It's that time of year where the Girl Scout forums and Facebook pages are getting a little heated about the upcoming holiday season. There are three viewpoints on this matter:
1. We are going to celebrate Christmas and do Christmas activities even though everyone in our troop does not celebrate the holiday.
2. We do not celebrate any December holiday because that is not inclusive to those who do not celebrate any holiday this month.
3. Everyone in our troop celebrates Christmas so we do it as a troop...what is the big deal?
I covered this topic in depth in this blog post. Bottom line for me...there should be no specific holiday celebration of any kind if it means that a single girl in your troop will be left out. Girls Scouts is inclusive...that was the intent of the founder, Juliette Gordon Low.
Image created by the author on Canva
So what can a Daisy Girl Scout leader do with her troop that will make a December meeting fun and meaningful? Of course, you can do many different service projects with your troop, so your girls learn that there are others in this world who need a helping hand. Young children are compassionate, and this is one way to plug into this.
Here are some fun ideas for you to have an inclusive December meeting.
Make a Sock Snowman
Everyone has extra socks lying around with no mate. Use these for a fun winter decoration that does not have to go back in the box once the December holidays are over.
Here are the directions, which includes a video, on how to make a tube sock snowman.
Photo from Pixabay
There are other versions of this craft and you can find the directions and videos here.
Make a Styrofoam Snowman
You can also make a snowman out of styrofoam balls. Directions for this craft can be found here.
There are plenty of snowman craft kits available if you are too busy to go out and buy all of the components for these snowman crafts.
Don't the cookies in the photo look delicious? You can make your own edible snowman for the girls to eat at the party and also to give as gifts.
Photo from Pixabay
If you do not have access to an oven, then you can bake snowman shaped cookies at home and decorate them at your meeting.
There are all kinds of cookie decorations-sprinkles, sugars, and more-that you can use to make these cookies shine!
Gift Exchanges
I am not a fan of gift exchanges, as I explained in this blog post from a few years ago. However, one thing I have read about on the Girl Scouts Gab Facebook page was a Sock Exchange. Each girl brings in a cute, inexpensive pair of non-holiday socks and they can pull it from a grab bag. The girls can also bring in an extra pair of socks to be donated to a nursing home or homeless shelter.
One troop leader mentioned that the girls filled the sock with small items like candy. I would only be concerned with food allergies is you decide to do this.
The same ideas can be done for books-make sure they are not holiday themed or based on a particular movie or television character. An extra book can be donated to a children's hospital or local preschool.
Marshmallow Games to Play
Marshmallows are a sweet and inexpensive treat to use for games. They do not leave a big mess and the girls are sure to want to eat them when the games are over.
One game to play is to see how many marshmallows the girls can stack in a set amount of time. Start with a longer time like 60 seconds and then shorten them as the next round progresses.
Photo from Pixabay
Another game to play that I used to do with my children's class parties is to tie a piece of yarn around a marshmallow. Divide the girls into teams of two each. One girl swings the marshmallow towards the other girl and she tries to catch it in her mouth. After she does, then the girls switch and the other girl gets to try to eat it.
Using mini marshmallows and chopsticks, you can have the girls play this Minute to Win It game.
Here is another game that uses mini marshmallows, straws and paper cups.
Host a New Year's Eve Party
For younger children, New Year's Eve is a time that many grown ups get dressed and leave the house for a fancy party. I remember being left with a babysitter on this special night when I was a child.
You can host a child-centric New Year's Eve party for your troop. This article has lots of ideas that you can use to get the party started.
December is a wonderful time to host a party for a meeting...just make sure you are being considerate and caring and inclusive with all the girls in your troop.
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