Updated June 2019
With the school year over in some parts of the country and with the end fast approaching in others, Girl Scout leaders need to decide whether or not to meet over the summer. There are pros and cons to summer meetings.
The Pros
- Keeping the scouting momentum up
- Keeping the sisterhood of Girl Scout going during the summer months
- More laid back feel to meetings
- You can meet outdoors
- Meeting times can be more flexible during the less hectic summer months
The Cons
- No break for the leader-she still has to plan
- Dealing with different schedules if a girl misses a meeting
- Parents upset if a girl misses a fun meeting/outing due to vacation or other conflict
As a teacher, summer has always been my recovery time. Except for the first few years of my marriage when we were saving for a house and we had no children, I do not work for pay. The time off I get between classes is a time for me to get refreshed, recharge my batteries, and renew my spirits. I carried this over into my Girl Scout leader years. After nine months of carrying the full load, I needed a break. Plus, my daughter went to day camp and would not be able to attend meetings I would be planning. Meetings always resumed at the end of September.
If you decide that you wish to meet, here are some ideas for you.
Photo from Pixabay
Girl Scout Summer Meetings With a Theme
In a blog post on my Girl Scout Leader site, I wrote about three fun meetings you could have with your girls-a beach theme meeting, an ice cream theme meeting and a no sleepover slumber party theme. You can find them here.
No Need to Plan Activities
If you want to meet informally with your girls, then here are two ideas for an easy Girl Scout summer meeting. Use events in your community as the base for your gathering.
In this Daisy Activities blog post, I wrote about using the library calendar of events to be a meeting for your young troop. Parents are required to stay and because this is an unofficial event, no paperwork is needed to complete.
Michaels Craft Stores, as well as others, have crafting classes for children during the summer months. If you are going to pay with troop funds, then you will need to fill out the necessary paperwork. If you are just going to have the parents pay the small fee and do it informally, then that step is unnecessary.
Council Events are posted on your council's website. See what is available for Daisy Girl Scouts and sign up!
Are you planning to meet over the summer? What will you be doing with your girls?