Girl Scouts -- how much time and is it worth it?
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Anonymous
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I was never a girl scout growing up but my dd5 has been invited to join a troop. I am big on exposing her to as many activities as possible to see what she likes or excels at and what she doesn't. Are there any DCUMs with girls in girl scouts? Do they/you like it? How time consuming is it? Would you do it again?
I thought most troops were based out of schools. Our school doesn't have a troop, so I'm wondering how time consuming and how organized I would have to be to start a troop at our school. Any thoughts on that? Thanks much. |
Anonymous
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The two moms I know who have been GS leaders put a LOT of time into it. Mostly, it seems, because other moms just aren't willing to help out. For instance, my SIL was a leader, and would often have to watch some girls after the meetings because their moms couldn't pick them up right after the meeting finished, but because of the meeting, the girls couldn't go to their usual after-care. The same SIL had to be the "cookie mom" when no one else volunteered ... not only did it mean being present every weekend for some number of weeks at the mall when the girls were selling cookies, but it also meant going to at least a couple organizational meetings (including a very competitive meeting where the area cookie moms selected their time and location spots for their cookie sales at businesses in the area), ordering and storing the cookies and coordinating with the other parents for pick-up, etc. She said that they had 2 meetings a month (this was a younger group), plus they tried to work on one badge per month and do one field trip. So she did all of the planning for what happened at the meetings and the field trip, which was then tied into the badge they worked on.
Anyway, my SIL is super involved with her kids, does tons of volunteering at schools, etc., but I think she got pretty burned out by it. |
Anonymous
| My SIL lead a girl scout troop, and she had so much fun doing it, that she stayed involved in girl scouts for awhile after her dd stopped going because she aged out of it. My SIL is always encouraging me to do it with my girls when they get to be the right age. |
Anonymous
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At this age, your daughter would be a "Daisy" and in 2nd grade, she would bridge to "Brownies."
At these two levels, my dd has a meeting once a month, and 5-6 fieldtrips/activities. The leaders do ALOT of work. In my experience, parents were asked to bring a snack for the group once, be responsible for coordinating/leading atleast one activity (but doing only one was fine) and helping out as needed. Really, not too much work at all. The moms that can/want to do more do, but its not required. DD loves it right now and I can see her doing it one more year (through 3rd grade) before stopping. |
Anonymous
| 5-6 activities or trips a YEAR...sorry if there was confusion |
Anonymous
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I've been a leader for 3 years. We meet 2x a month and have other activities 1-2 times a month. It definitely is what you make it. My co-leader and I take turns planning the meetings. We have a wonderful cookie mom who takes care of all of that--we were advised to not take on that role as a leader. You do not have to do cookie sales, and if I didn't have a parent step up I would have told my parents that we would not sell and they would have to fund the activities.
I do know of another troop that is about to disband because they get little support from their parents. My advice would be to clearly express to parents that it is a joint effort and you will not do all of the work. In fact, all of the parents could register as leaders and plan 1-2 meetings a year. |
Anonymous
| PP here--I want to add that it is worth it to me. I enjoy watching my girls grow and I feel like I get to have a positive influence on their lives. It's not all crafts and games--we teach leadership skills as well. It's also a good place to teach girls how to support and accept one another. |
Anonymous
| It's totally worth it but, like anything, you only get out of it what you put into it. It's a shame that many parents who have the time don't step up and do more. |
Anonymous
| I agree with others that it is what you and other parents make of it. DD is a Daisy and it has been wonderful. All the parents are involved. We meet 1x/month and have a few outings, including an upcoming campout. I think all the girls are really lovely and are getting a lot out of scouts. I'm the cookie mom and that wasn't too bad. It was my first year doing it so I've learned a lot so it will be much easier next year. We just did 2 booths and the girls' initial sales and made about $500 for our troop. |
Anonymous
| I was a GS from 1st - 8th grade. I stayed in so long because 1) I had a good group of friends in my troop(s) and 2) We had fabulous leaders. Enthusiastic, fun leaders really do make all the difference! |
Anonymous
this was about my experience as well. The only reason I stopped was because we moved when I got to HS. A few of my friends at my HS stayed in through Senior level (they lived quite a distance from me - it was a parochial school with kids from all over the area), and I think they were able to apply for college scholarships and such because of it. I can't wait for my daughter to be involved in Girl Scouts - it was a wonderful experience for me. I did day camps and weeklong camps in the summers - so much fun! |
Anonymous
Wow, this is bringing back so many memories for me. I was a Brownie in the '80's and loved it. But, our troop fell apart when the leaders didn't want to do it anymore and just kinda left. My Grandma was super involved but became overwhelmed trying to pick up loose ends (this was no where near this area, btw). I wonder if my Mom still has my sash! |
Anonymous
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DD (who will be in first grade) wants to join Girl Scouts this year. I don't think her school has a troop: does anyone know how to locate a troop that she could join? School is in DC; we live in MoCo.
TIA |
Anonymous
Contact the council (Nation's capital council) and they will hook you up with the service unit representative, who will find the person who coordinates the troops for your school. |
Anonymous
| Totally worth it. |