Category: Thinking Day

Posted in Thinking Day

Jamaican Rice & Trifold Decorations for Girl Scouts Thinking Day- Jamaica!

Posted on by teacherscoutmom

World Thinking Day, formerly Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. … It is a day when they think about their “sisters” (and “brothers”) in all the countries of the world, the meaning of Guiding, and its global impact.” – Wikipedia

Over the past couple of years, our troop received the Philippians, Ghana, and most recently Jamaica.  Troops can go as travelers or set up a booth for a particular country.  Girls do all the research, make costumes, food, swaps and can also learn a dance or  song from the country.  Our girls have learned a lot about Girl Scouts in other countries over the past few years.

This year, the girls and one of our leaders dyed rice to sprinkle on our Jamaica table.  The girls added non-cooked rice in a gallon size Ziplock bag.  Inside the bag, they added a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and a couple of drops of food coloring.  Mix well in the bag and then pour on a cookie sheet to dry (usually takes about an hour.)  Turned out very bright and colorful!

Jamaica Flag Colored Rice for Girl Scouts Thinking Da

The girls also prepared a centerpiece of information about Jamaica.  They used a black trifold board and cut out/wrote facts about the country.

Jamaica Posterboard of facts- Thinking Day Girl Scouts

If you would like to see some of our other Thinking Day posts, please click menu, Thinking Day at the top or click on any of the below posts.

Posted in Thinking Day

Girl Scouts Ghana Thinking Day Table Decorations

Posted on by teacherscoutmom
Ghana, Girl Scouts, Thinking Day
The girls decorated their table with diamonds, gold nuggets and shells

Once the hut and flag were created, it was time to decorate our table.  The girls used table cloths that represented each color of the flag.  In their research, they found out that Ghana was a major producer of diamonds and gold.  So… how do we make decorations with gold nuggets and diamonds?

Diamonds – easy!  A bag of party decorations from Hobby Lobby  fixed this or from Amazon.

Gold Nuggets?  – The girls spray painted rocks with metallic gold paint!

Sea Shells?  – another Hobby Lobby or Amazon find.

 

Facts were next!  The girls wrote their facts that they discovered on colored pieces of paper and glued them on their board.  This board sat directly behind the diamonds, nuggets and shells.

Girl Scouts, Ghana, Thinking Day
Ghana Fact Board

 

Next…. On to our food treat!

Please check out some of our other Ghana Thinking Day posts….

Ghana, Thinking Day, Mud hut, paper mache
Posted in Thinking Day

Girl Scouts Ghana World Thinking Day Hut

Posted on by teacherscoutmom

Our Cadettes wanted to create a version of a mud hut to represent Ghana at our World Thinking Day.

Traveling Girl Scouts could walk into the back of the hut and get their picture made in the window.  There was a small ladder inside so smaller girls could look out the window.

There was room for about 3 girls inside.

Ghana, Thinking Day, Mud hut, paper mache
Our girls created their version of a mud hut – made out of paper mache, cardboard, expanding foam and mud.

 

We started this process with a large cardboard box.  To make it thicker and sturdier, the girls used paper mache and added two layers.

paper mache, Girl Scouts, Ghana, hut
Using paper mache to add two additional layers to the box.

While the paper mache was wet, we used lent and expanding foam to make it look like clumpy mud and give it texture.

paper mache, Girl Scouts, Thinking Day, Ghana
Adding the lent to the box

Once the layers began to dry, the paint came next.  We painted a coat of white primer to the outside and then added some brown and black mixed.  We used spray paint to cover parts of the expanding foam.

For the finishing touches, sticks were added to frame the window and the straw roof was made by cutting up a Hawaiian skirt.  Adding a drum that the girls made and used in their entertainment piece along with the flag completed the hut.  The girls loved it and were quite proud of how it turned out.

Currently the hut is in our garage, but we are thinking about reusing and making into a Gingerbread House for our Christmas parade float.

Please check out some of our other Ghana Thinking Day posts….

Ghana, Thinking Day, Girl Scouts, swap
Posted in Girl Scouts, Thinking Day

Girl Scouts Thinking Day – Ghana Swap Keychain

Posted on by teacherscoutmom

Our Ghana Day Swap was a really neat idea that our other leader created with the girls.  We used shrinky dink paper to draw maps of Ghana in which the girls colored, using the colors of Ghana’s flag.  For those of you who are as clueless as I was, shrinky dink paper is a paper you can buy at Hobby Lobby or Amazon which allows the user to color on the paper, bake it and it shrinks and hardens.

Ghana, Thinking Day, Girl Scouts, swap

One of our girls coloring the shrinky dink paper with colored pencils.

 

 

Once the coloring part was complete, the girls cut each map out and put a nice hole punch on the edge.

 

One of the colored maps.

Finally, they were cut around the edges and baked in the oven.  We followed the directions on the package.  Once removed and cooled, we inserted key rings into the holes.  The result – a cool key chain Ghana map!

Ghana maps after being pulled from the oven.

 

The final product!

Ghana, Thinking Day, Girl Scouts, swap

Please check out some of our other Ghana Thinking Day posts….

Posted in Girl Scouts, Thinking Day

Girl Scouts Thinking Day- Ghana’s Flag

Posted on by teacherscoutmom
Thinking Day, Ghana, Girl Scouts
Our Cadettes painted the Ghana flag for Thinking Day

World Thinking Day is an internationally celebrated holiday for Girl Scouts to remember their international sisters.  It serves as a reminder that the United States is only one part of a global community. Troops from around the council pick a country and then come together to educate other scouts about that country.  The troops research lots and lots of facts, as well as learn certain words from the native language, create an authentic food, and create swaps that represent that country. They then build a booth so other troops can come learn about the awesomeness of that country. 

Our girls have chosen Ghana for their country and have been hard at work painting a flag, making a few different swaps, researching facts and building Adobe houses.

To make the flag above, our Cadettes came up with a great idea to use just basic chart paper and poster board to paint a flag for display at our booth. They taped the two together on the back to make a large flag and then used Apple Barrel Craft paint for the bright colors.

I can’t wait to share more of their finished projects.  Their booth is beginning to come together nicely.

Please check out some of our other Ghana Thinking Day posts….