Girls love going on adventures with Girl Scouts. Trying new activities, building skills (and memories), and challenging yourself are essential to the Girl Scout experience! But as your girls stretch their boundaries and start planning ALL THE THINGS they want to do this troop year, how do you find out what’s needed for each individual activity? Safety Activity Checkpoints to the rescue!

What are Safety Activity Checkpoints?

Follow this link to a previous post where we answer that question in more detail. Basically? They’re activity guidelines for Girl Scout members where we outline what activities our members can participate in (and cannot participate in) as Girl Scouts. They also go over safety gear, age, and experience requirements, instructor certifications, equipment needed, and more for the individual activities. This is planning GOLD!

So how do you use them?

First we recommend you start with the Activities at a Glance (pg. 19). The activities are organized alphabetically and there’s a handy chart that tells you which age levels can do which activities, if council approval is required, and if instructors have any required certification, experience, and/or verification. Next it’s time to share this list of activities with your girls and see what activities spark their interest.

Let the girls choose a few favorites!

What activities do the girls want to try this year? Once they’ve got a list, head to the entries for those activities and review your checkpoints. What safety gear is required? How should we dress for that activity? When and where can we do this? Will we need an instructor? If experienced instructors are required have the girls help you find partner organizations available in the area who have the right certifications. After all, searching out a suitable location and instructors for recreational tree climbing or wake boarding is part of exploring that activity!

Feeling more prepared for your next Girl Scout adventure? We hope so! There are so many opportunities for awesome experiences for Girl Scouts with Safety Activity Checkpoints. What will your girls try next?