Meeting Activities:
See the 8/28/22 Meeting Plan
Brownie Year 2 Kickoff - Calendar and Curriculum
New Member Initiation
Started requirements for the Girl Scout Way badge (1,5).
Guest Speaker on first aid from Denver Health, Missy Anderson
Fulfilled requirements for First Aid badge (1-5).
Comments:
We gathered on the west side of the park between Bayaud and Kearney close to the pull up bars. Lovely shady area, however we need to avoid one of the trees since there is a huge hornets nest!
It was an exciting kickoff meeting with great showings from the girls and their guardians. We introduced our new troop board, which helps to organize meetings for parents and scouts. We initiated new members. Had a terrific guest speaker presentation by Missy Anderson from Denver Health on first aid. We compiled a basic first aid kit in a hurry as lightning flashed nearby. And rushed through our closing circle and badge ceremony.
Opening Circle
Meredith introduced all the girls to a classic Girl Scout tradition, the Kaper chart. A Kaper chart helps scouts contribute to the running of the troop, to do their “good turn daily.” At the beginning of each meeting, Brownies will choose a clothespin with a task and place it next to their name.
Our new troop board also includes details on the curriculum we will be covering, troop safety information, a newly formatted Troop Agreement (which girls wrote last year), and the Girl Scout Promise in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
To kick off the meeting Anabel and Mila shared the GS Promise in their languages of study (Spanish and Mandarin, respectively) as they had done to kick off Thursday night’s Women of Distinction event.
New Member Initiation
We welcomed five new Brownies and their families:
Annabel
Annalise
Berit
Eliza
Grace
Each girl introduced herself, where she went to school, and what was her favorite thing she did this summer.
Current members did the same but instead of saying what they did this summer, they said what their favorite scouting activity has been. Participating in the Women of Distinction event was nearly everyone’s favorite.
BTW - Meredith wrote a Thank You Letter for the Women of Distinction organizers that each participant in the event signed.
Mary Ellen read the Brownie Story to the girls, which highlights how Brownies are “very helpful persons.” Each new Brownie was welcomed into the Brownie Circle by a friend who turned them around and around to:
Twist me and turn me and show me the elf,
I looked in the water and saw...
New Brownie says: “Myself!”
New Brownies were given their vests and tabs with the Brownie pin turned upside down. Once they do three good turns for their families, representing the three parts of the GS Promise, they can turn their pins right-side up.
We learned the Brownie Smile Song, which is the first of many new songs we will be learning as part of celebrating GS traditions and earning the Girl Scout Way badge, over time.
Snack
Girls prepared bagels and cream cheese, a no-cook meal (requirement #6 for their Outdoor Skills badge).
Popular with everyone, a good recipe to remember for no-cook camping breakfasts, reminded Lynne.
Guest Speaker: Denver Health (Missy Anderson)
Missy Anderson joined us to help the troop earn the First Aid badge, the first of four badges in the Outdoor Journey.
#2 - Talk to someone who treats injured people
Missy Anderson is a registered nurse at Denver Health. She introduced herself and what being a nurse means. She spends most of her time out in the community today, but has training and experience treating the public in various settings.
She spoke to the girls about various scenarios and how they can help an injured person while also keep themselves safe. Missy was very patient, informative, and positive in answering many of the questions and suggestions from the troop on each scenario.
Denver Health also provided a cool swag bag. Thank you!
Unfortunately, Meredith’s recording of the session was blurry and stopped at 20 minutes. Sorry!
#1 - Find out how to get help from 9-1-1
We discussed what is an emergency and that the first rule of helping people is to make sure you are safe. Don’t run into the road to help someone without looking to make sure you yourself won’t be injured. Ask the injured person if you can use their phone to call for help. Call loudly to others who may be able to help. Also discussed when not to call 9-1-1, to reinforce that it should only be for emergencies.
#4 - Learn how to treat minor injuries
Missy lead the troop in How to Stop the Bleed training. The training included very useful hands-on tools such as how to treat a wound practiced on rubber prosthetics. Girls learned how to pack a wound with gauze, apply pressure, and tie a tourniquet.
#5 - Know how to prevent and treat outdoor injuries
Missy fascinated the girls with discussion of various outdoor scenarios, possible injuries and how to treat them with various over-the-counter medications typical in a basic first aid kit. The girls are now prepared for their upcoming hiking and camping excursions with skills to stay safe, get help, and treat minor bumps and scrapes.
Missy also reviewed the troop first aid kit that Meredith purchased. She okayed it for our upcoming excursions, with comments on dosages for some of the included OTC medicines.
#3 - Make a first aid kit
Girls squished all the essentials for a basic first aid kit into a snack baggie to keep in their backpacks for upcoming excursions. The basic first aid kit included: gloves, hand sanitizer, bandages of different sizes, alcohol wipes, triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), antihistamine (Benadryl), and hydration powder (Emergen-C).
You can reference this list to make a more complete one for your home or car.
Closing Circle
We closed the meeting with the Make New Friends song and introduced the Friendship Squeeze, another fun Girl Scouting tradition.
Family Follow Up:
Parents/Guardians:
Download and get comfortable using Team Snap, our troop’s preferred method of communication.
Please keep notifications on. If you get overwhelmed, you may mute any chat from the phone app (bell icon top right).
We have many unusual meetings and off-site excursions this year, so please check the calendar, which is up-to-date through May 2023!
RSVP promptly so we can be sure to maintain the required girl to support volunteer ratios.
You may synch individual calendar events from the phone app. If wish to synch the entire calendar, use the desktop version.
Please come prepared for meetings and excursions with appropriate clothing layers for the weather and water.
For meetings and excursions, girls should always have their uniform vests and support volunteers their green tabs.
Pay any outstanding balances either online (with processing fee) or by check made out to Troop 66735 (no fee).
Complete all annual permission forms and required health forms:
All girls and adults should complete ONLINE:
GSCO COVID-19 waiver. (This only needs to be completed one time and if your troop has been meeting in the last year it should already be completed).
GSCO Outdoor Program waiver. (Also only needs to be completed once and does not need to be completed again if you have already attended a GSCO staff-led program since October 2021).
All girls and adults should complete ON PAPER or SCANNED PDF:
Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge - This only needs to be completed once.
Annual Parent Permission Form - Must be updated for this troop year.
Please pay attention to the emergency contact info, which should be different from parent contact information.
Please provide Permission for Trips for meetings/excursions within 1 hour drive. Will keep us from having to do separate permission forms for local events. We will always provide a separate permission form for high-risk or overnight activities.
On the line for administering OTC medication just write See my Troop 66735 OTC Medicine Approval List.
Medication Permission and Troop 66735 OTC Medicine Approval List - Required to dispense prescription and over-the-counter products commonly included in the troop first aid kit. Can fill out any prescriptions (e.g., EpiPens) on Medication Permission form and then write See my Troop 66735 OTC Medicine Approval List.
Please keep the OTC approvals as broad as is possible so we can easily treat your scout in an emergency from the troop first aid kit!
Girl Health History - If nothing has changed from last troop year, white out dates and resign.
Adult Health History - If nothing has changed from last troop year, white out dates and resign.
Parent Permission for a Girl Scout Activity - Must be completed specific to and before each high-risk or overnight excursion.
Support Volunteers:
Before upcoming excursions:
Re-read this GSCO’s blog post about Safety, especially the sections on Volunteer Expectations and Transporting Girls Safely.
Read GSCO Safety Activity Checkpoints specific to the planned activity.
Announcements:
Sunday, Sep 11 - Staunton State Park - 9am—2pm. Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend + Hiker badge. See draft 9/11/22 Meeting Plan.
When you RSVP, please put your desired carpool in the Comments.
You can tell who are background-checked support volunteers able to drive your scout by looking in the Roster for those marked as Managers (scouts are Members).
Saturday, Sep 24 to Sunday, Sep 25 - RMNP Overnight Camping - Time TBD, likely noon Sat through late afternoon on Sunday. Cabin Camper badge. See draft 9/24/22 Meeting Plan.
We may need to set another discussion for support volunteer planning on needed food and activity supplies, and camping equipment.
Saturday, Oct 8 - Dinosaur Ridge - Take Action badge - Girls will be teaching their favorite outdoor skills to other scouts attending this fun annual event.
Thank you!
Lynne (Josephine’s Mom) and Meredith (Mila’s Mom)