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Things to Do, Places to Go

**NOTE: This section of the council website was created to give members access to information about community activities outside of Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada does not endorse any program, event or commercial enterprise referenced here. Troops, groups and individuals should research and determine which activities they will participate in.

 

Make Your Own Insect Repellant

Going camping with the girls?
Try this- it really works!

4 ounces of water in a water spray bottle
5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
3 drops of lemongrass essential oil
3 drops of citronella essential oil Return to top

Recycling Bottle Caps

Did you know that when bottles are recycled, their caps (which can't be processed by recycling machinery) are often cut off and thrown away, ending up in landfills, oceans, rivers, and too often, in the mouths of baby sea animals? This causes the animals to either choke or end up with bellies full of plastic, which eventually leads to death due to malnutrition, explains Michael Braungart, a toxicology expert and engineering professor at Germany's University of Lüneberg.

So several years ago, Braungart approached the natural-beauty company Aveda for help with this problem. "Our solution was to prevent the plastic caps from getting into the ocean altogether," says John DeFausse, vice president of global packaging for Estée Lauder, Aveda's parent company. "So we created a second life for the discarded plastic by collecting caps."

To learn more about the program and caps to collect, go to...http://www.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.tmpl?ngextredir=1#.Return to top

Cornell Lab NestWatch Season Underway

Submitted by: Laura Burkholder, Project Leader, NestWatch
Join Nestwatch 2010

My name is Laura Burkholder and I’m the new leader of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch project. As you may know, collecting information about nesting birds is what NestWatch is all about. The new season is just getting underway--and we need friends like you to help gather information from across the continent.

NestWatch welcomes data for all North American birds. Participants submit data about which kinds of birds are nesting, the number of eggs laid, dates eggs were laid, and the numbers of chicks hatched and fledged. Collecting this information across the continent over long periods of time is one of the best ways we have to detect widespread changes in breeding bird biology.

I believe it’s become even more important in light of the new State of the Birds 2010 Climate Change Report just released by the Department of the Interior earlier this month. Nesting birds are vulnerable to climate change. Data show some species, like the Tree Swallow, are laying their eggs more than a week earlier than they did just a few decades ago. That could spell big trouble if hatch dates get out of sync with the availability of food.

In addition to its scientific value, NestWatch is fun, free, and open to all. Participation is a great way for you to connect with nature. Kindergarten students in one New York classroom collected information about bluebirds nesting on school grounds. “This was so exciting for the children and for me too,” their teacher Ruth Taylor wrote to us. “They named the male Skyboy and the female Bluebell. First we had two eggs and then four eggs in the nest. What a marvelous experience for all of us to enjoy and learn!"

The always-popular NestCams are also back in action. You can get a live peek into nests and nest boxes across the country. Live cameras for Barn Owls, Barred Owls, and Wood Ducks are online right now with Eastern Bluebirds and other species soon to follow at www.nestcams.org.

Everything you need to take part in NestWatch is available online at www.nestwatch.org, including directions on how you find nests, how to build and put up nest boxes, and how you monitor nests without disturbing the birds.

I do hope you’ll be a part of NestWatch this year and help us monitor the birds we love in this ever-changing world!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu.Return to top

Bubble Stationery and Homemade Envelopes

What you need:

paper cups
dishwashing liquid
food coloring
straws
blank paper
envelope, to use as a pattern
old calendars or magazines
marker
glue stick

What you do:

  1. To start, mix dishwashing liquid and a few drops of food coloring together in a paper cup.
  2. Dip a straw into the cup and blow bubbles through the straw onto a piece of paper. Make sure you just blow out on the straw, not in. Dishwashing soap tastes terrible!
  3. Try the same thing with another color. Experiment and see what different kinds of designs and color combinations you can make.
  4. Then, leave your stationery on some newspaper to dry.
  5. Once it's dry you can use it to write a letter to a friend.
  6. Now that you've got your own stationery you need something to mail it in, right? How about a recycled envelope?
  7. First carefully take apart the envelope so it's flat. This is your pattern.
  8. Next tear the pages out of an old calendar or magazine. Choose a page with colorful pictures and designs.
  9. Put the pattern over the page and trace it with a marker. Cut it out.
  10. Fold the flaps over and glue the side flaps to the bottom flap. Be careful not to get glue on the inside of your envelope.
  11. Press hard on the glued areas and let them dry.
  12. To use the envelope put your letter inside and fold the top flap down. Then, glue or tape it shut. Return to top

Warm Fuzzies

Read this story with the girls then make warm fuzzies. It is a wonderful project to teach children what it means to be nice to others.

STORY:  http://www.claudesteiner.com/fuzzy.htm

CRAFT: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/fabric/a/warmfuzzy.htm

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How to Make a String Backpack

A simple sewing project (might need help putting in the grommets)...the girls can make a string backpack for day hikes, use as a ditty bag, etc.     http://mamaurchin.com/pats-tuts-and-how-tos/how-to-sew-a-string-backpack/

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Ice Cream Sundae Around the World

This recipe is found in the Kid's Multicultural Cookbook, by Deanna F. Cook.

THE MUSH-INS

  • Africa: peanuts, peanut butter, and Peanut brittle
  • USA: chocolate chips
  • Australia: macadamia nuts
  • The Middle East: pistachio nuts
  • England: crushed toffee bars
  • Caribbean & Polynesia: pineapple chunks, bananas
  • Denmark: crushed butter cookies
  • Switzerland: muesli
  • China: Mandarin oranges
  • Africa, Caribbean, India, Thailand, & Polynesia: grated coconut
  • Brazil: Brazil nuts
  • Germany: crushed spice cookies
  • New Zealand: sliced kiwi
  • India: coconut macaroons

THE TOPPINGS

  • Scotland: butterscotch sauce
  • Mexico: chocolate sauce
  • Canada: warm maple syrup
  • The Society Islands: Tropical Fruit Sensation ( a mix of pineapple, banana and coconut)

THE GARNISHES

  • India: ground cardamom
  • Mexico: cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon
  • Italy: maraschino cherries
  • England, USA: whipped cream Return to top

From New Moon Girls Magazine...

Our bi-monthly magazine is 100% advertising-free, highest-quality content for girls ages 8-12! You won't find diet advice or popularity contests here.

New Moon Girls magazine is about helping girls discover and honor their true selves, engage in meaningful pursuits and dialogue, and express their voices in ways that matter.

January, so often a time of reflection and good intentions, is the perfect month for our "Past, Present, Future" issue of
New Moon Girls.

You can find a copy of it at newmoon.com/magazine.

Enjoy it and share it with others. We had fun exploring the past adventures of polar pioneer Ann Bancroft. "Voice box" is a good section to read with the girls in your life as they consider what's good for them: groups of friends or one BFF. Can they have both? There's also a fascinating article about five girls who returned to China to visit the orphanages of their past.

We hope to have a long and successful future with you, our greatest advocates. Have fun taking a look at some of our favorite and inspiring articles on Daughters.com.

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Operation Happy Sock

Operation Happy Sock is a fun, easy way to help homeless cats in your local animal shelter. Volunteers make simple toys, called "Happy Socks," by stuffing catnip and polyester fiberfill in the toe of a sock and tying a knot at the ankle. Simple, but a GREAT catnip toy!

Operation Happy Sock, has made its FREE “Info Kit” available at this link: http://ohappysock.blogspot.com/. This is a blog where Girl Scout leaders can read all about Operation Happy Sock and print out the detailed info they need.

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Having Fun With Fruits & Veggies

Are you planning a shopping trip with younger girls to plan a menu? Here are some links to get them thinking about good nutrition and having fun with fruits and veggies.

Take Your Child to the Supermarket Day- http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=1921
Supermarket activities to help you introduce fruits and vegetables to your kids. Just print and plan a trip to the store!

Veggie Tales Crafts- http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/veggie_tales.html


Love Your Veggies- http://www.loveyourveggies.com
Fun games to play, certificates to print, lots of recipes.


Dole Super Kids- http://www.dolesuperkids.com/
Lesson plans for good nutrition, fun & games.


Sunkist Kids- http://www.sunkist.com/kids/pandt/
Lesson plans for good nutrition, fun & games.


Washington Apples- http://www.bestapples.com/kids/teachers/
Lesson plans for good nutrition, fun & games.

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Fragrance Rocks

Place these natural looking fragrance rocks around the house. Place them in ash trays, in the car or use them as a great alternative to potpourri or incense.

Ingredients

Mix 1/2 cup of flour (wholemeal flour gives great texture.
1/2 cup of salt.
1/4 teaspoon of essential oil (your favorite scent).
2/3 cup of boiling water
food coloring if wanted.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the oil and the hot water. Add the color a drop at a time. Once it is cool enough to handle roll into small balls around 2-3 inch in size. You can also be creative and make assorted shapes. This mixture dries hard after several days in a warm but dry area and has large potential to be used for other great craft idea's just use your imagination.

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Free Printable Candy Bar Wrappers

Alenkas Pintables http://alenkasprintables.com/wrappers.shtml

Raspberry Swirls http://raspberryswirls.com/freewrapper.php

Moms Break http://www.momsbreak.com/printable/candywrapper/index.shtml

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Girl Scout Gorp Ceremony 

Tonight/Today we will build a sweet and healthy snack to nourish our bodies.  It symbolizes how the many ways of Girl Scouting nourishes our spirits.

We have a promise and a law. On our honor, we try to do our best to be fair and square. So we will begin with CHEX.

Girl Scouts come in all colors, from all races around the world. Every Girl Scout is a sister no matter where she is from, no matter the  language she speaks, no matter the color of her skin. God loves variety,  and Girl Scouts are the colors of the rainbow.

So we will contribute M & Ms.

Some of us are tall, and some of us are small. When we get together,  size doesn't matter at all. So we will add PRETZEL THINS AND MINI  MARSHMALLOWS.

Sometimes we are nutty. We love to joke and play. We'd love to put a  Girl Scout smile into everyone's day. So we will toss in NUTS. (Or shredded coconut or corn nuts in case of nut allergies)

Sometimes we are quiet and thoughtful. We have special gifts of love and caring to give in service to those who need our help. So we will  sprinkle in TEDDY GRAMS.

When we get together, we seem to make circles. We may sit in circles,  play circle games, and make a Friendship Circle. You could say that we  are well rounded. So we will roll in CHEERIOS.

When we are busy planning a project, or doing a craft, we pop with enthusiasm until we're done. So we will pop in POPCORN.

Girl Scouts respect all living things. The earth is our home, and we  want to keep it safe for everyone. So we will release GOLDFISH &  ANIMAL CRACKERS to the mix.

Girl Scouts are "chips off the old block". Girl Scouting began in 1912. Since then we all have been part of an old tradition, and are proud to  be part of the future. So we will drop in CHIPS.

We get a kick out of wearing our uniforms, learning new things, helping others, singing, and being together with our friends. So we will kick in KIX.

Young Girl Scouts may be hard to resist because they are fresh, sweet  and new. But the older scout maybe more fun, because she has more experience. So we will put in RAISINS.

Girls who come to Girl Scouts bloom. They are like little seeds we water and warmly shine on to grow up strong. So we will finish with  scattering these SUNFLOWER SEEDS.

So we can see that when we mix together the many ways of Girl Scouts we end up with something truly special.

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TShirt Totes

This site was created in 2010 by Kelly B., a Girl Scout Ambassador working on her Gold Award in Sussex County, NJ.

“I used to work at a supermarket. I have seen people throw away their bags then and there, even though the supermarket had a plastic bag recycling program. That signature yellow bag is one I often see blowing around my woods, or abandoned on fields, littering the area. Many people don’t buy reusable bags because they can be expensive, and they don’t fold well. Some aren’t aware there are reusable bags, or that some stores give them money back for using them. My t-shirt bags fold to the size of a fist and can easily be slipped into a purse or pocket. And since they’re made from old t-shirts, this project is accessible to everyone.”

Kelly is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award project. As part of her project, she created a website called http://tshirttote.org/.

Tshirttote.org is a website dedicated not only to t-shirt tote bags, but to reducing, recycling, and reusing the resources we use, especially plastic bags.

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Operation Green Plant

Free Seeds!

Operation Green Plant Program provides free seeds to:

  • saved more than 800 tons of seeds and 7 million flower bulbs from going to waste in landfills - free plant seeds
  • grown 1.75 billion pounds of food for the hungry - free vegetable seeds
  • beautified roadways, parks and neighborhoods in 20,000 communities in all 50 states. - free flower seeds

Now you are invited to join in the America the Beautiful Fund® dream by making your own community more beautiful.

For more information and an application, go to: http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.php Return to top

Craft Ideas

Here are a few web sites for making crafts using soda bottles.

Recycled Blue Jean Crafts
Recycle old blue jeans into pocket magnets, purses, pillows, swap bags, sit-upons, and more.  Here are a bunch of web sites for making all sorts of things from recycled blue jeans.  My class even got creative and made swaps bags, cell phone holder, and TV remote control caddy. A couple of ideas I came up with were a plastic grocery bag holder, craft bag to carry scissors, glue gun and sticks, notebook and pencil to craft workshops.  Most other supplies are furnished but facilitators often want you to bring your own scissors and glue guns.

Light Bulb Ornaments

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