6 Fun and Easy Girl Scout Summer Meeting Ideas

Just about everywhere, school is out for summer. For some leaders, this means an end to regular meetings until school is back in session. For other leaders, they will continue to meet as scheduled or at least once a month for outings.

There are pros and cons to meeting over the summer. 

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

Image created by the author in Canva

There is no right way or wrong way to meet. When my troop was younger, I personally needed the summer break as I was in charge of everything. As a teacher, my summers were my down time to work more at home, get things organized, and quite frankly, recharge my batteries. By taking off each summer, I was more eager to return for Back to Troop.

Now that they are older and busy 11th grade high school Ambassadors (as of Monday when 10th grade ends!), we have had summer meetings since the girls are less busy. We actually enjoy our summer time more because there are no outside distractions, like homework, sports, or after school clubs. Even with summer jobs, the girls have their evenings free to meet.

If you planning on meeting this summer, here are six ideas for you to use.

3 Summer Meeting Ideas for Daisy Scouts

3 Fun Ideas for Informal Summer Meetings

You can also use your Council's website to see what is offered on their summer schedule. If girls can attend, great! If not, there is no lost time planning on your part.


Do you meet over the summer? What will you be doing?

Gift Ideas for Your Girl Scout Daisy

*This post contains affiliate links.

Whether it is for Girl Scout bridging, birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, or a reward she has been working on, the best gifts for Girl Scouts will have Daisies jumping up and down with delight. These young girls, who are between the ages of five and seven, are really into Girl Scouting because it makes them feel like a "big girl". They will love any kind of item that relates to scouting.  Their enthusiasm for being a part of this movement is absolutely infectious!

Below are some suggestions for gifts for Girl Scout Daisies that will be a hit with them, no matter what the gift giving occasion is!

Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

Daisy Girl Scout 18 Inch Dolls and Clothes

Little girls love to play with their dolls. Now they can play "Daisy meeting" and have their dolls earn Daisy petals when they dress them up in their own Girl Scout uniform! There are different dolls that you can buy that already come dressed in their Daisy uniform. If your Daisy Scout already owns an 18 inch doll, there are clothing and accessories to dress her just like her "mommy"!

Available on Amazon

You can wrap any or all of her Girl Scout gifts in Daisy colors, blue and white!

Girl Scout Build a Bear

This year Build a Bear came out with a new line of Girl Scout items. Thin Mints Bear is the latest in this favorite collection.

Thin Mints Doodle Gift Set from Build a Bear

In addition to the bear, there are clothes and accessories to go along with it. You can find the complete Build A Bear Girl Scout collection here.

Girl Scout Daisy Themed Jewelry

Many young girls love to wear jewelry, but they are not mature enough to be responsible for an expensive item. Here are some daisy themed pieces that are both beautiful and budget friendly.

 

Available on Amazon

Also available in earrings and in silvertone as well

Is your daughter and/or troop bridging? Here is a beautiful necklace set.

Rainbow Necklace Duo Available at Boscov's

The Ultimate Daisy to Brownie Bridging Resource Guide for Leaders 2019 Edition

Updated March 2022

Spring is here! For second year Daisy leaders, it is time to start planning your bridging ceremony.

Stop. Take a breath. You've got this.

By planning ahead and using the KISS strategy (Keep It Simple, Sister), your ceremony will be both memorable and stress free for you (okay, limited stress because you are not going to overthink this).

Before I provide you with a list of resources, I want you to remember one thing.

The girls are easy to please. They are six and seven years old. This is not a wedding, Bat Mitzvah, 50th anniversary party, or college graduation party. You are not going to drive yourself crazy on Pinterest and spend hours planning the perfect event. Your Daisy to Brownie bridging ceremony will be about 10 minutes long, no more than 15 minutes tops. Your audience (aka, parents and siblings) will appreciate the shorter ceremony and the girls will be so happy about the celebration that they will want to party on as well.

Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

Daisy to Brownie Resources for Leaders

Here are some useful links.

The Ultimate Daisy to Brownie Bridging Resource Guide

I originally wrote this blog post in 2017 and recently updated it. In simple fashion, this blog post tells you how to create your own bridging ceremony and the details that go along with planning.

Bridging to Brownie Girl Scout Requirements

There are two steps that Daisy Scouts need to do before bridging to Brownies. Both steps are fairly easy to complete. Start reaching out to sister troops now so you can fulfill these requirements.

Daisy to Brownie Girl Scout Bridging Script

This one is a bit long, but you can condense it to make it work for your troop.

Guide to Bridging Ceremonies

Scroll to page 15 to find the Daisy to Brownie guide. 

Free Girl Scout Printable Bridging Certificates

This post has been updated and all links are viable as of March 2019. Make sure to print one copy and then take it to Staples or Office Max to run off. Save your receipt to get reimbursed. There is no sense using up all of your own ink!

Bridge to Brownies Brownie Mix Label

It is nice to give a little gift to your girls. I gave mine a box of Brownie Mix. This label did not exist then, but if it did, I would have used it!

You can also go onto YouTube and see what others have done so you can be inspired. Remember to look at how long each video is...then reassure yourself that you've got this!

Girl Scout Bridging Decorating Ideas

I am a big believer in the adage "less is more". You do not have to go crazy with the rainbow theme. A few select pieces are all you will need to create the perfect atmosphere. 

Girl Scout Bridging Food Ideas

As the leader, you have invested a lot of time and energy into your troop. This is the one time you need to take it easy on yourself. Bridging is an important Girl Scout milestone...it is not a reason to lie awake at night planning.

This tool did not exist when I started as a leader, but I use it now for all of my volunteer activities at my synagogue. Sign-Up Genius is a great tool for organizing events like this one. Create a Signup and assign yourself paper goods. Food should be easy and not require a lot of fuss.

Ask parents to sign up for:

Pony waters

Juice boxes

Cut up vegetables

Cheese

Crackers

Fruit

Chips and Dip

Photo by Hannah Gold

As you can see from the picture, taken seven ten years ago when my troop bridged from Brownies to Juniors, the cake I baked was no-fuss, pre-Pinterest easy to implement idea. And guess what? While it might not be the prettiest cake you have ever seen, it was eaten up by all of the girls! 

You can easily bake cupcakes and use rainbow themed wrappers. You can even personalize them for your troop for this auspicious occasion!

Your Daisy to Brownie Girl Scout bridging ceremony should be fun, memorable, and as little stress on you as a leader as possible. I hope these tips will work for you.

What are you planning on doing for your Daisy to Brownie Girl Scout bridging ceremony?