Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs president, Dorrie Carr, has chosen helping Girl Scouts earn badges related to nature and the environment as her President’s Project. She states that it is important for scouts to earn badges in these areas because it allows them to explore and discover new interests and broaden their horizons. They will learn new skills through hands-on activities and projects that will get the girls outdoors learning about the natural environment.
If your garden club has never helped a Girl Scout troop earn a specific badge related to gardening, wildlife or nature, it is a rewarding experience. I helped Pecan Grove Garden Club with a Girl Scouts project that helped girls, both scouts and brownies, earn a badge.
The always energetic Sharon Jessup and the awesome duo, Cindy and Sarah Carey, were chairmen for the fun-filled activities that taught a group of scouts about native plants. Learning how mesquite beans were used by indigenous tribes for food and then grinding the beans on a real matate was one activity. The scouts learned about many native plants and their uses and then made a poster about their favorite native plant.
Another Girl Scout project sponsored by Pecan Grove Garden Club was held annually and was teaching a group of scouts the basics of flower arranging. The girls were then supplied with dried plant material, and each scout made two small arrangements that were entered in the Yuma Co Fair’s flower show sponsored by the local AFGC garden clubs.
Locating a Girl Scout troop to provide hands-on activities to earn a badge is easy. Contact the Girl Scout coordinator for your city, and she will provide names of scout leaders in your area. Scout leaders are always happy to have volunteers help their troops participate in new and interesting activities that go toward earning a badge.
One idea for a Girl Scout project would be to provide scouts with lessons about native trees and shrubs, their uses, and then have them plant a native tree or shrub in a park or other community area. This would tie in nicely with AFGC President Moreland’s goal of planting native trees and shrubs as part of the NGC PLANT AMERICA for the Next 100 Years project that emphasizes planting native plants. A variety of hands-on activities would work nicely with this topic.
The Girl Scout motto, Be Prepared, offers endless possibilities for activities a garden club can provide young girls to help prepare them for the future.
Karen Bowen
AFGC Blog Manager
Sharon Jessup, Pecan Grove Garden Club member, helps a Girl Scout grind mesquite beans using a metate.
Pecan Grove Garden Club members, L-R Cindy Carey, Jana White and Willene Calvert, helped collect floral designs the scouts made for the Yuma Co. Fair’s flower show.
Sharon Jessup taught Girl Scouts about the saguaro and how birds hollow a nesting area inside the saguaro that forms a “boot”.
Pecan Grove Garden Club members, Sarah Carey and Marlena Parrott, help Girl Scouts register their flower arrangements for the Yuma Co. Fair’s flower show.
