Dear Troop Leaders and Juliette Mentors,
Welcome to the Super Troop Year Plan! It is a monthly guide created to simplify the volunteer experience with meeting suggestions for every month of the year. It’s a monthly plan of a fun-filled combination of badges, awards, field trips or travel, just-for-fun activities and parties, family outings, and skill-building challenges that were specifically chosen to be easy to deliver and create a well-rounded Girl Scout experience for your troop or Juliette.
The ideas in the booklet give you flexibility to use other resources and ideas to plan an amazing year of meetings or the booklet can be used as a one-stop-shop of everything you need. On the planning pages, fill in your plans for each month to make sure you are well-prepared for a successful year. No matter how you plan and no matter the level of your Girl Scouts, get THEIR input about what THEY want to do to keep your meetings engaging and girl-led.
Bonus: This guide works with troops of all levels, multi-level troops, and Juliettes!
Free Patches
To help you along, we’ll give you free fun patches each month to reinforce the pride your Girl Scouts will have in exploring each topic area. Scan the QR code each month to tell us about the activities you did to receive free patches.
Note: When you successfully submit your information you will get an email confirmation.
Note: Patches will be distributed 3 times throughout the year at leader meetings in August, January, and April or May.
Super Troop
If your troop completes 10 activities from this booklet this year, they are qualified to be a Super Troop and to receive the free Super Troop patch! Note: To receive the free patches above the activities must be completed in the scheduled months. Your troop can become a Super Troop by doing the 10 activities in any order.
Experience Boxes
If you are a first year Daisy or first year Brownie troop you will be receiving Girl Scout Experience Boxes in the mail. The boxes contain meeting plans and supplies. Follow the plans in the Experience Boxes so you can utilize these resources!
Volunteer Toolkit
You can find complete meeting plans, supply lists, and requirements to earn all badges in the Volunteer Toolkit.
Badges
Badges are about the learning process, and the activities can be flexible based on your Girl Scouts’ ideas and the resources available in your community. The requirements don’t have to be completed exactly as written!
Juliettes
Just like a troop leader, a Juliette mentor or parent can use this guide for monthly activity ideas and planning. And Juliettes can also receive the free patches!
Girl Scouts of the USA has partnered with America250.org to mark the milestone of 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In 2026, you can earn a special five-patch collection if you participate.
Annual Troop Start-Up
Girl Scouts are growing and changing every year, and the way you organize the troop will change with them. Check off all six steps and get ready for your next year of fun!
Step 1: Invite the kids.
Ƒ Invite them to share their firstchoice badges, service, and travel dreams; start building your Year Plan in the Volunteer Toolkit.
Ƒ Establish or review troop behavior expectations. Not sure where to start? Use the Girl Scout Law to guide the conversation. Make time for team-building activities.
Ƒ What new friends will they invite to join the troop?
Step 2: Invite the adults.
Ƒ Ask caregivers to assist with specific tasks. Expect to ask more than once.
Ƒ Say “thanks” and give out jobs right away. Update your parent helper list.
Ƒ Secure a Troop Cookie Manager and Troop Treasurer.
Step 3: Update the troop meeting schedule.
Ƒ Did schedules change? Adjust the day, time, or frequency for the coming year.
Ƒ Schedule the first meeting of the year and promote to troop families.
Ƒ Use the Troop Information Update link to submit this year’s details (required).
Step 4: Update the troop bank account.
Ƒ Any changes? Did you move your account or rotate volunteers on or off the account? Submit a new ACH Authorization Form (required).
Ƒ Start a new Troop Finance Log to track troop revenue and expenses. Keep it current and share it with girls and caregivers at least twice a year.
Step 5: Register/Renew members.
Ƒ Review the troop roster in MyGS-My Troops. Check that all returning members are renewed by Sept. 30 to keep their place in the troop. Are adult background checks current?
Ƒ Confirm your adult volunteers in their roles, especially Troop Fall Product Program Manager and Troop Cookie Manager.
Step 6: Host a parent/ caregiver meeting.
Ƒ Choose what to host: a meeting, a party, a family field trip, or a Court of Awards or Rededication ceremony.
Ƒ Send out the invites! Bring everyone together to build excitement and troop support. Clarify expectations for the coming year.
Ƒ Distribute and collect updated troop family forms.
Have questions? Contact us by visiting gsnwgl.org or by calling Customer Care at 888.747.6945. We like to help.
▶ September: Planning and Family Kick-Off
Start your Girl Scout year off right by engaging families and helping your Girl Scouts plan their year.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Family
If your troop completes a family activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a FREE GSNWGL Family patch!
By October 31, 2026 | Scan the QR code to tell us about the family activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Have a family picnic at a local park.
• Go on a family field trip to a zoo, pool, roller skating rink, etc.
• Invite families to attend a Girl Scouts Love State Parks event.
• Host a family hike.
• Do a family community service project (e.g., a park clean-up).
• Have a family potluck.
• Have a family game night: Play games like Pictionary, Charades, Minute to Win It, and more.
• Work together on the My Family Story badge.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Girl Scouts Love State Parks Patch Program
Attend a service area or council event at a state park or complete activities from the list of suggestions on the following page. This patch program is for all levels; your Girl Scouts just do a varying number of steps based on their levels:
• Daisy: 3
• Brownie: 5
• Junior: 7
• Cadette: 9
When you complete the requirements, you can scan the QR code to purchase the patches.
Helpful Resources for this Month
Host a Parent/Caregiver Meeting & Collect Troop Family Forms
Invite Girls to Join Your Troop
• Senior: 10
• Ambassador: 10
GSUSA New Leader Onboarding: Family Engagement Training on gsLearn
Girl Scouts Love State Parks
Building Your Troop Team Leader Basics
Girl Scouts Love State Parks
To earn the patch, attend a council or service area event at a state park or complete the minimum number of activities for your age level.
Canoe, kayak, or paddleboard.
Photograph wildlife.
Build & photograph a sand sculpture.
Bike a few miles on a trail.
Hike at least five miles of trails within state parks.
Find four geocaches.
Take a selfie at a Travel Wisconsin Selfie Stand.
Nature Journaling: As you walk the trail, make observations and draw what you see around you.
Practice the 7 principles of Leave No Trace while visiting a state park.
Identify and list 10 different birds seen within state parks and take photos of at least three.
Visit a state park nature center and learn at least one new thing.
Catch at least one fish.
Clean up litter for 30 minutes.
Identify and list 10 trees you see and take a photo with at least three.
Find & identify at least one set of animal tracks on the trail.
Visit and photograph a waterfall or rapids within a state park.
Brainstorm things you may see at the state park, create a BINGO board, and play while you hike.
Find examples of indigenous cultures at two state parks.
Create a skit about your experience at a state park.
Wear your Girl Scout vest or sash on a trail, then scan the QR code to Share Your Story.
Welcome/Back-to-Troop Meeting Outline
Meet at a local park! An area with a playground works great because kids can play while grown-ups chat about troop details. Optional: Invite each family to bring a snack to share, or consider making the meeting a potluck meal.
Welcome and Introductions [10 minutes]
• Have everyone introduce themselves. Ask your Girl Scouts to share something they hope to do in Girl Scouts this year, and adults to share something they hope their child will take away.
• If you have a new troop, share the mission of Girl Scouts: To build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place, and/or the Promise and Law.
• Share plans for the year, such as badges, field trips, and outdoor adventures the troop will participate in. If you are still deciding on details, you can share some examples of badges or field trip options or even use the time to let your Girl Scouts vote on the badges, trips, or service projects they will participate in this year.
Family as Part of the Formula [10 minutes]
• Encourage families to ask their Girl Scouts what they did and let them teach the skills they learned after each meeting.
• Let them know there will be some events throughout the year for families to participate in with the troop.
• Explain how you’ll be communicating with parents (e.g., Rallyhood, text, email). Let them know where to check.
• Ask each parent to help out with the troop in any way they can. Bring a list of troop helper needs throughout the year, such as providing snacks, planning meeting activities, driving for field trips, managing troop product sales, and assisting at meetings. Ask people to sign up to help. Be as specific as you can. A great way to encourage support is to bring a calendar and have each family sign up as helpers for one or two meetings per year.
Troop Norms [15 minutes]
Setting group norms, or expectations, with your troop members early on is another way to build a great team. Since everyone has a different idea of what “normal” is, don’t make assumptions that all Girl Scouts will know how they should behave at troop meetings. Some youth might think it’s normal to interrupt others if they are really excited to share something. Others might think it’s okay to run around and play indoor tag if they get antsy. Successful troop norms are established when:
• Every member of the troop is present
• All ideas are considered, and recurring themes are condensed
• Positive wording is used (“use indoor voices” instead of “don’t yell”)
• The list isn’t too lengthy—keep it under ten
• The finished list is posted at every meeting
• Don’t forget to involve the caregivers. Creating a simple troop contract that lists the group norms that the girl and caregivers sign is a great way to remind everyone of the troop expectations.
Money Matters [10 minutes]
• Outline costs to parents and caregivers (uniforms and other supplies needed for the year).
Here’s a sample troop norm list:
• Greet each other with a smile.
• Be kind.
• Always look for ways to help.
• Be ready to participate.
• It’s okay to be wrong.
• Celebrate differences.
• Be a sister to every Girl Scout.
• Explain how money raised benefits the troop and what their Girl Scouts will learn when they participate in the Girl Scout Cookie and the Fall Product Programs.
Wrap Up [10-15 minutes]
• Ensure everyone has your phone number and email, knows the Girl Scout troop number, has all the necessary information about the next troop meeting (date, time, location, and any supplies Girl Scouts will need to bring), and knows where to check for troop communication.
• Have parents fill out any necessary forms, such as health history forms, parent permission forms, and the Meet My Girl Scout and Parent/Caregiver Help forms for upcoming field trips, etc. Collect the forms, then allow time for questions and concerns, as well as to get to know people better.
• Come together for a closing Friendship Circle with the whole troop. The Friendship Circle is a tradition where everyone holds hands in a ring. One person starts by squeezing the hand of the person next to them, and then the squeeze travels to each person and back to the beginning!
After Every Meeting
• Follow up with a thank you, then keep the conversation going throughout the year via email, in-person chats, and/or Rallyhood, whichever method you have decided to use for consistent communication with families. Updating caregivers on troop activities keeps them more invested and gives them a chance to build on the Girl Scout experience at home.
September: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
September: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ October: Field Trips and Travel
One of the things our Girl Scouts want to do most is go on field trips. This month, get out into the community!
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Travel
If your troop completes a field trip or travel activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a FREE GSNWGL Travel patch!
By November 30, 2026 | Scan the QR code to tell us about the travel activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Field Trip and Travel Partners
GSNWGL collaborates with program partners all over our council to be ready when you call to arrange a field trip, guest speaker, or other program opportunity. We’ve done the legwork to discuss Girl Scout insurance, badge requirements, and safety considerations with them. Field Trips and Travel Partners are a great place to start to choose an activity this month!
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
Hint: Remember to get field trip permission slips and health history forms for each Girl Scout when you leave the meeting place.
• Museum
• Fire or police station
• Pumpkin patch or apple orchard
• Nature center or state park
• Veterinary clinic, pet supply shop, or animal shelter
• Zoo
• Grocery store, bakery, or restaurant tour
• Girl Scout camp or property
• Planetarium
• University or technical college
• Hospital or medical clinic
• Swimming pool
Award Idea of the Month: Solutions Superstar Patch Program
• High school play or performing arts center
• Pottery or painting studio
• Skating rink
• YMCA
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
This patch program uses creative thinking and problem solving to find solutions. The program works well for a single- or multi-level troop because the requirements and activities are the same for everyone. You have six choices and you need to do three to get the patch:
1. Map a s’more and learn how the ingredients arrived at your home.
2. Plan the route for your favorite artist to deliver a multi-city concert tour.
3. Draw a map of your community and plan cookie delivery drop-off routes.
4. Design a maze and challenge others to try to solve it.
Scan the QR code above for more details on the Solutions Superstar patch requirements.
When you complete the requirements, you can buy patches here:
5. Engineer packaging that will keep an egg safe when it is dropped.
6. Draw an invention that solves a real problem.
October: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
October: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ November: Service Projects
Service to others is one of the most important Girl Scout activities. Make our world a better place by volunteering in your community.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Service
If your troop completes a community service activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a FREE GSNWGL Service patch!
By December 31, 2026 | Tell us about the service activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Participate in the Girl Scouts Fight Hunger food drive.
• See activity on page 13.
• Make pet toys for a local animal shelter.
• Pick up litter at a local park.
• Make tie blankets to donate to community programs.
• Visit, make crafts, or sing songs at an assisted living facility.
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: First Aid
• Make cards or decorations for hospitals or senior programs.
• Bring in used toys, books, or clothing and donate to a shelter or youth center.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
• Consider inviting troop families to help as well!
The First Aid badges are a great choice for all troops, as there is a First Aid badge for almost all levels. There isn’t a Daisy First Aid badge, but Daisies can learn first aid and practice helpfulness and earn the Friendly and Helpful petal or a First Aid fun patch.
Hints for Multi-Level Troops Earning this Badge
If you don’t have the ability to break up and work on badges separately, there are still lots of ways to work together. Everyone in your troop could visit a fire station or a medical facility together or interview a medical professional together. You could build first aid kits together and practice first aid in an outdoor setting together. The older Girl Scouts can take more of a leadership role by setting up the speaker or the field trip, preparing questions, and preparing first aid supplies.
Basic Requirements and Ideas for All Levels Earning the Badge Together
1. Practice getting help. Act out scenarios and 911 calls.
2. Learn from someone who treats injured people. Interview a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or firefighter. Visit a medical office or a fire station.
3. Make a first aid kit.
4. Learn first aid basics. Learn from a professional or take a first aid class.
5. Learn how to prevent and treat outdoor injuries. Do an outdoor activity and learn about safety.
Helpful Resources for this Month
Girl Scouts Fight Hunger Food Drive
More than 50 million adults, kids, and families in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity—a lack of nutritious food to help them live active, healthy lives. This number may include members of our own communities, friends and family, or members of our troops, making this a sensitive and important take action issue for Girl Scouts. As they think about how to give back this holiday season, girls can make a big difference in their communities—and for children around the world—by supporting hunger relief efforts.
Get Started
1. Discuss food insecurity in the U.S. and globally. Using the discussion questions below, lead your girls in a conversation about food insecurity, keeping in mind that they could be experiencing food insecurity themselves. You may want to reach out to families ahead of time to let them know about the discussion topic.
2. Ask your girls how they want to make an impact. You may choose to collect food for your local food bank, write thank-you notes to food bank workers, volunteer at a drive-thru food pantry, or support families globally by partnering with UNICEF to provide nutrition to children.
Support a Food Drive in Your Community
• Decide which food drive, food bank, or food pantry you will support.
• Ask your Girl Scouts to research food drives or food banks and pantries in your community. If you have younger girls, you may want to ask families to help gather this info.
• Is your school organizing a food drive you could support? Or a local house of worship? What about a grocery store or local business?
• Is there a food bank or local organization you’ve worked with in the past that may need support?
• If you aren’t sure about food banks in your community, check out Feeding America’s network of local food banks. Food pantries can often be found on food bank websites as agency partners that distribute food from food banks.
Set a Goal & Organize Your Food Drive
Goals can be a motivating factor for your girls! If your troop has ten girls, for instance, you might set a collection goal of five cans and five boxes per girl or a troop total of 75 packages of food.
As you plan your drive, ask your Girl Scouts to consider:
• When will the food drive begin and end?
• Where will you donate food? Make sure to check that your local food bank is accepting donations and to see if they have any guidelines to follow. Consider creating signs to clearly instruct others where and how to donate food items.
• Who might you ask to contribute to your food drive? How will you reach out to them?
• How will the food be picked up or dropped off?
After the Activity
Once you have completed this service project, remember to:
• Inspire others to give back! Post a photo of your project to your social networks using the hashtag #GirlScoutsGiveBack. Be sure to tag @girlscouts too!
• If you wish to recognize your Girl Scouts’ participation with a patch, we recommend a Girl Scouts Give Back patch.
Troop and Family Discussion Guide
• Why is access to food important?
• Can you think of examples of programs that provide food to people (e.g., food drives, Meals on Wheels, school meal programs)?
• How is food insecurity different from hunger?
• Why is it important to help families and individuals who might be experiencing food insecurity?
• How can we express compassion and support to others, whether or not we know their personal circumstances?
Check out the Girl Scout food drive toolkit for guidelines, email templates, and a sample flyer!
• Scan the QR code to complete our council survey so your impact can be counted in our council’s impact report and submitted to Girl Scout national impact reports.
• Why is it important to care for our own community? How do we wish to support others around the world who might be food insecure?
• How can we, as a troop or family, help others? What actions feel most meaningful for us to do? What is achievable for us?
• If your troop wants to think bigger, brainstorm some solutions to systemic food insecurity. What are some actions that we can take in the future to help more people have access to food? Are there changes our government can support to help our communities become more food secure?
November: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
November: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ December: Life Skills
Badges and awards help Girl Scouts explore the world and gain lasting life skills. Girl Scouts are proud of learning new things.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Life Skills
If your troop completes life skills activities this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Life Skills patch!
By January 31, 2027 | Tell us about the life skills activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
This month, to earn the free Life Skills fun patch, you can focus on any badge or award your Girl Scouts choose.
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Body Appreciation Badges
The body appreciation badges were new in 2025! This badge works great for multi-level troops because there is an option at each level:
Basic Requirements and Ideas for All Levels Earning the Badge Together
The ideal delivery of this badge is to break up into age groups and deliver the age-appropriate badge content to each age level of Girl Scouts. If you can’t break up and work on the badges separately, you can stay together as a large group and do these activities to earn the badge:
1. Prep your body. Hydrate, fuel up with healthy snacks, stretch, prepare your mind.
2. Move your body. Do yoga or another active activity.
3. Appreciate what a body can do. Draw what you love to do and learn about what body parts help you do those things.
4. Talk about it. Play a game to say something positive about your body. Share your opinions about body boundaries.
5. Share positivity. Play body language charades or make a positive body image marketing campaign.
Other Troop Activity Ideas
December is a great time to celebrate the winter holidays and have some fun. Here are some ideas to have fun with your troop this month:
• Learn and celebrate winter holidays from a variety of world cultures.
• Have a troop holiday party.
• Visit a local assisted living facility or neighborhood.
• Have a winter holiday craft workshop.
• Participate in a community parade.
Helpful Resources for This Month
• Have a winter campfire with cocoa and s’mores.
• Go sledding or ice skating.
• Decorate cookies or gingerbread houses.
• Make cards for the military or senior centers.
Daisy Fun with Movement
Brownie Me Time
Junior Uniquely Us
Cadette Outside the Mirror
Senior Mind, Body, Me
Ambassador Cheers for Every Body
December: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
December: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ January: Cookies and Entrepreneurship
The world-famous Girl Scout Cookie Program is the world’s largest girl-owned business, and it teaches our Girl Scouts real-life business skills.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Cookies
If your troop completes a cookie or entrepreneurship activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Cookies patch! By February 28, 2027 | Tell us about the entrepreneurship activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Hold a troop cookie kick-off party. An activity plan will be available in December 2026.
• Attend a Service Area cookie rally.
• Have a family cookie meeting, where families earn the Cookie Entrepreneur Family pins with their Girl Scouts.
• Have a Master Chef competition with cookie-inspired recipes.
• Have a local expert teach marketing strategies.
Badge/Award
Idea of the Month: Cookie Badges
Helpful Resources for this Month
• Earn a cookie-themed badge. There are options for each grade level.
• Work together to film cookie commercials, make displays for parent workplaces, or make booth decorations.
• Ask an older Girl Scout troop to visit your troop and help your Girl Scouts with their sales pitches. Or help a younger troop!
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
MLK Junior Day Community Service Patch Program Cookie Entrepreneur Family Pin Requirements GSNWGL Cookie Resources
GSUSA New Leader Onboarding: The Girl Scout Cookie Program course on gsLearn
Daisy
My First Cookie Business or Cookie Goal Setter
Brownie My Cookie Customers or Cookie Decision Maker
Junior My Cookie Team or Cookie Collaborator
Cadette Cookie Market Researcher or Cookie Innovator
Senior
My Cookie Network or Cookie Boss
Ambassador
My Cookie Business Resume or Cookie Influencer
January: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
January: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ February: Girl Scout Traditions
Girl Scouts began on March 12, 1912, and has been a sisterhood ever since. Try a long-standing tradition that makes Girl Scouting special.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Traditions
If your troop completes a Girl Scout traditions activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Traditions patch!
By March 31, 2027 | Tell us about the Girl Scout tradition activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Learn about SWAPS* and make some to share. *Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere
• Plan to celebrate Girl Scout Week.
• Learn about the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low.
• Learn some traditional Girl Scout or camp songs and sing them together as a group.
• Borrow some historic uniforms from GSNWGL and have a fashion show.
• Try a badge or activity from a past Girl Scout era.
• Discover the international World Centers and their locations.
• Have a Girl Scout from another generation come in and talk with the troop.
• Plan your troop bridging ceremony.
• Say the Girl Scout Promise or Law to start your troop meeting.
• Close your Girl Scout meeting with a Friendship Circle.
• Earn the World Thinking Day Award.
• Take part in a World Thinking Day Service Area event.
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: World Thinking Day Awards
Every year on February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world celebrate World Thinking Day. On this day, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides everywhere honor their global community by doing activities around a shared theme.
Hints for Multi-Level Troops Earning This Badge
The Thinking Day Awards work well for single level troops or multi-level troops because they are the same requirements for all levels. There are four requirements to earn the award. If you don’t have the ability to break up into groups by age level, you could do the activities all together and give your older Girl Scouts extra responsibility like arranging your guest speaker and creating the interview questions.
1. Explore what World Thinking Day is all about.
2. Explore what’s global in your community. You might discover a parade, fair, exhibit, or festival celebrating culture. It might be the food at a restaurant or the practices used at various places of worship, or books for your age group in the library that explore various cultures.
3. Investigate this year’s special theme: Our People.
• Meet a new friend and do an activity together or exchange something you made for each other, like a SWAP! OR
• Meet with or interview a Girl Scout Changemaker. Invite an older Girl Scout, a Girl Scout volunteer, or a Girl Scout alum. Ask about their experiences with or plans for Girl Scouting!
4. Share what you’ve learned at an event by writing or drawing about it, or by making a difference with a service project.
5. When you complete the requirements you can buy patches here:
Helpful Resources for This Month
Ways to participate in World Thinking Day
SWAPS Juliette Gordon Low Girl Scout Week
February: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
February: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ March: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Doing at least one Girl Scout STEM activity results in higher levels of interest and confidence, and understanding of the value of STEM to society.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL STEM
If your troop completes a STEM activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL STEM patch!
By April 30, 2027 | Tell us about the STEM activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
Activities
• Do fun, simple science experiments with your troop.
• Invite a speaker with a STEM career to your troop meeting.
• Use the SciStarter website to find and complete a citizen scientist project.
• Earn a STEM-related badge, like STEM Career Explorer, Space Science, Coding Basics, or Digital Game Design.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
Cookie Booth Activities
• Engineer a cookie castle! Using empty cases from your cookie booth, build a structure that that towers over your head. Can you fit your whole troop inside?
• Estimate what your best sellers will be at your upcoming cookie booth, or how many customers you think will stop at your booth. Make a graph showing what cookies sold or what times during your cookie booth you saw the most customers. Discuss how this data can help inform your next cookie booth and set you up for success!
• Try a cookie-themed science experiment. Test which cookies hold up the best in milk in a “cookie dunk experiment.” Share your findings with a poster at your next cookie booth!
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Robotics Badges
Field Trips
• Visit a planetarium, science center, or geology museum.
• Visit a wastewater treatment plant or recycling center.
• Tour a medical facility, a veterinarian’s office, or a dentist’s office.
• Tour a greenhouse.
• Visit a local university or technical college science department.
• Visit a fire or police department and learn about the science and technology they utilize.
• Visit a zoo or nature center.
These badges work well for troops of all levels, as well as multi-level troops, because there are three badges for every grade level.
Hints for Multi-Level Troops Earning This Badge
If you don’t have the ability to break up and work on badges separately, try choosing the Designing Robots badges for each level and doing these activities together in a group to earn the badges. Older Girl Scouts can even continue their projects at a future meeting or at home to make more of the experience:
1. Learn about the parts of a robot.
2. Determine what your robot will be able to do.
3. Plan your robot.
4. Create a prototype of your robot.
5. Share your prototype and get feedback on your prototype.
Helpful Resources for This Month
Scistarter Website
STEM Videos
STEM Badges
Girl Scout Week
March: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
March: Meeting 2
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ April: Outdoor Activity or Overnight Camp
Through progression, Girl Scouts learn the skills they need to become competent in the outdoors, from simple skills to outdoor adventures.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Outdoor
If your troop completes an overnight camp or outdoor activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Outdoor patch!
By May 31, 2027 | Tell us about the overnight camp or outdoor activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Do a nature scavenger hunt.
• Go for a hike on a trail.
• Earn an outdoor badge.
• Go birdwatching.
• Participate in an outdoor service project at a local nature center.
• Go overnight camping at a Girl Scout property.
• Learn new outdoor skills, such as pitching a tent, building a campfire, or using knives safely.
• Book an expert-led outdoor experience! We can meet at a Girl Scout property or come to you with our Adventures on the Go™ mobile unit—or participate in an outdoor experience through GSNWGL Support on the Go.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Environmental Stewardship Badges
This is a great option for all troops because there is an Environmental Stewardship badge for every level:
Hints for Multi-Level Troops Earning This Badge
If you don’t have the ability to break up and work on badges separately, there are lots of ways to work together. The Environmental Stewardship badges at every level are about protecting the environment while you take an outdoor adventure. Example: Your whole troop could take a hiking trip and the older Girl Scouts could take more of a leadership role in the planning.
Basic Requirements and Ideas for All Levels Earning the Badge Together
1. Choose your outdoor adventure. It might be hiking, camping, or another outdoor activity.
2. Learn the Leave No Trace Principles. (See next page.)
3. Plan and prepare. Create a budget, schedule, or plan. Learn about how the activity impacts your body. Research local trails, parks, and nature centers. Plan for implementing the Leave No Trace principles.
4. Go on your outdoor adventure and put the principles into action.
5. Have fun with the Leave No Trace Principles. Take videos or photos of yourselves living the principles. Play a charades game to guess the principles.
Helpful Resources for This Month
Support on
Go Troop Campout Planner
Outdoor Badges
Daisy Eco Learner Eco Friend Eco Camper
Cadette Eco Trekker
Senior Eco Explorer
Ambassador Eco Advocate
Girl Scouts Leave No Trace
Learn and be prepared to use the Leave No Trace Seven Principles to help protect the environment on your trip.
Plan ahead so you leave nothing behind. Get to know the area you’ll visit. Repackage and store food in reusable containers.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Walk only on existing trails and camp on surfaces that are already impacted or are durable enough to withstand repeated trampling.
Dispose of waste properly. Carry out what you carry in—never dump anything on a campsite or into a water source.
Leave nature as you find it. Don’t collect or take anything from the outdoors.
Minimize campfire impacts. Instead of using firewood and building campfires, pack a lightweight cooking stove and lantern.
Respect wildlife. Check them out from a distance. Never approach, feed, or follow them.
Be considerate of other visitors. Remember you’re not alone in the wilderness. Keep your voices down and let nature be the loudest sounds you hear.
April: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
April: Meeting 2
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ May: Celebrations
This month, celebrate the accomplishments of the year and have some fun!
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Celebrations
If your troop completes a celebration activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Celebrations patch!
By June 30, 2027 | Tell us about the celebration activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Host a significant year-end event, such as a troop trip, a visit to a restaurant, a horseback riding excursion, an amusement park visit, or a trip to a water park.
• Attend a Service Area ceremony.
• Plan a troop bridging or Court of Awards ceremony.
• Invite families to a park for an end-of-year potluck.
• Hold a year-end party for your troop.
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Art Badges
• Learn about flag etiquette and flag ceremonies.
• End the year by sharing your talents with others. Host a talent show, science fair, or art gallery.
• Have a campfire cookout and celebrate with hot dogs and s’mores.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
This badge is an excellent option for all troops, as art-themed badges are available for all levels.
Hints for Multi-Level Troops Earning This Badge
If you don’t have the ability to break up and work on badges separately, there are lots of ways to work together. Everyone in your troop could visit a museum together, work in a pottery or painting studio together, or you could invite an artist to your meeting to teach the whole group how to work with a new medium. The older Girl Scouts can take it a step further by exploring more mediums and continuing to work on their projects at a later meeting or at home.
Basic Requirements and Ideas for All Levels Earning the Badge Together
1. Discover art around you. Learn about art online, from an expert, or by visiting a museum or gallery.
2. Experiment with an art medium. Make a project with your medium. Explore color, lines, and textures.
3. Explore composition. Make a project that uses symmetry or patterns.
4. Make art. Start with inspiration and then create something new and unique.
5. Display your art. Plan a troop art show!
Helpful Resources for This Month
Girl Scout Bridging Guide
Daisy Outdoor Art Maker Outdoor Art Creator Outdoor Art Explorer
Cadette Book Artist
Senior Collage Artist
Ambassador Outdoor Art Master
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
May: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
▶ Summer: Nature and Summer Camp
Summer is for fun! Most Girl Scout troops opt for outdoor activities or fun, casual events over the summer.
Free Patch of the Month: GSNWGL Summer
If your troop completes a nature or summer camp activity this month, every participating Girl Scout can earn a free GSNWGL Summer patch! By July 31, 2027 | Tell us about the nature or summer camp activities you did this month to receive free patches for your troop.
Ideas to Earn the Free Patch
• Go camping or attend a troop camp together.
• Go swimming at a pool or YMCA (with a lifeguard!).
• Visit a farmer’s market.
• Go to the zoo.
• Have a picnic.
• Play volleyball, kickball, or other outdoor games.
• Attend an outdoor movie.
• Make sidewalk chalk art.
• Attend a county fair or local festival.
• Make ice cream.
• Plant a garden.
• Have a tie-dye day.
• Go on a night hike and do some stargazing.
• Set up a bicycle obstacle course.
• Fly kites.
• Have an outdoor scavenger hunt.
• Have a water day with slip and slide, sprinklers, and water balloons.
• Go mini-golfing.
• Paint and hide kindness rocks.
• Plant wildflower seeds for pollinators.
• Come up with other fun ideas that fit the theme!
Badge/Award Idea of the Month: Girl Scout Climate Challenge
The Girl Scout Climate Challenge requirements (which appear on the next two pages) are broken into two groups, K–5 and 6–12. If you don’t have the ability to break up and work within the two levels, there are still lots of ways to work together. You could do these activities together as a troop to earn the patch:
• Part 1: Learn about weather and climate, learn about how climate change affects pollinators, learn about local water issues, and explore nature near your meeting place.
• Part 2: Learn about reducing your carbon footprint, learn about preventing erosion, do a project to remove invasive species, and do a project to plant trees.
• Part 3: Share about what you learned and the projects you did. These are sample activities. See all of the activities on the next two pages for more choices.
When you complete the requirements, you can buy patches here:
FOR GRADES K-5
Girl Scout Climate Challenge
Our climate is changing. Carbon and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere. This causes hotter summers and warmer winters. Glaciers are melting, changing beaches and shorelines. Animals and plants are losing their habitats. Weather is more extreme with droughts, hurricanes, and blizzards.
Be a climate advocate with the Girl Scout Climate Challenge. Complete ten activities. Use the resources. And check out the Girl Scout Climate Challenge on SciStarter for citizen science projects!
Part 1: Explore climate science. Scientists need data, or information, to understand climate change. Observe nature, gather data, and share it with scientists. Choose four activities:
Ƒ Discover the difference between weather and climate.
Ƒ Explore greenhouse gases and the carbon cycle.
Ƒ Learn the steps of the scientific method.
Ƒ Share data with climate scientists.
Ƒ Learn about local issues at a water facility.
Ƒ Take field notes about your environment.
Ƒ Explore natural habitats and build a home for bugs or animals
Ƒ Explore land, air, water, and biodiversity at a garden.
Ƒ Find out how trees and climate are connected with the Girl Scout Tree Promise.
Ƒ Learn about climate change’s impact on bees and other pollinators.
Part 2: Connect with your community. Climate change happens everywhere, even in your community! Find out what others care about and how they want to make a difference. Choose four activities:
Ƒ Find out how climate impacts different groups of people, like women and girls.
Ƒ Interview community members about climate change.
Ƒ Talk to a local climate scientist, organizer, official, or anyone trying to help the planet.
Ƒ Make a map, art, or model of community resources (from memory or through observation).
Ƒ Plant a tree with the Girl Scout Tree Promise.
Ƒ Learn about invasive plants and help remove them from your community.
Ƒ Map examples of erosion in your community.
Ƒ Reduce your household’s carbon footprint.
Ƒ Go to a community event to help the planet.
Ƒ Research environmental groups.
Part 3: Share hope. Climate change is a big problem no one person can solve, so raise awareness in your community! Make a plan and design your project. Then share it to get others involved. Do both activities:
Ƒ Create your challenge project. Choose a part of climate change that’s important to your community. Research and plan a project. Build a rain garden, start a community composting project, or film a video. It’s up to you!
Ƒ Share your project with your community. When you’ve finished, tell your community what you’ve done. Include an action that challenges others to get involved!
FOR GRADES 6–12
Girl Scout Climate Challenge
Our climate is changing. Carbon and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere. This causes hotter summers and warmer winters. Glaciers are melting, changing beaches and shorelines. Animals and plants are losing their habitats. Weather is more extreme with droughts, hurricanes, and blizzards.
The Girl Scout Climate Challenge puts you at the center of science and community action. Complete ten activities. Use the resources. And check out the Girl Scout Climate Challenge on SciStarter for citizen science projects!
Part 1: Explore climate science. Scientists need data, or information, to understand climate change. Observe your environment, gather data, and share it with scientists. Choose four activities:
Discover the difference between weather and climate.
Use the scienti c method to sketch observations, create a eld guide, or design an experiment
Observe the weather more than once to compare changes over days, weeks, or even months!
Collect data for climate science
Investigate the global ecosystem and connections between land, water, air, and biodiversity.
Explore greenhouse gases and the carbon cycle.
Find out how trees and climate are connected with the Girl Scout Tree Promise.
Discover how biodiversity and climate connect.
Interview a global citizen or climate expert.
Watch a movie or documentary about climate activists advocating for change.
Investigate climate laws and policies.
Interview a gardener or farmer about the impact of climate change on our food supply.
Part 2: Connect with your community. Climate change affects where people live, play, and grow food. Explore how it impacts groups of people differently. Find out what your community is concerned about and how they want to make a difference. Choose four activities:
Explore climate justice and how climate impacts groups of people in different ways.
Survey your community about climate change.
Go to a climate event in your community.
Explore your community’s history of climate action.
Plant a tree with the Girl Scout Tree Promise
Create a mind map exploring the root causes and impact of climate change on your community.
Connect with local environmental groups.
Examine what local leaders think about climate change.
Talk to a local climate scientist or organizer.
Design an anti-climate change community. Make a community map for climate resources.
Learn about water’s role in your community, such as sources, quality, treatment, and management.
Part 3: Share hope. Climate change is a problem no one person can solve, so get others involved! Take what you’ve learned and turn it into community action. Do both activities:
Create your challenge project. Choose a climate issue to address. Research it and design your project.
Gather resources and volunteers. Protect your local watershed, create a speakers’ series, or design signs for a local trail. It’s up to you!
Share your project with your community. When you’ve nished, present your project or hold an event with your community. Increase awareness about climate change and how your community can help. Include an action to get others involved!
Summer: Meeting 1
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
Summer: Meeting 2
Date/Time/Location:
Badge/Award to work on:
Meeting Plan:
▶ Pre-Meeting Activity
▶ Opening (Include the Girl Scout Promise and Law)
▶ Business
▶ Activities
▶ Clean Up
▶ Closing (Include a Friendship Circle)
Supplies Needed:
Volunteers: Snack:
Girl Scout Mission
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
*Members may substitute for the word God in accordance with their own spiritual beliefs.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
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info@gsnwgl.org
888.747.6945
Change-makers. Trailblazers. Explorers.
We’re talking about Girl Scouts, of course, but we’re also talking about the people who become
Girl
Scout volunteers.
Your talents and experience have the power to change girls’ lives. As a Girl Scout volunteer, you help craft their experiences—from the way they run their cookie businesses to the way they speak up in meetings. You also teach them the skills and give them the confidence they need to bring their unique ideas to life and make changes that they never thought possible. As girls learn, grow, and lead, you’re there through it all— shaping the future right along with them. For all that you do and all that you share—thank you!