Brownies activity help

[mackmama]

I am helping a friend with a 6yo girl's troupe similar to Brownie's but no badges, etc. We will be going on a short hike with a bunch of 6yo girls to to a lake. We need to plan some sort of activity at the lake once we get there for about 15 girls. Any ideas? We can't go in the lake itself, and it will be cold.

[sariana]

Something with a compass or sundial?

Making lanyards.

A quiz/game on the 10 essentials for hiking.

Scavenger hunt or Bingo-type game with local flora (and maybe fauna?).

[anonomom]

I think the Brownies have a tradition similar to geocaching -- they call it letterboxing. There's a badge, IIRC. You could check to see if there are any letterboxes there.

Go on a bug hunt (fulfills a requirement for the Bugs badge)

Have each kid teach the others a game to play (fair play badge)

Have them make up a song about being a Brownie (I think that's part of the Girl Scout Way badge).

[sariana]

Question though--wouldn't 6-year-olds be Daisies? I don't mean to nitpick, but the badge requirements are different depending on their level.

[elephantmeg]

If these are indeed brownies (not daisys which I think 6 yo should be) we did the brownie bug badge and the brownie hiking badge. Both of those work well for outdoor activities and allow them to earn badges. They can make swaps while they are there. We handed out tiny plastic bags (the 1"x1") and had tiny tags that said Hike and the place/date and people selected a tiny souvenir (rock, acorn etc-nothing alive). A snack. Hand warmers (that you can buy near hunting supplies) are a big hit if it is cold.

[mackmama]

The group is just similar to Brownie's so no formal badges, etc. I don't know too much about it - I'm just sourced with coming up with an idea for the activity. Appreciate any more ideas!

[sariana]

I would try Googling Brownie hiking badge. You should get some hits from people who have posted activities they have done. If you're on Pinterest, you'll get a lot of ideas. (I'm not, so I can't ever look at those, but a lot of the hits I get are Pinterest postings.) I look at what other people have done and then adapt it so that it works for my troop. Even though your group isn't officially a Brownie troop, you'll get good ideas from Brownie leaders.

Also check out some National Parks sites. They often have downloadable Junior Ranger (or similar) activity books that might have activities you can use. For example, they often have a page with a picture of people doing various things. The girls would circle things that are good for nature and cross out those that are bad. Even if you don't want to take paper and pencils, the booklets often have suggestions for things to look for or rules for trail hiking and things that you can do orally or as an activity.