Girl Scouts

M, who was shut out of Girl Scouts in kindergarten, has finally joined a troop. Actually, this marks the girls’ 3rd attempt at joining a troop (M tried one at another school for a bit, J tried this year, but it was way too huge a group for her). So much depends on the leaders, and that is hard work. Her leaders are awesome: welcoming to her, kind to me especially when I screw up and drop her off an hour late (don’t ask), and they do great stuff, including plenty of smarty-pants girl power and community service activities.

M started showing up in October, I think, and she’s already got 4 badges. And I only know this when she happened to bring her sash home after the last outing, because someone who is not me orders and attaches each badge after doing its required enrichment activities. I mean, how much does that rock?

Here’s a favorite tradition they do:  each girl takes a turn bringing Brownie home with her.

Along with Brownie, they get a journal, and each girl writes about what she and Brownie did together. At the beginning of the journal it’s all childish scrawls, and now that they’re 4th graders, it’s much more refined. I love documenting stuff. M made a chart of Brownie’s favorite things and drew an unbelievable portrait of Brownie which I was too unskilled to photograph for you.

At M’s last outing, they brought cookies and sang Christmas carols at the Schenectady City Mission.

With all the time I saved not attaching badges, I whipped up some of our yummiest cookies. M and I agreed that the folks at the mission probably don’t eat nearly enough super-yummy cookies. She was so excited and proud to be a part of it.