How to Lead a Brownie Troop Meeting

Brownies are great.

Brownies are the second level of Girl Scouts, and are a wonderful resource for girls ages seven to nine. If you're a new Brownie troop leader, here are the steps to follow to have a great meeting.

Things You'll Need

• Leader handbook
• Envelope for dues collection
• An American flag
• Copy of Girl Scout Law
• Copy of Girl Scout Promise
• Materials for craft or activity
• Snack

Instructions

1. Plan a pre-activity. When the girls arrive, have them play a simple game, such as “Simon Says.” To play “Simon Says” one person is “Simon” and she tells the others to do certain things, like touch their heads, and she prefaces each command with the phrase “Simon says.” Then, the girl playing Simon gives a command without saying “Simon Says” and all of the girls who follow the command are “out.” Play continues until there is one girl left. While the girls are playing the opening game, the leader collects dues (if the troop is choosing to collect dues) and keeps it in an envelope, marking each girl’s name.

2. Open the meeting by letting the girls choose three Brownies to run the opening ceremonies. With right hands over their hearts, and left hands in the Girl Scout sign (holding three fingers up), The Pledge of Allegiance is given. Recite, "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Then, the Girl Scout Law and Girl Scout Promise are recited. "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." Then recite the 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. Keep in mind that the word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is OK to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

3. Discuss necessary business such as upcoming events or any issues. The key to remember is to tailor this section of the meeting to the age of the girls. Brownies are usually in first or second grade, which means they have a fairly short attention span. Keep them focused by getting them involved. Ask questions, get their opinions, and make it fun.

4. Engage them with an activity. This is the core of the meeting, and should be planned in advance. The key here is to make sure that the activity relates to something educational. Here are some creative ideas for activities. Make a scrapbook: Have the girls cut pictures out of magazines that relate to a theme, such as spring, nature, recycling, among others. Earthworm/ant study: Prior to the meeting, the leader obtains earthworms from a local bait shop. If earthworms aren’t available, ants can be used. Each girl gets a worm, and observes its movement and how it feels. Plan a service project: Have the girls plan some kind of service project, such as collecting canned goods for the needy or “adopting” a family for the holidays. Badges and patches for Brownies are called "Try Its" and can be earned by engaging in various projects. They are listed in your troop leader handbook.

5. Have a snack. After the project, snacks are distributed. The troop parents usually alternate bringing snacks, and the girl whose parents donated snack can be the one to distribute it.

6. Close the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the girls form a circle called a “Friendship Circle.” Each girl crosses her arms in front of her and clasps the hands of the girl on either side of her. They do the “friendship squeeze” where one girl squeezes the hand of the girl to her left, and then that girl squeezes the hand of the girl to her left, and it goes around the circle until it gets back to the beginning. While doing this, the girls sing the following song: "Make new friends. But keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold. A circle is round, it has no end. And that’s how long I’m going to be your friend."

Resources

• Girl Scouts website