Girl Scout Troop 446

The girls were very active and all over the camp this past Friday night. 

There were crafts and food and somewhere around 50 girls out and about. They even went on a trail hike in the dark and finished up with a night time trunk or treat.

This photo is a little hard to see, but the trunk was covered in 'spider web', with a giant spider heading towards a giant fly!

They did not spend the night (this time) but it appears that everyone had a great time.

Girl Scout Troop 264

The only thing more fun than a new group up at the camp, is a new group that's also new to camping! That was the way of it this past weekend, when Girl Scout Troop 264 came out for their inaugural camp out.

A few of the adults came out ahead, to get their tents set up first, but before dark arrived, all the girls and their moms were present, and all tents were up!  Well, almost.

One last arrival and the ladies made short work of getting the tent set up!

Dinner was foil packet meals, cooked over the campfire.  You'd never know these gals weren't pros!

The girls had a great time (if the shouts and laughter were any indication) and even got in a little time on the obstacle course.  

They left early Saturday morning . . . and didn't leave of trace!  We hope they'll visit us again.

GSNA - Day Camp Time!

We have had the privilege of being the host spot for day camp (day five) of the Girl Scouts of North Alabama for three years, now!  This year, the weather was perfect for a day of activities, food and fun!  And with 162 girls, leaders and parents, I think this may have been their biggest year, ever!

They all worked on badges and projects throughout the day.  One of the favorite stations is the campfire station. 

Not only do girls learn proper procedures for starting, safely maintaining, and putting out their campfires, but they also get to put the campfire to use . . .

Making s'mores!  You can see why it's a favorite!

They had lots of fun activities and crafts going on, too:

Earlier in their week, they all made the fun tie-dyed tee-shirts.  Each age group uses a different set of colors...

Makes them easier to spot that way (and determine if one is where she shouldn't be)!

That afternoon, they even had a fire truck come to the camp -- all the way from Keel Mountain Volunteer Fire Department!

Fire safety and prevention is a top tool for campers!

One of the coolest group projects the girls did was this fabulous handprint tree:

They did a great job with it! It gives us some ideas for a "hand print registry" for future visitors to the camp! 

It was a terrific day -- we love hearing the camp filled with the sounds of happy children (and adults) enjoying God's goodness!  And we hope they'll make it four years in a row by returning next year, too!

Girl Scouts of Madison County - Day Camp

This was the second summer that we've had the privilege of being the host site for the day camp and awards ceremony for the Girl Scouts of Madison County.  They couldn't have asked for a nicer day -- especially in the middle of July!  The skies were mostly clear, the temperature was in the upper 70's, the humidity was down and there was a light breeze.  The perfect weather for a day outside!

And it's such a delight to have the camp filled with girls and women from age 5 to . . . well, let's just say significantly older than 5!

The day was filled with Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors, each group at different stations or, in the case of the older girls, helping with the younger groups.

This year one of the stations was "what to do if you're lost."  A K-9 search and rescue unit came out and helped instruct the girls on what they should and *shouldn't* do in the event that they get lost, and demonstrated how the dogs work with their handlers to find lost hikers. 

 

After all the demonstrating, the girls took off on a hike to 'get lost' so they could see the rescuers and dogs in action!

It was definitely a day of "making new friends and greeting the old friends"! 

At about three-thirty, parents started arriving for the awards ceremony and dinner.  All in all, we had about 130 girls and adults and they seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.  We hope they choose to come back again next year!

Celebrating 100 Years

The Girl Scout motto is "Be Prepared".  And the Girls Scout troops of North-Central Alabama certainly were when they showed up to celebrate their 100 year anniversary!  And they couldn't have asked for a lovelier day, either!

The girls were broken up into several groups . . . 

Daisies,

Brownies,

Juniors, and

Cadets.

There was also an ambassador Girl Scout on hand, too, helping the leaders with the different activities.  

They worked on badges, crafts, took hikes, and sang songs.  

One of my all-time favorite Girl Scout songs was being sung as we walked up and they sang it again just for us.

I've been singing this song for almost half the number of years the Girl Scouts have been organized!

Toward the end of the day, after the girls had done some "entertaining" for the gathering parents . . .

And after dinner had been cooked, served, and eaten . . . 

It was award time.  For Daisy to Cadet to Leader the day was a success ... smiles abounded!

Yes, the tee-shirt definitely fits:

We hope to host future Girl Scout counsel-wide events.  They did a great job of enjoying the Camp and cleaning up, too!  Thanks, ladies!

Girl Scout Family Fun Day

Saturday we were very happy to host the Family Fun Day for Girl Scout Service Unit 30.  The weather was terrific ... clear, sunny skies -- warm -- but with a nice breeze.  The group got started up here around 2:30 that afternoon and had close to 40 families participate!  We had to head out, so we made sure they knew all the ground rules and had everything they needed, and promised to see them before they headed out.

When we got back to the camp, there were all sorts of fishing tales being told!  One fish was so big it didn't just break the line ... it broke the pole!  

One woman pulled a crappie out of the water and when she unhooked and tossed it back, a large mouth bass swooped by just as it hit the water, and swallowed it whole!  They were all laughing about that one.

The coordinator brought bait and bobbins for all and mostly they used worms and crickets.  

I think they realized too late in the day that our fish mostly prefer minnows ... and definitely not artificial bait. 

The girls didn't seem too terribly upset over it!

One patient young man, however, did catch a fish.  

He'd been patiently throwing in his line all day, and it was near 7 pm when his persistence finally paid off!

In addition to the fishing, the girls went through several presentations ... 

Each girl that participated earned both a recycling badge and a "green" patch. 

The coordinator, Jeanine Woods, was incredibly easy to work with and also very generous.  She'd been yard-sale hopping the day before and had found a terrific badminton set, which she donated to the camp!

How fun it will be to have use of this up here for all our groups!

We love having Girl Scout groups up here.  They always do a marvelous job of leaving the camp "as good or better than they found it!" 

And we're happy to be a part of Girl Scouts celebrating 100 years!!!

He & Me Day

Todd was on shift on Saturday, but I was happy to step in and play host for our guests that day, especially since it was a group I hold dear -- Girl Scouts!! Troop 660 had elected to have their annual "He & Me" day up at the camp. They had a terrific turnout, with over 80 girls and their fathers participating.

The first activity of the afternoon was a nature hike/scavenger hunt. The pairs of dads & daughters could hike wherever they wanted in the camp, but were to collect as many things on the list as possible. I heard tales of folks wandering all over the place!

After about an hour, groups of dads & daughters brought their scavenged loot back up to the pavilion.


While leader, Dena Yell, and co-leader, Dana, got the supplies for next activity (a craft) ready, the girls and their dads rested at the tables . . .


. . . and played out in the playground!

Finally, when all the girls and dads had made it back, on of the leaders called roll (to make sure we hadn't lost any of those dads out in the woods), and the groups got busy making critters with their scavenger finds!

Some of those dads were pretty intent on their craft!

After they'd finished with the craft, girls and dads headed out to the campfire circle for a round of campfire songs and my favorite, s'mores!

Once the event was over, folks cleared out very quickly; but I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Auburn was in the middle of a game and Alabama was playing a few hours later!