I hate the whole cookie thing. They are expensive, $3.50 a box here, and only have about 15-20 cookies per box. The girls only get .35 cents per box for their troop. Every time my girls worked a booth, I felt as if we were prostituting them out for cookies. We are not doing booths any more.

 

We are fairly liberal, but I still have some issues w/ them. As you are very conservative, I would consider looking at some of the other scout groups available, such as American Heritage Girls, which is a Christ-centered organization. JMHO

 

http://www.ahgonline.org/

[bluemongoose]

If you are very conservative Christians, I would recommended looking into American Heritage Girls. I am also a conservative Christian, and yes, I found things that the Girl Scouts support that I cannot, including doing so with the funds that come from cookie sales and other scout money. There are also some teachings that I found against our beliefs. So while the troop itself may have a Christian bent (if you find a Christian leaning Girl Scout Troop), it still financially supports things and teaches some things I do not agree with.

 

 

In case you are interested in AHG...I will answer your Q's about it instead of Girls Scouts.

 

What do they do during each meeting? They start with all levels together and do a flag and candle ceremony that reminds them of their oath. Then learn a monthly memory verse and sing and have announcements. They then break into their levels. My DD is also 6yo and is a Tenderheart. They are the 1st-3rd grade level. In our group we work on badge requirements, have a circle sharing time, and sometimes work on service projects. At they end of the time, they go back to the circle and end in prayer.

 

Do they have activities outside the weekly meetings? Sometimes, less at the younger age. We have Camporee in the summer and at Easter and Christmas we sing at the Assisted living home. We also attend services at Memorial and Veterans Day and place flags on the grave sites. They have also gone hiking, had costume parties, and planted flowers for the church. Really this all depends on the troop you join.

 

Can you be as much involved or as least involved as what you want? This depends on the troop as well. Our troop has 3 points a year for families to earn. Basically there is a list of jobs that need to be done, you volunteer for what you wish and you earn points depending on how involved it is. You need to earn at least the 3 points. If you are super busy, you can buy yourself out...but they would rather the help than the money.

 

Do you have to sell the cookies? We do not sell cookies. AHG only allows 2 mandatory fundraisers per year. This year our fall one was selling flower bulbs and our spring one is a rummage sale. The amount you need to sell is also very small. We only had to sell 10 packs of bulbs to clear the requirement. The rummage sale is a time commitment of about 4 hours over 2 days.

 

Can parents stay for the meetings? What about her younger sister? Yes the parents can stay. If they do a background check and pay to join, they can also be assistant leaders-helpers (this is my job). I am not sure about younger sister. That is frowned upon in my troop simply because it is distracting!

 

Is there any values that I will disagree with (we are very conservative Christians who shelter their children)? We feel the same, and I honestly think you would have a hard time finding values you disagree with as this is the standpoint that AHG comes from. AHG was started by some ex Girl Scout leaders that were not happy with the non-conservative nature of Girl Scouts.

 

What age group would my 6 year old be with? She would be in the Tenderhearts, which is for 1st-3rd graders. If the troop is small, the Pathfinders may also sit in with the Tenderhearts, they are the Kindy group.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited January 31, 2011 by bluemongoose