Badge Ideas & Field Trips

Gig Harbor History Museum

• Juniors: Playing the Past Badge

The Pioneer School Experience sends you back in time! Pack the girls lunches without any plastic or disposables and send them on their way to school in a 1910 school house. They'll have the opportunity to dress the same as kids did in 1910 and they will line up, have their hands checked for dirt and learn from the same books used in centuries gone by. After lunch, they'll play games that kids would have played in 1910 as well.

Tips: Get several troops to join together, so you can attend as a school group. It is available T-F, 10-2, so picking a summer day or day there is no school/work can work well.

CALL/CHECK WEBSITE FOR THE LATEST PRICING AND TIMES.

Kelly Cory, Karlen Stonefeld: used this for Playing the Past

Foss Waterway Seaport

• Daisies: Use resources wisely, just want something fun that is hands on

• Brownies: WOW Journey

• Juniors: Animal Habitats, Amuse Journey, inspiration for Bronze Projects

• Cadettes and above: I'm sure there's plenty, including Gold/Silver ideas.

Doing anything with water? - The Foss Waterway Seaport folks are so easy to work. Give them a call directly and tell them what you are working on, they'll have something to complement your project. The have land-based and boat-based for groups of all sizes. Don't just rely on their website call them directly.

Alix Koehler, Karlen Stonefeld, Kelly Cory: we've all used this resource in different ways

Mt Rainier National Park

Programming can be done for all age levels. Can include earning the special NPS/GS badge.

For lower grades (Junior/1st year Cadets) Go to the mountain and work with a ranger and learn about whatever badge you are doing (Animal Habitats is the Junior Badge), do a hike, play a game, and have some fun. Take what you learn and do a community service project by hosting a table near the visitor center and teach other visitors about how to keep the wild life safe at Mt Rainier and in any wildlife setting. Incorporate an overnight camping into your experience!
Contact Fawn Bauer at Mt Rainier to find the best mix of activities for your troop, fawn_bauer@nps.gov

Older Scouts, 8th grade and up, can actually do trail maintenance. Start with Fawn as your contact, she will work to connect you with the right Ranger for what you are wanting to do.

Alix Koehler and Kelly Cory have both done this trip. Kelly's troop turned it into a yearly tradition.

Artful Dreamers Studio

Nadine Hamil is an artist and former GS troop leader, and loves working with kids to help them develop their skills in collaboration and creativity. Programming can be done for most age levels. She provides all materials—the girls just need to wear painting clothes and get ready to have fun making art! Girls can make garden flags or mosaics, paint a collaborative mural, splatter paint on posters on the walls of her studio, create a mother-daughter painting activity, make collages—the possibilities are flexible and nearly endless. Price/girl depends on the project, call Nadine and dream up some possibilities!

I am not sure who has done this, but I know several troops have been there. Start with Karlen or Alix for an inside scoop -- but really, call Nadine, she is so amazing!

Tinkertopia

• Brownie: Engineering Badge

• Juniors/C/S/A: there's many options -- and it is ok to just have fun!

"Miss Darcy” Anderson, co-owner of Tinkertopia, is an experienced Montessori educator and a working artist. Rent the “Tinker space” at Tinkertopia for your own tinker project, or ask her to do the Engineering Badge with your troop in about 2.5 hours. Girls will think of problems and solutions, create solutions, and share their ideas with others.

Stacey L and Karlen, I'm sure there's more leaders in our SU that have been here.

Lang's Horse and Pony Farm

Lola and her group of wrangler's up in Mount Vernon are great! You can spend the night in covered wagons which includes use of the wagons, the cook shelter, and you can run around the ranch as much as you want. A wonderful fire pit is right in the camp area. Typical schedule:

• 9 am - depart Tacoma - arrive at Lang's, check in and have picnic lunch

• 1ish - ride, you'll do half the time on a trail ride and half the time in the arena learning to control the horse.

• When your finished riding, cook your dinner in the shelter, have a campfire, play and sleep!

• In the morning, have some breakfast, say good morning to the horses and head home.

It's a super fun weekend, the girls love the freedom of the ranch.

Alix, Karlen, Kelly have all done this trip (multiple times even!)

Science Experiments

Slime

Spring 2018, Science Encamporee, we made slime! People really liked the recipe, so here's the link. I've added a download, in case the link ever disappears.

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/homemade-slime-recipe/

Have a new resource?

Email me the info (you can see my format -- link, details/description, leader who has done it.) and I'll add it here!

• Great Wolf Lodge

• Rainier Therapeutic Riding (Animal Helpers – Cadettes)

• Wolf Haven, International

• Destiny City Comics (Comic badge – Cadettes)

• Mystery Party (Detective badge – Juniors)

• Museum of Flight

• Pierce College Planetarium (Night Owls(?) – Cadettes – will cater to your needs)

• NW Trek

• Free museum Night

• Tacoma Art Museum

• Washington State History Museum (Play Past badge)

• Burke Museum – UW

• Cookie Decorating party

• skits

• Junior Daffodil parade

• Cooking party

• Miss Manners dinner party

• Tea party

• Knife safety

• Technology etiquette

• Tacoma Rocks! Rock painting

• Jewelry making (fimo beads)

• Roller skating

• Science badges

• Pacific Science Center

• Musicals/Theater

• Port Townsend Girl Scout House, Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Fort Warden

• Victoria, BC - Girl Scout House

• GS House – Newport Beach, CA

• Geocaching

• Cooking

• Letterboxing

• Progressive Dinners

• Wild Waves

• Museum of Flight

• Ice skating

• Dove Associates (film making)

• Zip lining

• ​Corn maze

• Pumpkin patch

Because you don't have enough ideas... here's a few more resources