Meetings

FAQs for New Leaders

Who pays for what?

Troop activities are supported wholly by the troop treasury, which comes from dues.  Troop Leaders are volunteers and don't foot the bill.

Family adults pay for:

• Troop dues
• Vest
• Uniform tab for pins
• American flag patch
• Brownie Handbook and Try-it book
• Journey Books (these have been purchased with money obtained by the OCC through a grant from HCSC)

The troop treasury pays for:

• Brownie Girl Scout pin
• World Trefoil pin
• Rededication patch
• Try-its
• Any participation patches
• Supplies and materials

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The correct placement of insignia, pins,  and Try-its is shown above.  Other official and fun patches go on the back.

Girl Scout Pins

When girls join as Brownies, they receive a Brownie Girl Scout pin and a World Trefoil pin.  If they have already been Daisies, they will be awarded the Brownie Girl Scout pin only and will move the World Trefoil to the new Brownie tab.

More on Uniforms and Pins 

The rededication patch goes on the back of the vest. The membership star, with green disc back, goes on the front of the vest, just below the troop number.  Membership stars can be presented any time.  They are eligible for it soon as they join.  Brownie vests can be purchased from the Girl Scout Store. Unlike Brownie awards and Try-its, which can be purchased by leaders only, uniforms may be purchased by family adults.

Whose award is it?

Our volunteers are very enthusiastic about the awards and patches the girls earn, because they guide them through the process. Along the way, they do so much of the program, and become so intimately involved with it, that they sometimes want to get a patch for themselves. However, in Girl Scouts there’s a distinction between awards and patches the girls earn and fun patches for adults. Please leave the girl awards for the girls, and take pride in wearing the insignia of adult Girl Scouts.  It's important that a person wear only awards that she has earned, and adults don't earn girl awards. 

If you would like to come up with your own idea, please follow these Girl Scouts of the USA guidelines:

Only official GSUSA insignia, patches and badges may appear on vest front, and they may not appear on the back.  The Girl Scout program is more about the values and qualities expressed in the Girl Scout Law than about the petal patches.  Focus on the content, rather than the reward.

Idea Exchange

--At our first meeting, the girls created individual Try-It badges reflecting their interests. They were placed on a large homemade sash to be hung up during our rededication ceremony.

--Each fall, we begin with a Try-it that takes the girls outside. Watching Wildlife is great, because we meet at the town library, where there are walkways and a playground. This jump starts the girls more than a craft.

--We have a group project of making the troop banner.  Each girl creates a symbol representing herself.  It is put on the banner that is used in parades and other events.  Throughout the year, they embellish their symbol with gems and beads as they earn Try its.

Brownie Troop Trips

Before You Go

Leaders and girls should talk about what to expect and how they should behave on a trip at the meeting before they actually go. The girls could make something to bring to their host.

1 Read Safety-Wise about trips
2 Confirm plans with the host
3 Notify parents well in advance
4 Get enough adult supervision
5 Arrange snacks, if needed
6 Assemble a First Aid kit

Troop First Aid Kit

Have one with you on all trips and at meetings.  (Both PHV Huts and the MTV Hut have First Aid Kits installed.)

Include:
First Aid book
Cell phone
GS activity insurance forms
Parent consent forms and health histories
Adhesive tape and Band-Aids
Alcohol wipes
Distilled water to clean wounds
Flashlight
Instant chemical icepack
Non-latex gloves
Emergency phone numbers
Paper drinking cups
Plastic bags
Safety pins
Scissors
Soap
Splints
Triangular bandages
Tweezers

Heidelberg OCMT Help

You can borrow handbooks and other books from the OCMT Library and craft supplies from the three cabinets in the PHV Scout Hut, two-story, upstairs. VCRs, DVDs, and televisions are located in every Hut and you are welcome to use them.  (Please check whether or not a transformer is required.)

Camping supplies are available for checkout...so before you spend any troop money, check with the Hut Manager or the POC for this year's Camporee.  We have tents and foot lockers with a propane stove and cooking utensils.  About the only things you will need are:  propane, sleeping bags, food, and at least one adult who has completed Girl Scout Outdoor Training.