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The Official Publication of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council | Volume 46 Issue 1
January/February 2020
The Golden
Meet our 2019 Bling Your Booth Contest winners!
It's Cookie Time!
Troop #123072 sent Astronaut Nick Hague his favorite Thin Mint Cookies to space! See more photos in the Scrapbook section.
President of the Council and Chair of the Board Dee Hinkle Chief Executive Officer Mary Vitek Chief External Affairs Officer Connie Chavez Visual Brand Manager Joanne Pastalaniec Mission Statement GSSJC: Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Pluralism Statement Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council is a pluralistic movement, committed to understanding our similarities and differences, building relationships and promoting a dialogue of acceptance and respect. Each individual involved must uphold the tenet that Girl Scouting is for all girls. Circulation The Golden Link is published five times a year. It has a circulation of more than 44,000. The Golden Link is also available online at www.gssjc.org. The Golden Link reaches 26 Texas counties: Angelina, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller and Wharton. To report address changes or if you have problems receiving The Golden Link call Customer Service at 713-292-0300. Deadlines Deadline for submitting items is the first of the month two months prior to publication. GSSJC does not accept responsibility for unsolicited materials. Send news and photographs and Scrapbook photos to communications@sjgs.org. Advertisements Advertising rates are available by calling 713-292-0314. Advertisements are accepted in good faith that all the information is correct. Acceptance of advertising does not reflect endorsement of services or goods by the Council. The Golden Link is published six times a year by Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, 3110 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098 713-292-0300 The Golden Link is also available to read online at www.gssjc.org/publications Copyright ©2020. All rights reserved. Please recycle this publication.
Contents
January/February 2020 4 4
From the Top Shop News
Special Feature 5
Get ready for the 2020 Girl Scout Cookie Program!
Features
11 Tips for Troop Leaders: Who’s On Your Cookie Squad? Find Support During Cookie Season 12 Girls Hit the Trail in Colorado 13 Green Starlettes Officer Camp 14 Today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs Transforming interest and aptitude into success 15 Girl Scout Traditions: Flag Ceremonies 15 Bling Your Booth Winner 16 Cookies4Heroes 17 Congratulations Gold Award Girl Scouts
Activities
19 Camp Activities 20 Backpacking 20 Camping 21 Environmental 23 Fine Arts 24 General Activities 27 Health 29 High Adventure 30 Highest Awards 30 History 30 Horse 32 Sports 33 STEM 37 Travel
Columns
38 Adult Trainings 40 Around Camp 41 Philanthropy 42 Service Projects
What is your goal for the 2020 Cookie Program? Page 5
Council Scrapbook Page 44
On the Cover Troop #140132 rocked their cookie booth last year and won the Bling Your Booth contest. See page 8 to learn how to enter this year. Learn about their booth on page 15.
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Every time I sit down to write this article, I find myself thinking that this is my favorite time of the year. I hope you all had a blessed holiday season and enjoyed a well-deserved break with your families. Are your batteries charged and ready for the new year? I recently got a battery boost in a surprising way. Like you, I get several neighborhood magazines. I Dee Hinkle almost always read them the same Chair of the Board and President of the Council way. I start at the back, page to the Upcoming Events to see if there is anything I need to make note of, then head for the recycle bin. In a recent edition, before I got to Upcoming Events, something caught my eye. At the top of a page in various degrees of bold print I saw “building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place” which I really hope most of you recognize as the mission of Girl Scouts. What followed was a very articulate article written by a junior staff writer who is a student at a neighborhood middle school. It recounted how she had moved to Texas and joined Girl Scouts hoping to make new friends. She went on to explain how she had gained so much more than friends. She said that Girl Scouts had provided her a pathway for volunteerism and taught her selfdiscipline. I was pleased to read that “one of the most important things we do is sell cookies. The money we make can either go to charity, pay for events we go to or buy supplies to make our journey even better! Selling cookies teaches us many things such as confidence, communication and entrepreneurship. But more than any value, it teaches goal setting, decision-making and sales skills. It also teaches us money management principles at an early age.” What an ambassador for the upcoming Cookie Program! What really struck me was her praise for her troop leaders for encouraging members to believe that they are capable of more than they imagine. She believes that she is more confident and has become a problem solver, thanks to Girl Scouts. Her final line was the famous quote by our founder, Juliette Gordon Low: “The work of today is the history of tomorrow and we are its makers.” So for anyone who might need a little extra juice for your batteries, this young lady is a very impressive example of the good you do every day. Hopefully, that extra battery juice can help make the upcoming Cookie Program the fun, educational experience our young author recounted. On such a positive note, I wish every member of our movement happiness and health in the new year with your batteries fully charged for the upcoming Cookie Program, plus the satisfaction of knowing that what you do is making a difference in the lives of all of our members.
From the
TOP
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Girl Scout Shop News
For resource center locations and hours, please visit girlscoutshop.com/san-jacinto-council Hours can change due to emergencies, weather or other factors. Please call before driving long distances. Bay Area 281-282-6077 Mon. Closed Wed. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tues./Thu. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Imperial Valley 281-447-8870 Mon. Closed Wed. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tues./Thu. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Beaumont 409-832-0556 Tues. – Fri. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat. – Mon. Closed
Lufkin 936-634-4688 Tues./Thurs. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Houston 713-292-0247 Mon./ Wed. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tues./Thu. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m..
Stafford 281-670-5982 Mon. Closed Wed. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tues./Thu. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Office and Resource Center Closures: January 1 and 20
Westside 281-822-4250 Mon. Fri. & Sat. Closed Tue.–Thu. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
New Leader Must-Knows!
Are you a new Girl Scout leader? Here are some things you need to know for the next few months.
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Girl Scout Cookie Program is officially underway and runs through March 22. Get your troop involved! Select a troop cookie manager, take online training and you’re ready to go! For more info, visit gssjc.org/cookies. GSUSA’s Cookie Pro contest returns! Join the nationwide celebration between Feb. 1 and March 31 by sharing the skills you’ve learned and your experience selling cookies. Twenty-four girls will win a VIP trip to G.I.R.L. 2020 in Orlando in October 2020. Visit girlscouts.org/cookiepro for details.
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World Thinking Day is Feb. 22. On this day, we celebrate the sisterhood of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. Visit girlscouts.org/worldthinkingday for activities for your troop level.
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Get ready for: Girl Scout Week March 9-15! This week celebrates the founding of Girl Scouts on March 12, 1912 and troops are encouraged to celebrate Girl Scouting in the community.
Special Feature
Get ready for the 2020 Girl Scout Cookie Program! The Impact of the Girl Scout Cookie Program Every female leader has started where your Girl Scout is now: as a young girl looking for experiences and role models to teach her how to live her life. Your girl is already one step ahead of the game – she’s a Girl Scout! With us, she’s developing a strong sense of self, seeking challenges and learning from setbacks, displaying positive values, forming and maintaining healthy relationships and identifying and solving problems in the community. Her next step: getting her feet wet in entrepreneurship. Whether she’s participated in the Cookie Program for several years or this is her first year, girls learn and enhance their skills around goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.
Why is this so important? Because greater job creation and economic independence will result when entrepreneurship is nurtured in girls. With this in mind, we want to help equip female leaders of tomorrow. To make supporting her even easier, we’re introducing our new and improved Cookie Family Guide. Inside, you’ll learn more about the how we’ve made the program easier than ever for girls, families and troops. You’ll see where the money goes, tips for handling cookie money, how you can help her market her cookie business, safety tips and so much more. While the Cookie Program assists girls in earning funds toward exciting and educational activities as well as community projects, our research shows it also helps Girl Scouts thrive as they take on leadership roles and try new things. This timehonored tradition not only shapes the entrepreneurial spirit of participants but also builds girls of courage, confidence and character!
Meet the 5 Skills The Girl Scout Cookie Program is about so much more than just cookies. By practicing their pitch, deciding how to run their cookie booth and managing payments for a box of Thin Mints, girls are learning valuable skills that could lead to owning their own business or becoming a Fortune 500 CEO someday. Yes, really! Learn more about the 5 Skills learned in the Cookie Program and, more importantly, why they matter: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Goal Setting: Girls set sales goals and create a plan to reach them. This matters because girls need to know how to set and reach goals to succeed in school, on the job and in life. Decision Making: Girls decide when and where to sell, how to market their sale and what to do with earnings. Girls need to know how to make smart decisions throughout their lives. Money Management: Girls develop a budget, take orders & handle customers’ money. Whether it's an allowance or a paycheck, girls need to know how to manage money. People Skills: Girls learn how to talk (and listen!) to their customers, as well as how to work as a team. This matters because it helps them do better in school and, later, at work. Business Ethics: Girls act honestly & responsibly during every step of the Cookie Program. This matters because employers want to hire ethical employees and leaders in all fields.
Learn more about the Girl Scout Cookie Program at gssjc.org/cookies.
Important Dates for the Cookie Program: January 13: Deadline for troop cookie managers to submit their starting inventory order. January 23: Troops may begin picking up cookies from designated cookie drops. Girls begin taking orders via tools like Smart Cookies or an optional paper order card to help with planning. February 1: The 2020 Cookie Program begins! Girls may begin going door-to-door and selling cookies to the general public at this time. February 14: Cookie booth sales begin. March 22: The 2020 Cookie Program ends.
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Special Feature
Why Your Girl Scout Should Absolutely Participate Want to know a Girl Scout secret? “Cookie season” never really ends – at least, not at the Girl Scout Center. GSSJC staff is always thinking about how to make our Cookie Program even better – how to improve trainings, how to improve the girl experience and how to make it easy for every girl to participate. It’s that secret that helped GSSJC become one of the top selling councils in the past four years! And with your help, you can help us repeat that success. How does a successful Cookie Program impact you? Lots of ways! Girls earn funds that help them do amazing things. They might choose to use their funds for a service project and feed hungry kids in their neighborhood. Maybe they’ll go to a STEM workshop, become inspired and grow up to be the scientist that discovers the cure to cancer. Or those cookie funds could send a girl to camp where she breaks out of her shell, gains confidence and wows everyone with her leadership. The possibilities are endless, really. In addition to the many benefits to girls – which you’ll read more about shortly – the Cookie Program also helps the council do things like feed horses at Camp Misty Meadows, add additional canoes at Camp Agnes Arnold and maintain all our camp properties so girls have a place to experience the outdoors. When your daughter participates in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, she isn’t just selling grandma a couple boxes of Thin Mints. She has the opportunity to change the world, to make Girl Scouting better for future Girl Scouts and, most importantly, transform herself, step by step, into a young woman of courage, confidence and character.
Why I Participate in the Cookie Program
"Two top sellers from the 2019 Cookie Program and one parent share why they continue to participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, year after year.
"The Girl Scout Cookie Program helped me to speak fluently, to be patient, to set goals and to be nice and cooperative. When selling cookies, I always felt amazed because I didn’t think I would reach my goal but I pushed myself to work hard to achieve my goal. I worked hard by selling at my school, my church, emailing and calling my family, my parents’ jobs and trying to work every cookie booth available. Being a CEO makes me feel that I am an achiever! It’s an awesome feeling to be a top seller in my troop as well as a CEO." – Cadette Brianna S.
I don't eat Thin Mints, but they pay for my dinner
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"I was excited to sell Girl Scout Cookies because this was my first year in Girl Scouts. The Cookie Program made me more goal-oriented. I used to wait until the last minute to finish things. With the Cookie Program I had a big goal so I stayed on top of it and worked toward my goal every day. The most valuable thing I learned was to not quit until I am successful and then keep reaching. I was excited when I hit my first goal, and then I set a new bigger goal for myself. I kept doing that until I became a CEO! I would totally recommend the Cookie Program because even though it can be work it is really fun. Plus, you can use the money to do fun stuff that you have never done before. We went indoor skydiving and slept with the white tiger at the Aquarium. Overall the Cookie Program has inspired me to want to own my own business. Right now, I am making slime and selling it to raise money. You gotta start somewhere!" – Junior Emerson H.
"Brianna is a go-getter. She loves Girl Scouts and cookie season. I have watched her grow from a Daisy to a Cadette, from shy to confident, from soft-spoken to outspoken, from cookie seller to CEO. She always sets her goals high. Before the cookie season ends, Brianna is already talking about her goal for the next year." – Penny Scott, Brianna’s mother
Special Feature
Safety Tips While Selling Cookies Girls’ safety has been a priority for the Girl Scout organization since it was founded in 1912. By following the following safety basics, parents and volunteers can ensure that the Cookie Program is not only a fun learning experience for girls but also a safe one. Show you are a Girl Scout Wear the Girl Scout membership pin, vest or sash or other Girl Scout clothing (e.g. Girl Scout T-Shirt) to identify yourself as a Girl Scout. Buddy up Always use the buddy system. Not only is it safe, it’s more fun. Be streetwise Become familiar with the areas and neighborhoods where you will be selling your Girl Scout Cookies. Avoid accepting anything larger than a twenty-dollar bill. (Perhaps you would like to invest a few dollars for a Retractable Fraud Prevention Gel Pen.) Partner with adults If you are a Daisy, Brownie or Junior, you must be accompanied by an adult when taking orders or delivering product. If you are a Cadette, Senior or Ambassador you must buddy up when selling door-to-door. One of the two adults present at a cookie booth must be background checked and always be present at a cookie booth with the girls. Do not enter Never enter the home of a person when you are selling or making deliveries. Never go up to a car on a street or follow a customer into a building or alley.
Plan ahead Be prepared for emergencies, and always have a plan for safeguarding money. Avoid walking around with large amounts of cash or keeping it at home or school. Give money to your troop cookie manager to deposit as soon as possible. Don’t forget to get a receipt. Sell in the daytime Sell only during daylight hours, unless accompanied by an adult. Be Internet savvy Read and sign the Internet Safety Pledge at www. girlscouts.org/en/help/help/internet-safety-pledge. html. Make sure you have adult permission and supervision for online activities. Protect privacy Girls’ names, addresses and email addresses should never be given out to customers. Instead, a designated adult’s phone number and/or group email address overseen by an adult should be given for re-orders or complaints. Be safe on the road Always follow safe pedestrian practices, especially when crossing at intersections or walking along roadways. Be aware of traffic when unloading cookies and passengers from vehicles.
Spirit Patches (Instant Rewards) Spirit Patches are a new girl reward for the 2020 Cookie Program that are given during the Cookie Program as the girls reach each sales level. The patches will replace achievement bars that were given at the end of the sale. Your Community cookie manager will be pre-loaded with the Spirit Patches for all participating girls in the community. Check with your Community cookie manager to see how often they will be handing them out. Make sure troop to girl transfers are kept upto-date so all the girls selling in your troop will receive their instant rewards.
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Special Feature
Cookies4Heroes Have cookie customers who want to support your girl’s troop but don’t want to keep their purchase? They can donate their cookies to the Cookies4Heroes program! Girls can encourage customers to select this option when ordering online or in-person. (If buying online, there is a $1.25 processing fee.) After the Cookie Program, Cookies4Heroes orders are sent by the council and/or troops to local first responders and organizations that support the military. Our council goal is to provide 10,000 packages of cookies to first responders across southeast Texas in 2020. Visit gssjc.org/cookies4heroes after Feb. 1 to track where we are week by week.
2020 Cookie Contests Bling Your Booth
Are you ready for a cookie booth challenge? From Feb. 14 - March 22, 2020, host and “bling” your cookie booth for a chance to win your photo on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2021 Golden Link! Here’s how it works: Hold a cookie booth anytime between Feb. 14 - March 22, 2020. • • Decorate your cookie booth emphasizing the 5 Skills, your troop goal and what you plan to do with your proceeds. • Submit your photo at gssjc.org/blingyourbooth - form opens on Friday, Feb. 14. One entry per troop. All activities featured must abide by Safety Activity Checkpoints and all other safety guidelines to qualify. • Deadline to submit entries is Thursday, March 26 at 11:59 p.m. CST. What you could win: 10 troops with photos including all the required elements will be selected at random to receive a Bling Your Booth patch for every • member of their troop. • ONE of those 10 troops will be selected to appear on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2021 Golden Link. • All photos will be considered for inclusion in upcoming council publications and marketing materials. • Winning troops will be notified via email no later than Friday, April 3, 2020. Due to the number of entries received annually, only winning troops will be notified. Requirements: These items are REQUIRED to qualify for Bling Your Booth prizes: Display your troop’s sales goal • Show what the troop will do with the proceeds earned • • Display the 5 Skills girls learn in the Cookie Program (goal setting, decision making, money management, business ethics and people skills) If your submitted photo does not clearly display these requirements, you will be disqualified. Learn more at gssjc.org/blingyourbooth.
Walkabout Join the 2020 Walkabout Feb. 21 – 23 and earn a special patch! A walkabout is when a Girl Scout or Girl Scout troop walks a neighborhood selling cookies door-to-door in a residential area with adult supervision. This gives them a chance to visit cookie customers they may have missed...or who might need to restock their favorites! Did you know that door-to-door sales remains one of the most effective ways to sell cookies? In a recent national study, 78% of those customers who were not approached during a cookie sale stated they would have purchased two to four boxes if asked. When doing your walkabout, take a photo of yourself with your cookies, then visit gssjc.org/walkabout to submit your photo and contact information. Photos can be submitted by single girls OR by troops. Please do not submit both. Walkabout submissions are due by Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 11:59 p.m. Submit online at gssjc.org/walkabout. 8
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Special Feature
2020 Cookie Promotional Items
For sale at cookie trainings and at the Girl Scout Center in the Product Sales area.
1st Cookie Sale Patch 2020
$0.75
Goal Getter Patch 2020
$0.75
Volunteer Patch 2020
$0.75
Fox T-Shirt $10-$14
2020 Document Holder $3 2020 Cargo Organizer $13
Rollabana $5 Yard Sign & Stakes
$10
E-Tote $5
Cookie Tablecloth 60 x 60 $15
Cookie Tablecloth 72 x 108 $20
Handheld Signs $4
Window Adhesive $5
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Special Feature
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Tips for Troop Leaders: Who’s On Your Cookie Squad? Find Support During Cookie Season
Special Feature
Your Girl Scouts may be cookie bosses, but they still need the support of adult volunteers to have a successful cookie season. From providing goal-setting guidance to helping your girls with booth logistics, cookie season can initially sound daunting to new troop leaders. But you don’t have to do it alone! Just as your girls turn to their troop for support, you can (and should!) draw on your broader troop network for help. Some troop leaders enlist the aid of a cookie manager to serve as point person during cookie season, while others will build a cookie support team with several volunteers who can play off one another’s strengths. “Running a successful cookie program takes a mixture of enthusiasm, customer savvy, attention to detail, and comfort with computer data programs,” says Nancy Fink, a troop leader from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. “One volunteer may possess all those skills, or it may take three, or maybe you’re good at one skill and you simply need help with the others. Either way, the cookie team needs to cover all those bases.” Cookie managers play an invaluable role assisting girls as they achieve their year-end goals–like a camping trip or a service project at their local animal shelter. So how do our volunteer experts meet their cookie squad goals? And which skills should you seek in your manager or team? Look to the parents in your troop You probably discussed the Girl Scout Cookie Program during your first parent meeting, but you’ll want to let parents and caregivers know of your specific volunteer needs ahead of cookie season. “Having a parent involved is especially beneficial because they get a glimpse at what it's like to be on the leadership side of Girl Scouting,” explains Kat Schukneckt, a troop leader from Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Badgerland. “Our troops encourage parents to volunteer in a way that embraces their interests and talents. Someone may not want to handle the financial side of cookies, but they may be perfect for bringing our troop's booth vision together. Our parents understand that the cookie program is a lot of work, and I've made it clear that it just can't happen without additional support. Making sure parents understand what the girls get out of the program and that it's not just about the money puts everything into perspective for them.” Ask your co-leader(s) If you have a co-leader (or several), consider splitting the cookie duties or recruiting a volunteer for a specific area in which you’ll need extra help. “With my first troop, my co-leader and I split the duties, and we handled the program quite well,” says Nancy. “She’s a great motivator and was terrific at our cookie booths and during our lead-up troop meetings. I love spreadsheets and math, so the tracking and sorting became my jobs. The longer we worked together, the smoother our cookie seasons became–an intangible benefit to picking up the job as leaders.” Talk to your co-leaders about who will handle which aspects of the cookie program; don’t assume that the most outgoing person, for instance, will want to be on site for every cookie booth. Explore outside your troop One of the best resources for cookie newbies? Experienced troop leaders! If you’re a fresh face, try teaming up with these seasoned pros or asking them for their best cookie season tips. “I usually take care of the all the cookie stuff, but I do get help from other Girl Scout leaders in my area,” says Laura Flanagan, a troop
leader from Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. “We share ideas for booths and transfer cookies to each other's troops as they or we need them. I have about four other leaders who help me and vice versa. It’s nice to work with leaders who know what’s going on.” Check in with your service unit cookie manager at the start of the season; they’ll answer all your cookie queries and can connect you with fellow troop leaders in your area. Find the right cookie manager Although you’ll want to get the word out about needing extra help during cookie season, consider your troop’s needs before committing volunteers. Make a list of the most important skills a cookie manager or team members should have–Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for managing inventory, for example–and be sure to talk through those requirements with potential volunteers. “When I picked up another troop, I didn’t want cookies from the two troops getting mixed up, so I looked for a troop cookie manager and happily accepted the first volunteer,” says Nancy. “The volunteer was enthusiastic about selling and more than happy to stand in the cold with the girls, but the tracking and inventory were a mess. I spent more time fixing data and explaining what I’d done than if I’d done it myself. Looking back on it, I should have asked for a specific kind of volunteer or assigned tasks that were in her bailiwick.” Nancy also advises new troop leaders to consider their own strengths when managing volunteers. “Think about what kind of manager you are,” she advises. “If you’re not good at delegating or kindly delivering criticism, be careful about how many volunteers you select. The more you pick, the more likely it is you’ll have someone on the team who isn’t doing the job well or someone who makes troop decisions without consulting you. If managing people isn’t one of your strengths, a smaller team might serve you and the troop better.” And remember: “No matter if you do the job yourself, work with a single troop cookie manager, or recruit a team of volunteers, you’ll still find yourself involved in the job,” says Nancy. “You’ll have to make decisions about goals and rewards, you’re ultimately responsible for the girls’ safety at cookie booths, and you must correctly report expenses and profits.” January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Features
Girls Hit the Trail in Colorado
by Nushin Huq
This summer, almost a dozen Houston-area Girl Scouts spent three nights on the trail in Colorado, backpacking 18 miles through rough terrain, crushing Girl Scout stereotypes. The 11 girls are members of the Girl Scout backpacking special interest group. The young women are in junior high and high school but have outdoor skills that most adults lack. They know how to pack their own packs, prepare and cook meals on the trail and aren’t afraid to sleep out in the open. “When I talk to people who don’t know anything about Girl Scouts, they think it’s all about cookies and crafts,” said Heather Solomon, backpacking coordinator. “One thing about GSSJC is we have a huge outdoor department.” I first met Solomon when my daughter and I attended a backpacking orientation last December. Though we camp regularly, we learned a number of skills and camping hacks from the girl and adult trainers. Special interest groups, called SIGs, are one way Girl Scouts tries to keep junior high and high school girls engaged in Girl Scouting. Some of the groups in addition to backpacking are sailing, horseback riding, archery and astronomy. Girls start dropping out of Girl Scouts once they are in middle school, and that’s when SIGs become available to them, Solomon said. Girls lose interest in traditional badges and troop meetings and they want to spend their time gaining experiences and hobbies. SIGs, such as backpacking, provide an affordable way for girls to do that. “We’re trying to get girls outside,” Solomon said. “We’re trying to get girls exposed to backpacking, and we’re trying to expand their horizons to places they’ve never been.” Last summer the group went to Canada, which was the first time several of the girls traveled out of Texas. This summer the girls traveled to Colorado and hiked a part of the Colorado trail. They took a couple of days to acclimate to the higher elevation and then hit the trail for two nights and three days. Bella A., 15, attended the Colorado trip. She’s been a member of the group since 2016. Astraquillo heard about the backpacking group at a Girl Scout event showcasing all of the special interest groups Girl Scouts offer, including backpacking. "I thought, oh, this sounds like a lot of fun,” Bella said. “I tried it out and really liked it. It’s basically camping with a lot less stuff.” Just as important as giving girls outdoor experiences, teaching the girls independence and self confidence is also an important goal of the program. “We are showing the girls, yes, you can do these things,” Solomon said. “Yes, you can be in the woods. Yes, you can you to the bathroom in the woods.” Girls learn to problem solve during the trips. They have limited resources, carrying only the things they have in their backpacks, Solomon said. They might encounter gear failing or something breaking and they have to fix it with what they have. “You can’t just go to Walmart and get what you need,” Solomon said. “We’ve seen a lot of girls flourish and really come into their own." The girls in the group represent a diverse background, including different racial and socio-economic backgrounds. “We have girls that this may be the only camping or outdoor experience,” Solomon said. “We have girls that have never spent the night out before as well as girls that have backpacked with their families and are joining the group as something else to do.” The 11 girls that went on the trip became closer through that experience.“It’s really easy to make new friends with that group,” Ainsley Ross said. “Everybody is outgoing, but if a shy person is a part of the group, everyone tries to include them in everything.” Ross’s family will use skills learned through the group and plan to take a family backpacking trip next summer where they will spend four or five days on the trail.
Get started on a weekend trip!
After participating in a weekend orientation, girls can sign up for weekend trips. They don’t need to participate with their troop, they don’t even need to be part of a Girl Scout troop. Individually registered girls are welcome to join SIGs. Solomon tries to plan several types of trips throughout the year. She estimates that the group will go on about 10 weekend trips within a school year. The girls will submit a location list and adult coordinators will take that list into consideration. The girls pack their own bags, make their own meals and decide as a group how far they want to hike. Sometimes, when the weather is hot, they’ll do short hikes. Other times, they’ll decide to hike farther..“We try to stay true that this is a girl led program,” Solomon said. Ainsley R., 14, joined the backpacking group in 2017. She’s always enjoyed being outdoors and became interested in the group after seeing it in The Golden Link. Ross participated in the orientation with both her parents. Through backpacking, Ainsley said she learned a lot of new skills such as reading maps and working as a group with other hikers. Since joining, Ainsley participated in seven or eight trips including the trip to Canada in 2018 and Colorado this summer. “This summer, we spent three days on the trail with backpacks and everything,” Ainsley said. “That was really fun.” Ready to get started? Go to a backpacking orientation. The next one is Feb. 29- March 1. Or get a taste of hiking at one of the day hikes Feb. 8 at WG Jones State Forest or April 18 at Brazos Bend State Park. See more information on page 20. 12 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Green Starlettes Officer Camp “We would like to start off by congratulating you on your position.” This is the statement girls who tried out for an officer position in the special interest dance group, Green Starlettes, want to hear. The Green Starlettes is a non-competitive dance team for the girls to learn basic principles of dance, build confidence, practice coordination, team spirit and give Girl Scouts a fun/exciting dance experience. Teams meet once a week to practice parade and dance routines and discuss upcoming performances and events. After one year on the senior team, girls may try out for an officer position. Officers display their learned leadership skills as they guide their teammates. Every year the officers who earn their position must put in some extra time and effort to be prepared to learn how to be a leader of our program by attending Officer Camp. This year’s camp took place in August at Camp Pryor. The theme was “Why Be Ordinary When You Can be Flamazing”. To tell you more about the “flamazing” time had at camp, we asked our officer Major Emerald Hernandez from the Pineywoods division, under the direction of Tammy Lockington, director, and Amanda Rhea, co-director, to give us her bird’s eye view: Officer camp 2019-2020 was very fun and informational. On Friday night when the officers arrived, we sorted out our cabins. We then met up in the lodge for a presentation on leadership. Each officer was assigned to create a display board based on a leadership word: success, teamwork, exercise or restraint. The presentation activity was to define the word in depth and give examples. After the presentation, we stayed up a little longer to have a small discussion on how we want the season to go. On Saturday, we started with theme ideas for the team’s dance camp, connection camp and spring show. We have a big responsibility to choose for the season. We are a big part of the planning which we enjoy doing.
Features
After voting for the year’s theme for the camps and spring show, we had several training/activities planned that day. We had classes on situations that we may encounter, responsibilities that each officer has, leadership skills of an officer, manners, personal/team goals and transformations we experience. Each of the classes were very informational for us and better prepares us for the season and life outside the program. During the day we took a small break, we went to the pool. We played team building exercise games. It was very fun to learn to work better with the other officers. We spent many hours together with officers and directors from all 11 divisions. That is very important because we are all working hard to maintain and improve the program together for future girls. Officer camp was great. Everyone learned, enjoyed it. This was a great beginning to the new season. We are very proud of our team of officers, and we are very excited about the year ahead. Our program builds friendships that can last a lifetime and teaches the importance of being a mentor to others. We are going to have fun and getting to know each other while learning how to be leaders.
Green Starlettes Dance Camp “5,6,7,8” If you don’t know what this countdown means, then join the Green Starlettes. The Green Starlettes is a noncompetitive dance team for the girls to learn basic principles of dance, build confidence, practice coordination, team spirit and give Girl Scouts a fun/exciting dance experience. Teams meet once a week to practice parade, stand chants and dance routines, discuss upcoming performances and events. To begin our season in the special interest group Green Starlettes, girls on the senior/junior squad attend dance camp/dance clinic at Camp Agnes Arnold/Misty Meadows Ranch in October. During the weekend generals from the senior top officers squad and our teaching dance instructors provide the opportunity for the girls to learn the season’s dance, review the parade routine/ team chants that will be performed at selected venues/parades in the greater Houston, north/east Texas areas. To tell you more about the news from street actually “Sesame Street”, our theme from the weekend, we asked our officer 2nd Lieutenant Grace W. from the East division under the direction of Donna Schneiter, director and Megan Coots, co-director to give us her “beat from the street.”
“We arrived on Friday night and once everyone had dropped off their luggage at their cabins, we convened in the Misty Meadows lodge for snacks, a meeting-type talk and introductions/ parade routine and stand chants. Saturday morning we all went to breakfast at Misty Meadows using the people-movers. Dancing and stretching commenced after breakfast and stopped briefly for lunch. After lunch, we finished the second half of the dance, reviewed and cleaned up the technique. Nearly everyone seemed to enjoy showoffs and awards. We finished dancing early and had a bit of free time between pictures and dinner. After dinner, we cleaned up and started getting ready for the party. Everyone enjoyed the party in their own way. Afterward, we went back to the cabins and got ready for the next day. Sunday morning, we packed, ate breakfast and cleaned up before the senior line members left. Once the seniors had left and the juniors arrived, we stretched and did the parade routine, chants and juniors learned their season’s dance After lunch, we continued the dance and did show-offs Awards are always fun, especially for the juniors. Everyone had fun at both camps” We are very proud of our team and we are very excited about the year. Our program, builds friendships that can last a lifetime and teaches the importance of being a mentor to others. We are going to have fun through dance while learning how to be leaders. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs Transforming Interest and Aptitude into Success Helping girls enter the business and entrepreneurial workforce is beneficial for girls and the world. If girls are left out of the entrepreneurial space, they can suffer from long-term financial and career consequences. But when girls’ and women’s ideas for how to change the world are put into action, the economy gains revenue and society gains ingenuity. Encouraging girls’ interest in entrepreneurship prepares them for any future career of their choosing. The social and emotional qualities that lead to successful entrepreneurship, like curiosity, confidence, and innovation, are crucial for all types of academic and career success. Building such skills prepares girls for workforce readiness no matter where they go or what they decide to do. The Girl Scout Research Institute recently conducted a national survey with 1,506 girls ages 8−17 to better understand how girls define, experience, and aspire toward entrepreneurial pursuits in their current and future lives. What we learned shows that many are already actively engaging in entrepreneurial activities and possess an entrepreneurial mindset. To transform this interest and aptitude into success, we need to provide girls with opportunities to learn in the entrepreneurial space and remove the obstacles that girls themselves identify: perceptions that women in business face a steeper hill to climb than men. In other words, the world needs to get ready for girls!
Key Findings Girls possess many of the traits we know are linked to future entrepreneurial success. Six in ten girls have the qualities that make up an entrepreneurial mindset. These girls: • Want to change the world and are confident in their own abilities to make their mark • Embrace challenges, take risks, and see failing as an opportunity to learn and grow • Are curious and innovative self-starters • Are collaborative team players open to new ideas and knowledgeable about where and when to reach for help Girls who are still developing an entrepreneurial mindset need the most support when it comes to community problem solving, innovative thinking, and challenge seeking—and they are less likely to see failure as an opportunity to try again. Today’s girls are the entrepreneurs of the future. • More than three in four girls are interested in becoming an entrepreneur in the future (78%) or are interested in starting their own company (76%). Even more girls (84%) want to lead a cause or campaign for something they believe in. • Most girls are already actively engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Nine in ten girls (89%) have already done something related to entrepreneurship, like volunteering, selling items as part of a fundraiser or school club, encouraging someone to join a social cause, or finding a new way to use a product or service. • Black and Latina girls are especially interested in and particularly poised to become leaders in entrepreneurship. More than eight in ten Black and Latina girls are interested in being an entrepreneur (85% Black girls, 86% Latina girls) or in starting their own company (85% Black girls, 81% Latina girls). 14 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Although girls express confidence in their ability to be entrepreneurs, they also identify key challenges to getting started, including not knowing where to start (34%), fear of failure (29%), not thinking entrepreneurship is worth the risk (38%), and the perception of an uphill battle related to gender equality. • •
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Three in four girls believe they will have to work harder to succeed in entrepreneurship because of their gender. Girls agree that men and women are equally capable of being the CEO of a company or starting their own business, but many believe that men are more likely than women to actually do it. As girls get older, they’re less likely to believe that society supports women in entrepreneurship.
Girls are clear about what support they need: • More entrepreneurship courses/programs (64%) • To be mentored by an entrepreneur (51%) • More financial literacy or money-management courses or programs (40%) • To learn more about female entrepreneurs (38%) Download the full report for more details, including tips for how adults can help more girls become leaders in this space at www.girlscouts.org/succeed.
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4 Quick Tips for a Great Cookie Program From Troop #140132, Winners of the Bling Your Booth Contest
During the 2019 Cookie Program, GSSJC held a Bling Your Booth contest. We asked troops to decorate their booths to catch the eyes of customers while also displaying the five skills girls learn in the Cookie Program, their goal and what they planned to do with their funds. Troop #140132 was named the grand prize winner, and you can check out their booth at gssjc.org/blingyourbooth. Below are four quick tips from them on what it takes to make your troop or Girl Scout’s cookie experience a successful one: 1. 2.
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Make sure you have a great troop cookie manager and awesome troop parents. In our troop each girl has at least one parent that is a registered member. Start early January with the importance of saying thank you to cookie customers. Cards are great for big orders and repeat customers. This can be as easy as a printed piece of paper that says " Thank you ________, for supporting our troop! Your total is $____". This serves two purposes: it thanks the customer by name, and it labels the order with a total owed. Set up mock booths. We spent two meetings on this. The first one was to brainstorm four jobs or roles and the next was to practice the booth. Each girl at the booth(s) would serve in each role at least one time, i.e. 15-minute shifts twice or 30-minute shifts once. We had both girls and adults as customers, some of which we learned how to handle rejection in a professional manner. This gave the girls experience in each area, money handling, getting customers' attention (marketing), approaching and speaking to customers, product handling and inventory management. Each girl found that they liked or disliked in certain areas and were able to strengthen those areas by the end of the season. Parents liked it as the rotations kept the girls engaged. Have a goal and then an even bigger (stretch) goal. Keep the girls informed along the way with their progress - after all this is their business, not just a fundraiser for Girl Scouts!
Girl Scout Traditions: Flag Ceremonies A flag ceremony honors the American flag as the symbol of our country and all the hopes, dreams, and people it represents. If your group includes girls from other countries, invite them to honor their flags too, and together conduct an international flag ceremony. Flag ceremonies may be used for: • Opening or closing meetings • Opening or closing special events • Beginning or closing a day • Honoring a special occasion or special person • Retiring a worn flag Flag ceremonies may take place in meeting rooms, outdoor settings, large auditoriums, onstage, or even on horseback. The American flag is carried by a color guard for protection during a flag ceremony. All flag ceremonies share one thing–respect for the flag. Flag Ceremony Guidelines Keep it simple. Emphasis needs to be on respect for the flag rather than on the commands or techniques. Adults can ask girls these questions when planning: • Who will carry the flag? • Who will the color guards be? • Who will give the directions for the ceremony? • Will a poem or quotation be included? Who will say or read it? • After the Pledge of Allegiance, will the Girl Scout Promise and Law be said? • What order will the ceremony follow? • Where will the flags be placed at the end of the ceremony?
New Girl Scout shopping option for Lake Jackson! In order to provide a solution to the Lake Jackson Shop that closed in the fall of 2019, GSSJC will offer FREE shipping to the Girl Scout Community based out of Lake Jackson. Orders place via email, will be given a scheduled weekly date to pick up their order at the Lake Jackson Girl Scout Resource Center lockers by the shop’s front door. You can start placing orders Jan. 2, 2020 by emailing shop@sjgs.org. More info. to come!
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Cookies4Heroes For the second year, Girl Scouts across GSSJC donated cookies purchased by customers back to first responders in their neighborhood. This initiative began following Hurricane Harvey as a way to say thank you to everyone who bravely assisted those in need across southeast Texas. Troop #129183 and one big sister from Troop #129026 delivered cookies to Katy ISD Law Enforcement Center.
Troop #106234 delivered cookies to Montgomery County Constables in Precinct 3.
Troop #28173 delivered 24 cases to the U.S. Coast Guard Galveston Station. Troop #152109 delivered 85 cases of cookies to all the memorial Hermann ER’s and EMS breakrooms, LifeFlight and the Trauma/ Butn centers in the Houston Medical center. Troop #127001 delivered cookies to Second Baptist West Campus.
Troop #8499 delivered Cookies4Heroes to the Pasadena Salvation Army, the Pasadena Police Department and the Pasadena Fire Marshalls Office. The girls had an opportunity to interact and ask questions of each group.
See page 8 for information on the 2020 Cookies4Heroes. 16 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Troop #146013 recently sent a care package to military stationed overseas in Iraq. They were very happy to have Girl Scout Cookies delivered in addition to the other treats the girls picked out with money earned through cookie sales last year.
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Congratulations Gold Award Girl Scouts The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9-12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. Since 1916, girls have successfully pursued the highest award, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world. Courtney B. addressed the need for a fun and athletic outdoor activity at a local intermediate school by constructing a gaga ball pit. For her opening week, she hosted a tournament during gym class and taught the children how to play. She also developed curriculum and materials for future health and PE instructors to help keep the game going after her project. This included paper resources and three YouTube videos. Sydney B. led a project on the installation of an augmented reality water shed that she installed at The Turtle Island Restoration Network in Galveston. This 3D computer program was created to help address the need for topographic map formations in land and help show how water runoff affects the area and local environment. The installation is still being used by The Turtle Island Restoration Network in Galveston and is used by members and visitors. Vyshnavi D. addressed the issues surrounding tobacco products like e-cigarettes and the health risks that similar products pose. She noticed that use of e-cigarette products has drastically risen in recent times, especially amongst teens. Her project helped spread public health awareness through a self-hosted website that cataloged all her research and findings of the dangers of tobacco products, as well as information on how to break nicotine addictions. She also created a video and 21-page book consisting of poems, art pieces and stories about the dangers of tobacco. Catherine D. focused on the need to educate a younger generation on the impact and growing need to address climate change. To educate her audience, Catherine developed two workshops intended for grades 3-5, and a second for grades 6-9. Catherine’s workshops, resources, and information were later featured on social media platforms for EVO’s Four Bamboo (a reusable straw company that worked in conjunction with Catherine), Houston Project Monarch and Green Generation. Lauren G. created a social and collaborative platform using Facebook as a way to centralize students from an online-based school taught by Texas Online Preparatory School. Lauren also started a student council organization in her group. Her project tackled social issues to help bring like-minded individuals and students closer to each other for social, emotional and collective support.
Ariana G. led a project revolving around local sustainability and environmental awareness at her high school addressing the lack of funds, resources and care to her high school’s butterfly garden. Ariana noticed that the garden wasn’t being used, had debris and was not being tended to. Together with volunteers, Ariana rebuilt the garden and educated her classmates and peers on how to maintain a garden locally with budget-friendly flowers that would die in the winter and regrow in the spring. Lacey G. tackled issues of bridging the gaps of education for underprivileged areas and literacy. Together with 17 volunteers, Lacey created a six-week long summer program for kids at Tall Timbers Apartments in conjunction with East Texas Dream Centers. She was able to spearhead a free library where kids could get books to take home without paying any fees. Himadri G. felt many children of immigrant families need extra exposure to the English language. Himadri hoped to fill these gaps in language learning and acquisition through her Gold Award project. As a child of immigrants herself, Himadri knows the importance of exposure to language learning resources. Her project established a local grassroots literacy and reading network in her primarily immigrant community. Her network included a local library and bi-weekly storytime and reading readiness with ESL support. Morgan L. provided dancing opportunities to underprivileged children in her community. Together with the Nehemiah Center, Morgan was able to choreograph six different types of dance routines. Over the course of a week, Morgan was able to prepare small performances for the whole camp and was able to provide her lessons to 35 girls in total. Her project helped connect children to the art of dance in an affordable and convenient manner. Emily M. addressed issues such as bullying and social isolation. Emily constructed two buddy benches for a local Title One school in her community to help eliminate social loneliness and prevent bullying on the playgrounds. Her goal was to foster friendships among classmates by providing the students with a safe space to come together and communicate. She also provided demonstration videos to help students identify bullying on the playgrounds. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Features Mireille M. wanted to help address the need to teach others about wildlife conservation and how to care for injured and abandoned wildlife. Her project included volunteer work at TWRC, attending presentations, creating a video to help communicate her findings, a Spanish outreach incentive that translated her materials into Spanish and the construction of an outdoor rehabilitation cage. Mireille’s efforts helped bring crucial information to her audiences in different languages and educated them on the importance of tending to the environment.
Jennifer T. helped bring awareness to the growing need for senior adults to understand how to navigate technology such as smartphones and computers. In conjunction with her high school’s Computer Club and Key Club, Jennifer helped approximately 50 senior citizens in assisted living facilities by connecting them with resources and individuals who could help them become more confident in using technology. Through her project, Jennifer aimed to give a unique opportunity for older and younger generations to come together and connect.
Abigail P. noticed that there were few to little opportunities for children with disabilities to participate at her local theater, Playhouse 1960. To help address this issue, Abigail developed her Curtain Call For All outreach program that was aimed at bridging the gap between youth with disabilities and participation in the theatre. In her project, she installed an aluminum ADA approved wheelchair ramp, researched how best to communicate and work with those with disabilities, developed an intensive two-week program with volunteers and facilitated a final production.
Zephelline V. had been compelled at a young age to address the disparity in the quality of health for children in predominantly minority neighborhoods since she was a child of immigrants. Her project aimed at helping bridge those gaps and bring resources and information to children of these communities. Together with Bridging For Tomorrow, Zephelline created two four-hour long sessions that included lessons on how to live a healthy lifestyle, the benefits of health awareness, dietary lessons and how to prepare healthy recipes at home.
Jordan S. wrote a self-published book called “Jordan’s Journey: A Preemie’s Survival Guide.” This book followed Jordan’s life from her premature birth to her now healthy life. Her project was aimed at encouraging others in similar situations and help give advice on how others are now living their lives. Copies of her book were circulated in the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Texas Children’s and Hermann Memorial hospitals. Jordan also facilitated a book reading event with her troop at RMH, along with snacks and T-shirts to commemorate the event.
Rebekah W. learned that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 25 percent of 16 year-olds have their driver’s license. Rebekah noted that driver’s education courses taught youth how to drive a vehicle but now how to properly maintain and care for cars. In her project, Rebekah aimed to educate driving-aged teens on basic care car and safety, including how to check car fluids, how to jump start a car, how to change a tire, what to do in case of an emergency, procedures on how to respond to being pulled over and what to do in case of a vehicular accident.
Jessica S. wanted to bridge the gap ESL students face by helping provide them with opportunities to practice and hone their English reading, writing and speaking skills. Her program, called Lingua, connected ESL students to mentors with no cost. This helped those ESL students by giving them the confidence to ask for help on their homework, interact with more students who only speak English and feel part of their school’s community. Marie S. addressed the lack of an easily accessible library and decline in student reading, Marie’s project tackled the initiative to re-create her school's library. By researching how to start a library and creating a website, she was able to connect with school administration and volunteers in helping recentralize her school’s books, foster a safe study hall area and help tackle the issues of a decline in reading throughout her campus.
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Elena W. focused on connecting people from around the world and finding ways to encourage young teenagers to learn about cultures and people around them through travel for her project. She addressed the need to break cultural walls and teach people about the importance of being open to new experiences and cultures. Through travel tips, YouTube videos and different marketing strategies, Elena was able to coordinate her six volunteers to reach more than 120 people and counting. Talia W. knew someone who personally fell victim to an abusive relationship and took it upon herself to educate her fellow teen peers and classmates on how to identify and respond to abusive relationships and domestic violence. Talia developed a seminar where she aimed to connect teens with resources and information on domestic violence, as well as create a safe-space for teens to share their experiences and stories with others. Her project helped connect people with similar experiences in a safe environment to share their stories and educate others how to identify and respond to abusive relationships.
Activities
Girl and Troop Activities Register for activities under the Activities tab in MyGS. Go to www.gssjc.org and select MyGS, log in to“Member Profile," then select Activities. If you have a question about your activity, contact 713-292-0370 or 1-800-392-4340. If you have a problem with your login, contact Customer Service at 713-292-0300 or registration@sjgs.org. Bring: For all events, bring Permission Slip F-204 and Medical Form F-185 for each girl and the Adult Emergency Form F-22 for each adult. Attention Daisy Leaders! Look for the Daisy in this section for activities that Daisies can attend.
Day-only outdoor activities at camp: Want to spend some time at camp? Day-only activities are available as scheduled below. Some of our sessions have been reformatted with longer session times. Online registration is available in MyGS Member Community. From the Activities tab, use the search bar to enter your weekend date (i.e. 9/14/19) and available camps will appear. Weekend activity registration for these activities does not include overnight accommodations. If you have a Camp Certified volunteer, submit an F-127 to request an overnight stay. Registration for activities closes two weeks before event. Requests for late registrations or changes can't be accommodated. Jan. 11 Camp Agnes Arnold Misty Meadows Ranch
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Jan. 25 Jan. 31 Feb. 8 Feb. 15 Feb. 22
Feb. 29 March 7 March 14
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March 28
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Camp Robinwood Camp Wind-a-Mere
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Lake Jackson Resource Center Camp Pryor
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Camp Whispering Pines
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Casa Mare Archery(A) $8: Archery is available for Brownies (girls in second grade) or older. Sessions are now one and one half hours! Up to 12 girls per session can learn archery basics and spend some time practicing their aim. These archery sessions are instructor-led (meaning an instructor will be provided for your group.) Session Times: Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Discounted rate if you have your own USAA Instructor. Submit a Program Registration form and appropriate certifications to registration@sjgs.org, and a separate time will be reserved for your troop to do archery if available. Taste of Canoeing(C) $20: Canoeing is a great team-building activity and an enjoyable and relaxing way to experience the outdoors. This is an introductory course for Brownies through Ambassadors, with no previous training required. Councilprovided canoe instructors will teach girls waterfront safety and basic canoe strokes. Limit of 12 girls per session. Session Times: Saturday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Discount if you have your own adult FOC or American Canoe Association instructor, submit a Program Registration form and appropriate certifications to registration@sjgs.org, and a separate time will be reserved for your troop to canoe if available. Love, Hug and Groom(L) $6: Love, Hug and Groom is a non-riding activity to introduce girls of all ages to horse care. Girls will receive a barn tour, introduction to horse care, and a hands-on grooming opportunity with camp horses. Sessions are for one hour and are available on Saturday and Sunday. Limit of 25 girls per session. Session Times: Saturday at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.. ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
A A Horseback Riding(R) $25: Horseback riding is available on Saturdays and Sundays for Juniors through Ambassadors. Rides are for one hour, and take place in either the arena or on a trail, depending on the skill of the riders. Girls must arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled ride time. Appropriate attire includes long pants and boots with a smooth sole and 1/2 inch heels. Boots are available for ride time. Helmets are provided. Limit of 12 girls per session. Session Times: Saturday at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Hikes with Henry and Friends(H) $6: If you want a fun way to introduce your girls to camp during the day, consider taking a guided hike. Foresters Henry Steitz and John Ross and a group of dedicated volunteers conduct hikes that are both fun and informative. You haven’t really seen camp until you have toured it with these guys! These sessions are approximately two hours each and are for all ages. Cost includes a patch. Session Times: 10 a.m. – noon. Swimming(S) $5: Need to cool off? Take a dip in the camp pool! Swimming time slots are available for one hour on Saturday only, for girls of all ages. Note, these sessions are pool fun time and free swim. During these swimming sessions a lifeguard will be provided for your group. It is not necessary to provide your own lifeguard for these sessions. Council Lifeguard Session Times: Saturday at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. Discount if you have your own lifeguard. Submit a Program Registration form and appropriate certifications to registration@sjgs.org, and a separate time will be reserved for your troop to swim if available. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Activities
Backpacking Backpacking Orientation
Backpacking Orientation covers all the basic knowledge required for troops and individuals wishing to go backpacking. Don’t worry about being the only girl in your troop or an individually registered girl interested in backpacking – you won’t be the only one! You will be in a group of new friends for the weekend. You will learn how to pack a backpack, care for a tent and cook on your own personal stove. You will transfer your camping gear to your backpack and then hike two miles to the campsite and set up your tent where you will be spending the evening for a real, mini backpacking adventure! Enjoy the campfire, savor dinner on your own stove, and settle in for the night in your tent on the ground under the stars. After packing up your gear the next morning, you will hike two miles back to the main part of camp, say goodbye to your new friends and count down the days until your first weekend backpacking trip! After successfully completing orientation, participants will earn the GSSJC Backpacking Certification and can accompany any of the existing council backpacking groups on weekend trips. Girls who complete this orientation will be able to join the Backpacking Special Interest Group. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact: Note:
ⓙ ⓒ ⓢ ⓐ; must be 11 years-old
Treelake Camp Complex, Podville, Conroe Saturday through Sunday (see web posting for times) Feb. 29 – March 1 $23 Kathy Elliott, 713-292-0257, kelliott@sjgs.org You will be provided with a backpack, tent and stove to use during orientation
Day Hikes with the Backpackers
Step out to enjoy a day in nature and get away from the city! Join and meet fellow Girl Scouts and explore a nearby forest or park. You will take a leisurely hike and start to learn some basic backpacking skills and tips along the way. Come on one hike or come on them all. Lunch and a day pack will be provided to all attendees. This is a great way to get a taste for the Girl Scout backpacking program. Who: Where:
ⓙ ⓒ ⓢ ⓐ and adults
Feb. 8 at WG Jones State Forest April 18 at Brazos Bend State Park Cost: $20 Contact: Kathy Elliott, 713-292-0300, kelliott@sjgs.org Note: Individually registered girls and troops are welcome. Lunch, backpacks and water bottles will be provided. Day hikes are NOT a substitute for or the same thing as Backpacking Orientation. Backpacking Orientation is required to join the Backpacking Special Interest Group.
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Camp Carousels
Camp with your Girl Scout troop at this fun-filled weekend! Program is provided. All you need to do is prepare your girls for the camping experience and bring your own meals and camping supplies. Carousel is a perfect introduction to camping for your troop’s first time in the woods, and a great event to attend more than once as each Carousel is unique. Get ready to make memories that will last a lifetime! Cost: $30/person When Theme Apr. 17 – 19 Theme Coming Soon! May 8 – 10 GS Camp Mystery May 15 – 17 Water Olympics June 19 – 21 Engineering June 26 – 28 Under the Sea
Where Camp Robinwood Camp Pryor Camp Robinwood Camp Pryor Camp Robinwood
Bring: Troops are responsible for providing a Certified Outdoor Trained adult*, a current CPR/First Aider* a first aid kit, simple meals, personal camping equipment and SWAPS. Contact: Kathy Elliott, 713-292-0257, kelliott@sjgs.org Note: Carousel program is designed to serve troops. Fee includes camp fee, session materials, administrative fees and event patch. The ratio for Carousels is maximum one adult for every four girls with a minimum of two adults. Submit camp and first aid certifications to registration@sjgs.org immediately after registering and include PDF of registration receipt. Troops will be placed in units after registration closes.
Letterboxing
Letterboxing is a cross between a treasure hunt, art, navigation and exploring interesting, scenic places as you follow clues to a hidden box containing a stamp and a logbook. It’s like hiking with a prize at the end! There are letterboxes hiding at Girl Scout camps waiting for you the next time you go camping. We have to set up new boxes as weather and curious critters make the boxes disappear. For a complete list of clues or information on how to set up new letterboxes, go to gssjc.org, log onto the online community. Then click on Property Central, Documents, Letterboxing.
Geocaching
Join the fun with this high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. GSSJC has units available for rental. The cost is $10 per week with a $25 deposit per unit. Use the units locally, in some state parks or even in some of our camps. For a complete list of clues or information on how to set up new letterboxes, go to gssjc.org, log onto the online community. Then click on Property Central, Documents, Geocaching.
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Family Camping
Spend a weekend with your family at camp. Join us for fishing, outdoor skills, archery, crafts, hiking and fun in the outdoors. And, of course, there will be s’mores and singing around the campfire on Saturday night. All registrations include accommodations in a platform tent, which sleeps up to four people or families may choose to pitch their own tent. Families may also upgrade to a cabin or dorm for an additional fee, if available. • Pitch Your Own Tent (no additional cost) – outdoor kitchen shelter, wash stand, fire circle, latrine (camp’s central shower house with flush toilets available) • Tent (no additional cost) – outdoor kitchen shelter, wash stand, fire circle, latrine (camp’s central shower house with flush toilets available) • Cabin (cost: $20, sleeps six people) – outdoor kitchen shelter, wash stand, fire circle, latrine (camp’s central shower house with flush toilets available) • Dormitories (cost: $100 for 20-28 beds) - Mattresses for “slumber party style” floor sleeping, as well as a small bedroom with three to five wooden beds or bunkbeds. Includes an indoor kitchen and bathroom and an outdoor fire circle. A list of standard Girl Scout guidelines (appropriate fuels, rules for conduct, etc.) will be included in the confirmation attachments. We encourage entire families (even male siblings) to attend. Camp training is not required for this event. When registering your additional children, please disregard the automated gender categories. Bring: Personal camping equipment (suggested packing list available after registration) and unit roster from the family camp information attached after registration is completed. Families must bring and prepare their own meals. Also bring permission slip, medical form and adult emergency form. Attending this event, you and all participants attending with you agree to abide by the updated F-05 Family Camping Guidelines as well as operational procedures outlined in the F-433 under Camping - Family Camping (page 4). Families with two or more children under 5 years of age must have at least two adults in the group. Families with four or more children must have at least two adults. Large families (more than six children attending) should consult with the outdoor experience department to determine appropriate adult ratios for safety. Anyone under the age of 18 is a child. Families are responsible for the health, safety and supervision of their children at all times while at camp. When: March 13 – 15, Camp Robinwood, Willis Cost: $40/person (plus cabin fees, if applicable); free for ages 4 and under Contact: Kathy Elliott, 713-292-0257, kelliott@sjgs.org
Environmental Urban Farm Workshops
Finca Tres Robles is Houston’s only private farm inside the loop. Girls will enjoy seeing herbs, fruits and vegetables straight from their garden. Where: Finca Tres Robles Urban Farm, Houston Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338 Senior Sow What? Journey Finca Tres Tobles invites Seniors to discover some big food issues: how and where food is grown, processed, distributed, consumed and so often wasted. Every step of the Journey is completed except the Take Action project. When: Feb. 22 and 23, 1 – 5 p.m. Cost: $60
Birds and Bayous
Global Action Award
Girls are invited to join Region 13 to earn their Global Action Award. Girls will participate in a round table discussion and girl led activities to earn their 2020 Global Action Award. Lunch will be provided. After lunch, girls will participate in a a Global Impact project with Builders without Borders. Participants will compete all award requirements with the understanding that the Take Action Project will be completed at home. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 22, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Builders Without Borders, Alvin $12 /girl, free for adults Lola Akapo, 713-292-0353, lakapo@sjgs.org
Join the Houston Audubon Society in this informative workshop on local birds in our area, meet the raptors (hawks and owls) that live at the center, learn about bird conservation and famous women from the past and present, learn to identify species native to Texas, their habitats and more! This workshop includes nature exploration, birding with binoculars, painting, hiking and more.
ⓑⓙ Who: When: Feb. 8, March 14; 9 a.m. – noon Where: Sim’s Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston Cost: $23 ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
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Activities
Armand Bayou Workshops
Girl Scouts are invited to earn a badge or complete a Journey step at Armand Bayou Nature Center. Visit this astonishingly beautiful part of the Texas Gulf Coast and become aware of how Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC), nestled in the Clear Lake Area, is working to preserve the wetlands prairie, forest and marsh habitats. Visitors can learn about our plant and animal inhabitants, bird-watch, hike or view our live animal displays of snakes, alligators, turtles, hawks and bison. Girls will learn about our wildlife, flora and fauna and much more. Join us and experience everything nature!
Matagorda Bay Nature Park Workshops
Earn a badge at Matagorda Bay Nature Park. This 1,333-acre park and nature preserve is located at the mouth of the Colorado River on the Matagorda Bay peninsula. Girls will enjoy two miles of Gulf of Mexico beachfront, birdwatching in coastal marshes and wetlands. Where: Matagorda Bay Nature Park, Matagorda Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338 Cost: $18, includes badge; beach cleanup is $5
Who: ⓓⓑⓙ Where: Armand Bayou Nature Center, Pasadena Wear: Closed-toed shoes- no sandals or flip flops. Dress appropriately for weather - rain or shine. Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338
Eco-Learner Learn how to prepare for a hike and what to bring along. Walk the beach with a park guide and learn about the plants and animals that live there and things we see along the way. We’ll gather things we see along the way to make a picture in the sand.
Workshop
Who: When:
WOW Sessions 1,2,&3 Outdoor Adventure Outdoor Art Creator WOW Sessions 1,2,&3 Daisy Garden-Session 1 Daisy Garden Session 4 Animal Habitats Outdoor Art Explorer Flowers Animal Habitats
Date
Jan. 25 Feb. 1 Feb. 22 Feb. 29 Feb. 1 Feb. 22 Jan. 25 Feb. 1 Feb. 22 Feb. 29
Time
Level Price
9 – 11:30 a.m. 9 – 11 a.m. 9 – 11 a.m. 9 – 11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Wild About Wolves
Juniors can complete the Animal Habitats badge and Seniors can complete the Voice for Animals. This facility is a volunteer-run nonprofit that cares for non-releasable wolves and wolf-hybrids in a safe, loving environment. The sanctuary is also committed to educating the public on conservation efforts and the downside to owning exotic pets. This session includes a facility tour to meet the animals that call this place home as well as the badge workshop with a unique twist and focus on these majestic creatures. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓙ ⓢ and their chaperones
St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary, Montgomery Juniors – Jan. 11, Jan. 25, Feb. 15, Feb. 29, March 21, April 11, May 2, May 16, May 30 Seniors – Feb. 1, April 12 $22/girl, $11/adult, badges included for girls Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338
Junior Gardener
Juniors are invited to attend an experiential garden education workshop at Hope Farms, a seven-acre urban farm. This experience includes hands on activities to engage girls in topics surrounding soil, worms, bee pollination, plants, planting, flowers and community. Service work in the educational garden space is included. Who: ⓙ When: Jan. 11, Feb. 22; 10 a.m. – noon Where: Hope Farms, Houston Cost: $25/girl Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338 22 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Jan. 11, 9 – 11 a.m.; March 7, 3 – 5 p.m.
Geocache Learn about geocaching in Matagorda. Make a trade item, learn how to use a GPS and go on a hunt for three different coordinates to leave our items. Who: When:
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Jan. 11, 1 – 3 p.m.; March 21, 9 – 11 a.m.
Animal Habitats Observe fish and hermit crabs in the touch tank journey to the beach and explore the different habitats that many animals make their homes and take some time to clean up trash on a portion of the beach. Also, build an animal habitat. Who: When:
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March 21, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Night Owl Join the park guide on a nighttime beach hike. Learn about a special nocturnal animal that lives on the beach and use your senses to notice what’s different after dark! We’ll return to the nature center to look through telescopes. Who: When:
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March 7, 6:15 – 8 p.m.
Outdoor Adventurer We’ll buddy up and play a outdoor game on the beach. We’ll learn a new camp skill and core for the outdoors. Who: When:
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Feb. 8, 1 – 3 p.m.
Outdoor Art Creator Join the Park Guide to take a hike on the beach. We’ll learn how to be creative and make something with nature, make music, and be a nature photographer on the beach. Who: When:
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Feb. 8, 9 – 11 a.m.
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Brownie Outdoor Art Creator
As an artist, you can walk outside and see colors, shapes and ideas for things you want to create. Attend our class at Hope Farms where we have a breath taking 7-acre urban farm right in the city and learn how you can make your own art outdoors and have fun doing it among our plants, flowers, gathering barn. You'll get your creativity flowing with all things nature. Who: ⓑ When: Jan. 25 or Feb. 2, 10 a.m. – noon Where: Hope Farms, Houston Cost: $25/girl Contact: Julia Shank
Spend two hours with award-winning author Deborah K. Frontiera exploring the basics of writing in both a fabulous Junior Scribe workshop or Cadette Screenwriter. Participants will learn the basics of what makes a good book or script, come up with an idea for a story, develop two characters (perhaps more), build the over-all plot and, hopefully, begin to develop their first drafts. Deborah will provide participants with a “general format” so they can continue their work on home computers. If you love to write, this is your chance to work with one of the best professionals in the business. Who: Where: When:
Fine Arts The Houston Ballet presents Sleeping Beauty
Brownies and Juniors! Come earn your Brownie Dancer Badge or earn steps 1-3 of the Junior Musician Badge with the Houston Ballet. After this fun filled workshop, join your family or troop in a wonderful production of The Sleeping Beauty. The workshop will be head at the Center for Dance and Sleeping Beauty will be held in the Wortham Theater Center. Tickets are VERY limited. Who: Where: When:
Writing workshops award-winning author, Deborah K. Frontiera
ⓑ ⓙ adults and tagalongs
Wortham Theater Center, Houston March 8 – Workshop: 10 a.m. – noon, Show: 2 p.m. (Lunch on your own) Cost: $33 for Balcony and $58 for Grand tier seating Workshop and badge are included in the price for Juniors and Brownies Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269
Program Place for Girls, Houston Jan. 12 – Junior Scribe Jan 26 – Cadette Screenwriter Feb. 9 – Junior Scribe Time: 2 – 4 p.m. Cost: $18/girl Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269
Rock Out with ROCO
ROCO is here to guide you through the Musician badge! Explore how music is made, learn about composers, interview professional musicians and listen and learn about different instruments. Musician badge is included and discounted tickets to the Beauty is in the Eye Roco Concert are available to GSSJC Girl Scouts and their families! Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
Fine Arts Workshops
Do you have a zest for art? Do you enjoy playing with clay, making your own jewelry, painting, drawing or fancy some photography? Explore the world of visual arts in these workshops. Create original artwork and earn badges!
ⓑⓙⓒⓢ Who: Bring: Smock or apron for art classes Cost: See below Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269 Badge Workshop Brownie Potter Brownie Painter Cadette Comic Artist Cadette Public Speaking Brownie Potter Senior Collage Artist Junior Jeweler Brownie Potter Valentines Crafts- Br Valentines Crafts- Jr Cadette Woodworker Brownie Potter Cadette Public Speaking Junior Jeweler Brownie Potter Brownie Painter Brownie Potter
Date Jan. 11 Jan. 11 Jan. 18 Jan. 18 Jan. 18 Jan. 25 Feb. 1 Feb. 1 Feb. 8 Feb. 8 Feb.15 Feb. 21 Feb. 22 Feb, 29 March 7 March 7 March 27
Time 10 a.m. – noon 1 – 3 p.m. 10 a.m. – noon 1 – 3 p.m. 3 – 5 p.m. 10 a.m. – noon 10 a.m. – noon 11 a.m. –1 p.m. 10 a.m. – noon 1 – 3 p.m. 10 a.m. – noon 6 – 8 p.m. 10 a.m. – noon 10 a.m. – noon 10 a.m. – noon 1 – 3 p.m. 6 – 8 p.m.
Place Cost Program Place $25 Program Place $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Krafty Korner Conroe $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Program Place $25 Krafty Korner, Conroe $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Program Place $25 Krafty Korner, Conroe $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Girl Scout Center $25 Program Place $25 Program Place $25 Krafty Korner, Conroe $25
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
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ⓙ and Chaperones The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston Feb. 6, 5 – 6 p.m. $9/girl Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269 Brownie Potter Badge– Crafts made with clay have been around for thousands of years. Work your way through this badge to become a clay artist yourself. Brownie Painting Badge– Artists take what they see and make it beautiful. Learn to paint and color your world in super strokes and see what your imagination can do. Junior Jeweler Badge– Join us to learn all about designing and creating custom-made jewelry and earn your Jeweler badge.
Cadette Comic Artist Badge– Delve into the world of comics! Learn the history of comic books and why this type of storytelling is so effective. Then tell your own story by creating a comic of your own!
Cadette Public Speaker Badge– Work on your stage presence and develop your onstage skills. Find your inner performer and be unafraid to speak up. Cadette Woodworker Badge– Swing a Hammer, use a level and making something for yourself! Girls will learn how to use some basic tools to create a take home piece! Senior Collage Artist Badge– Create a collage using textile art and make a project of your very own. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Activities
Snap Happy- Junior
Take a look through the lens and explore what it means to take a winning photo. Your photos show others how you see the world so hone in on your artist skills with any type of camera. Juniors will earn and receive their Digital Photographer badge. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓙ and their chaperones Houston Center for Photography Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, 1 – 3:30 p.m. or 3:30 – 6 p.m. $45/girl; free for adults Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269
General Activities Cookie College
Girls, you and a family member are invited to the new and improved Cookie College featuring the new Cookie Entrepreneur Family pins. Girls and a family member are invited to put their entrepreneurial skills to set their girl up for success during the upcoming cookie season. The NEW Cookie Entrepreneur Family Pins will be introduced at Cookie College. All participating girls will get the chance to earn the new cookie pins and fun patch. Participating families will also receive a coupon book filled with exclusive coupons to use at the Girl Scout Shop. Who: ⓓⓑⓙⓒ When/Where: Jan. 18, Program Place for Girls, Houston: Daisy and Brownie– 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Junior and Cadette– 1 – 3:30 p.m. Jan. 18, Beaumont Resource Center: Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette– 9 a.m. – noon Contact: Lola Akapo, 713-292-0353, lakapo@sjgs.org Cost: $14/girl; $3/adult
Cookie College/Rice Basketball Game
Get excited for cookie time! Girls will get a chance to show their creativity while exploring fun possibilities to help grow their cookie business. They will develop their creative freedom, financial independence and get savvy tips on how to be the best they can be. Join is for a fun-filled day of enhancing your inner entrepreneurial skills that will help grow our girls into the next best entrepreneurs and leaders of the world. Cookie College Fun patch will be provided After Cookie College, your registration includes a ticket to the Rice University Basketball game against the Florida International University Panthers. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Jan. 11, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Rice University, Houston $20/person Lola Akapo, 713-292-0353, lakapo@sjgs.org
Community Service
Are you and your troop eager to find ways to better your community? Whether you are looking to earn your Community Service Bar or just looking to give back, there are numerous ways to contribute meaningful efforts to your community. While you are at it, community service can also help sharpen your problem-solving skills and expand your definition of philanthropy. If you would like a list of community service opportunities and organizations, please contact Megan Dodd at gscommserv@sjgs.org, 713-292-0209 24 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Money Counts Badge Workshop
Daisies are you curious about what money is and what it can be used for? Do you want to know how to count money and how to use money wisely? You're invited to learn about coins and paper money and how to use money to pay for things. Girls will also learn what fun activities cost money and what activities are free! Participating girls will earn the Money Counts badge. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 9, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Program Place for Girls, Houston $15/girl, free for adults Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
My Dream Life
In this interactive adventure inspired by the Life board game, girls will rotate through simulations of the DMV, a bank, a career fair and a vacation. At the DMV the girls will create their own driver license complete with their photo. At the bank, girls will practice opening a bank account. Next, girls will have the opportunity to explore several different professions at the career fair with hands-on activities. Finally, they will celebrate with a well-earned vacation that will include a snack and activities. A fun patch and swag are included. Where: Program Place for Girls, Houston When: Feb. 8 Who/Time: ⓓⓑ and adults, 9 a.m. – noon ⓙⓒand adults, 1 – 4 p.m. Cost: $20/girl; $8/adult Contact: Megan Dodd, 713-292-0209, mdodd@sjgs.org
WOW Journey
On this Journey, Brownies learn how to protect the waters of our planet. They will conduct a water-quality experiment, learn about the water cycle, and explore fun facts about water. They will make posters to educate others about saving water or recycling/reusing plastic water bottles or create a garden with low-water plants. Girls will earn four awards that recognize what they learned about water and they will do their own Take Action Project to complete the journey. All badge requirements will be completed with the understanding that the Take Action project will be completed on their own. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 8, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $15/girl, $5/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Brownie Outdoor Art Creator:
As an artist, you can walk outside and see colors, shapes, and ideas for things you want to create. Hope Farms has a sevenacre urban farm right in the city and you can learn how to make your own art outdoors and have fun doing it among plants and flowers Who: ⓑ When: Jan. 25, Feb. 2; 10 a.m. – noon Where: Hope Farms, Houston Cost: $25/girl Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338 ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Inside Government Badge
Take a look into the past and dive inside government at the Holocaust Museum Houston. Juniors will complete the Inside Government badge. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
ⓙ and their chaperones Feb. 15; 9 a.m. – noon Holocaust Museum Houston $20/girl Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338
Girl Scout ComicCon 2020
Be your own superhero at Region 1’s ultimate Girl Scout ComicCon experience at Camp Whispering Pines. We’ll have anime, manga, sci-fi, superheroes and more. There’ll be workshops, demonstrations, a cosplay competition – you name it. Come dressed as your favorite character – adults included. Cadettes will have the opportunity to earn their Comic Artist badge and Seniors their Collage Artist badge. Who: Where: When: Cost:
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and adults Camp Whispering Pines, Garrison April 3, 7 p.m. – April 5, noon Overnight $55/girl and $25/adult; Saturday-only $40/girl and $10/adult Contact: Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353 Note: Registration will be available online at 10 a.m. on Jan. 11. Please note that there will be overnight and Saturday-only options available. All overnight adults should expect to assist with the event.
Program Aide Training
Program Aide is a teen mentoring award for Cadettes, and Program Aides are in high demand. Program Aides work with younger girls in a variety of settings from day or twilight camps to one-time events. If you are interested in a leadership experience specifically designed for working with younger Girl Scouts, this is for you! The training covers leadership skills and shares a variety of techniques for working with younger girls including program, craft and game ideas. All Cadettes who have finished a Leader-In-Action (LiA) award are eligible to register for this training. Who: Feb. 9 March 14 March 28 April 4 April 25 May 9 May 23 June 20 Contact:
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9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Casa Mare $12/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Girl Scout Center $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Girl Scout Center $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Program Place for Girls $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Program Place for Girls $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Program Place for Girls $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Girl Scout Center $15/girl 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Program Place for Girls $15/girl Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@sjgs.org, 713-292-0271
Cadettes are Leaders LiA
Would you like to help plan Brownie Journey Wonders of Water? Girls will have an opportunity to plan this event for their peers. They will be able to create a theme and decide what activities this event will include. The Sky is the Limit! Girls are encouraged to attend both but will need to attend at least one of the Planning meetings as well as be present for the event. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 7 – 9, 6 p.m. – 9 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $35/girl, $15/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Cadette Badge Workshops Weekend
Spend a fun weekend in Seabrook at Casa Mare while earning two badges. Choose a morning workshop and an afternoon workshop from three to four available options. Choices include: Comparison Shopping, Woodworker, New Cuisines, Outdoor Art Apprentice, First Aid, Good Sportsmanship, Animal Helpers and Netiquette. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. – Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $45/girl, $25/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
G.I.R.L with a Dream
What do you see yourself doing to earn a living? What type of things do you enjoy now that may help you build a career in the future? What subjects/classes would you want to continue to study in college? Have you thought about college- where you may want to go, what you may want to study? Do you know anyone in college or who just graduated (brother/ sister, etc). Explore these subjects and more while earning your Financing My Dreams badge. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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April 4, 9:45 a.m. – noon The Program Place for Girls, Houston $18/girl, free for adults Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
G.I.R.L. with a Plan
Would you like to make your first big purchase or go on a trip with your friends but have no idea where to start? Learn how to budget and save to make your wants a reality. Girls will earn the Budgeting badge. Who: ⓒ When: Feb. 29 or March 28, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Program Place for Girls, Houston Cost: $18 Contact: Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Undies for Everyone
Pack underwear to help disadvantaged students by helping them find the self-esteem, dignity, hygiene and success by providing them with clean underwear. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Jan. 12, 1 – 3 p.m. Undies for Everyone, Houston Free for everyone Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Ooooh la la Macaroons
Have fun learning basic macaroon creating skills from a French trained chef. Girls will make and take home three different flavors of macaroons, a macaroon template, recipe, a macaroon tip and piping bag. Girls will earn an event patch. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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March 28, 10 a.m. – noon, or 1 – 3 p.m Fairfield Market H-E-B, Cypress $25/girl, free for adults Lola Akapo, 713-292-0353, lakapo@sjgs.org January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Activities
My Voice in the Media
Can you take on the media? The internet, social media and the digital world surround us every day. Through this workshop, you will explore the media you are exposed to every day as well as how to connect with it in a positive manner. You will get the chance to complete the Media journey through the Take Action project, which you will be set to complete upon the workshop’s conclusion. You will also examine safe and constructive web interactions through the Netiquette badge. Who: Where: When: Deadline: Cost: Contact:
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Beaumont Resource Center Jan. 11; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. One week prior $25/girl, $5/adult Amanda Graham, agraham@sjgs.org, 409-832-0556 ext. 1504 Note: A nacho bar and drink will be provided for lunch. Cost also includes the Media Journey book and the Netiquette badge.
Cadette Weekend
Are you ready for the most colorful, fun and epic weekend of the year? This fun-filled weekend is for Cadettes only and planned by girls just like you. Registration fills up quickly so act fast. Get ready for a weekend full of color wars glow parties, foam pits arts and crafts and more! Who: ⓒ and chaperones Camp Agnes Arnold, Conroe Where: When: April 24 – 26 Registration Opens Jan. 8, at 8 a.m. Cost: $32-55/participant Contact: Heather Vandivort or Julia Shank at cadetteweekend@sjgs.org
Sow What: Senior Journey Weekend
Come join Region 12 at Casa Mare as they host a Journey in a Weekend for the Seniors – 9th and 10th graders. Girls will spend time learning and tackling food and land issues, organic vs local vs conventionally grown food and the effects of pesticides just to name a few things! When you are through girls will need to complete the Take Action portion of this event. The girls will explore who they are and their core values, including the ways they care for others. When they earn this award, they’ll know how to grasp an issue by the roots and organize a team to work together to sow the seeds of sustainable change. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 7 – 9; 6 p.m. – 10 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $35/girl, $15/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Senior Badge Workshops Weekend
Spend a fun weekend in Seabrook at Casa Mare while earning two badges. Choose a morning workshop and an afternoon workshop from three to four available options. Choices include: Room Makeover, Buying Power, Locavore, Outdoor Art Expert, Etiquette, Voices For Animals, First Aid and Cross-Training. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. – Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $45/girl, $25/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
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Senior Sow What Journey
Feel like getting down to the root of the issue? Region 16 is planning an overnight event at a local farm that will give you hand-on experience learning about the food network, your food print, the importance of growing and eating local and more! Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 1 – 2; 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Blackwood Educational Land Institute, Hempstead $55/girl, $25/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Ambassador Badge Workshops Weekend Spend a fun weekend in Seabrook at Casa Mare while earning two badges. Choose a morning workshop and an afternoon workshop from three to four available options. Choices include: On My Own, Good Credit, Dinner Party, Outdoor Art Master, Coaching, First Aid and College Knowledge. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. – Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $45/girl, $25/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Girl Scout Leadership Institute (GSLI) Be inspired and equipped to pursue educational and career goals through interacting with successful leaders in a variety of industries through the Girl Scout Leadership Institute. You will have the opportunity to visit local businesses, where you will network with female industry leaders and experts, receive the latest information and instruction in the field and gain professional skills related to your interests. Who: ⓢⓐand adults Cost: $10/girl, free for adults Contact: Megan Dodd, mdodd@sjgs.org, 713-292-0209 Girls will attend sessions at BP’s Helios Center which will include panels with women in technology careers, a hands-on drilling tools display, a drilling rig simulator tour, a tour of the trade floor and a discussion on how to prepare yourself for the career market. BP is a global energy producer with operations in nearly 80 countries. The company has a larger economic footprint in the U.S. than in any other nation, and it has invested more than $115 billion here since 2005. Date: Where:
Jan. 20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. BP Helios Center, Houston
G.I.R.L with Good Credit
One of these days you’ll want to buy something big like a car or a house. So, how do you get a loan? Come learn how to put your money to work from a top Financial Adviser. Girls will earn their Good Credit badge. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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April 11, 9:45 a.m. – noon Program Place for Girls, Houston $18/girl, free for adults Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Justice: Ambassador Journey Weekend
Tackle the engaging global issue of environmental justice. Along the way, see how "doing the math" with even the simplest acts can lead to powerful and positive changes in the world. From scientists and doctors to lawyers and environmentalists, this Journey is rich with eye-opening career possibilities - all focused on caring and collaborative work that helps both people and the planet. On this Journey to justice, girls explore environmental justice (and injustice) from many angles including science, math and decision-making. Ultimately, they can create and present their own unique definitions for justice! Have fun and do your Journey in a weekend. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
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Feb. 7 – 9; 6 p.m. – 10 a.m. Casa Mare, Seabrook $35/girl, $15/adult Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Health Doll Donation Drive for Babysitting Training
At each Red Cross babysitting training certification workshop, participants are asked to bring a doll with them. We would like to build our own supply of dolls to ensure all girls can participate, even if they don’t have a doll. Please donate human baby dolls that fit a size 1 or 2 diaper. (Please do not bring dolls that are that are small enough for a newborn diaper.) Although soft limbs are not a requirement, we would love those that have them to better-simulate babies during diaperchanging practice. Dolls can be donated at or mailed to the Girl Scout Center in Houston: 3110 Southwest Fwy., Houston, TX 77098. For more information, contact Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@ sjgs.org, 713-292-0271
Houston Food Bank Workshops
Clover Daisy Petal Workshop Learn how to use your resources wisely in this Clover petal workshop. Talk about Clover's story, make a collage of ideas and practice being resourceful, just like Clover. Who knows more about being resourceful than the Houston Food Bank. Hear about the organization's mission and what they do to serve families in Houston every day. Clover petal will be earned but not provided as Daisy petals are sold as a set. Petal not included in the price of the event. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓓ and their chaperones Houston Food Bank March 7, 10 – 11:30 a.m. $18/girl, free for adults Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0269
My Best Self Workshop
Laughter is the best medicine! We invite Brownies to experience a new way to exercise. Laughter yoga is an activity that lets girls have fun while learning ways to live stress-free. Brownies will earn and receive their My Best Self badge. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓑ and their chaperones
Program Place for Girls, Houston Jan. 18; 10 – 11:30 a.m. $16/girl; free for adults Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Dr. Girl Scout
Pretend you are a doctor for a day with the Little Medical School. During this activity, girls will learn the ins-and-outs of what it takes to care for their bodies. Daisies will earn the Gloria petal while Brownies earn the My Best Self badge. Daisy petals are not included as they are sold in a set. Daisies will receive a fun patch instead. Brownies will receive their My Best Self badge. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓓⓑ and their chaperones Program Place for Girls, Houston Jan. 18, Feb. 22, March 7, April 25; 10 a.m. – noon $20/girl Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
Pet Vet
Whether they’re cute and cuddly or slimy and scaly, pets are so much fun! If you hope to have a pet someday, this badge workshop will help you make sure it stays happy and healthy. Learn all about an animals’ body language, sleeping habits, feeding schedules and more. Brownies will earn and receive the Pets badge with the Little Veterinarian School. Who: When: Time: Where: Cost: Contact:
ⓑ and their chaperones Jan. 18, Feb. 22, March 7, April 25 1 – 3 p.m. Program Place for Girls, Houston $20/girl Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
Cooking Classes with Izzie’s Jewels
Izzie’s Jewels is here to help make food fun and delicious! Girls will experience a hands-on cooking class where they can practice their own unique cooking styles. Brownies will earn their Healthy Snacks badge, and Juniors will earn their Simple Meals badge. Badges are provided. Who: When:
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Brownies: Jan. 4, March 14, 10 a.m. – noon Juniors: Jan. 4, March 14, 1 – 3 p.m. Where: Program Place for Girls, Houston Cost: $25 Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org
Texas Heart Institute
Join us in American Heart Month as Girl Scouts celebrate with the Texas Heart Institute. Girls will learn the importance of staying fit for heart health with robot "Cool-E" of Project Heart fame while exploring heart anatomy, the cardiovascular system, healthy eating, and exercise. While the girls are having fun with games and activities, the adults will be able to learn the Project Heart curriculum that can be implemented with the girls. Juniors will work towards their Staying Fit badge and Brownies will work towards their My Best Self. Who: ⓑⓙ When: Feb. 22, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Texas Heart Institute, Houston Cost: $10/girl Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Activities
First Aid Badge Workshop for Brownies and Juniors
Recipe for Success Workshops
Who: ⓑⓙ When/Where: Neighbors Emergency Center Jan. 11 Kingwood 9 – 10:30 a.m. Jan. 18 Baytown 9 – 10:30 a.m. Feb. 1 Pasadena 9 – 10:30 a.m. Feb. 9 Porter 1 – 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22 Kingwood 9 – 10:30 a.m. March 7 Pasadena 9 – 10:30 a.m. March 22 Crosby 1 – 2:30 p.m. April 5 Porter 1 – 2:30 p.m. April 19 Baytown 1 – 2:30 p.m. April 25 Kingwood 9 – 10:30 a.m. Cost: $15 Contact: Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@sjgs.org, 713-292-0271
Who: Time: Cost: Contact: Times:
Brownies and Juniors are invited to complete their First Aid badges. Participants will tour the medical facility, make a small first aid kit and speak with doctors and nurses on staff. They will also get to see a real working ambulance (subject to availability). Meet your neighborhood medical team. Badges provided to attendees.
Night at the Health Museum
The Night at the Health Museum Enjoy a fun overnight experience at The Health Museum. Dinner is optional (at an extra cost). Breakfast is included in the registration price. If you did not choose a dinner option, then please plan on bringing your own. Where: The Health Museum, Houston Cost: $50/girl; $20/adults Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjg.org, 713-292-0338 First Aid and Healthy Living Brownies and Juniors will work through their First Aid and Healthy Living badge during a fun overnight experience at The Health Museum! Play a life-health trivia game show and explore the museum at night. Who: When:
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Jan. 10, 5:30 p.m. – Jan. 11, 8 a.m.
Red Cross Babysitting Training
This training covers everything from the business of babysitting (advertising, interviewing, charging, budgeting) to proper activities while on the job (developmental stages for kids of all ages, activities to do with the kids, etc). It also covers how to handle behavioral problems and what to do in an emergency. Although some basic information on what to do will be included, this is not a first aid/CPR/AED course. It completes the Red Cross babysitter certification, not the Girl Scout badge. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓙ (11 and older), ⓒⓢⓐ
Girl Scout Center, Houston Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 29, March 7, April 4; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. $45 Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@sjgs.org, 713-292-0271
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Recipe for Success is on a mission to show you how to make healthy food fun and delicious! Culinary professionals offer girls a hands-on cooking class where they can practice culinary skills in a safe environment. Badge is provided for all except Holiday Snacks. Girls and their chaperones 10 a.m.- noon $25/girl, $23/adult Julia Swank, jshank@sjgs.org 713-292-0338 Saturdays, 10 a.m. – noon; Sundays 2 – 4 p.m.
Healthy Snacks - Make great snacks for yourself and your friends. When you eat them, they’ll give you the energy to think, hike, run around, dress up–and do all the other activities you love to do. Who: ⓑ When: Jan. 14, Feb. 11, March 3 Simple Meals - There’s steam and bubbles, interesting tools, and amazing smells . . . and lots of room for experiments. Use these steps to make amazing meals and learn to create a whole meal of your own. Who: ⓙ When: Jan. 26, Feb. 4, Feb. 23, March 7 Eating for You- Nutrition isn’t just about maintaining a healthy weight: Eating well helps you inside and out. Choosing the right foods can help you sleep better, stress less, and get smooth skin, shiny hair and strong nails. Who: ⓒ When: Jan. 12, Jan. 28, Feb. 9, Feb. 25, March 8
Science of Happiness Badge Workshop
Laughter is the best medicine! We invite Cadettes to experience a new way to exercise. Laughter yoga is an activity that lets girls have fun while learning ways to live stress-free. Cadettes will earn and receive their Science of Happiness badge. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓒ and their chaperones Program Place for Girls, Houston Feb. 15; 10 – 11:30 a.m. $16/girl; free for adults Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
Learn to Save a Life: Red Cross CPR/ First Aid Workshop
Girls will learn the Red Cross adult and pediatric first aid/CPR/ AED curriculum as well as work on the First Aid badge for their level. Learn how to save a life. Cards will be distributed via email approximately two weeks after the event. Who: ⓒⓢⓐ When: Jan. 20, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Where: VFW Post 7109, Pearland Cost: $50 Contact: Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353
Activities
High Adventure Outdoor Adventure Club
Are you a Senior or Ambassador looking for new ways to get outside, make new friends and make new memories? If so, the Outdoor Adventure Club is for you. Each month, this program will offer exciting opportunities to meet your need for adventure and exploration. Contact: Monique Stitts, mstitts@sjgs.org, 713-292-0233 February: Texas Treeventures Challenge Course Join us for a day in the trees! Texas Treeventures is a threelevel, aerial adventure course with 72 different elements that allow you to have a blast while challenging yourself at the same time. Registration includes all adventure equipment and instruction, lunch, a T-shirt and a patch. Who: ⓢⓐ When: Feb. 22 Where: The Woodlands Cost: $50 *Note: This is a great opportunity for girls who like to monkey around but not the best choice for those not fond of heights. Other physical restrictions apply. See website for more details. March: Rock Climbing at Enchanted Rock Gear up for a true adventure at Enchanted Rock. Girls will learn the basics of climbing safety and technique before spending the day reaching new heights. No prior experience with rock climbing is necessary, but this is a great opportunity for girls who have climbed before as well. This session will be led by American Mountain Guides Association-certified guides. Registration includes all climbing gear, equipment and instruction, breakfast, dinner, a T-shirt and a patch. Who: ⓢⓐ When: March 28 Where: Fredericksburg Cost: $95 *Note: This is a great opportunity for girls who like to monkey around but not the best choice for those not fond of heights. March: Spring Break Trip Ready to take your adventurous spirit on the road? Join us for a 4-day, 3-night canoe trip along the beautiful Colorado River. Girls will spend their nights camping under the stars and their days improving their paddling skills, exploring the river and making memories that will last a lifetime. Girls will also fulfill the certificated needed to become a Canoe Aide at GSSJC resident camp.
Adventure Courses
Join us for a Saturday of adventure! Whether it is a swing from our power swing or building a strong team, we have exciting options for you on our adventure course! General information for all activities: Where: Camp Silver Springs, Willis Contact: Stephanie Moore, 713-292-0299, smoore@sjgs.org Note: If rain has affected the course within 48 hours of the activity and/or outside temperature is 45 degrees and below the activity will be re-scheduled. Cancellation for cold weather will occur 24 hours before the scheduled activity and for rain, cancellation will be made 48 hours prior. The person who registered for the activity will receive the cancellation call. For activities that are 12 and up, girls must be 12 years of age by the time of registration. Team Building Adventure: This program will encourage your group to build trust, develop effective communication, hone their leadership and more. They work together through challenges onthe ground. With the help of your thoughtful and well-trained staff, the program offered can be designed to meet the goals of your group. This activity is low courses only. Who:
Ages 8 and up *We encourage to enroll as a group with the same level and individuals are welcomed. When: Feb. 22, 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 3 p.m. Cost: $30/person Power Adventure: Take your high adventure to the next level! During these two and a half hours, you will swing high in the air on the swing and take the ultimate leap of faith on the power pole. Whether troop camping or just coming out for the day, the power swing and power pole are open to any Girl Scout group, troop or individual girls ages 12 and older. When: Jan. 25 and Feb. 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon; 1 –3:30 p.m. Cost: $30/person; Min./Max.: 6/12 Troop Adventure Course: Build troop support, improve communication and develop resourcefulness in your girls by participating in a fun adventure through low and high ropes course. In this interactive activity, girls are faced with decision making situations that can be mentally and physically challenging as they navigate obstacles on the ground and in the trees.
Registration for this trip includes all meals and camp kitchen gear, canoe and related gear, most camping gear, Canoe Aide assessment and ACA-certified guides and instruction. See website for more details.
Who: Ages 12-18 When: Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m $50/girl per session; Min./Max.: 6/12 Cost: Deadline: Six weeks prior to requested date. Note: Indicate your preferred date to use the course on your registration form. Registration is not guaranteed until confirmation letter is received. The Adventure Course is for girls only–spectators cannot be accommodated.
Who: ⓢⓐ When: March 14 – 17 Where: Smithville Cost: $475 *Note: Girls must have a Level 3 swim card or equivalent or higher to participate. Please email contact above if you have questions about this requirement.
Zip Line Adventure: Currently our Zip line is under maintenance. We are hoping to have it up and running by Spring! Please be on the look out for dates and availability on our Activities page on www.gssjc.org!
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
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Activities
History
Highest Awards Earn a Highest Award!
Bronze. Silver. Gold. These represent the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn. All three awards give you the chance to do big things while supporting an issue you care about. You might plant a community garden at your school or inspire others to eat healthy foods for your Bronze, advocate for animal rights for your Silver, or build a career network that encourages girls to become scientists and engineers for your Gold. Whatever you choose, you’ll inspire others (and yourself). As you earn one of Girl Scouts’ highest awards, you’ll change your corner of the world–and beyond. The possibilities are endless. Who: ⓙⓒⓢⓐ Learn More: Review the GSSJC project guides for more information at gssjc.org/highestawards Contact: bronzeaward@sjgs.org, silveraward@sjgs.org or goldaward@sjgs.org
Online Gold Award Orientation
The Gold Award Orientation provides girls and adults with: a comprehensive overview of the Gold Award steps and forms, tools for identifying and developing Gold Award projects that fall within the national guidelines, and GSSJC’s process for Gold Award applicants. The Gold Award Orientation is required for girls pursuing their Gold Award and has moved online! The online orientation is broken into sections, takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete, but does not need to be finished in one sitting. Girls may also refer back to it after it’s been completed. Girls are encouraged to complete one Senior or Ambassador Journey before attending orientation. Who: ⓢⓐor girls in grades 9 – 12 and adults Where/When: Online Cost: $5/person Contact: Megan Dodd, goldaward@sjgs.org, 713-292-0209 Important reminder: As of Jan. 1, 2019, the Gold Award process has moved to an online platform, GoGold Online. Girls will still work with their Gold Award mentors and receive their approval on their Project Proposals, before they submit to council via GoGold. The deadlines for submitting Gold Award project proposals and final reports are the first and fifteenth of each month. This ensures that your project will be reviewed at that month’s meetings. For more information, visit gssjc.org/ goldaward
Silver Award Training
Join us for this training designed to equip troop leaders, advisors and parents who are looking to support Cadettes through the process of earning the Silver Award. Topics include project guidelines, submission deadlines and coaching tips. Who: Adults Where: Girl Scout Center, Houston When: Feb. 1; 10 – 11:30 a.m. Cost: $5/person Contact: Megan Dodd, silveraward@sjgs.org, 713-292-0209 30 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Juliette’s Treasure Chests
Does your Girl Scout troop want to put on a vintage fashion show? Or do they want to dress up as Girl Scouts from across the world for World Thinking Day? or maybe you want to dress up as Juliette Low for a school project. Juliette's Treasure Chest is just for you. We have four different uniform kits that can be check out-vintage girls, vintage adults, international adults and an authentic Juliette Low adult uniform. You can also check out the Daisy activities kit which contains uniforms and activities. Who: ⓓⓑⓙⓒⓢⓐ Cost: $12 + $25 deposit for Treasure Chests Reserve: Use reservation form, which includes information on the reservation process, at gssjc.org/museum Contact: Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
Tour the Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History Activities
The museum is fun and educational for girls and adults. It features timeline panels and interactive displays from the start of the Council in the 1920s until today. NEW: Register online at gssjc.org/activites. To book a tour during the week, please email museumtour@sjgs.org troop number, troop leader name/phone/email, preferred tour date/time, girl program level and number of girls/adults. Where: 3000 Southwest Fwy., Houston
Juliette’s Tea Party
Want a fun way to spend the afternoon? Our volunteers are hosting a tea party - and they invite you to attend! Girls will learn about table etiquette, drink tea, and eat sweets. They will learn the language of the fan from Victorian Era (1800s), make something special to take home and play games. Who: Where: When: Cost: Contact:
ⓓⓑⓙ
Program Place for Girls, Houston Jan. 9, Feb. 20, March 19; 4:30 – 6 p.m. $18/girl (includes patch and tea cup) Julia Shank, jshank@sjgs.org, 713-292-0338
Horse Activities GSSJC is gearing up for another excellent year in equitation. We have two locations and many opportunities for girls to experience horse activities, as well as chances for older girls and adults to serve girls while working with horses and having fun at the same time! General information for all horse programs Deadline: Two weeks prior to the event Register: gssjc.org/activities Contact: Monique Stitts, 713-292-0233, mstitts@sjgs.org Adults: Girls must be accompanied by troop leaders (if attending as a troop) or a parent/guardian. Tag-alongs are strongly discouraged as they cannot participate. ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities Safety first! All equine programs are staffed with volunteer adults and older girls who have had council training in safe handling of horses and riders. Our program is based on the skills and safety guidelines of ACA, American Camp Association, and CHA, Certified Horsemanship Association. What to wear: Long pants and socks, shirt with sleeves covering the shoulders. Helmets and boots are available. Girls bringing their own helmets must show a SEI certification label; boots must be smooth-soled with at least a half inch heel. Lug soles are not allowed. Girls should bring a bandana to wear beneath the helmet. Volunteer! Want to help with the program? Every potential adult who wishes to become involved in the equitation program must have a completed volunteer application, have an approved criminal background check on file and be a registered Girl Scout in good standing prior to attending the equitation training for adults. Deadline: This deadline is to ensure that there are enough volunteers to present the program. If you attempt to register after the deadline, your registration will not be accepted. The girls and adults who deliver the program are all dedicated volunteers whose time must be considered.
SPURS at Misty Meadows Ranch
Adult Trainings Adults are needed to make equitation activities a success. Whether or not you have horse experience, we need adults to help the girls develop their leadership and horse skills. Adults wishing to volunteer with the SPURS program can attend one of these trainings. When: Where: Time: Cost: Bring:
Jan. 31 – Feb. 2 Misty Meadows Ranch, Conroe Friday 8 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m. $30 Min/Max: 1/10 Bedding, meals (refrigerators and microwaves available)
SPURS Trainings
SPURS (Super People Using Riding Skills) training is offered to Cadettes through Ambassadors who are interested in learning more about horses and helping with the equitation program at Misty Meadows Ranch. Attending one weekend training is required for participation in the SPURS program. Core Program Aide training will be included. Since the training is an all weekend workshop, all trainees should bring clothing, bedding and food clearly labeled with the attendee’s name. Refrigerator and microwave will be available. Registration is on an individual basis; use a separate registration form for each girl registering for the training. Who: Where: When: Cost:
ⓒⓢⓐ
Misty Meadows Ranch, Conroe Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 8 p.m. Friday – 2 p.m. Sunday $25/person (includes Level 1 scarf and yearly Special Interest Group fee)
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Horse Programs at Misty Meadows
Horseback Riding Badge Workshops Juniors (troops or individuals) who wish to earn the Horseback Riding badge may attend a badge workshop on select Saturdays. Girls will learn the basics about taking care of and riding horses along with understanding horse behavior. Who: Where: When: Cost: Bring:
ⓙ and their chaperone Misty Meadows Ranch, Conroe Jan. 18, Feb. 15, March 7, April 18, May 2 $30/participant (includes badge) Sack lunch
STARS at Camp Pryor For Levels 1-3
When: Arrive Fri. at 6:30 p.m. and leave Sun. at 9:30 a.m. Bring: Personal equipment and troop camping list Cost: $75/girl, $25/adult Contact: Monique Stitts, 713-292-0233, mstitts@sjgs.org Note: Pool is available for free time if weather allows. Includes patch for that level. Bring SWAPS! Please note that adults must register to attend with a troop or a parent must attend with an individual girl for these programs. Saddlehorns (Level 1) This is the beginner program for girls interested in learning about horseback riding. Girls will learn about grooming, leading, equine nutrition, horse colors, basic horse safety and riding skills at a walk. Girls will have the opportunity to work with horses at four of the six stations. Who:
When:
ⓙⓒⓢⓐ
at least 10 years old April 3 –5, April 17 –19, April 24 –26
Rustlers (Level II) Intermediate program that continues the skills started in Saddlehorns. Girls will learn to saddle a horse, how to clean and maintain tack and the basics of horse anatomy. Riding skills and horse safety will be reviewed and performed at a walk and a trot. Who: ⓙⓒⓢⓐ at least 10 years old When: March 27 –29 Prerequisite: Must have attended Saddlehorns Wranglers (Level III) This program builds upon the riding skills and knowledge gained in the earlier sessions. Girls will learn to bridle a horse and equine health and conformation. Horse safety will be reviewed and riding skills will be performed at a walk, trot and canter. The Sunday schedule includes a trail ride for all participants. Who: ⓒⓢⓐ 6th grade or higher When: March 20 –22 Prerequisite: Must have attended Saddlehorns and Rustlers
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Activities
Activities
Sports
Advanced Archery
Rockets Clinic and Game
This clinic is an amazing opportunity to build on your basketball skills, practice running drills and scrimmage with your friends on the Houston Rockets court Bring your water bottle and energy to this fun clinic. After the clinic, Girl Scouts family and friend are invited to come to cheer on the Houston Rockets as they take on the Chicago Bulls. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑⓙⓒ
March. 21 5 – 9 p.m. Toyota Center, Houston $55/girl, $49/adult and tagalong
Rifle Program
General information for all three activities listed below
Who: ⓒⓢⓐ must be 12-years-old Where: Camp Robinwood, Willis When: Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 14, April 17, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8 Cost: $10/session Deadline: Two weeks prior to event Contact: Dejah Covick, 713-292-0312, dcovick@sjgs.org
Step 1: Introduction to Rifle Program
Trained instructors will guide you as you first learn basic firearm safety and the proper way to handle a rifle. You will receive your own pair of safety glasses and learn to shoot at the bench rest position. A completed Rifle Program Permission Slip (F-601) is required for participation. This form is only needed once. It will be held on file for future rifle sessions. Time:
Min./Max: 4/12
noon – 1:30 p.m.
Step 2: Rifle Marksmanship
After you have attended your Introduction to Rifle Program session, you may register for any Rifle Marksmanship session. At these sessions you will learn more shooting positions and how to improve your shooting skills in each. Remember to bring your safety glasses. Time:
Girls who wish to participate in advanced archery may try our new On Target sessions or join the Archers In Motion Special Interest Group and register for monthly coaching and challenge sessions. Read on below for the two options for registration. Who: ⓑⓙⓒⓢⓐ Where: Camp Robinwood, Willis When: Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 15 (times below) Contact: Dejah Covick, 713-292-0312, dcovick@sjgs.org Note: Girls should wear closed-toed shoes with socks that cover the ankle. Girls who have not registered and paid for Girl Scout membership and Special Interest Group membership may not participate in AIM. On Target (New!) Girls ages 8 and up who have tried archery before but are not yet certain they wish to participate as a member of the Special Interest Group may attend On Target sessions. On Target sessions are held monthly and include instruction. Girls shooting levels in On Target are fun and not recorded for AIM. Each session is two hours and include all necessary equipment. Troops may register for On Target, but this is an individual activity. Adults are not allowed on the range during shooting sports and will be provided direction on waiting areas. Cost: $10/session When: noon – 2 p.m. Archers In Motion Archers In Motion (AIM) is a Special Interest Group for girls ages 8 and older. To participate in the monthly AIM program, girls must be a current Girl Scout member, register for the annual Special Interest Group membership and select/register the monthly dates they wish to attend shooting practice toward GSSJC shooting levels. Levels are based on age and distance. Cost: When:
Annual SIG Membership $15; monthly sessions $10 each 10 a.m. – noon
Min./Max: 4/12
1:30 – 3 p.m.
Step 3: G.R.I.T.: Girls, Rifles, Instruction and Training Rifle Special Interest Group
If after attending any Rifle Marksmanship session you decide you would like more from your rifle program experience, then the Rifle Program Special Interest Group could be for you! At these sessions you will learn more about how to use the rifle, how to improve your accuracy through shooting position form and how to work within a team. Inter group and individual competitions could be part of your session. The group at each session will help decide on the day’s activities. Remember to bring your safety glasses. Girls must register and pay the special interest group annual dues as well as the monthly session registration for G.R.I.T. Registration for G.R.I.T. available in MyGS Activities. Time:
9 – 11:30 a.m.
Min./Max: 5/18
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Go to gssjc.org/careers ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Rice University Basketball Game
Show your Girl Scout spirit and cheer on the Rice Owls as they defeat the Florida International University Panthers at Girl Scout night at the Rice University Stadium! All tickets purchased through the Girl Scouts guarantee participants entry to the basketball court. After the game, stay back to meet and take pictures with the Rice University Owls. This opportunity is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so get your tickets now. Who: When: Where: Cost: Contact:
ⓓⓑⓙⓒⓢⓐ
Jan. 11, 2:30 – 5 p.m. Rice University, Houston $12/person Lola Akapo, 713-292-0353, lakapo@sjgs.org
STEM Contact: Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@sjgs.org, 713-292-0271
GEMS@HMNS
The Houston Museum of Natural Science invites you to attend the annual Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS) event. The Museum will be filled with hands-on science and math for everyone to experience. Local professionals will be at the Museum to answer questions about their careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. There is also an overnight option and a chance to present as part of the Student STEM Ambassadors. Who: Where: When:
ⓓⓑⓙⓒⓢⓐ
Houston Museum of Natural Science Feb. 15, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Roller Coaster Badge Workshop
Put engineering in motion with the Roller Coaster Design Challenge badge. In this workshop, Daisies dive into engineering and motion by building and testing a roller coaster. Girls will explore how roller coasters work and how to design, build and test a new construction as well! Girls will be completing this badge; badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓓ When: Jan. 11, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab - Bellaire Cost: $23
Think Like an Engineer Badge Workshop
In this workshop, Daisies will learn what engineers are and what they do. Girls get the chance to build a fairy house, puff mobile, and use critical thinking to span a canyon. This workshop is hosted by the Society of Women Engineers, so they will get to meet and talk to females in the engineering field as well. Girls complete all Journey requirements except the Take Action project and receive the Think Like an Engineer award. Who: ⓓ When: Feb. 29, 9:30 a.m. – noon Where: Girl Scout Center, Houston Cost: $15 ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Space Science Explorer Badge Workshop
Get ready to blast off on an adventure - this badge is out of this world. The Astronomy Special Interest Group will host this event so Daisies can explore the sun, observe the moon, and meet the stars. Participants can expect hands-on activities and they will receive the badge at the end of the workshop. Who: ⓓ When: Feb. 29,10 a.m. – noon Where: Program Place for Girls, Houston Cost: $15
Space Science Explorer Badge Workshop Get ready to blast off on an adventure! Daisies will explore the sun, observe the moon, and meet the stars. Participants can expect hands-on activities and they will receive the badge at the end of the workshop. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓓ
April 25, 9 – 11 a.m. Mad Science of Houston $23
Board Game Badge Workshop
Go on an adventure to learn about inventors. You'll discover who inventors are and what they do. Along the way, you will try your own hand at inventing when you create your own board game. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓓ When: April 26, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Pearland Cost: $23
Think Like a Programmer Journey
Discover how creativity can help you solve a difficult problem. During this workshop, you will find out how to persist and think about things in a new way; you'll even discover what coding and algorithms are. Find out how every-day problems are resolved by programmers - and try it out yourself. All Journey requirements will be completed except the Take Action project and girls will receive the Think Like a Programmer badge. Who: ⓓ When: April 4, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Energy Corridor Cost: $23
Cybersecurity Basics Badge Workshop Find out how computers work and what it means to be connected to other people. Girls will add "layers of security" when they wrap a treasure box that they will take home with them and discover how safety relates to using a computer. At the end of this workshop, girls will have earned the Cybersecurity Basics badge; badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓓ
March 8, 9 – 11 a.m. Idea Lab, Bellaire $23 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Activities
Celebrate National Engineer Week Feb. 16 – 22 and challenge your inner engineer! Fling Flyer Badge Workshop
Explore the forces that affect flight at the Lonestar Flight Museum! Brownies will learn about flight as they design, build, and test a fling flyer. Through this workshop, girls learn how to design, investigate, and revise after each assessment. Brownies will earn their Fling Flyer Design Challenge badge through this workshop. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑ
Feb. 22 Lone Star Flight Museum,, Houston $23
Think Like an Engineer Journey
Celebrate National Engineer’s Week. Learn how engineers use the Design Thinking Process to solve problems in this handson workshop. Some of the activities include building a water collection tool and a device that will launch a small ball toward a target. Girls complete all Journey requirements except the Take Action project and receive the Think Like an Engineer award. Who: ⓑ When: Feb. 22, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Pearland Cost: $23
Mechanical Engineering Day
Work with professionals at Lone Star College to work through the design process and create different builds. Girls will brainstorm, design, build and test creations like a roller coaster, race car or paddle boat, depending on their level. There will be separate sessions for each badge, but girls can attend all three. A badge will be earned and provided in each session. Who: ⓓⓑⓙ Where: Lone Star College – University Park Campus When: Feb. 22; times vary by level Cost: $30
Think Like an Engineer Journey
Learn how engineers use the Design Thinking Process to solve problems in this hands-on workshop. Some of the activities include building a water collection tool and a device that will launch a small ball toward a target. Girls complete all Journey requirements except the Take Action project and receive the Think Like an Engineer award. Who: ⓙ When: Feb. 22, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Spring Branch Cost: $23 Contact: Kelli Cavenah, kcavenah@sjgs.org, 713-292-0271 34 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Inventor Badge Workshop
Do you ever wonder what it takes to come up with a new kind of phone or a new way to power a lightbulb? This workshop will help you discover how inventors make new things! The best part will be that you get to become an inventor yourself while you discover creative ways to think and experiment. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑ
Feb. 16; 9 – 11 a.m. Idea Lab – Energy Corridor $23
Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey Camp Weekend
Learn to Think Like a Citizen Scientist! This event will give girls the opportunity to learn about observations in nature and complete a Citizen Science project. Sessions are facilitated by Older Girl Team Captains. Brownies will complete the requirements of the Think Like a Citizen Scientist badge portion of the Journey and complete the Take Action project on their own. Meals and badge provided. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑ
March 7 – 8 Camp Agnes Arnold, Conroe $40/girl; $20/adult
Leap Bot Badge Workshop
Discover engineering, gravity and force by building and testing a leap bot. Brownies will learn to think critically about how designs are put together and how they can be improved. Brownies will earn their Fling Flyer Design Challenge badge through this workshop. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓑ When: Jan. 25, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Energy Corridor Cost: $23
Life Decoded: Adulting 101 You're getting older, it's time to start thinking about the future. Planning for life after high school can be difficult but it's best to be prepared for all of the things life throws at you. Join professionals form the University of Houston as they decode college, on campus living, mortgage, life after college and many more topics for you in this fun and interactive workshop. Seniors will earn the Financing my Future badge. Ambassadors will earn the On My Own badge. Participating girls will make a vision board at the end of the workshop. Who: ⓢⓐ When: April 4, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Where: The Program Place for Girls, Houston Cost: $18 Contact: Lola Akapo, lakapo@sjgs.org, 713-292-0353 ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Cybersecurity Basics Badge Workshop We use digital devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones to work, shop, and play. Technology is such a big part of our lives that we don’t usually stop to think about it. In this badge, you’ll find out more about how you use technology, what it can do, and how you can keep your technology safe. For instance, girls will learn about layers of security, real-life online safety rules, and how messages travel on the internet. Badge is provided. Who: ⓑ When: April 25, 9-11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab, Spring Branch Cost: $23
Home Scientist Badge Workshop
You’re a scientist every time you do an experiment. In this workshop, you’ll find out where science has been hiding in your home through density, static electricity and more. Be a kitchen chemist and play with home science at Mad Science. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓑ When: Jan. 12, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Mad Science of Houston Cost: $20
Computer Expert Badge Workshop
Computers help you do so much. Brownies who sign up for this workshop will be able to learn about the basics of using a computer - including how to make art, share information and find incredible facts. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑ
Jan. 26, March 14 1 – 3 p.m. Microsoft Store - Baybrook Mall, Friendswood $15 (cost covers Girl Scout fees)
Digital Game Design Badge Workshop
Did you ever wonder how your favorite video game was created? At this workshop, you will create a maze-based game and learn how people create new games while finding out how games can also help people to learn new skills and experience new things. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑ
March 21, 1 – 3 p.m. Microsoft Store-Baybrook Mall, Friendswood $15 (cost covers Girl Scout fees)
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Activities
Senses Badge Workshop
You have five senses that work together to let you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the world around you. At this workshop, you will get to try out all five! Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓑ When: March 7, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Mad Science of Houston Cost: $23
Think Like a Programmer Journey
Discover how creativity can help you solve a difficult problem. During this workshop, you will find out how to persist and think about things in a new way; you'll even discover what coding and algorithms are. Find out how every-day problems are resolved by programmers - and try it out yourself. Girls complete all Journey requirements except the Take Action project and receive the Think Like a Programmer Award. Who: ⓑ When: March 8, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Idea Lab – Spring Branch Cost: $23
Space Science Overnight Brownies/Juniors
Get ready to blast off on an adventure! This overnight is exclusively for Brownies and Juniors and their chaperones. During the event, girls will see the sky in a new way – like a space scientist does! They will investigate the moon, explore the solar system, discover how they can look at space and learn more about stars. Girls will receive their Space Science badge at the end of the workshop. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓑⓙ plus Girl Scout ratio of adults July 24 – 25 Space Center Houston $65/girl, $55/adult
Older Girls
Get ready to blast off on an adventure! This overnight is exclusively for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors and their chaperones. During the event, girls will dive in to how light is used in space observations, investigate the brilliance of stars, and discover worlds beyond earth. They will also explore potential space science careers. Girl Scout attendees will receive a Space Science badge. Who: When: Where:
ⓒⓢⓐ
June 17 –18 Space Center Houston
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Activities
Crane Design Badge Workshop
Construct some fun with this new Junior badge! Explore simple machines and then use your knowledge to build a crane prototype that you will test with household items like batteries, pennies, marbles and more. Expand your design and make it even better with adjustments after brainstorming with fellow Juniors. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓙ When: Jan. 18, 9 a.m. – noon Where: Idea Lab – Spring Branch Cost: $23
Science and Engineering Day at Rice
Rice University and the Rice Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers invite Juniors to spend a day on the Rice University campus. Attendees fulfill requirements for the Product Designer badge (badge provided). Girls will interact with professional and student engineers. Activities include making several kinds of polymer, building their own bridges and paper airplanes, exploring chemistry and directing robots through coding. Who: ⓙ Where: Rice University, Houston When: Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $15
Digital Photographer Badge Workshop It seems like almost every gadget can take a digital photograph, from phones to laptops to (of course) digital cameras. But do you know how to get the most out of your digital device and what it takes to capture an amazing photo? Learn all that and more in this Digital Photographer workshop. Badge is provided to attendees.
Who: ⓙ When: Feb. 16, March 28 1 – 3 p.m. Where: Microsoft Store - Baybrook Mall, Friendswood Cost: $15 (cost covers Girl Scout fees)
Cybersecurity Basics Badge Workshop Welcome to the world of cybersecurity at this fun day taught by industry professionals! To earn the Cybersecurity Basics badge, Juniors explore how computers send and receive information when sending messages by making binary bracelets. Then, they will discover how sending messages may be open to attack or danger, what protocols are, how to create them and what malware is - all through fun and innovative hands-on methods. Badge is provided. Who: ⓙ When: Feb. 8, 9 a.m. – noon Where: Idea Lab – Bellaire Cost: $23
36 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Entertainment Technology Badge Workshop
Connect to your favorite entertainment through exploring the technology behind it! Technology isn’t always computers and screens – it is also how things are made and tested. Discover a hands-on approach to technology through constructing an animation, experimenting with centrifugal course and making 3D glasses. All badge steps are completed, badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓙ
Feb. 1, noon – 2:15 p.m. Children’s Museum of Houston $20
COOGineers
Interested in math and science? Have you ever considered a future in engineering? Join the Phi Sigma Rho Engineering Sorority at the University of Houston for a one-day event and become an engineer for a day. You will get a chance to do hands-on activities to explore what engineering is and how much fun it can be! Who: ⓙ Where: University of Houston When: March 7, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cost: $20
Balloon Car Badge Workshop
Get blown away by this new Junior badge! Energy surrounds you every day. In this workshop, learn to harness potential and kinetic energy. Also, learn how air interacts with objects and how you can use it to your advantage. After designing a power source for a car, you will get to test it out. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓙ
March 14, 9 a.m. – noon Idea Lab – Pearland $23
Paddle Boat Badge Workshop
Engineer your way through designing, building, and testing a boat that floats in this workshop. You will also get a chance to explore a way to make your boat move through the water and assess how well it works. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓙ
April 5, 9 a.m. – noon Idea Lab – Bellaire $23
Woodworker Workshop
Make stylish or useful things for yourself and others in this fun woodworker workshop. Develop and refine your do-it-yourself skills with a hammer, saw, level and creating a fantastic and unique piece of your own design. Who: ⓒ Where: Children’s Museum of Houston When: Jan. 11, April 25; noon – 2:15 p.m. Cost: $20 ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Activities
Detective and Special Agent Badge Workshop
Utilize your detective skills on this sleuthing adventure. Girls will discover the power of observation, code communications, fingerprinting and more. They will also utilize special agent techniques. Both detectives and agents have important, exciting jobs that take serious skills - skills you can try at this workshop. Badge is provided to attendees. Who: ⓙⓒ When: Feb. 9, 9 – 11 a.m. Where: Mad Science of Houston Cost: $20
Digital Movie Maker Badge Workshop
Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓒ
Movies tell stories, and this workshop will help you tell your own tale. This is your chance to show others how you see the world while you utilize fun and innovative software and your own videos. This workshop is intended as a unique and fun way to complete editing processes where girls edit footage to create a movie.
Feb. 15, March 15; 1 – 3 p.m. Microsoft Store - Baybrook Mall, Friendswood $15 (cost covers Girl Scout fees)
Coding for Good Badge Retreat Find out how to create computer programs, games and apps that solve problems and help others in this day-long workshop. Girls will learn how programmers write for computers, plan a video game, and invent an app design. Badges are provided to attendees. Who: When: Where: Cost:
ⓙ
April 4 Comp-U-Dopt, Houston $30
Camp Placement 2021 Reminder to all Community and Region leadership. The annual camp placement (Form F-126) is due Feb. 1, 2020 for the next year. If you have any questions, contact Customer Service at 713-292-0300 or registration@sjgs.org
ⓓ-Daisy ⓑ-Brownie ⓙ-Juniors ⓒ-Cadettes ⓢ-Seniors ⓐ-Ambassadors
Designing Robots
Robots can do so much! They can aid in anything from helping you with your chores to exploring the ocean or Mars. Every day, they are used for amazing things and in these workshops, you will find out how. Robots are built and programmed in different ways to meet a goal. Explore this topic in a workshop held in the Children’s Museum Maker Annex. Who: ⓒ When: April 4, noon – 2:15 p.m. Where: Children’s Museum Houston Cost: $20
Room Makeover Workshop
Discover design concepts and fix-it tactics needed to turn a simple space into a creative statement! You’ll develop some serious DIY flair by combining color, texture, glue and paint while getting hands on and engineering great pieces for your room. You will get the chance to paint a small wooden piece you’ll bring with you, sew or glue a fabric accent, build something and make an old item new again! Badge is provided to girl attendees. Who: ⓢ Where: Children’s Museum Houston When: Feb. 22, noon – 2:15 p.m. Cost: $20
Travel Register NOW for 2020/2021 Council Trips
Interested in traveling with other Girl Scouts from GSSJC? Here is your chance! Registration is now open for our three 2020 summer travel opportunities and our international trip to Costa Rica. Our 2020 trips are to Savannah, GA, Washington D.C. and Austin. Our 2021 international trip is to Costa Rica. Make your down payment today to reserve your spot on one of these amazing council trips. Spots are filling fast.
Who: ⓙ ⓒ ⓢ ⓐ adults Cost: Down payments differ based on the trip, see more at gssjc.org/activities Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org
Girl Scout Destinations
Do you have the travel bug? Want to spend the summer roaming in Rome or backpacking through Germany’s historic castles? Maybe you prefer something closer to home like horseback riding in Montana or an astronomy adventure in Oregon. Destinations has you covered. Destinations are trips approved by GSUSA and run by trusted program partners to provide girls the opportunity to travel solo, meet with other Girl Scouts from all over the country and have a once in a lifetime experience. Check out the amazing trips at http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/travel/ take-a-trip/destinations/ Round two of applications are due Feb. 15 Who: ⓒⓢⓐ Cost: Cost depends on the trip Contact: Heather Vandivort, hvandivort@sjgs.org January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Columns
New First Aid Course Blended with Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED
Adult Trainings
Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification is offered in two formats: blended and standard. Blended learning comprises approximately four hours of online study and assessment with a 3 hour skills demonstration in class with an instructor. The blended learning course includes adult, child and pediatric (infant) certification. The standard certification is earned through a full day of 6-7 hour instructor-led teaching, guidance and skills demonstration. The standard course includes adult and child certification only, not pediatric. Either of these certifications qualifies volunteers to serve as the First Aider for Girl Scout activities, including camping. When Course Where Time Cost Jan. 11 Sat First Aid/CPR/AED-Blended GSC 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. $55 Feb. 12 Wed First Aid/CPR/AED-Blended GSC 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. $55 March 14 Sat First Aid/CPR/AED-Standard GSC 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. $55 April 25 Sat First Aid/CPR/AED-Blended GSC 1 – 4 p.m. $55 May 16 Sat First Aid/CPR/AED-Blended GSC 9 a.m. – noon $55 July 11 Sat First Aid/CPR/AED-Blended GSC 9 a.m. – noon $55
Camp Certification Training
A Camp Certified adult is required for any Girl Scout troop overnight camp experience. This certification is currently completed in two sessions: an instructor-led three-hour planning and orientation meeting (usually on a weeknight), and a full day or overnight option onsite at one of our camps (Agnes Arnold, Whispering Pines or Wind-A-Mere). Both sessions must be completed before volunteers earn certification. For questions related to Camp Certification, please contact Volunteer Development Manager at 713 292-0254 or tswanson@sjgs.org.
or
or
Date Day Course Name Jan. 13 Mon. Camp Cert In Town Ex Exp (AC 1/25&26) Jan. 25&26 Sat./Sun. Camp Cert ExE At Camp (IT 1/13)
Location GSC ATC
Time Cost 7 – 10 p.m. $25 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. none
Feb. 1 Feb. 4 Feb. 15
Sat. Tues. Sat.
Camp Cert In Town (AC 2/15) Camp Cert In Town (AC 2/15) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 2/4)
GSC UWFtB WAM
1 – 4 p.m. 7 – 10 p.m. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
$25 $25 none
Feb. 17 Feb. 19 Feb. 29
Mon. Wed. Sat.
Camp Cert In Town (AC 2/29) Camp Cert In Town (AC 2/29) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 2/17)
7 – 10 p.m. 7 – 10 p.m. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
$25 $25 none
Feb. 24 Mon. March 7 Sat. March 5 Thur. or March 10 Tues. March 21 Sat.
or
Camp Cert In Town (AC 3/7) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 2/25)
Katy GSC ATC
Online! WP
7 – 8:30 p.m. $35 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. none
Camp Cert In Town (AC 3/21) Camp Cert In Town (AC 3/21) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 3/5&10)
GSC BRC ATC
7 – 10 p.m. 7 – 10 p.m. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m
$25 $25 none
April 13 April 25
Mon. Sat.
Camp Cert In Town (AC 4/25) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 4/13)
GSC WAM
7 – 10 p.m. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
$25 none
April 25 April 28 May 9
Sat. Tues. Sat.
Camp Cert In Town (AC 5/9) Camp Cert In Town (AC 5/9) Camp Cert At Camp (IT 4/25&28)
LUF GSC ATC
1 – 4 p.m. 7 – 10 p.m. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
$25 $25 none
Camp Certification with Extra Experience (Overnight) Date Day Course Name Jan. 13 Mon. Camp Cert In Town (AC 1/25&26) Jan. 25&26 Sat./Sun Camp Cert ExE At Camp (IT 1/15)
Location GSC ATC
Time Cost 7 – 10 p.m. $25 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. none
Outdoor Refresher (Must hold GSSJC Camp Certification already) Date Day Course Name Jan. 18 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp Feb. 15 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp Feb. 29 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp March 7 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp March 21 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp April 25 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp May 9 Sat. Camp Cert At Camp
Location ATC WAM ATC WP ATC WAM ATC
Time Cost 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20
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Columns
Training Calendar January
11 11 11 18 18
Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
February
1 1 1 1 12 15 15 15 15 29 29
Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Wednesday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
First AId/CPR/AED Blended Event Basics Weekend Event Planning Event Basics Weekend Event Planning
Daisy/Brownie Program Leadership Getting Started w/Girl Guides and Journeys Partnering Cads, Srs and Ambs Partnering with Junior First Aid/CPR/AED-Glended Daisy/Brownie Program Leadership Partnering with Juniors Event Basics Weekend Event Planning Community/Region Treasurer Community Financial Specialist
GSC Lufkin Lufkin FUMC FUMC
12:30 – 2:30 p.m. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 1 – 3 p.m.
$55 $6 $6 $6 $6
GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC BRC BRC BRC BRC GSC GSC
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 10 – 11:30 a.m. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 1 – 3 p.m. 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
$6 None $6 $6 $55 $6 $6 $6 $6 $6 $6
March
14 28 28 28 28
Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
First Aid/CPR/AED- Standard Getting Started w/ Girl Guides and Journeys Daisy/Brownie Program Leadership Partnering with Juniors Recruitment and Development
GSC GSC GSC GSC TBA
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 10:30 a.m. – noon 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 1 – 3 p.m. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
April
25 25
Saturday Saturday
Facilitator Essentials First Aid/CPR/AED- Blended
GSC GSC
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 1 – 4 p.m.
May
2 2 2 16 21
Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Thursday
Event Basics Weekend Event Planning Mentoring Day First Aid/CPR/AED- Blended CLT Training (Part A and B)
GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC
9 a.m. – noon 1 – 3 p.m. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 9 a.m. – noon 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
June
6 7 13 14 20
July
11 11 18
$55 None $6 $6 $12 $12 $55 $6 $6 $10 $55 $12
Saturday Sunday Saturday Sunday Saturday
Facilitator Essentials CLT Training (Part A) - Part B 6/14 Recruitment Placement Development Day CLT Training (Part B) - Part A 6/7 Service Team Training Day
GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 1 – 5 p.m. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 1 – 5 p.m. 8:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
$12 $12 $12 ** $12
Saturday Saturday Saturday
CLT Training (Part A and B) First Aid/CPR/AED- Blended Summer Train-In
GSC GSC GSC
9 a.m. – 5 pm 9 a.m. – noon 8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
$12 $55 $12
Location Legend
AA: Camp Agnes Arnold – Conroe ATC: Adult Training Center – Conroe BRC: Beaumont Resource Center (Foundation of Southeast Texas) CYP: Cornerstone United Methodist Church FUMC: Faith United Methodist Church – Richmond GSC: Girl Scout Center – Houston
Huntsville: First United Methodist Church of Huntsville KATY: Katy, TX (Location will be posted on registration site) LUF: Lufkin Resource Center UWFTB: United Way-Fort Bend WAM: Camp Wind-A-Mere – Alvin WP: Camp Whispering Pines-Garrison
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Columns
Around Camp
Why Girl Scout camping is so much FUN
When you hear that you’re going camping with your troop or family, what is the first word that comes to your mind? Most girls think about all the fun they are going to have in the outdoors. The benefits of camping, especially for young children, helps them develop a sense of adventure, experience a new environment and see and hear unfamiliar sights and sounds. They can meet and play with other young girls, learn outdoor survival skills, see wildlife in their natural habitat and explore the beautiful camps maintained by the council. Here are seven tips that will make your next camping trip more enjoyable and to easily remember them they all start with a C like camping. Care – Care about how you camp by being considerate of others. Caution – Use caution when cooking on a grill or lighting a fire in a fire circle so as not to endanger others or yourself. Improve your camping skills, knowing the right way is the safest way. Courtesy – Practice politeness because it improves the camping experience. Respect the privacy of others. Cleanliness – Practice good, clean camping habits. Pick up litter no matter who left it and be proud of the campsite you leave behind. Remember that Girl Scouts leave a place better than they found it. Cooperation – Observe all camping regulations and rules established to protect our enjoyment of the outdoors. Work cooperatively with others to make it better for everyone. Conservation – Protect the environment in which we enjoy camping and help those whose job it is to guard and wisely manage our camps natural resources. Endeavor to leave a better outdoors for those who follow us. Common Sense – Apply common sense to every situation, knowing that reason, understanding and humor makes camping better for ourselves and others. Do your very best to follow the seven C’s of camping. Have lots of fun, and we hope you make lots of new friends while camping at our Girl Scout camps.
Respecting wildlife while at camp Wildlife is a gift to all of us, and it’s important to respect wild animals found in our camps. Do you know that birds, squirrels, raccoons, hogs, opossum, coyotes, fox, bats, spiders, snakes, turtles, rabbits and even skunks live in our council camp forests? Depending on the time of day or night and how quiet you are, you may see one of these animals. It’s awesome to see these critters in their natural habitat; however, do NOT approach, attempt to feed or touch any wildlife. Our camp wildlife is more frightened of you and will usually run and scamper away back into the forest when they see or hear you. Always view wildlife from a safe distance. In the event you encounter a dead animal, or a live one acting strangely, notify the staff ranger or reserve ranger immediately. They will determine the appropriate steps in dealing with each situation. Leave things the way you found them, but if you see something that is a mess, please clean it up. Leave things as naturally as you can. Don’t leave trash, food or anything else for wildlife to get into. When people pollute nature, it impacts animals more than anyone could ever imagine. Adults, please drive carefully and slowly watching for deer and our dear girls. The four-legged variety is more likely to run right at your vehicle if they are frightened or panicked. Remember that during the short time you spend at camp, you are visiting the home of these animals. Many of these animals were born and have lived in council camps for several years. Be respectful and thank you for helping us take care of our camps. We mentioned the warmest and best socks for winter weather are made from merino wool. If you guessed the wool comes from Merino T e r r sheep, you are correct. i u v ia Nat There are more than 200 breeds of sheep, and the Merino is famed for their fine, soft wool and their ability to live in extreme, cold climates. They are recognized by their wrinkly skins and fleeces and rams with large curly horns. Merino sheep were originally from Spain and can now be found in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and South Africa.
Here’s a question for next time: Shadow Lake is a 35-acre lake at Camp Agnes Arnold in Conroe, Texas. What is the biggest fish someone has caught at the lake?
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Columns
Give the Gift of Girl Scouts
GSSJC believes every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout regardless of her family’s ability to pay, and that the cost of the membership fee or vest should never stand in the way of her reaching her full potential. Each year, approximately one third of our girl members experience Girl Scouting through our Community Outreach program, which places paid staff in schools and community and detention centers to deliver Girl Scouting to girls in underserved communities. In addition, we provide more than $700,000 in financial aid to help girls participate in Girl Scouting. You can help girls thrive as they develop a strong sense of self, display positive values, seek challenges and learn from setbacks, form and maintain healthy relationships, and identify and solve problems in the community. All of this through the best leadership development experience for girls in the world – Girl Scouts.
Philanthropy
A gift of: $1,200 registers 48 girls for Girl Scouts • • $332 provides one year of Girl Scouts for one girl • $150 provides uniforms for six girls • $75 provides membership for 3 Girl Scouts • You can also make a recurring gift of only $19.12 a month to become a member of the 1912 Club! Because of you, we can help more girls develop into the best versions of themselves. To make a gift, visit gssjc.org/donate or call Nancy Hall at 713-292-0282. Thank You, GSSJC Donors! Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, 2019
$50,000-$99,999 - Bronze Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo $25,000-$49,999 Ambassador The Elkins Foundation $10,000-$24,999 - Senior The Boeing Company Kroger Company Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church $5,000-$9,999 - Cadette Emerson Greater Houston Community Foundation Kinder Morgan Foundation Evelyn and Stephen Richter Melanie Rippentrop Strake Foundation $1,000-$4,999 - Junior Roberto J. Bayardo Ann E. Deaton Ellen R. DeSanctis Darcie Durham East Aldine Management District
EC Specialists Inc Entergy Texas Inc Deborah Falknor K. Daniel and Delores James Hinkle Catherine Houy Renee Humphrey Sandra A. Judson Candice E. Koederitz Ana M. Kopf Thomas McGee Motiva Enterprises LLC Nancy Lee G. Peterson Phillips 66 Company Michelle and Joseph Raab Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundation Mary K. Ryder J.B. & Kathryn Sallas Charitable Foundation Nancy and E.C. Simpson Anne Speed Esther and Don Spencer Marguerite Woung-Chapman Jennifer Yager Delphia A. York Ridley Mary Zappone $250-$999 - Brownie Nickolai Alleyne
Just Desserts
Experience otherworldly delights as we join together on January 22 for Just Desserts 2020! Join us at the Junior League where chefs from the community will prepare Out of This World desserts made from our favorite Girl Scout cookies. For more information and tickets visit gssjc.org/justdesserts. Donors at the $250+ level will receive two complimentary tickets in the mail after the holidays. This is an adults-only event. We hope to see you there!
Leave a Legacy Outdoor Gift
Girl Scouts has a long and successful history of getting girls outdoors. In fact, many Girl Scouts say that camping trips and other outdoor activities are one of the best things about their Girl Scout experience. When girls spend quality time outdoors and increase their exposure to nature, they thrive physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Please consider joining our council-wide “Outdoor Enthusiast Planned Giving Initiative.” This initiative is designed to ensure that future generations of girls in GSSJC benefit from quality outdoor experiences in Girl Scouting by making a planned gift to benefit the future growth and maintenance of camps in our council. Making a planned gift to benefit girls can be very simple. You can name the council as a partial beneficiary in your will. You can opt to leave a flat amount or a percentage of a specific asset, and there is NO minimum requirement. And everyone who makes a planned gift to GSSJC is automatically a member of the Juliette Gordon Low Society. To make your planned gift intention known, contact Diane Pavey at dpavey@sjgs.org. We are not asking you to communicate to us the size of the gift. Every planned gift, no matter the amount, will have a positive impact. And every planned gift dedicated to our camps will help ensure that GSSJC continues to provide outdoor program experiences for girls in our quality GSSJC camp system. For any questions about the donor list, contact Suzanne Boak at 713-292-0273 or sboak@gssjc.org. Honorariums listed are $25 and above.
Terrie Bean-Minero Berkadia Commercial Mtg LLC Jo Blackburn Lisa Bordelon Julie and Richard Boushka BP Energy Company Meg Britton Brysch Family Limited Partnership Oakley Carlile Anna B. Charlton Chevron Phillips Chemical Company Ellen Chin Dovie Crouse Joanne J. Doherty Sana Effendi Miranda Enzor Vanessa Foreman Sonia Freeman Monica Fulton Jane K. Gasdaska Lindsay Glover Debbie Gonzalez D'Anne Hawk Claudia W. Hayslip Toni Henning Mei Po Ho C. Susan Howes Gwendolyn Hulsey
Valerie Jalufka Matthew Kebodeaux Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Patty and Randy Keys Jacquelyn Kingsbury Leda L. Kliesing Michelle Lewis Julia Little Frank Lopez Marty Lundstorm Laurie Markoe Katie and Mark Mehnert April and Jason Moncrieff Kelly Noel Lindsey Pearce Natalie Picha Kristen Pulpan Rumina Rajpari Skip and Melinda Reeves Tracie Renfroe and Amber Alonso Dolores and John M. Richards, III Brenda Schroeder Kristin Starodub Hilary Tyson UPS Alison Vasquez Parul Vyas Andrea Walsh
Memorials In Memory of Wanda DuBose Anderson Leda L. Kliesing In Memory of Annue M. Bayardo Roberto J. Bayardo In Memory of Judy Kunkel Terry E. Kite Honorariums In Honor of Lisa Darling Catherine Houy In Honor of Sandy Judson Elizabeth Shea In Honor of Sue Kean Tracie Renfroe In Honor of Jasmine Sheth Hemantkumar Sheth In Honor of Dorothy Shoaf Carolyn S. Panebianco
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Columns
Service Around Council
Troop #143014 decorated 99 lunch bags in honor of JJ Watt and donates cookies to Meals on Wheels.
Two girls from Troop #111105 volunteered at the Houston Food Bank recently. They hope to go again soon with more members of the troop .
Troop #114032 revitalized an old flower box at Kuehnle Elementary. They painted the box green, planted white roses and other flowers as a service project to beautify their school. Making the world a better place one beach cleanup at a time. Tall Pines Hill Girl Scouts pick up trash and bagfuls of micro plastic in Galveston.
Hailey partnered with the Houston SPCA for her Senior Community Service Bar. She delivered her donation of over 100+ handmade rope toys which were made from donated recycled T-shirts. 42 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
The Wind Catchers Community did a horse supply drive benefiting the STARS horse program. Supplies were presented at a Saddlehorns session at Camp Pryor. Special thanks to STARS volunteers and PAs!
Columns
Brownie Troop #114182 volunteer at the Houston Food Bank helping to clean out the produce.
Troop #111105 created nearly 300 craft kits to donate to Texas Children's Hospital so children have something to do during their stay at the hospital.
Troop #114036 planted acorns under the kissing tree Troop #114149 also volunteered to plant historical acorns from the kissing tree and many others across Texas.
Take Action project for think like a programmer. Girls weeded garden and planted flowers to bring hummingbirds and butterflies.
Troop #111105 have been working on their 3 Cheers Journey, Pets badge and SPCA patch. They made almost two dozen toys to donate to the pets waiting to be adopted. Kirbyville Troop #131098 saw a need when a sister troop in a neighboring community was hit hard during Tropical Storm Imelda. Care packages were put together for sister Girl Scouts who were flooded out of their homes during the storm. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Scrapbook
GSSJC Scrapbook
Send your photos to ations@ communic clude In sjgs.org. in the # p oo tr your e. lin t ec subj
Sending in your photos does not guarantee placement in Golden Link.
See your pictures on Facebook! Find your photos in a monthly scrapbook album on our page: facebook.com/gssjc
Troop #20909 visited the Royal Sonesta hotel for a behind the scenes tour to see what it takes to make a hotel run - even after hours. This helped them compete the Night Owl badge. They loved seeing the machine that dries, presses and folds the sheets for the hotel.
Troop #134127 loved hiking Camp Agnes Arnold and learning about all the stories and legends of camp.
Troop #114071 went to The Museum of Fine Arts to explore the Rienzi Exhibits. It was a great learning experience for the girls 44 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Troop #111105 visited the Microsoft Store in The Woodlands to work on their Computer Expert and Coding badges.
Scrapbook Troop #114202 enjoyed going to Build-A-Bear and picking up their Daisy Mint teddy bears. This was their reward for all the hard work they did selling cookies.
Troop #149027 went to Camp Robinwood to practice fishing skills.
Troop #114036 and #114171 went camping at Misty Meadows Ranch for first time. Daisy Troop #134127 enjoyed a tour of the Houston SPCA where they learned about taking care of animals. Troop #111105 visited the recently opened Foxfire Candle Works in Vintage Park to complete the scent portion of their Senses badge. Northhampton Day Camp girls had a fun-filled week!
Troop #127014 enjoyed an end of summer pizza party and movie. January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
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Scrapbook
Duchesne Academy was host to 140 girls in the Tall Pines Hill Community in Sept. Girls and their families enjoyed STEAM centered activities, robotics team demonstrations and snow cones. Before the rally commenced, the TPH Leadership Team was able to recognize Duchesne and the Diaz Family with Volunteer and Community Awards. Special thanks to the TPH Service Team, GSSJC Board Members: Jo Blackburn, Francisco Diaz and Tony Canales and Head of School for Duchesne Academy Patricia Swenson for making the afternoon a great success!
Troop #114202, they attended Code Ninjas. The girls learned how to build video games, coding and engage in fun STEM games and activities. Troop #118035 camping at the Colorado River
Troop #114202 celebrating a great year and bridging ceremony with the help of some Cadette girls.
Firefighters at Cypress Creek Fire Dept Sta. 23 showed the girls their emergency equipments, first aid backpacks, got in a fire truck and used the hose. They completed their First Aid badges. Thankful to the firefighters who made it fun for them! Troop #112102 earned their Roller Coaster Design Challenge Badge at the Galleria LEGO Store. 46 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Scrapbook Troop #114036 learned about cyber security at Code Ninjas.
Lone Star Treasures Community participated in the Fort Bend County Fair Parade in September. The girls voted on the design and helped in decorating the float. The float was awarded 1st place in the Youth Civic division! They had more than 50 girls and adults ride and walk with the float.
Troop #114036 had fun indoor climbing.
Troop #157134 had an amazing time at a community camporee at Camp Agnes Arnold! Their first camporee!
Troop #129085 Brownies completed their Pets badge after a tour and scavenger hunt at Petsmart. The Daisies earned their Rose petal by donating cat and dog food from Petsmart to foster animals!
Troop #28250 worked on their Media Journey with a tour of Houston Public Media.
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Scrapbook
Emme of #146011 met a new friend at Camp Pryor. Troop #114149 went camping for the first time at Camp Robinwood for the Dumbo carousel. Troop #114149 had an amazing time at Tree Adventures and earned their climbing patch.
Troop #136001 were invited for a tour of a research lab in the Behavioral Sciences Department at the University of Texas Health Science Center, led by Dr. Consuelo Walss-Bass. They had a fascinating experience looking at real human brain cross-sections, through a microscope, and practice measuring with a pipette. They also had an opportunity to talk with the female scientists who work in the lab. 48 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Brownie Troop #114182 learned all about coding at the Apple Store.
Scrapbook
Troop 114149 visited Sheldon Lake Park. Troop #134119 went to San Antonio and visited Lulus Cafe, Magic Time Machine and Koa at Sea World.
Troop #143133 had fun at a Dash soccer game. Advertisement
Send your photos for Scrapbook to: communications@sjgs.org. Be sure to put Scrapbook and your troop number in the subject line. Photos submitted take two to four months to be published. Advertisement
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50 January/February 2020 l The Golden Link
Cookie Program Girl Recognitions
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Raising Awesome Girls
Help Her Be Financially Savvy For Life (Even If You Aren’t!) Your girl is going to need to know how make smart decisions when negotiating pay, budgeting, spending, saving, and investing later in life—and it’ll all be a lot easier for her if she starts learning now. And the great news is that you don’t have to be a financial whiz to help her learn all about money matters. Borrow these fun (yes, we said fun!) ways to help your daughter get comfortable managing money. She’ll learn a lot in the process, and you just might pick up a thing or two as well! 1. Play with money When your girl is old enough to do very basic math (addition and subtraction), get some fake money at a toy store, or make your own using colorful construction paper—your girl can help!—and then set up a “shop” with some of her toys and books. Put prices on the objects and then give her some of the fake money to spend. She’ll love play-acting a situation she sees you in all the time at the market or department store, and she’ll get a healthy dose of financial literacy training out of it, too! 2. Get competitive Designate one evening each week to “game night” and choose games that involves buying, selling, budgeting, investing, and money strategies in general. Classics like Monopoly and The Game of Life are obvious choices, but newer games including The Settlers of Catan teach an even richer variety of financial lessons, including the value of relationships and partnerships, patience (she should know there’s no such thing as a legit get rich quick scheme!), and the importance of diversifying your investments. 3. Let her be a CEO Running her own business is a sure-fire way to help her understand the value of hard work and the satisfaction of earning, but make sure to help her learn the all-important lessons of how she handles the money she earns once she’s closed up shop. Programs like the Girl Scout Cookie program help girls set financial goals, handle transactions, keep track of her earnings, and budget for the things she wants to spend them on. These kinds of handson experiences will help her thrive as she becomes a financially independent adult. So, whether she’s selling lemonade or Thin Mints, make sure to talk to your girl about her experiences and encourage her along the way!
4. Help her finance a party Her birthday is such a special time of year—a time to recognize her growth and the joy she brings to your family every day—but it can also be a perfect time to help her hone her money skills—especially if you’re planning to host a party in her honor. At least a month in advance, tell your girl that since it’s her big day, you want her to be able to make some of the important decisions involving what it will be like, how many guests will be invited, and where it will be held. Sit down with her and help her make a list of all the things she’d like to have at her party. Perhaps those include a cake, decorations, entertainment, a fun activity, and snacks. Make sure to also discuss location—having it at home won’t cost a dime, but hosting the party at the local roller rink or laser tag arena will take a chunk out of her budget! Once she’s come up with her list, help her find out the prices for each of the things she wants (even if they’re outlandish!). If her “dream party” comes in over budget—and it’s not a bad thing if it does—help her prioritize the elements that are most important to her and spot places where she might be able to save a few dollars. If she really wants to have her party at the zoo, but the cost of admission eats up a bunch of the budget, perhaps she invites fewer friends. Or if the fancy cake she’d been thinking of will cost a bundle, perhaps she can make a simpler cake at home. In the end, she’ll feel ownership and pride in the event, and will take away a ton of money smarts, too!
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We want every girl to succeed. That’s why GSSJC is happy to bring you Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.’s Raising Awesome Girls, an online publication to help you and your Girl Scout answer questions, face challenges and find solutions to daily life. For more articles like this, visit www.girlscouts.org and find Raising Awesome Girls under the “For Adults” tab.
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Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council 3110 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX 77098-4508
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID HOUSTON, TX PERMIT NO. 6743
Chase your adventure Summer Camp 2020
Look for your summer camp catalog in the mail soon or check out the catalog online at gssjc.org/summercamp