This is perfect for the making music junior badge since opera is one of the requirements!
Try out the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. They do tours for Try Its and Badges and also include a fun patch (you have to purchase the Try It and/or Badge). The tour is only $5.00 per person. The website is www.museumofmakingmusic.com. Their address is 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008. Contact is Crystal Babowal - 760/438-5996 ext. 219.
A brownie mom recommends a place in Rancho Bernardo called Bounce California. They have a website (www.bouncecalifornia.com) and their phone number is 858/592-1439. They do the Brownie Sports and Games and also GirlSports. They also do the Junior Sports Sampler. The cost is only $6.00 per girl with a ten girl minimum.
Project Wildlife Activity and Service Project Project Wildlife is a volunteer organization that does wildlife rescue and education. They will do a program (for a modest donation, my girl scout troop gave them $40). This can also be a service project. They have a wish list of supplies needed by volunteers to care for their animals. Our troop published the list and asked each girl to bring at least one item from the list to donate to the cause. How to Schedule An Education Program Call (619) 225-WILD (9453), Voicemail Box #17 Leave a detailed message with your name, telephone number, your group's name, the number of people in your group, the date and the time you wish to have an education program. Your call will be returned promptly, usually within 24-48 hours. Advance Notice: At least 3 weeks notice is requested. The more notice we have, the better able we are to accommodate requests. Fee: We request a donation of $25 to $75 depending on the size of the group; $75 for school assemblies. Wish List: Project Wildlife has a Wish List. We encourage groups to collect and donate any items on this list. http://www.projectwildlife.org/programs.htm#education
For troops (probably Cadette and up or maybe 6th grade Juniors) Breda recommends Camp Cherry Valley on Catalina Island. The snorkeling was amazing! They have all the gear – kayaks, wet suits, snorkeling gear plus archery etc. and well trained staff. Platform tents and meals provided. http://www.sgvcbsa.org/assets/pdf/reservations/ccv/CCV%20weekends%202007.pdf
Looking for a good self-defense course for your girls? Play It Safe comes highly recommended by Troop 1602, especially for older girls. Click HERE for dates and sign up flyer.
Star Parties at Palomar Mountain Troops can camp at the national forest campsite, hike to the Palomar observatory, attend the evening slideshow, and look through numerous very large telescopes set up by the astronomers. Check out the website: http://www.sipe.com/explore/
GREAT IDEAS for GIRL SCOUTS - Leader feedback All ages: Scrapbook your year. Troop 1461 Amy Seki. Daisies: Strawberry picking in the Spring off the I-5 Cannon Rd exit in Carlsbad. Troop 1656 Regina Harris. Decorate photo frames from Oriental Trading with Daisies. Take a photo of each girl in their uniform and send it home. Troop 1084 Michelle Gross. Brownies: Ice skating at UTC (4545 LaJolla Village Dr. 452-9110). Behind the scenes tour of the San Diego Zoo. Troop 1097 Dana Mares. Build A Bear, Bakery tour, Nutcracker ballet. Troop 1208 Jennifer McSweeney. Photo scavenger hunt with disposable cameras at a local park. At the next meeting scrapbook the photos. Jennifer Warren (no troop number yet). Tidepools at the south end of Cardiff State Beach (good parking, easy access). Troop 1485 Tracy Garber. Sunset at Torrey PInes Beach. Troop 1430/1482 Kari Lyche. Juniors: See last two suggestions for the Brownies. Sleepover at Birch Aquarium Field trip to National Weather Service in Rancho Bernardo (no details yet on this one) Family trip to Padres game. Troop 1444 Susie Davidson. Camp Winacka troop camping, Horsemanship Academy ($40, earn two patches 760-613-0711 LIsa Quandt, owner), Creative Composing with Miss Terry (see Program News) Troop 1631 Chloe and Maria Gilbreth. Puberty and Growing up talk for girls (perfect for 5th grade) by Dr. deFritas ("Birds and the Bees with Ease") 794-5437. Troop 1461 Amy Seki. Commercial Capital Bank (by Baskin Robbins), Jimbo's, San Diego Museum of Art (super programs), Cooking for Ronald McDonald House, General Atomics (6th graders, physics-related, way cooler than it sounds) Rick Lee Fusion Education Program Manager (rick.lee@gat. com 455-3331), Rawhide Ranch (www.rawhideranch.com), Riding at El Camino (2 hours good intro to riding 792-8466), Troop 1129/1330 Tracy Burgett. Cadettes: See last seven entries under Juniors. Day at Grove Mall in LA and go see the Tar Pits, Take the trolley somewhere, Clothing swap within the troop, Troop 1061 Julie May.
Junior Troop 1335 recommends a fun field trip for Juniors and Brownies. Church's Martial Arts (by Souplantation and the Vons in Carmel Valley) did a one hour introductory class just for our scout troop. There was no charge for the class, and it was conducted by one of their female Black Belts, Deven Wright. There are some limitations as to when you can do this, due to their regular class schedule, but we were able to do it right after school on one of our minimum days. They put on a nice class, and gave each of the girls a certificate to come back and try a week or two of free classes. I think they said they'd prefer to do groups of at least 10 or more, but our troop only had 8 and they were fine with that. I bought Taekwondo patches for our troop online at www.karatedepot.com/ot-pa-65.html so that the girls got something to put on their vests. The trip was a success for both the troop and Church's -- three girls out of the eight have since signed up for classes. And although it's obviously a sales tool for the company, there was no hard selling done during the class whatsoever. The phone number is 720-8531, and I arranged our class with Deven Wright. Tricia Church is the school owner, and I'm sure she could also help with the scheduling. I had a very easy time working with Deven, and the girls enjoyed it a lot.
The San Diego Historical Society offers workshops that complete requirements for two different Junior Badges. Architecture Badge: This workshop explores the architecture of Balboa Park. The morning session is completed at the Museum of San Diego History. After lunch, the group meets at the Marston House for a tour of the mansion and architectural drawing activities. Local Lore: (available in January 2005) You can earn this badge by learning about a famous local landmark, the Serra Museum. We will complete activities in Presidio Park that will start you on your way to becoming a local historian. Girl Scout Badge Workshops are available 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month ♦ All badge requirements are met. ♦ Badges are not provided. ♦ Lunch is on your own – have a picnic in the park! ♦ Food, drinks and photography are not allowed inside the museums http://www.sandiegohistory.org/education/girlscouts.htm Reservations are required for all education programs. Maximum of 20, $14 per person. Duration: 4 hours.
San Diego Museum of Art Programs Girl Scouts can earn try-its/badges in workshops at the Museum. Workshops are available from September through June for Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior Girl Scouts. The cost is $8 per scout. Call the Scout Program Coordinator at (619) 595-0360 for additional information.
Surfing Badge - (I haven't tried this one personally - please give some feedback if you have) From their website: Surf Diva has been successfully offering team-building Surf Classes for Girl Scouts. Scouts will develop self-confidence and camaraderie as they learn the basics for surfing, from our encouraging and patient instructors. After a day of riding the waves, troops can earn a super-cool Girl Scout surfing badge and a Surf Diva Certificate of Achievement. This outing is one no Girl Scout will want to miss. Contact Surf Diva to make a reservation: 2160 Avenida de la Playa La Jolla, California 92037 (858) 454-8273 phone
Solid Rock Gym programs for Girl Scouts: Solid Rock Gym now proudly offers two rock climbing programs exclusively for Girl Scouts. The programs are taught by Solid Rock’s highly trained instructors and have been specifically adapted to meet Girl Scout requirements for earning special patches and badges. Phone number:(619)299-1124
INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING PATCH All levels of Girl Scouts (6 years or older) are eligible to earn a special Indoor Rock Climbing Patch provided by Solid Rock Gym upon completion of this introductory course. It consists of a single 2 hour session where the girls learn safety rules, top roping, bouldering, equipment basics and climbing commands. COST: $15 per Girl Scout (patch included) $50 deposit to hold the reservation *Note: minimum of 6 participants
ADVENTURE SPORTS BADGE Junior Girl Scouts are eligible to attend a more advanced climbing class to earn a patch and a badge. In these two, 2 hour sessions, the Girl Scouts learn everything in the patch program along with: climbing history, advanced equipment, knots, environmental awareness, techniques, and rappelling. They are also required to complete an obstacle course and a climbing scrapbook. (Completes requirement Skill Builder #5 for Interest Project High Adventure for Cadettes and Senior Girl Scouts) COST: $30 per Girl Scout ($15 per session, includes patch only) $50 deposit to hold the reservation Badge may be purchased from your local Girl Scout Council *Note: minimum of 8 participants
Recommended for Fourth and Fifth Graders: Take the train from Solana Beach to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. Read up on the Mission ahead of time as the docents can be very hit or miss. Expect to spend around $22 per person. It’ll be cheaper if you drive, but much less fun. Adults will need a photo id for the train tickets.
Julian is a great place to visit. Take at look at their website: www.julianca.com. Visit the Eagle and High Peak Mines in Julian (760-765-0036). The tour takes you through the mountain mines. Very reasonably priced. It’s a great tie-in to the 4th grade curriculum. Combine it with an overnight at Camp Winacka! The Wolf Center in Julian is highly recommended (www.californiawolf.org). Contact them for tour reservations.
The ECO-Center at the RTC in El Cajon has just opened up an exhibit hall to teach 5th,6th and 7th graders about alternative fuels and how hybrid vehicles work. It’s a fun, interactive exhibit and free! Their website is www.sdecocenter.org.
A local resource for weekend kayaking is Family Kayak. The owner is well-acquainted with Safety-Wise, Girl Scout badge tie-ins’s and progression. She also organizes bay cleanups that allow the girls to kayak for free while cleaning the water. Contact: Marie Humphrey, 619-282-3520, www.familykayak.com, marie@familykayak.com.
Work on Building Art or Local Lore badges by doing the children’s historical tour put on by the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation in downtown San Diego. Discuss orchids and onion awards along the way. Girls will tour the oldest and most historically significant building in downtown San Diego – the William Heath Davis House. They will learn about the chores and responsibilities of children in the 1880s, the difficulties of performing simple tasks such as cooking and cleaning, mail delivery and the hardships faced by children a few generations ago. The tour continues through the Gaslamp Quarter where stories about early San Diego are told. It ends with a stop at Ghiradelli Ice Cream for a quick lesson on the history of Ghiradlli Chocolate, a tour of the sub-zero freezer if time allows, and an ice cream sundae to complete the tour! This 1 ½ tour is recommended for both Brownie & Junior Girl Scouts. The $5.00 fee cover the ice cream. Call Katie Brodeur at (619)233-4692 for more information. Bring quarters for parking in meters.
Trips for younger scouts: If anyone has been to SCORE in Carmel Valley we'd like to know what they do for scouts. Please forward information to the website.
We went on a very easy field trip with our Daisy Troop to the Carmel Valley Library. Once a month on Thursday, they have a children's program where they read for about 20 minutes and then the kids do a craft... all supplies and high school kids to assist are provided by the library. I made arrangements with the children's librarian, Eileen, to take about a 20 minute tour of the library and I picked up applications for library cards prior to the meeting and had them ready to give to the girls at the meeting. It's pretty much one phone call, some permission slips and you are good to go. Miss Eileen is wonderful with the kids and the stories and crafts changed depending on the season or holiday each month.
Visit the recycling center off of Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar. Bring some newspaper, bottles and cans for the girls to cash in. This is a great Daisy or Brownie trip.
Please send along any information you have on great field trips that you have taken with your troop. Email and phone contact information for each idea are appreciated. Contact Sue Lichter to have it put on the website.
Permission for District site use Eve Vance Troop Organizers: See Leader notes page for each school's troop organizer To contact us click on the highlighted, underlined name for an email link.