November 2020
A Note From the Founder – Gratitude and Thanks
by Kerry Cordy
The month of November and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday always makes me count my blessings and remember how much I have to be thankful for. In a year where it seems every month brings a new challenge, sometimes it is hard to remember how much we have to be grateful for. I challenge you to count your blessings. Every day this month, think of at least one thing you are thankful for. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. In fact some of the things I am most grateful for are rather small. The sun shining through the clouds unexpectedly can stop be in my tracks with its beauty. The smell of chocolate chip cookies baking can make me smile every time. And of course the thing I am always most grateful for, hugs from my kids. Earn the Thankfulness badge. If you have it already, earn it again. You can never have too much practice being thankful.
To get you started here are a couple of ideas from Katie Lundquist, leader of troop #159
Create a “Thanksgiving Tree” with your troop or family.
- Construction paper in fall colors
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Markers
- Glue stick
How to make Thanksgiving tree:
Cut thanksgiving leaf shapes or handprints out of colored construction paper. Draw a tree trunk and branches on a piece of cardboard or large piece of butcher paper. Ask your friends and family to name things for which they are thankful and write them on each leaf. Glue the leaves. You can pin the thanksgiving tree to a bulletin board, hang up a butcher paper tree as a door cover.
A fun game to teach thankfulness:
There is a fun game I try to play with my kids around their birthdays and Christmas, but its fun whenever. You get gift bags and you go around and find random things around the house to put in them. Then exchange the bags like you would a gift exchange. Everyone has to find at least one or two things about the “gift” that they like. It can get funny, but it can also show that we need to be thankful for everything and it helps get them in the habit of saying ” Thank you for the ______, I really like it because ______.” So if someone gets a toilet paper roll, its “Thank you for this awesome toilet paper roll, I really like it because I can make it into a telescope and I love to explore.” The crazier the better. Its helps them to see the good in everything you get, even if you have to reach deep to figure it out.
New Badge
Book Writing Badge
Girl of the Month – Samara – Troop #541
Troop of the Month – Troop #449 – Nancy Willey: Leader
Frontier Girls Troop 449 recently took donations to Ronald McDonald House Delaware in Wilmington, DE. With the help of the community the troop donated 160,000 pop tabs and items from the wish list. Wish list items included snacks, toilet cleaner, hand sanitizer, crib sheets, towels, and juice boxes. Last year the troop donated 70,000 tabs and we have been challenged to donate 200,000 tabs next year. This is our troops on-going service project.
PJ Drive – Make a Difference Project
Genisis Jimenez of Frontier Girls Troop #531 is organizing a pajama drive with 3 members of Frontiersman Troop #531 for the residents of One Safe Place as her Make a Difference Project. One Safe Place is a local shelter for those affected by domestic violence. Genisis knows what a comfort it is to receive comfortable clean pajamas to sleep in at night and says that she wants to help provide that comfort for the children and adults at the shelter. Many women and children reach the shelter with few personal belongings and a new, clean pair of pajamas can help when sleeping in a strange place.
In addition to collecting new pajamas to donate, Genisis has coordinated with the local Fashion Alliance to sew new pajama sets as well. She is collecting fabric and elastic and holding “pajama parties” throughout the month of November to sew as many sets as they can. While this is a local project, if you would like to help out, the donation page specifically for the PJ drive on the One Safe Place website is: http://ospshasta.org/donate-to-pajamadrive
Liberty Award
2020 has been one of the most contentious election years in modern history. This is a great time to teach kids about our country’s history, our elections and our constitution. To earn the Liberty Award you must earn the following five badges at your current level:
- U.S Constitution
- U.S. History
- Elections
- U.S. Government
- Patriotism
All-in-One Troop Websites and Badge Tracking
Frontier Girls has partnered with TroopTrack, an all-in-one space to track all your troop functions from calendaring, achievement tracking, events, RSVPs, newsletters, attendance, money accounts, finances, member management, chat, fundraising and more! And TroopTrack’s mobile app allows you to manage your group from anywhere.
TroopTrack has over 15 years of experience providing scouting organizations with amazing scouting software that takes the hassle out of managing your scout group. One tool does it all. Whether you are a leader, parent, webmaster, treasurer, advancement chair, or any other member. TroopTrack saves money, headache, and most importantly time.
Troop Track is not affiliated with Frontier Girls, but is a wonderful supplemental product that works great for our program. They offer a free 30 day trial if you want to test them out! Available today, visit TroopTrack.com to get started.
Free Technology Seminars for Girls
TechGirlz, is a nonprofit organization that runs free workshops for middle school girls on creating websites, games, apps, movies, and
robots. This is a great resource for girls interested technology. Seminars cover everything from coding and creating websites, to the engineering behind roller coasters or photography for marketing. Check them out at www.techgirlz.org
Here is a list of their upcoming seminars. You can register for free online. All Virtual Events are Scheduled/Run in Eastern Time.
Python Programming
November 7th from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Create your own game using Python!
Make a Website Using HTML/CSS
November 10th from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Build a website using code!
Solving Genetic Mysteries
November 11th from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Use technology to explore inherited traits and create a genetic family tree!
Engineering and Roller Coasters
November 21st from 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Get ready for the ride of your life! Design and build a roller coaster!
Find Answers Fast with NoSQL Databases like MongoDB
November 24th from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Become a game show contestant & buzz in with the data you find!
Introduction to JavaScript
November 28th from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Learn How to Make your Website Pop!
Lights, Camera, Action: Storytelling and Video Production
December 2nd from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Be a filmmaker for the day: Produce and edit your own video!
Pay it Forward: Being Smart and Keeping Your Money Safe
December 5th from 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Learn about electronic payments and financial technologies!
Build Your Own Voice App with VoiceFlow
December 12th from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Teach Alexa and Google Assistant new tricks!!
You Can Be a Photographer: Photography for Marketing
December 12th from 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Create a professional looking ad using free photo editors!
You Can Code!
December 19th from 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Learn the basics of drag and drop coding! Puzzles and games!