Ideas for Your Girl Scout Troop: November

Gray skies, rain, and lots of time spent indoors make November seem like a rather drab month. We do have the Thanksgiving holiday to break things up, but is there anything else to do in November? Surprisingly, there is. Read on to find out what you can do with your Girl Scout troop in November.

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Celebrations and Awareness

Every month of the year is dedicated to awareness of at least one subject, and usually more! November is Aviation History Month, Peanut Butter Lovers Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month, and American Diabetes month.

Brownies could celebrate Peanut Butter Lovers month by earning the Eat Right, Stay Healthy or Make It, Eat It Try-It. These are also appropriate for American Diabetes Month, since they can learn about how healthy eating can prevent or treat diabetes.

Junior Girl Scouts might enjoy celebrating Aviation History month by earning the Aerospace badge.

November also has a couple of awareness weeks. National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week begins on November 4, and would be a great time to earn the Animals Try-It (Brownies) or Pet Care badge (Juniors). Children's Book Week begins on November12, and Juniors might be interesting in earning their Books badge at this time.

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Election Day and Veterans' Day

November's a great time to explore patriotism, citizenship, and government. By Election Day, you'll probably be sick of seeing all of the campaign advertisements on TV. However, it is another learning opportunity for the girls. They can learn about government by watching and analyzing the campaigns, and by earning the Citizen Near and Far Try-It (Brownies), or the Model Citizen badge (Juniors).

GSUSA also has a Ms. President Patch available for all ages. Girls can receive this patch for participating in activities that help them learn about women in leadership and government. The guidelines for this patch are available on the GSUSA website. Remember, girls can NOT participate in political campaigns as Girl Scouts, and leaders should not promote any particular candidate or issue during Girl Scout activities.

Veterans' Day is a good choice for a patriotic celebration. Many communities have a Veterans' Day Parade; maybe your troop could march in it. You can plan a patriotic celebration of your own, too. GSUSA has patriotism-related recognitions for Brownies (Wave the Flag), Juniors (United We Stand), and Girls 11-17 (American Patriotism). The requirements for these recognitions are available on the GSUSA website.

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Field Trips

Field trips can easily tie in with the themes listed above. Tour an airport or aviation museum for Aviation History Month, or an animal shelter for Animal Shelter Appreciation week. Go to the library or a bookstore in honor of Children's Book Week.

Seasonal field trip ideas might include visiting a farm, in honor of harvest season, or touring a food bank, since Thanksgiving is a prime time for food drives and giveaways.

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Service Projects

Many troops do help with food drives at this time of year, and that's a great project - but be sure to remember that people need food at all times of the year, and not just around the holidays. Consider making a commitment to help in some way at other times, too.

Many communities also hold coat drives at this time of year. Your troop could partner with an organization that is doing a coat drive by gathering coats from family and friends, using (or raising) troop funds to buy new coats to donate, or by volunteering to pick up coat donations from donors. Or, organize your own coat drive for a homeless shelter or other organization (might be a great project for an older girl working on the Silver or Gold award).

Is your neighborhood overrun by leaves? Maybe your troop could volunteer to rake leaves for the neighbors, especially those who are elderly or disabled. Or perhaps your meeting place could use some help with this. Be sure you have equipment that is the right size for your girls.

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Money Earning

Selling cookies is not the only way that Girl Scouts earn money! In November, troops are often looking for ways to earn money, since the cookie sale won't happen for a few months yet. Some, but not all, Girl Scout councils sponsor a fall product sale, such as a Girl Scout calendar sale or a nuts and candy sale. If your council does this, you may choose to take part. If your council doesn't sponsor a product sale, you can still order Girl Scout calendars from GSUSA to sell, although you do need to get money-earning permission from your council to do this (check with your council about paperwork requirements).

November is also a busy time for bazaars and craft fairs. Your troop could make craft items to sell at a holiday bazaar, as both a learning experience and a money-earning opportunity. Several girl recognitions, including the Penny Power Try-It for Brownies, the Business-Wise badge for Juniors, and the Your Own Business or Mind Your Own Business recognitions for girls 11-17, involve running your own business. Selling crafts at a bazaar or bazaars would be a great way to do this. You would need to get money-earning permission in order to do this as well (check with your council for requirements).

Girl Scout Ideas for November: Looking Ahead
Don't forget to be planning ahead for holiday events, or even for spring events. You may need to register now for council-wide events, or reserve a spot for a spring camping trip. Be sure to include the girls in your planning.

Enjoy your month! It may be busier than you had thought.