I have never been in girl scouts and don't exactly know what it all entails (other then selling cookies!). Not sure if I should sign my first grader up for it. Are your kids in Girl Scouts? What is her experience like? Pro and cons? TIA!
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My daughter was in Sparks - Girl Guides (Canadian version) last year and loved it. It was her favourite activity. From the campfire songs to the outdoor activities and games, she had a blast. I felt like it was a good, wholesome activity. It was once a week for an 1.5 hours and was a drop off activity. They have a fall and spring camp (1 night) but I didn’t send DD because she had just turned 5 and I felt it was too young.
Her unit was not going to run this year because they didn’t have a leader so I signed up to be one. I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into but she loves it so much I felt like I had to.
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@dolphin: DD started in a K/1 troop as a K last year. I was in GS 1st-12th. The activities and the feel of the group all depends on the troop experience. DD's troop meets for an hour every other week. Her meetings usually involve reading a story about part of the GS law (e.g. spend one week on being honest and fair). Then they do an activity to demonstrate those characteristics like playing a board game. I think my daughter's troop spends a lot of time reading but the leader is a children's librarian so that's her take on it. The meeting ends with snack and songs. We usually have about one weekend activity per month. Everything is optional.
Besides selling cookies (which I think is a fantastic learning experience for the girls) DD went to the Nutcracker, a museum, on a hike, and an arts and crafts day.
When the kids are K/1 parental involvement is pretty much required at all events because of the kid/parent ratios.
Honestly I don't love the K/1 phase. There are a lot of rules about what Daisies can do (which on the + side keeps it age appropriate and approachable for all) and how much training the parents need that it feels like a lot of red tape at the beginning. I think it gets so much more fun around 4th. To give my daughter a taste of that I enrolled her in some individual events. There was a local day camp for a week this summer that she loved. We also just got back from a 4 day mother daughter weekend that was a blast. I think that's what is keeping up her enthusiasm (or mine).
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I was in girls scouts and had a great experience. My troop did a lot of activities, including camping trips and weekend retreats. I plan on signing my girls up to try it out.
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My daughter is in girl scouts and cub scouts. She likes both but prefers cub scouts. Both programs are great she just likes the content and the activities in cub scouts. Not all troops are the same so I would talk to leaders and see if there is room and visit a meeting. She what they do ask about events and the yearly calendar. That should give you an idea of what things will be available to her .Depending on the leaders the troops or packs will have a very different vibe and do different activities.
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based on my personal experience as a Brownie and Girl Scout, and talking with others, it very much depends on your troop leaders and group of kids. I would ask around and even contact the troop leaders and ask what you should expect. I think I remember some girls trying a few meetings before they fully joined.
Personally, my troop experience (30+ years ago) was much more arts-and-crafts than outdoorsy, but that was mostly due to the preferences of the other girls in the troop (and their moms, who were the leaders). We rarely, if ever, went on any outings that cost $ or were on the weekends -
I agree with others, it totally depends on your troop leaders.
I was in girl scouts from 2nd -6th grade and I loved it. My troop did a lot of volunteering, we would bake goodies and go sing Christmas carols at senior centers, we helped restore some garden areas (forgot where though, I just remember the dirt ha!). We also learned a lot about different cultures and did a ton of outdoor activities. The camping trips were so much fun.
I don't remember how often we had troop meetings, I would say every other week or a couple times a month? I met my best friend in girl scouts, I was extremely shy as a kid and it definitely helped bring me out of my shell a bit.
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Second what everyone else said about it being dependent on the specific troop. I am a leader of my daughter's troop and we are pretty low-key, meeting just once a month and doing easy things like crafts and a couple short hikes. For me, I like that my daughter is meeting girls outside of her class. She's shy, so it's helped that she knows girls throughout her school. Cookie sales are a great experience - it helps them learn how to talk in public, do math, all sorts of things.
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Thanks for the replies everyone! This is helpful.
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