How to Earn Brownie Badges-Meeting Plans and Resources

As the end of the year draws to a close, some of you may be leading your troops as Daisy Scout for the last time since you are bridging to Brownies. Leading older girls is more fun, as they are more independent and can do much more on their own.

How the Brownie Program Differs from the Daisy Girl Scout Program

Daisy Scouts have a very simple program based on learning the Girl Scout Law. You can do activities based on each one, and if you choose, augment the program with the Journeys program.

The Brownie Program is made up of badges, formally known as "Try Its". They are triangular in shape and have five required steps for completion. They are divided into the following categories:

Legacy Badges (these are updated versions of Try Its from the old program)

• Painting
• Snacks
• Celebrating Community
• Girl Scout Way
• Fair Play
• First Aid
• Bugs

Financial Literacy

• Money Manager
• Philanthropist

Cookie Business

• Meet My Customers
• Give Back

Journeys badges-It's Your World-Change It!

• Dancer
• My Best Self
• Computer Expert
• My Family Story
• Home Scientist

Journeys-It's Your Planet-Love It!

• Hiker
• My Great Day
• Household Elf
• Potter
• Senses

Journeys-It's Your Story-Tell It!

• Pets
• Making Friends
• Letterboxer
• Making Games
• Inventor

Can I Use the Old Program With The New One?

Photo by Hannah Gold. Old Brownie Try It Badge

When I was a Brownie leader, the old badges were being discontinued. I bought them in bulk so my girls exclusively did the old badges. One of the biggest complaints leaders like myself, who know the old program, have with the new one is that the amount of badges the girls can earn are limiting. The dozens of Try Its have been whittled down to what you see above. 

While there are some council stores that still have the old Brownie Try Its, the most popular ones are very hard to find. There are private Facebook groups for Selling retired Girl Scout badges. I suggest joining one, as the women there are selling their excess and not out to make a profit as sellers on eBay are.

The older Try Its are not the same size as the new ones, so they will not make the perfect hexagonal shape when sewing the two different ones together.

I have created a website for Brownie Leaders entitled How to Earn Brownie Badges. Each page on the site is a complete lesson plan for every single Brownie badge in the new program.

Many of the badges asks leaders to bring in experts. With my lesson plans, that is not necessary. Many badges ask the girls to do something at home. I avoid that with my meeting plans, as I know all too well what happens...girls forget or parents will not be bothered. If a step is missing, then the girl cannot earn the badge (and then you have to deal with that mess). I created meeting plans with all the steps to be completed during your time together. Only a few require the girls to bring in something, and there is the option for you to bring in extras to cover that step for the girl.

You can find the Brownie Badges site right here. It is my sincere hope that you find it useful as you take your troop to the next level of scouting.