Brownie Girl Scout Way

As a Girl Scout Brownie, you’re part of a sisterhood. Brownies all over the world share traditions and do good things to make the world a better place. In this badge, try some special Brownie traditions (some that Girl Scouts have been sharing for 100 years!) – and, of course, have a world of Brownie fun.

Steps

Sing everywhere
Celebrate Juliette Low’s birthday
Share sisterhood
Leave a place better than you found it
Enjoy Girl Scout traditions

Purpose

When I’ve earned this badge, I’ll know how to practice and share the Girl Scout way.

Twist me and turn me and show me the elf.
I looked in the water and saw _______. -Traditional Brownie rhyme
Who did you see? The answer is one of the best parts of being a Brownie – a girl who can do extraordinary things!

Every step has three choices. Do ONE choice to complete each step. Inspired? Do more.

You can sing almost anywhere. It is one of the favorite pastimes around the campfire; dishes are washed and dried more quickly if they are done to . . . a favorite tune. -Girl Scout Handbook, 1940

Step 1 Sing everywhere

Songs are fun no matter where you are. Singing brings us together and helps us feel connected, strong, and proud. Girl Scouts sing in special places or to mark special times – or sometimes just for the fun of it!

CHOOSE ONE:

Learn three new Girl Scout songs. Ask an older Girl Scout or look in your Journeys for a song to learn and enjoy while:
(a) riding in the car or doing chores
(b) camping or doing things outdoors
(c) at the end of a Brownie meeting.
Sing them with your friends, and talk about why you like each one.

Learn a new singing game, and action song, and a handclapping song. These might include clapping your hand or stomping your feet in time to songs like “The Hokey Pokey” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Once you’ve learned your songs, teach them to friends or Daisies and sing them together.
OR

Make up your own song based on nature. Listen to musical sounds in nature, like birds singing, frogs croaking, or rivers washing over stones. Use the sounds to create your own song, then, sing it for your Brownie group or a family member.

FOR MORE FUN: Make up hand and body movements to go along with the song, like girls did to earn their Songster badge in 1963.

More to EXPLORE:

Share your songs. Get together with your Brownie friends to plan a program of songs for a holiday or special occasion, like a Scouts’ Own. Choose songs that fit the theme and decide how to introduce them.

Step 2 Celebrate Juliette Low’s birthday

Girl Scout celebrations honor women and girls who change the world. As a Brownie, celebrate our founder’s birthday. Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low wanted girls to have a place to come together as sisters while having fun and doing good, too – so she started Girl Scouting! This year, mark her birthday with a special celebration.

Tip:
Daisy was born on October 31, 1860. She loved having her birthday on Halloween, but your celebration can be on any day.

CHOOSE ONE:
Throw a birthday bash. Have a party for Daisy with your Brownie sisters. You could invite another Brownie group to celebrate with you.

FOR MORE FUN: Ask an older Girl Scout what ceremonies, games, songs, and decorations she has used to celebrate Daisy’s birthday. Try one of these ides at your party.

Make a birthday card for Daisy. The littlest Girl Scouts are called Daisies, after Juliette “Daisy” herself. In hone of Daisy Low’s birthday, make and give a card to a Girl Scout Daisy. Inside, tell her your favorite things about Daisy Low, and your favorite things about being a Brownie. (Ask older Girl Scouts to help you find information about Daisy Low – you can look in your handbook and on the Girl Scout websites.)
OR

Make up a birthday message. Three years in a row, Daisy wrote a message to all the Girl Scouts. Read the messages on page 4 of your handbook – ask an adult or older girl for help if you don’t know some of the words. Then, write your own birthday message about something important you want Girl Scouts to know today. Share your message with friends, family, and other Brownies.

FOR MORE FUN: Send your message to a Brownie group in another council.

Daisy’s Birthday Messages

October 31, 1924

My dear Girl Scouts:

I am thinking of you today and in spirit I am with you. On Halloween, which is my own birthday, I shall be joining in your games with you. For Scouting is a game, too.
I hope that we shall
remember the rules:
To play fair,
To play in your place,
To play for your side and not for yourself.
And, as for the score, the best thing in a game is the fun and not the result.
Girl Scouts, I salute you.
Your friend and founder,
Juliette Low

October 31, 1923

My dear Girl Scouts:

As you gather in your troops to celebrate our Girl Scout Week in November, think of the girls around the world who are your sister Girl Scouts and Girl Guides. Truly, ours is a circle of friendships, united by our ideals.
Juliette Low

Step 3 Share sisterhood

“Sisterhood” doesn’t mean just sisters in your family. All the girls and women who are Girl Scouts try to live by the Girl Scout Law. That’s what makes us a Girl Scout sisterhood. Our Law brings us together – and in this badge, you’ll practice living its lines!

CHOOSE ONE:
Make up a game about your favorite line of the Law. You could create a jump rope song that uses the names of all the girls in your group. Every girl will feel included, and that’s being considerate and caring. Or, you could practice being honest and fair while you play your favorite board game with your Brownie sisters.
OR

Create a story, play, or puppet show. Make it about how you try to live the Girl Scout Law. Maybe you can share something you did on a Leadership Journey or a good turn of which you’re proud. Tell or perform it for your group or a family member.

Make a team mural, collage, flag, or other artwork. Create something that shows the sisterhood between all the girls in your group. You might show each girl’s name, handprint, and how she practices the Girl Scout Law – for example, “Brownie Elf is friends because she shares smiles with everyone.”

FOR MORE FUN: Display your artwork at your meeting place.

More to EXPLORE Take your sisterhood wider. Find a Brownie or Brownie group in another town or country, and share your game, story, or artwork. You could share instructions for your game, a video clip of your puppet show, or a photo of your artwork. Ask them to share their Girl Scout Law projects with you, too!

Kim’s Game
This game is a favorite of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts all over the world. It comes from the story “Kim” by Rudyard Kipling. Kim plays the game to learn to be a better spy – and you can play it to practice looking at things very closely. When you notice details in the world, you can find lots of ways to make the world a better place!

Here’s how to play: Put 10 (or more)small items on a table. Show everyone the items for one minute. Then cover them with a scarf. Ask the players to name what was on the table. See if they can remember all 10 things.

Step 4 Leave a place better than you found it

It’s the Girl Scout way to care about the world around us – whether it’s a room, a campground, or the world. Practice by leaving a place you use or visit better than you found it. Then, share how it made you feel with your friends and family.

CHOOSE ONE:
A better room or home. Think of three ways you could leave your room or your home better than you found it each day. Team up with your family to choose one and do it for a week.

A better meeting place. Team up with your Brownie friends to think of three ways you could leave your Girl Scout meeting place better than you found it. Choose one and do it.
OR

A better classroom. Think of three ways you could leave your classroom better than you found it. Talk to your teacher about your ideas and choose one together that you can do for one week.

Tip: Did this step inspire you to want to leave more places better? Do it! Find ways to Take Action in your Leadership Journeys.

Brownie Tidying –Up Song
Here’s a song that Brownies sang in the 1960s to have fun while cleaning up together. Sing it to the tune o “London Bridge.”

Weave the magic in and out,
in and out, in and out,

Weave the magic in and out,
for we are Brownies.

We have tidied everything, everything, everything,

We have tidied everything,
for we are Brownies.

Step 5 Enjoy Girl Scout traditions

Traditions bring people together. A tradition can be a special food, a ceremony, a song – anything that’s passed along through the years. Try one of these to share in Girl Scout traditions.

CHOOSE ONE:
Follow in a Girl Scout’s footsteps. Find a neighbor, relative, old friend, or family member who was a Girl Scout. Find out her favorite memories. Talk about things that are the same and different from when she as a Girl Scout compared to today.

Read the Brownie Story from an old Girl Scout handbook. Then, read a story about Brownie Elf and the Brownie Friends from one of your Journeys, and talk about the two stories with your Brownie sisters. Why do you like each one? What do Brownies have in common?

FOR MORE FUN: Illustrate one of the Brownie stories yourself, or ask your friends to each draw a page.
OR

Make up a story about Campbell, Jamila, and Alejandra. You meet these three Brownie Friends in each of your Leadership Journeys. Read some of their adventures. Then, make up a story about them! Will Campbell, Jam, and Ali visit your town or school? Will Brownie Elf come with them? Tell the story to your friends or family.

More to EXPLORE

Invite a new girl to a meeting. Introduce her to your Brownie friends and Girl Scout traditions. Show her the Girl Scout sign and the Girl Scout handshake, and tell her why you like being a Brownie.

Make a Sit-Upon
It’s funny name tells what it is. You sit upon it when the ground is damp or dusty. It’s a Girl Scout tradition to make one in order to be prepared to sit upon any surface!
Get a large piece of waterproof material, like oilcloth or plastic. Cut it into two squares.
Put a cushion or crumpled newspaper between the squares.
Fasten the edges of the squares together with staples or stitches. If you want to use stitches, have an adult show you how to make a running stitch or an overcast stitch.

Add the Badge to Your Journey

Leadership Journeys give you lots of ideas for taking action to make the world a better place. That’s a really important part of Girl Scouting! What have you and your Brownie friends already done for your community? What would you like to do next?