Girl Scouts and the outdoors go together like marshmallows and camp fires. But there’s a huge difference between taking your troop on a ramble around the neighborhood and going on a weekend camping trip in the back country. So how do you know what level of outdoor activity your girls (and you) are ready for? And what’s the best way to help your troop go from outdoor newbies to experienced outdoor women?

GSUSA has a handy step by step chart that will help you and your girls decide what outdoor skills you’ve already mastered and what challenges and adventures you should seek out next!

Where does your troop fit?

Are there members of the troop who are more experienced than others? That’s awesome! Let them take the lead and share their outdoor skills with the rest of the troop by planning (or even leading!) the next hike.

Let them teach other girls (maybe even a leader or two) how to cook in a dutch oven and pitch a tent. This is a great opportunity for girls to learn from other girls in a way that builds confidence and skill for all. Girl-led at its finest!

No outdoor cooking, hiking, or camping experts in your troop?

Don’t despair, we have help! There are national resources like GSUSA’s outdoor YouTube playlist (on topics like outdoor cooking, planning your first camp out, Leave No Trace, and more!), the new outdoor activity ideas on the Volunteer Toolkit, and the outdoor skill-building badges and activities in the Journeys.

Check them out and start outdoor adventure planning with your girls, Girl Scout style! Don’t forget when you use any of the new Daisy and Junior badge activities that have outside activity options (marked by an evergreen tree icon) in the Volunteer Toolkit, to use the embedded survey link to help GSUSA gather feedback on these new resources.

Need some in-person training?

We’ve got you covered with some training workshops and events here in western Ohio! You can learn alongside your girls at program events coming up 2018 like Camp Adventure Weekend at both Camp Whip Poor Will and Camp Rolling Hills and build your skills with your troop! Or you can sign up through Activities for volunteer focused workshops run by experienced facilitators  on topics like:

• Lodge Camp Training where we cover the planning, progression, resources, and sites for using one of our council-properties for a troop overnight. This is also available as a home-study guide at gswo.org/learning!
• Troop Camp Training where we cover the basics of camping in all camp facilities (platform tents, wagons, personal tents) and learn basic outdoor skills like fire building, cooking, knots, knives, Leave No Trace, orienteering with a map and compass, nature activities and more! There are multiple sessions at our camps, so be sure to search our Activity List to find one that fits your schedule.

Are you ready to build skills and go on adventures with your troop? Then it’s time to plan some outdoor activities. Let’s get outside in 2018!