Girl Scout Camp

At long last!  Girl Scout Camping!  

We were finally able to redeem what COVID has stolen from this troop.  We went camping!!  I have to say, as a leader, we walked into this 2 day trip with 18 girls and 4 adults a little, uh, freaked out.  But, I'm proud to say that we did it!  And, we had some fun along the way.

The best part for me was seeing these girls develop friendships with other kids outside of their comfort zone of school friends.  Becoming an actual troop, a unit.  I also enjoyed how little we actually had to do in order for them to have fun - it was not an adult led experience.  We were not cruise directors or moms to 18 kids.  We were leaders, mentors, counselors - just there to keep things peaceful and safe.  TOTAL WIN. 

We went to a cabin at the Texas State University Campground and part of the experience was a "low ropes" course full of team building activities led by the TX State staff.  It was probably the toughest part of the entire trip for these girls, but they learned some wonderful lessons about teamwork, respect and communication in order to accomplish a goal.

Another big moment was our cooking crews!  Each girl was put on a crew to cook and serve one meal for their peers.  Each group had to do something hot and something using knives to cut in order to earn their badge.  Everyone did amazing!  The girls were able to do things they typically aren't asked to do at home and also developed a new empathy for those that cook and serve food on a daily basis - it is no easy task!

This trip we challenged the girls to learn some basic camping skills.  Carry your own things.  Keep track of your belongings.  Buy a mess kit.  Wash your own dishes and hang them to dry.  It was Girl Scouting 101 and they were awesome.

The grand finale was our campfire lesson and s'mores!  The girls learned various ways to build a fire and the things a fire needs to start and keep going.  We sang songs, ate smores and talked about our high/low from the trip.  Fabulous memories!

I'm so proud of all 18 of these girls and especially excited as a mom to experience these things with my three daughters.  It is truly one of my favorite things.