Get Outdoors with 7 Amazing Girl Scout Activities...
Just the Way Juliette Gordon Low Intended
The experts agree – getting outdoors is good for your mental, emotional, and physical health. This summer, encourage your girl to change her screen time to green time and GO (get outdoors) with Girl Scouts’ fun, free, and low-cost outdoor experiences.
Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low was considered radical for thinking girls as well as boys, should spend time outdoors. She believed hiking, studying plants and animals, and boating led to improved physical fitness, an appreciation of the natural world and would encourage conservation.
Early badges were earned by girls who could steer a boat by the stars, identify trees by their leaves and bark, and find and purify water for drinking. Talk about trailblazers!
Today, we carry on Low’s mission to get girls outdoors. The following five activities will have your girl excited and inspired about the environment. And they aren’t just for her. Friends and family (including little brothers!) can join in.
Download the free Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors guide for more than 44 hands-on activities that show your love for Mother Nature. Art to Atmosphere, Bikes to Bugs, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find to jump-start conversations and dig into environmental extras. For grades K-12 and each level may earn the Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors patch.
Juniors can earn the Go Fish Georgia Badge, created by local Girl Scouts. Join the estimated 1 million plus Georgia anglers who enjoy the hobby. Learn about native fish, visit a fish hatchery, and cast a rod at one of the state’s many streams, lakes, and impoundments.
Ready to rodeo? Registration is open for troops to join this exciting September weekend program at Camp Misty Mountain which focuses on roping and maneuvering your horse through the barrel racing pattern. The weekend ends with a mini rodeo for girls to show off their new skills.
Take the Girl Scout Tree Promise and help protect the earth from climate change. Download the free toolkit and help Girl Scouts reach their goal of planting 5 million trees nationwide. The kit will help your girl choose the best tree for her neighborhood, offer how-to’s on planting, and ways to honor a loved one with her planting. Many municipalities offer free or reduced-cost saplings. Be sure to check your area for opportunities like this one.
Become a Girl Scout Ranger through the National Park Service. Bike, hike, paddle, and explore local NPS sites like Georgia’s Cumberland Island, the close-by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or even the national historic site Andersonville Cemetery. Girl Scouts can earn fun patches, work towards a Girl Scout Journey, or even plan a service or Take Action Project. Check out our step-by-step guide.
Are you looking for area adventures? Check out our Anytime Activities where you can find links to our many outdoor partners and explore hundreds of miles of trails, nature preserves, and outdoor education centers. From outdoor art to water conservation to building a solar oven, you can find activities for an afternoon, a day, or a weekend. Programs are suitable for your girl, her troop, or her family.
Want to try your hand at outdoor cooking in your own backyard? Follow these instructions to make your own solar cooker. With a little help from the sun, you'll be serving up s'mores for the 4th of July celebration.
Finally, don’t forget to check out Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend September 9, 10 for a variety of activities hosted by Georgia State Parks. Keep your eye on GSUSA’s site for information on patches, passports, and more. More info coming soon.
