The second badge my Girl Scouts troop earned as Brownies was Cabin Camper. I chose to do this badge because the timing of our meeting coincided with a Service Unit Encampment in, you guessed it, cabins.
Here's what we did to earn the Cabin Camper badge:
1. Help plan your camping trip
I asked the girls and moms at the meeting to raise their hands if they'd ever gone camping before. Then I asked if anyone had any questions about camping that those of us with experience might be able to answer, such as "What do you do for fun when you go camping?"
2. Learn about camping gear
I found a suggested camping list printable to share with the girls and go over what was important to bring: flashlight, bug spray, sleeping bag, pajamas, etc. Then we reviewed the list again and talked about how to "pack lightly" by having one person be responsible for carrying something that can be shared, such as bug spray, instead of everyone bringing their own.
We also made Sit-Upons out of reusable tote bags, padding, and duct tape. This required A LOT of parental help.
3. Prepare a camp meal
This one happened more on the camping trip as opposed to at our meeting, but you could easily do it at your meeting or complete all the steps of this badge while on your camping trip. For our first night's dinner, the girls made "walking tacos". If you've never heard of this before, as most of the parents had not, it's a bag of Fritos that you spoon prepared taco meat into and then top with lettuce, cheese, salsa, etc. I made the taco meat in advance and kept it warm in a Crockpot.
4. Learn a new camping skill
This is where we made edible campfires. Our meeting location was in my yard, so we definitely couldn't start a fire there. And because we were first-year Brownies with no leaders having taken Troop Camper 2 training, we were not allowed to start our own campfire at the camp. Instead, we talked about campfire basics and safety using mini marshmallows to form a fire ring; pretzel sticks as our wood in an A or V shape; red, yellow, and orange M&Ms as the fire; and plastic forks as the rake or shovel used to stir the fire when putting it out. Then, the girls ate their campfires because you always want to leave your campsite clean.
5. Go camping
And that we did. We only did an overnight, and the weather was fine that night, but the next day it rained all day. Luckily, I had prepared a quick and easy indoor badge-earning activity as a back-up. The girls did want to go for a short hike around the camp, and I had brought ponchos for everyone. Those worked well.
Once again, Fairbanks Girl Scouts has the Brownie Outdoor Cabin Camper Badge Requirements available as a free PDF. But you can also find activity ideas in the online Volunteer Toolkit.
Has your Girl Scouts troop gone camping? Did you stay in cabins or tents? What activities did your girls enjoy while camping?
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