Spider Sniffing

Have you ever been spider sniffing? I can't go into detail, as it is a secret society, but if you didn't get a certificate, here is a cute one I've made.  You can use it to give to those you have inducted to the secret society as well. I received one when I was little but never found one to use at camp when I

introduced it to the campers. Hope you enjoy your spider sniffing days.

Click here for my printable certificate.

~Zigg

Embers: Camp Bracelet

Lesson: Camp memories.
Need: Embroidery thread.

Prep: None.
Directions: This is a daily activity. The first night, have the girls choose 3 colors they think represent camp the best. Cut each camper a long (but equal) piece of each color. Have them create a small section of the bracelet each day while discussing camp. They are essentially weaving camp into the bracelet.

~Zigg

(More Embers ideas here)

Want a printable version of all embers ideas I've featured on my blog? Click here to see and print!

Embers: Yarn Bracelet

Lesson: Finding good in others.
Need: One ball of yarn (make sure there is enough).

Prep: None.
Directions: Sit everyone in a circle, yourself included. Starting with yourself, stay something nice about one camper and then throw the ball of yarn to them while holding onto the loose end of the yarn. Have them do the same and continue until everyone has been chosen and the yarn is thrown back to the beginning. Discuss how we are all connected.

Optional: Discuss rumors.  Have one person wiggle the piece they hold and watch how many people it affects.

Cut the piece where campers are holding so everyone can have a piece to make a bracelet/anklet to keep and wear for the session/take home (or tie on backpack or walking stick, etc.)

~Zigg

(More Embers ideas here)

Want a printable version of all embers ideas I've featured on my blog? Click here to see and print!

Camp Name Necklaces

One of the most exciting things when I was a CIT, was getting a necklace with my camp name on it.  There was a cute little store in a small nearby town where all the staff would purchase ceramic

beads of the letters they needed to make their necklace. There were also all sorts of other beads

you could decorate the necklace with, and mine had an orange flower on each side.  Through the years

the necklace got a bit beat up and the orange flowers are no longer in good enough shape to

keep on the necklace.  Now, they are replaced by a couple beads that a friend made and gave

to me. I thought they were very 'me', crazy!  Here is my most worn name necklace.

Of all the other necklaces and name tags through the years, this one has stuck with me the most.

Do you have a favorite too?

~Zigg

Service: Pencils for Pete

Have you heard of Pete?  He's a young man from Georgia who collects pencils

to send to kids in Kenya! We collected a few pencils to send to Pete, but first we

had to decorate them in a Girl Scout theme (of course!)

You can see his facebook page to get the address to send to.

Will you be sending some?

~Zigg

Embers: Celebrating Needs

Lesson: Personal needs.
Need: Paper, colored pens/crayons/markers.
Prep: None.
Directions: Pass out one paper per camper.  Have the campers fill in the sentence I NEED ____. Write this sentence on one side of the paper. Have the campers decorate it if they like. Discuss what they chose.
On the other side of the paper, fill in I DO NOT NEED ____. Discuss what they chose.
At the end, each paper can be pinned up above each camper's bed (or in a central location) with the NEED side out to remind them of the discussion.

NEEDS: (These are just examples)
Food, Rest, Shelter, Creation, Creativity, Expression, Inspiration, Affection, Companionship, Friends, Intimacy, Kindness, To Matter, Touch, Play, Fun, Justice, Fairness, Accomplishment, Celebration, Adventure, Space, Trust, Safety, Clarity, Completion, Dignity, Learning, Privacy, Respect, Support, Choices, Solitude, Acceptance, Belonging.

~Zigg

(More Embers ideas here)

Want a printable version of all embers ideas I've featured on my blog? Click here to see and print!

Crafting: Tie Dye

Tie dying is so much fun! Have you ever tried it?  A few summers ago at camp I was a 'tie dye' specialist and taught it to all the girls every week all summer long.  Since then I've wanted something that I could print and put in my binder to have an easy refresher and something I can copy and pass out when needed.

 Types of dye:

• Rit dye
• Store bought tie dye
• Spray paint
• Acrylic paint (mixed with water)

Ways to tie dye:

• Dye kits with bottles
• Dip dye
• Spray bottles

Things to tie dye:

           Shirts, shorts, pants, socks, underwear, sheets, pillow cases, towels, wash cloths, bags, scarves,                   bandannas, yarn, hats, skirts, dresses, shoes, tights, banners, flags, stuffed animals, ties, pet beds, table         cloths, place mats, Christmas stockings, aprons, blankets, doll clothes, hair accessories.

Other ways to tie dye:

• Write/draw with gel glue, let dry, dip in (one color of) dye, wash and wear.
• Get a backwards tie dye look by using bleach on colored shirts.
•  Draw on a shirt with sharpies and use a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol to spread.

Creating shapes:

• To create a shape (such as a heart), lightly sketch the shape with a pencil on the fabric. Gather the fabric along the shape and rubber band. Continue to rubber band down the fabric (like you would for a bullseye).

o   You can also sew a bit of thread loosely through the shape, and once done, pull tight to group the fabric.  Continue to rubber band as usual (including over the thread).

Tips:

• Be creative!
• Use extra plastic, lots of extra plastic.
• Read all of the directions before starting. Each brand/kit is different.
• When dying, look for white spots between the folds. Your shirt may be too white if these are overlooked.
• The tighter the rubber bands, the whiter the spots. If you don’t want any white, loosen rubber bands.
•  Rinse out with the rubber bands on, at first, to keep the white spots whiter.
• Rinse out until the water turns clear, then rinse a bit more.
• Colors with red take longer to rinse out. (Red, Purple, Orange)
• Vinegar/soda ash may help the color set depending on what brand of dye you are using.  Check instructions to see if this is needed.
• Apply light colors first. This will help keep darker colors from bleeding over later.
• Fabric that is made of natural fibers will dye the best. (Cotton, silk, etc.)

Extra ideas:

• Have a tie dye party!
• Have everyone wear their tie dye on the same day. 

My favorite thing to do is to stencil my name on the back of my shirt.

Click here to find my tie dye techniques and tips printable pages.

Happy dyeing,

~Zigg

Binder Organizing

Over the years I have accumulated a wide variety of papers of training materials and activity ideas.  Finally I decided it was time to organize everything so I could find it easier and have it take up less room. Although I have pretty much everything stored on the computer in multiple folders, having everything in a binder makes it easier to use and get to when at camp or other events.

I started by figuring out how many binders I needed.  Four seemed to be a great number.

I used some Girl Scout themed scrapbook paper and cut the names of each binder into it with my Cricut. I backed each with a green piece of cardstock.  The four binders are 'Songs', 'Programs', 'Memory Books', and 'Troop' (not shown).

• Songs - A binder full of songs that I have learned at the many camps I've been to.  All words are included and have been separated by type. 'Graces', 'Girl Scouts', 'Serious', 'Repeats', and 'Fun'.

• Troop - Includes all paperwork for my troop including a divider for each girl with her information and permissions slips.
• Memory Books - This includes memory books from the camps I've worked at.  Not all camps had memory books.
• Programs - This is the larger binder that is also separated into different sections. These include 'GS Program', 'Leadership', 'Outdoors', 'Dramatics', 'Skits', 'Games', 'Crafts', and 'Embers'. 
  

Each section was also cut with my Cricut using a stencil type font. I then colored the inside of each word with a colored sharpie.

As I create and add things I will also (hopefully!) put them here on my blog to help you create your own binders full of Girl Scout awesomeness!

Happy binder organizing.

~Zigg