Brownie My Promise, My Faith Pin

Here we are about two years out from the last time Tessa earned a My Promise, My Faith pin and I feel nearly the same way about the requirements as I did then. Again, this award seems to be written directly to the girl, but it feels so abstract and intangible. Even though Tessa has two more years of knowledge, life experience, and skill under her belt, I still can't imagine her tackling this on her own. In all honesty, it was a booger for me to plan. Researching and aligning the steps to a specific line of the Girl Scout Law is very time consuming and really not all that much fun.

My goal for this pin was to design a scouting helper that was accessible to Tessa...something enjoyable that was simple and flowed from one step to the next with ease. Instead of having a bunch of separate little projects, I poured all of the steps into one cohesive, easy-to-use booklet. I ended up putting a lot of time and energy into this project, so I was a little happy cloud when it worked just as I had planned.

The resources listed below are the ones we used to fulfill the requirements of the Brownie My Promise, My Faith Pin. These requirements may also be found on page 37 of The Brownie Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting.

My Promise, My Faith Pin

You can earn this pin each year that you're a Brownie. You'll find that Girl Scouting and your faith have a lot in common!

1. Choose one line from the Girl Scout Law. Find a story, song, or poem from your faith with the same ideas. Talk with your family or friends about what the Law and the story, song, or poem have in common.

• Tessa selected "Honest and Fair" with a focus on "Fair" from the Girl Scout Law.
• Tessa read "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard" and completed the corresponding activity from Growing Girls "Living 'Fair' All-In-One Booklet".

Tessa completed a clock and coin activity to help her better understand that every worker in "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard" received the same agreed-to pay no matter what time they went to work at the master's vineyard. On the next page, she learned that the master of the vineyard represents God, the workers God's people, and the pay eternal life in heaven.

2. Find a woman in your own or another faith community. Ask her how she tries to use that line of the Law in her life.

Once again, I opted to help Tessa complete this requirement in an alternative way so I could control the quality of the lesson. Instead of finding a living woman of faith, I chose a historical woman of faith. Tessa has been studying modern American history this year and has a keen interest in the times and people surrounding the Civil War. I knew Harriet Tubman, a deeply religious Christian abolitionist who lived from 1820 to 1913, would be a good pick for Tessa's historic woman of faith as a Brownie.

• Read Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford to Tessa, a Caldecott Honor Book that focuses on Tubman's spiritual journey as a slave and conductor on the Underground Railroad. (Tubman and this book would also work well for the "Courageous and Strong" line of the Girl Scout Law.)
• Completed "Harriet Tubman" drawing and writing prompt from Growing Girls "Living 'Fair' All-In-One Booklet".

Tessa's completed drawing and writing prompt for Tubman. She wrote, "She led slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad," for how Harriet Tubman was fair.

3. Gather three inspirational quotes by women that fit with that line of the Girl Scout Law. Put them where you can see them every day!

• Tessa chose, cut, and pasted three quotes on being fair that she found inspirational from a selection in the Growing Girls "Living 'Fair' All-In-One Booklet".

Her favorite quote was...

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself."

- Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States

How funny, I just noticed that we used a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt for Tessa's Daisy My Promise, My Faith pin too. Quite a quotable lady. It will be interesting to see how many more times she pops up during Tessa's Girl Scout career.

4. Make something to remind you of what you've learned. It might be a drawing, painting, or poster. You could also make up a story or a skit.

• Completed Growing Girls "Living 'Fair' All-In-One Booklet".

5. Keep the connection strong. Talk with your friends, family, or a group in your faith community about what you've learned about your faith and Girl Scouting. Ask them to help you live the Law and your faith. Maybe you can show them what you just made or perform your skit!

• Instead of sharing her completed booklet, Tessa opted to print and pass out the color version of the "Honest and Fair" faith-based bookmarks included in the Growing Girls "Living 'Fair' All-In-One Booklet" activity pack. I was a little surprised by how excited she was to do this. She had a whole list of people she wanted to give them to.
• Shared Tessa's work for earning her Brownie My Promise, My Faith Pin with the world via this blog.

Looking for more My Promise, My Faith pin ideas?

Check out my Considerate & Caring Kit - Girl Scouts - "My Promise, My Faith" Pin - All Steps! printable scouting helper.

Introducing Growing Girls Scouting Helpers on Teachers Pay Teachers

I am super excited to introduce Blue House School's new Growing Girls Scouting Helpers store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Growing Girls Scouting Helpers TPT Store

I have immensely enjoyed sharing my daughter's Girl Scout badge-earning efforts these past few years on Blue House School blog. In this time, I have been both humbled and delighted to learn that other leaders and parents have found these posts useful in our shared pursuit to help girls grow into strong, independent women. Understanding just how overwhelming and time-consuming researching and planning badge projects can be has led me to want to help even more.

Growing Girls Scouting Helpers offers printable paper activity packs designed to fulfill various Girl Scout badge steps with minimal supplies, ink and time. They are perfect for the leader on the go, or a quick-and-easy way to squeeze one more step into a troop meeting. Many are also ideal for multi-level troops where a leader's time may be divided, for home use, badge make-up packets, and Juliettes.

Shop Growing Girls Scouting Helpers at Teachers Pay Teachers. Be sure to click the green star under my name to follow me and receive new product updates and sale announcements.

Follow the Growing Girls Scouting Helpers Pinterest board for new product updates as well!

Making Friends Skill-Building Badge

Sometimes an opportunity arises that is so perfect that a badge just kind of falls into place. This past weekend, Tessa and I attended a She and Me camp at Camp Cedarledge. The schedule of activities were such that earning the Brownie Making Friends Skill-Building Badge could/should have been part of the program.

The full requirements for earning the Making Friends Skill-Building Badge can be found in the Brownie It’s Your Story - Tell It, Skill Building Badge Activity Set. The following lists just a few of the things Tessa did at Camp Cedarledge to earn the badge.

Making Friends

Friends are another kind of family. They're the people you have fun with and who help you when you need it. Try this badge to learn how to make new friends, keep old friends, and be the best Brownie friend you can be.

Steps

1. Make friendly introductions. Making new friends can be as simple as introducing yourself. It's nice to share something about you when you introduce yourself, or one something about a friend when you're introducing them. Try it!

• Completed Choice #1 - Introduce yourself.
• Since we homeschool, camp stood in as a replacement for school in this requirement. I was really proud of Tessa. She was in a great mood the moment we arrived at camp and immediately ran up to the girls that arrived the same time we did and introduced herself. Just like that, they were off and playing. Perfect!

The girls chose camp names based on their likes, personalities or things they brought to camp. Tessa brought a stuffed frog with her, so she called herself "Froggy." They used their camp names when introducing themselves and making friends.

2. Show friends you care. Good friends remind one another of what makes them special, and help each other feel better when something goes wrong. Practice making a friend feel great in one of these ways.

• Completed Choice #3 - Be a friend to someone you don't know.
• Tessa was one of the first girls up our second day at camp and learned that she could find "lucky stones" (creek rocks with small natural holes eroded through them) around the campfire pit. Our unit had taken a creek walk the day before to look for these coveted "lucky stones," but many girls had a hard time finding small ones that could be used for making necklaces. Tessa helped other girls find "lucky stones" as they woke up and then they made necklaces with them out of yarn and pony beads.

Tessa wore her "lucky stone" necklace the entire last day of camp. I think it may end up being a memento she keeps forever.

3. Share favorite activities. A great way to show a friend you care is to pay special attention to what is important to them. Just because you are friends doesn't mean you both like the same things. Try one of these activities to learn more about a friend, and help them learn more about you.

• Completed Choice #3 - Try a game or activity that's new to both of you.
• Tessa learned so many new games and repeat-after-me songs with her camp friends that she completed this step many times over. Her favorite game was playing with the parachute. She liked the "Princess Pat" (what's linked is not the exact version Tessa learned, but I think this is the way it's supposed to be) and "There Was a Great Big Moose" (this one has motions too, but I couldn't find a good link that included them) songs best.

4. Learn how to disagree. Disagreement is when you don't feel the same way as a friend. For example, you want to play a game and they want to make snacks. It's okay to feel differently. You can still be friends! The important thing is to be a good friend while you disagree. Try one of these activities to practice.

• Completed Choice #1 - Practice being a good listener.
• Tessa instantly clicked with the first girl she met at camp. She and "Fumpy" practiced being good listeners and came up with workable solutions when they disagreed. Never did I hear an unkind word between them.

Tessa and her new instant best friend "Fumpy" were inseparable at camp. Tessa was super sad when it was time to go home. She wants to go to the same camp again next summer, but for longer.

5. Practice friendship! Now it's time to practice your friend skills. First, make a list of the top three things you've discovered that make someone a good friend. Then try one of these activities and concentrate doing those things. Talk about the activity with your Brownie group.

• Completed Choice #3 - Go to a dance or art class, sports game, camp, or other activity.
• Tessa built on the skills she learned as a Girl Scout Daisy and earned her Brownie Making Friends badge during a She and Me camp at Camp Cedarledge. The top three things she thinks makes good friends are being kind, knowing how to share, and being willing to talk and play.

Purpose

When I've earned this badge, I'll know how to be a good friend.

Looking for more Making Friends badge ideas?

Check out my Growing Girls Monster Friends - Girl Scout Brownies - "Making Friends" Pack - All 5 Steps! printable scouting helper.

Daisy Money Counts Badge

Since the steps for earning the Money Counts leaf are well defined in The Daisy Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting, I didn't feel the need to do anything more than guide Tessa in completing the booklet for this badge. This post is simply to verify that Tessa did indeed do the required work. The basic steps for the Daisy Money Counts badge are listed below. I have included a picture of Tessa (or her completed work) for each step.

Money Counts

You can use money to buy things. You can use it to help other people, too. Let's find out more about money!

Steps

1. Understand different kinds of coins

Tessa identified various coins and their worth. She compared and contrasted the coins as well.

2. Know more about paper money

Tessa identified various paper bills and their worth. She also counted out the proper number of coins to equal a dollar. 

3. Find out the cost of fun

After working out budgets to visit the St. Louis Science Center, and Zoo, Tessa came up with fun things to do for free. She drew pictures of visiting the St. Louis Art Museum, playing with friends, and picking wildflowers.

Purpose

When I've earned this leaf, I'll know more about money and what it's worth.

Looking for more Money Counts badge ideas?

Check out my Growing Girls Budgeting Fun - Girl Scout Daisies - "Money Counts" Activity Pack (Step 3) printable scouting helper.