This easy craft is perfect for younger Girl Scouts (or younger siblings) and is a great follow-up to reading “Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons” by Eric Litwin. Materials needed: Construction paper, five various colors or white paper Glue/Tape Crayons/Markers Scissors Optional: Four plastic buttons, paper tube Roll paper into tube and glue/tape. Or color your tube. Using the top of tube, determine the head size. Draw the head with neck long enough to insert into tube opening. Cut out eyes and nose. Draw eyes pupils. Cut a tail that looks like a backwards letter “C.” Have an adult help you cut a slit at the base of the tube about an inch from the bottom. Insert the tail into the tube through the slit. Now, Pete needs his groovy buttons! Cut out various shapes of paper buttons or use plastic buttons. Glue on. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #bookcraft #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutsatHome #PetetheCatandHisFourGroovyButtons

Girl Scout Juniors can earn their Staying Fit badge at home! Watch this video for an introduction to the badge. Step One teaches us different ways to get our bodies moving. In Step Two, we learn how to keep your fit body fueled. For Step Three, you explore different methods for managing stress. We get the truth about health in Step Four. For the last step, Step Five, GSCO Outreach Program Coordinator Amanda created a fun video about how she plans to keep her family healthy. You can make a plan to help your family stay healthy by using this family fitness calendar. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #StayingFitbadge #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutJuniorStayingFitbadge #JuniorStayingFitbadge #GirlScoutJunior #GirlScoutJuniors #Junior #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutJuniorbadges #badge #Juniors #GirlScoutJuniorbadge #badges

Girl Scouts of Colorado thanks the amazing Marnie Ward for co-hosting our “Meet a musician and performer” webinar! More than 50 Girl Scouts of all ages participated in this webinar on May 4, 2020. Marnie is a talented musician and performer based in Denver. She fell in love with the ukulele in 2013 as the perfect instrument to accompany her beautiful voice anytime and anywhere! Marnie has been seen as a presenter for the Rocky Mountain Ukefest 2019; as the “Girl Singer” for The Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra; as a guest vocalist with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic 2017; and is an arranger / performing member of the Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra. In the summer of 2019, she completed her Level One Teacher Certification with James Hill Ukulele Initiative and is currently working towards her second year certification. During the webinar, Marnie spoke to Girl Scouts about how she became a musician and performer, what her career has looked like, advice for girls interested in learning to play an instrument and perform, and her favorite kinds of music. She even played us a few songs, answered live questions from the girls, and closed out with her renditions of “Brownie Smile” and “Make New Friends”. Listen to the “Meet a musician and performer” webinar. Listening to this webinar satisfies Step One of the Junior Musician Badge. Fun resources from the webinar: Apps that Marnie recommends Tunefor Ukulele tuner & chords Tonara Appcompanist Brownie Smile Song Make New Friends Some of Marnie’s favorite Peggy Lee songs: Why Don’t you Do Right I Don’t Know Enough About You Check out all our upcoming “Meet an Expert” webinars and watch previously recorded webinars on our YouTube page. “Meet a musician and performer” webinar Transcript We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #MarineWard #Musician #GirlScoutsatHome #Meetanexpert #MeetanexpertWebinarSeries #Performer

Girl Scouts of Colorado President & CEO Stephanie A. Foote presented the 2020 Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award and the 2020 Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize to Gold Award Girl Scouts on May 5, 2020. Watch it here and see below for a transcript. This year’s ceremony was a virtual celebration due to COVID-19. In past years, this special ceremony has been part of Gold Award Day at the Colorado State Capitol. Emerald Doyle from Colorado Springs, William J. Palmer High School, held a series of drives and collected items to benefit One Nation Walking Together. To date, she has collected more than 3,000 pounds of food, 375 pounds of feminine hygiene products, and 844 pounds of furniture and clothing. Emerald is recognized with this year’s Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award for her confidence, resilience, and courage in succeeding in life. Christine Bolt from Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Springs High School, organized an annual summer camp for children with autism. Each day focused on an aspect of camping and outdoor skills, including building a fire, setting up a tent, and wildlife awareness. Christine is the 2020 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize winner and will receive $1,000 cash gift to recognize her sustainable impact through leadership. Julia Trujillo, from Arvada, Arvada West High School, asked Colorado Representative Brianna Titone to introduce a bill on her behalf. House Bill 1131 aimed to create a grant program to provide funding for free and accessible menstrual products/product dispensers in Title One Colorado schools. Julia was named 2020 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize Honorable Mention and will receive a $250 cash prize for her project’s impact. Each year, Gold Award Girl Scouts are eligible to earn the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize. This award was made possible through a generous gift to Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Endowment by Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie A. Foote. “I am proud to recognize Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects have made a lasting impact,” Foote said. In addition, the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award is given in memory of Girl Scout Gold Award Mentor Debbie Haskins, who had a passion for working with older Girl Scouts. It recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout from Colorado who exemplifies the Girl Scout spirit through courage, confidence, and character. “Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is truly a remarkable achievement, and these young women exemplify leadership in all its forms,” said Foote. “They saw a need and took ownership of helping to develop a solution and took action to make it happen. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership are making the world a better place.” Open only to girls in high school, the Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls—and the most difficult to earn. The Gold Award project involves seven steps: 1. Identify an issue, 2. Investigate it thoroughly, 3. Get help and build a team, 4. Create a plan, 5. Present the plan and gather feedback, 6. Take action, 7. Educate and inspire. Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization, and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements. Be sure to join us on the GSCO Facebook page on May 16 at 2 p.m. for a virtual, statewide Highest Awards Celebration honoring all of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts from the past Girl Scout Awards Program year. Aren’t on Facebook? That’s okay. Email highestawards@gscolorado.org for an alternate link. 2020 Scholarship Announcement Transcript #HighestAwards #StephanieAFooteLeadershipPrize #2020StephanieAFooteLeadershipPrize #2020DebbieHaskinsSpiritofGirlScoutingAward #GoldAwardGirlScout #GoldAwardGirlScouts #GirlScoutGoldAward #DebbieHaskinsSpiritofGirlScoutingAward #TakeAction

Did you know that Girl Scouts serves girls in over 90 countries? USA Girl Scouts Overseas is Girl Scouts of the USA’s overseas arm, which has provided Girl Scout program for American girls living outside the United States since 1925, and serves nearly 17,000 members in 91 countries. Originally established to support Girl Scouting in American military families living abroad, USA Girl Scouts Overseas today has a membership that is approximately 56% non-military and 44% Military. On Saturday, May 9, 2020 from 9:15 – 9:45 a.m. (MDT), you can hear from Girl Scouts about their experiences participating in USA Girl Scouts Overseas, how their communities around the world have been impacted by the coronavirus, and how being a Girl Scout has equipped them to be prepared, kind, and resilient during this time. Ask some of your questions and share what’s going on in your community as well. Register now: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4758205145516592397 This event is hosted by Girl Scouts of the USA and USA Girl Scouts Overseas. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GirlScoutingatHome #GSUSA #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutsOverseasNorthAtlantic #USAGirlScoutsOverseas

Did you know that Girl Scouts serves girls in over 90 countries? USA Girl Scouts Overseas is Girl Scouts of the USA’s overseas arm, which has provided Girl Scout program for American girls living outside the United States since 1925, and serves nearly 17,000 members in 91 countries. Originally established to support Girl Scouting in American military families living abroad, USA Girl Scouts Overseas today has a membership that is approximately 56% non-military and 44% Military. On Friday, May 8, 2020 from 5:15 – 5:45 p.m. MDT, you’re invited to hear from Girl Scouts about their experiences participating in USA Girl Scouts Overseas, how their communities around the world have been impacted by coronavirus, and how being a Girl Scout has equipped them to be prepared, kind, and resilient during this time. Ask some of your questions and share what’s going on in your community as well. Register now: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7965077042971743757 This event is hosted by Girl Scouts of the USA and USA Girl Scouts Overseas. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GlobalGirlScouts #AwesomeGirlsAroundtheWorld #GirlScoutingatHome #GSUSA #GirlScoutsOverseasAsiaPacific #GirlScoutsatHome #USAGirlScoutsOverseas

Girl Scout Juniors can earn their Staying Fit badge at home! Watch this video for an introduction to the badge. Step One teaches us different ways to get our bodies moving. In Step Two, we learn how to keep your fit body fueled. For Step Three, you explore different methods for managing stress. Now, in Step Four, let’s get the truth about health with some help from GSCO Outreach Program Coordinator Amanda. She produced the following videos to help you do just that: Mindfulness Breathing Yoga for Kids Other Resources We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #StayingFitbadge #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutJuniorStayingFitbadge #JuniorStayingFitbadge #GirlScoutJunior #GirlScoutJuniors #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutJuniorbadges #Juniorbadges #badge #GirlScoutJuniorbadge #badges

Update as of May 15: Registration for June 2020 events is now live. Each program level has a different registration link. You can find them all here: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events/event-list.html?q=badge+series Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to unveil a brand-new way for your girl to connect with Girl Scouts and for leaders to support their girls’ engagement. Starting in June 2020, we will be offering monthly badge series to engage girls in a virtual setting. This program opportunity is only available for Girl Scouts of Colorado members. Who is this for? We will have two experiences. One will be for girls, Daisy to Ambassador, who want to engage as an individual.  They will be guided through the badge requirements by Girl Scouts of Colorado staff. The other experience is for leaders to guide their troop through the virtual badge programming. We will provide them with the resources to start engaging with their troop in a virtual setting. My girl is in a troop, can she do this? Yes, the program is open to all girls who are current Girl Scouts of Colorado members. We do suggest that if a girl participates in a troop that she checks with her troop leader before signing up. What does the experience look like for girls? To kick off each month’s badge series, we will have a live welcome webinar that will introduce the badge, explain the requirements, and get her engaged with other Girl Scouts from across the state. She will have access to gsRocks, a brand-new online Girl Scout program site that is designed just for girls. In here we will have courses that will guide her completion of the requirements, as well as track her completion of the badges. She will have one month to complete her requirements. We will wrap up the badge series with a live reflection webinar that will give her space to reflect with other girls about the badge. What does the experience look for leaders? We know that translating our amazing Girl Scout program into a virtual format is not an easy task, so we have done it for you! Once you register for a badge series, you will have access to a leader course in gsLearn. In this course you will find scripts, PowerPoints, and resources to bring the badge series to your girls in a virtual setting. We will host a webinar at the beginning of the month to explain badge and requirements. We will also be available to answer any questions you might have about the badge series. What badges will be offered in the badge series? Check out our calendar of offerings for 2020-2021. We will post registration on our events calendar two weeks before the beginning of each month. Questions? Contact us at GirlExperience@gscolorado.org Badge Series Calendar We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutsatHome #VolunteerNews

Submitted by Jennifer Emerson Metro Denver Englewood I am Girl Scout leader and troop cookie manager in the Dandelion Service Unit. Kareen Shapiro, whose daughter is my troop, and I co-founded Raising Kindness Colorado. Our mission is to empower children and families to do good in their community. We held community volunteering events prior to COVID-19. We have had multiple Girl Scout troops attend our community events. Currently, we have gone virtual, and we started a new “event” called Share Art. Spread Joy. to collect art thanking healthcare heroes and soon will be collecting art for retirement homes. We have collected more than 60 submissions for healthcare heroes and have had a few Girl Scout troops participate. We have been reaching out to hospitals and retirement communities to share online children’s hard work. We have Raising Kindness fun patches available for $3. It easy to participate! Girls can use whatever supplies they have in their own homes to create art or write a thank you. For those interested in ordering patches, please contact Jenny Emerson at jenny@raisingkindnessco.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutsatHome #MetroDenver #COVID19 #healthcare #englewood

UPDATE: Registration for this event is now full. What does it really mean to experience happiness? Could we use science to help figure this out? In our new badge series program, girls will dive into understanding their own happiness and how to get happy through helping others. Join us on Wednesday, May 13,2020 for our virtual welcome meeting where we will introduce girls to the badge and explain the activities they need to complete. Girls then have two weeks to complete the activities. We will then all come back together for a virtual reflection meeting on Wednesday, May 27. Cadettes will earn their Science of Happiness badge after they have completed the suggested activities. To earn the badge, girls will need to complete the following activities: Attend the virtual welcome meeting on Wednesday, May 13 from 4 – 5 p.m. View a mindfulness meditation video Communicate with a friend with an assigned topic Create a happiness journal Attend the virtual reflection meeting on Wednesday, May 27 from 4 -5 p.m. Ready to sign up your girl? Complete the registration form (https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2020/_0531_badge_series_c.html) on our events calendar and we will send you a follow up email with details, including links to our virtual meetings. Registration closes on May 12. Questions? Email GirlExperience@gscolorado.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutCadetteScienceofHappiness #Cadette #GirlScoutCadette #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutCadetteScienceofHappinessbadge #oldergirls #Cadettes #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutCadettes #GirlScoutCadettebadge #GirlScoutCadettebadges

At Girl Scouts, we care about your experience, good or bad, and we want to hear from you! In May, Girl Scouts of the USA will be conducting a national survey with girls, parents/caregivers, and troop leaders called Girl Scout Voices Count. (Service unit volunteers will be surveyed in June.) They will use your feedback to find out what’s working and not and to improve our services and programs. The surveys open May 6, 2020. Be sure to check your email for the invitation to participate. As a thank you, everyone who completes the survey will have a chance to win one of 20 $50 gift cards! We can’t wait for you to make your voice count! Got questions? Email GSVoicesCount@girlscouts.org. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #VolunteerNews #GSUSA #GirlScoutVoicesCount #GirlScoutVoicesCount2020

Tomahawk Ranch is now on Instagram! Follow camp staff at @tomahawkranch for virtual trips to the barnyard, fun camp crafts, recipes, games, and more that you and your family can do at home or share with your Girl Scout sisters virtually. Sky High Ranch is also on Instagram at @sky_high_ranch and the main page for Girl Scouts of Colorado is @gscolo. Make sure to tag us in your posts and use #GSColo. Not on Instagram? That’s okay! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutCamp #TomahawkRanch #Instagram #camp #TomahawkRanchCamp