We know girls love the outdoors!  They’ve proven it time and time again when girls choose outdoor-themed badges when Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has invited girls to vote on new badge topics.  Thanks to their efforts, we have Outdoor Explorer (2015), Art in the Outdoors (2016) and Troop Camping (2017) badges.  So now that the girls’ choice is clear, are you ready to head outside and build your troop’s camping skills? Here’s some information to help you get started.

What is the Troop Camping badge for my troop’s age level?

You can find more information about each badge and its requirements in the Girl Scout Badge Explorer or in the Volunteer Toolkit on My GS, but for a quick visual of what badge goes with what age level, check out the cool graphic below from GSUSA!

Troop Camping Outdoor Program Activities

If camping isn’t your jam or you just want some help figuring out what you’ll need for an awesome troop camping experience, look no further than our council’s program activities.  We’ve got something for every age level led by our awesome outdoor program team and their core staff of knowledgeable volunteers. Here’s a simple overview of what activities our council is offering for these badges in the 2018-2019 troop year.

Buddy Camper

Earn your Buddy Camper badge while playing in nature with your Daisy friends! You’ll hang out with older Girl Scouts to learn what you need to take to go camping, how to help plan a camping trip, have a knot tying race and take a quick hike.  Sessions offered at Camp Rolling Hills (Pleasant Hill) in fall 2018 and Camp Libbey (Defiance), Camp Woodhaven (Lima), and Camp Stonybrook (Waynesville) in Spring 2019.

Cabin Camper

Camping is an adventure! Join us for a fun day at camp while you work on your Cabin Camper badge. You’ll get to interview some experienced campers, try out some camping gear, help prepare a camp snack, practice fire building, learn some basic knots and go on a hike while practicing trail signs. Sessions offered at Camp Rolling Hills (Pleasant Hill) in fall 2018 and Camp Libbey (Defiance), Camp Woodhaven (Lima), and Camp Stonybrook (Waynesville) in Spring 2019.

Eco Camper

Girl Scouts always leave a place better than when they find it, even when camping. You’ll spend the day learning about minimal impact camping and how to protect the environment on your outdoor adventures! You’ll learn about the Leave No Trace principles and how to recycle a pizza box into a solar cooker. You’ll build on your knot tying skills and take a conservation hike. Sessions offered at Camp Rolling Hills (Pleasant Hill) in fall 2018 and Camp Libbey (Defiance), Camp Woodhaven (Lima), and Camp Stonybrook (Waynesville) in Spring 2019.

Primitive, Adventure, Survival

This outdoor-skill-based event prepares girls to set up their own campsites and helps prepare them for future overnight trips such as backpacking, canoe tripping, and longer camping trips to more remote campsites. Skills include using various camp stoves, hatchets, and bowsaws, purifying water, learning specialized knots, mastering map and compass, lashing, fire building with flint and steel and so much more. CSA girls will complete a majority of the Primitive Camper, Adventure Camper, or Survival Camper badge, depending on grade level. Sessions offered at Myeerah Nature Preserve (Bellefontaine) and Camp Rolling Hills (Pleasant Hill) in fall 2018 and Camp Stonybrook (Waynesville) and Camp Libbey (Defiance) in spring 2019.

For more information on dates, locations, cost, and registration head to GSWO Activities. Fall 2018 activity registration is currently open and 2019 activity registration opens in November.

So now that you know what we’ve got planned, who’s down for learning some troop camping skills with our outdoor program staff? We hope lots of you are! Sign your troop up at GSWO Activities.