Why do girls drop out of Girl Scouts in the 5th, 6th, 7th grades?
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Anonymous
| Quit when my parents couldn't afford it. |
Anonymous
Yeah! to the second poster. 
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Anonymous
| I did it until I was a sophmore in high school. I stuck with it mainly because of how our leader ran the troop. We did not wear uniforms except to events at a higher level than our individual troop. Lots of focus on community service and getting introducted/exposed to various careers. Our leader was a neat lady and definitely someone that seemed cool/interesting to teenage girls - she was a VP at Canon, had traveled lots of interesting places. |
Anonymous
| I think it depends on rigid the troop is and how the activities are structured. We take a very loose interpretation. Even with 3rd graders, girls seldom wear their vests. As a leader, I think its fine to alter the suggested activities to be more relevant and interesting as long as the girls are learning the core skills, concepts, and bigger picture. If we had followed the girl scout guide to the letter then most kids would have already quit. |
Anonymous
Of course, one way to be cool without being an athlete is be a cheerleader. If you can't be an athlete, you can be an athletic supporter. |
Anonymous
So you will have 4th graders -- 1st year Juniors? Have you been a leader before? What kinds of experiences in Scouting have the girls already had? Without knowing the interests of your girls here are my generic suggestions: Juniors still are relatively unjaded. If you are into camping GO CAMPING! Make sure they have significant camping skills. Start right away (if they don't already know how) with teaching them to be independent in the outdoors -- make sure each girl can build a campfire on her own... then add in the challenge of ... with just one match! ... and if they can do that, with flint and steel. If they don't know how to light a match -- teach them that! Have them practice lighting a candle, over and over. Teach them knots, how to hang a clothesline for their drip bags. Teach them how to do an outdoor flag ceremony -- hanging a flag over a branch of a tree. Get them involved with the patrol system, each patrol responsible for one part of the day's activities. Take them hiking, and hike some more. Show them how to make a box oven and cook baked potatoes in the outdoors. Take the to a Girl Scout Adventure day -- do kayaking or archery or a high ropes course. Take them camping with their own tents. And then ask them.... what do you want to do next? And listen. They are right at the age where you should still push a little.... but make sure that you are exposing them to all kinds of activities... but also listen to what they want to do. Service projects are a great idea but see what they are interested in. |
Anonymous
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21:08 --- thanks for the advice. I am the leader this year (3rd graders). I took them hiking in Great Falls, and we just did our first camp out (at a GS site). I'm no camper, so it was only b/c I feel it is an essential element of scouting that we did it. An accomplishment for all of us. Some were very worried about staying away from home, but all survived and wanted to stay longer! I did teach the clove hitch, square knot and tried to teach the tautline (but I don't think they got that). I had each one strike a match for the first time during a meeting outside (should have heard the parents on the side--- OMG! They'll burn down the forest!!!). We've only done indoor flag ceremonies. We are already signed up to go kayaking and archery next fall through the council. (We did do kayaking as 2nd grade brownies and it was so-so -- a little hard for them to understand paddling, but still worth trying). I learned about box ovens in training -- and would like to try that -- but I'm a camping novice, so I'm litterally learning things and turning around and teaching them like I know what I'm doing (not). We used patrols and kapers and they got the hang of that.
Basically, I've waded into outdoorsy things with them, but there is still room to increase competency and room for them to take more responsibility. I have given them a survey of all the Junior badges/awards/journeys as well as possible field trips and general priorities (i.e. earn lots of badges, explore fine arts, explore independence activities like sewing/fixing things, etc., etc.). I would like to see them do more service, but I don't really know where to start. So, I think I'm doing most of what you suggested. I do appreciated your detailed advice. |
Anonymous
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OP you are doing a LOT!! I bet you have a lot of girls staying with you this year!
I know you got some resources at your camp training but here's a good one I found online -- if you read all the way to the end I think it has some more info than what we at least got (GSCNC training) http://www.girlscoutcsa.org/content/uploads/Troop-Camp-Basics-Manual2.pdf Also you can always go online to Youtube and look up tutorials (or have the girls do it!) on how to do different things (make a box oven, etc.) |
Anonymous
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Also if you look at what the Webelos (same aged cub scouts 4th and 5th grade) do -- here are some suggestions for knot tying games.
http://www.macscouter.com/CubScouts/PowWow06/KNOTS/KNOTGAME.PDF I love giving each girl a short rope about 2 feet long and have them stand in a circle and tie to their neighbors with a square knot, then everyone lean back (gingerly!!) to see if the knots hold! |
Anonymous
18 earned badges/awards in one year (including 4 junior badges earned as brownies) in addition to cookie sale... yes, I think I was a little overly ambitious just b/c I needed the structure of badge work to plan a meeting (and I can't stand to see any activity not used to fulfill some requirement). I am making a concerted effort to have the girls take more responsibility for their scouting experience as we look to juniors (less of my grand ideas and more of theirs). I expect we will only complete 4-5 badges for all of next year because the junior badges take longer and require more field trips. I'm a little worried about loosing girls/parents as a result (including my own daughter). So far, she likes it and the other girls too (no mean girls/bullying in our group). But, I am aware that there may only be another year or two before the girls decide they've had enough of the requirements and cookies. |
Anonymous
Better programming for older girls would include less 101 activities and more advanced work. I wouldn't throw out horseback and camping. I would change it. My troop and troops that I've seen typically go to the same places for camping and horse back riding. They get an introduction to horseback riding and to camping, often in platform tents, and that's it. It's all very 101. My brother's Boy Scout troop did more challenging hiking and camping as the boys got older. They took 10 mile hikes to remote camping sites and then hiked back the next day. They went to new locations that were farther away. Better programming: in my area, when I was in GS, there was a specialty troop for water sports (Mariner Girl Scouts). Girl Scouts used to have Wing troops for girls who wanted to learn about flying. There are currently some troops that are learning robotics. If a troop wants to do Arts and Crafts, what about creating a business plan for a crafts business and trying their hand at some craft shows? |
Anonymous
| Cookies can be the last straw for GS for many parents/girls. |
Anonymous
We don't sell cookies individually. We just order cookies and run 4 booth sales. We will hold and sell boxes for families that ask but we never go door to door or compete against each other. We usually make $1200 in 2 months and use 3/4 for fun weekend trips and 1/4 for charity along with Gift if Caring. |
Anonymous
Are you for real? Is life all about being cool to you? Are you still living in HS or are you living through your child? If you can't be an athlete, how about drama, band, FBLA, 4H (or whatever it might be called around here) or other after school activities? Life doesn't revolve around sports and cheer. |
Anonymous
I think that may be the parents' opinion, but the girls seems to love cookie sales. They LOVE taking other people's money and it really helps them learn to speak up to people they don't know (assertiveness -- "would you like to buy some cookies?"). I usually hate fundraisers but I've come to see the personal value of cookie sales in stepping out of shyness and learning to budget. (i.e. I tell the girls -- if you sell 7 boxes each we can go to dairy queen for an ice cream cone. (sad faces b/c they have plans to have a spa party and go camping and go horseback riding or whatever). Then I tell them if you want to do __________, you EACH have to sell ___ boxes and I make a chart showing how much each of their desires costs in boxes of cookies sold. That makes it more real for them that doing things COSTS money/effort (and we aren't just running to mom/dad to pay the bill). Of course showing up at a booth requires the parents to put it in their schedules and delivering cookies to co-workers requires some effort as well. It seems that a lot of the "problem" is the parents not wanting to put forth effort for their daughters' involvement (i.e. the leaders are requiring too much, hate cookie sales, they don't go camping, etc.). If the parents aren't supporting the program with their own effort/time, then it's going to be crafts and snacks with no trips/adventures. |