Getting Started with GirlSouts for My 6 Year Old.

I was a Daisy Scout Troop leader this year and we did a number of different activities - visited (and donated) to the humane society, toured the police station, marched in a parade, picked up trash at a park for Earth Day, did town wide parties etc. At our regular meetings we worked on earning petals (the patches earned at the Daisy Level K-1) and Journey awards (ours was about caring for animals and ourselves). Girl Scouts is all about girls discovering things around them, connecting with their community/world, and taking action. The goal is for girls to have confidence that they can make a difference and be future leaders.

Definitely visit the website provided below. Also, if you know any girls who are currently in Girl Scouts they might be able to tell you more about what their troop does and might have a contact person for you. Girl Scouts are divided into troops based on grade level.

If you have the time, being an adult volunteer for Girl Scouts is always a good way to learn more about the program.

I started when I was in first grade. I believe the school sent home a flyer or brochure about it to see if anyone was interested. I would check with your school to see if there are any Brownie Troops (1st - 3rd grade ?) that she could join.

You could also call your local Girl Scout Council. They should have the name and phone number of any troop leaders with girls from your daughter's school.

I was in Girl Scouts through my senior year of high school and later served as a troop leader. Daisy Girl Scouts was brand new when I was 12 years old, I believe, so I began as a Brownie Girl Scout.

What did we do? I really don't remember too much. I hope you get some better answer from moms who have girls that age. I remember songs, games, arts and crafts, community service projects. At the time Brownies did not go camping, so I didn't really learn too much about that until I was a Junior Girl Scout (4th - 6th grade ?). That was great!

You can also call the Troop Leaders and ask them more about the things they do.

I loved Girl Scouts. I learned so much and really bonded with the girls in my troop. I learned about camping, cooking over an open fire, how to build a fire, pitch a tent. I learned great leadership skills and worked at summer camp.

It was a very positive experience for me.

Your DD's school should have that info available at the beginning of the year. Also, I found this site for the Girl Scouts in your area: http://www.gsnetx.org/ . Hope this helps!

You don't have to wait for the school to send information. GS is not part of any school and it's only a courtesy if a school lets GS send home flyers.

Go to the web site that KiKi posted. This is your local Girl Scout Council. E-mail them and tell them your daughter is interested now and wants to enroll and you need to find a troop for her. Ask them for the contact person for your local Service Unit. (The Council is the larger organization for a region; the Service Unit will cover your town or parts of it, and should have contacts for all the local leaders of troops.)

If you wait until fall, you can ask the Service Unit who the "school coordinator" is. This person helps organized troops of girls who go to a particular school; however!! GS is not about kids from just one school beiing in the same troop. In fact GS encourages troops of girls mixed from different schools. And not all troops meet "at school, after school" though that is convenient; you may find troops that meet on weekends, or at homes, or in other locations like church halls or community centers. Don't assume that all troops are school-based or have to meet after school on a weekday.

Getting in touch with a Service Unit leader would be your best bet.

I hope she loves GS. Remember that every troop is different and at her age, the leader will do a lot of choosing of how active the troop is, whether the troop is more artsy-crafty or outdoorsy or both at once, etc. If one troop is not a fit for her, find another!

Usually in the fall at the start of school is when troops begin. Most troops do not meet over the summer. However, you don't have to wait until fall, you should contact your local GS council. They can provide you with information.

In our area GS is running sampler programs for younger girls. This is a program that is run for 4 to 6 weeks, so girls who do not belong to a troop can get an idea of what GS is like.

You may also want to consider sending her to GS day camp for a week.

What do GS do... everything, it depends on the troop and the leaders.
learn about themselves
make friends
do crafts
learn about the environment, go on nature walks
learn about their community and do community service - clean up a park, visit a fire station, visit a nursing home, march in a parade, visit the library