Ideas for Celebrating Girl Scout Week

March 7-13, 2010
On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low and two other women met with 18 girls to form the first Girl Scout troop in the United States. Each year, Girl Scouts celebrate the birthday of that Girl Scout meeting for an entire week. The week in which March 12 falls is recognized as Girl Scout Week.

Sunday: Religious Observation

• Attend your house of worship dressed in your Girl Scout uniform. This activity can be done as a troop or as an individual. If the place of worship is the group's sponsor, girls may perform a service, such as greeting, ushering, or a flag ceremony.
• Take this opportunity to explore other faiths. Have girls make presentations on different religions, similar to how they observe Thinking Day. Share stories, learn where that faith is practiced, make swaps and more.

Monday: Home Day

• Ask girls to invite their sisters, friends, or classmates to a troop meeting and make a craft like paper flowers, picture frames or jewelry boxes.
• Give back to Mother Nature! Plant a tree, make a flower garden, or volunteer to clean a park, beach, or your neighborhood.

Tuesday: Citizenship Day

• Visit a city, county, state or federal government officethat makes policies or enforces the laws of your community. Talk about what you've learned.
• Do a community service project that reflects a cause that is important to you (hunger, the environment, animals). Talk about how you can help, and then plan a community service project.

Wednesday: Health and Safety Day

• Share ideas about ways to keep healthy. Learn about the food groups, exercise, and the importance of healthy habits. Try a new sport, play games, or create wholesome snacks.
• Discuss ways to stay safe in different scenarios, such as at school, during a fire or an earthquake, on a field trip, at home, or online. Learn to administer First Aid or create your own First Aid kit.

Thursday: International Friendship Day

• Ask girls to invite their sisters, friends, or classmates to a troop meeting and play games from around the world. Or make friendship bracelets for one another.
• Find a troop from another city, state, or country and ask them to be your sister troop. Write letters, draw pictures or try to organize a way to meet with them!

Friday: Arts Day

• Ask girls to invite their sisters, friends, or classmates to a few troop meetings and work together to create a talent show. Write a play, do skits, sing songs, make music, dance and invite parents and others to the performance.
• Work with a sister troop (younger, older, or same age level) and have an art party. Design and create matching troop t-shirts, face-paint, etc.

Girl Scout Birthday, March 12th

• Celebrate Girl Scouts' birthday by asking girls to invite their sisters, friends or classmates to a troop meeting. Discover ways Girl Scouting has changed since the days of Juliette Low. Wish Girl Scouts a happy 98th birthday with cupcakes.
• What's a birthday without presents? Celebrate by creating birthday boxes! Fill a box with all the supplies for a party: cake mix, candles, frosting, plates, decorations, goody bags, games, and a present for the birthday boy or girl. Wrap the box in colorful wrapping paper and donate the boxes to food banks, women's shelters, churches or other community organizations.

Saturday: Outdoors Day

• Enjoy the outdoors! Spend the day outside enjoying nature. Go on a hike, visit the beach or play in the park.
• Have a "bring a buddy" family affair. Host a picnic and invite new girls and their parents to the event. Create an obstacle course, play games or make a craft.