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October 2011

Inside:Savannah Trip .......................................2

Gold Award Recipients ..................... 3

Product Program ................................ 4

Leadership Experience Guide .... 5-7

Girls Speak Out! Contest .................. 8

connectt o y o u r w o r l d

Girl Scouts of GI_28286.indd 1 8/26/11 1:52 PM

Which Pathways are right for you?Which Pathways are right for you?CAMP: Want to learn more about nature and environment? Hike? Bike? Canoe? You can choose to camp by day or overnight all year and - Summer Camp 2012 will be here before you know it!

SERIES: Love dance? Chess? The environment? Lots of other girls do too. Explore your interests together in a way that fi ts your schedule.

EVENTS: Have more than one passion? Maybe horses. And Web design. And photography. You can attend events centered on activities that interest you most.

TRAVEL: Pack your bags. Girl Scouts are going places. Whether it’s a trip across town or around the world, the adventure will stay with you forever. Read about an awesome trip to Savannah on pg. 2!

TROOP: Meet regularly with other girls and share amazing experiences. Make a difference in your community. And the world. And have lots of fun!

JULIETTE: Juliettes are busy, independent, self-confi dent girls who want to be a part of something outstanding - and who registers individually with our council.

It is the Year of the Girl.The choice is yours.

Become who you want to be.Girl Scouts.

You should have received an Events and Activities book in your mailbox. If not, let us know (info@gsiowa.org). Otherwise, go to our website (girlscoutsiowa.org) and download all the opportunities - then register online!

like us - follow us - view us - friend us

Are you looking for some new fashion ideas, or ways to make your budget stretch further? Girl Scouts of the USA has some great information and activities for you!

Here’s a sample of what’s on the Girl Scouts of the USA site:

Enjoy Some Activities: Spruce up your wardrobe for back to school, with minimal environmental impact by:

• Holding a clothing swap• Shopping thrift or vintage• Repurposing current items• Challenging yourself (make your current look new and different)

Take a Quiz: Find out how Green your wardrobe choices are.

Watch Some Videos: See our Storytellers series on women achievers, and fi nd out what girls are doing at camp this year!

Go to this link to fi nd out more: http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/category/teens13_17/

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C O N N E C T

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Girl Scouts in grades 5 - 12 from Sheffi eld, Thornton, and Nora Springs, Iowa made a trip of a lifetime to Savannah, GA this past summer. We asked the adult leader of the trip, Nancy Retz, a few questions about their trip.

How did the idea come about? The idea stemmed from a trip in 2005 when our Service Unit Community went on a similar trip. Many of these girls were Daisies and Brownies when the Service Unit Community went before and, now, as Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors, they were now old enough to travel on this kind of a trip. This was not a council sponsored trip, rather something

that they planned and implemented for themselves.

Who are the girls that went on the trip? Lauren T., Caralyn S., Lindsay J., Lauren M., Sarah R., Caylee C., Amber W., McKanzi M., Megan J., Erika W., Kylie B., Hailey L., Miranda B., Ayla S., Caitlin R.

How did these girls decide to go together on this trip? We are mostly from the same Service Unit Community. We really didn’t have enough girls in any one troop for this kind of a trip. I volunteered to be in charge of the trip. One other leader from Nora Springs used to live in Sheffi eld and went on the trip in 2005 with her older daughter. She wanted her younger daughter to have the same experience so they came along with a friend!

What kind of fundraising did you do? We did LOTS of fundraising – about 18 months worth! We did bake sales, a garage sale, a babysitting day, a car wash, a scrap metal drive, a spaghetti supper, a pancake breakfast, food/pop booths at different community events, and, of course, the girls all participated in the Fall Product and Cookie Programs through the council. We also received a grant from the Juliette Low Birthplace to help four of the girls on their trip to Savannah.

The girls also kept blog entries from their travels. Here are their excerpts (for their full entries with pictures, please download their status document from our website publications page - http://www.girlscoutsiowa.org/gsgi-publications.cfm):

Sunday, 8/7 - (by Lauren, McKanzi, Amber): On Sunday, we went to the beach. The waves were really high. After the beach, we went back to our hotel and got ready for our awesome pizza party. When the pizza party was over, we went swimming.

Monday, 8/8 - (by Lindsay, Megan, Erica): Monday was our fi rst full day in Georgia. In the morning, we rode a trolley around town. We went to the Laurel Grove Cemetery - the place where Juliette Gordon Low (the founder of Girl Scouts) was buried. After we ate lunch, we went to the Andrew Low house, where Juliette’s husband lived...

Tuesday, 8/9 - (by Caitlin, Sara, and Ayla): Tuesday morning, we went to the Birthplace. After the tour, we had a pinning ceremony in the gardens. We were given pins that we can wear on our uniforms, but, you only get them if you visit the Birthplace. After lunch at Blimpie, we went back to the Birthplace for our special interest session, Sisters of the Palette. In this session, we made fans, copper foils, a portfolio, and a clay rose. We each got to sample of ice cream,

taffy, caramel corn, and pralines [at the Candy Kitchen]. After the tour of the Candy Kitchen, we were able to do some shopping there. It was still raining after our tour, so, we took Savannah’s free transportation, the DOT bus, back to the hotel.

Wednesday, 8/10 - (by Kylie, Miranda, Hailey): After breakfast, we got on the bus and went to Old Fort Jackson. While we were there, we were taught the things they needed to do during the Civil War. We even practiced how to shoot a cannon (but we didn’t really shoot it). Then we had lunch at Wild Wings Cafe. After we were done, we walked to the Dolphin Cruise. On the way, there were some of the people on River Street gave us roses that they had made. When we were on the cruise, we saw a lot of dolphins. We got to go behind a shrimp boat where the dolphins and birds went crazy! When we got back from the cruise, we had free time to shop. For supper, we ate at Casbah Moroccan Restaurant. After we were done eating, we learned how to belly

dance. That was very fun! Swimming was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Thursday, 8/11 - (Caylee, Lauren, Caralyn): Today we went to Tybee Island Lighthouse. There we climbed the 178 steps to the top. It was beautiful. Then we took a tour of the Headkeeper’s Cottage. The rooms were really neat! We couldn’t imagine how they could live without air-conditioning! After lunch at Subway, we walked to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. We were able to tour the gallery and look at the fi sh and animals. Then we went

up to the classroom where we got a close look at a snail, crab, and a sand dollar. We were also able to look at several kinds of sand under the microscope. Then we went to the beach. The sand was very hot until we got under the pier. On our way back to the hotel, we were able to stop at a produce stand and buy some fresh Georgia peaches. We were able to swim in the pool one last time and ended our stay in Savannah with supper at the Fiddler’s Crab House.

Savannah,

Savannah,

GeorgiaGeorgia

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More award recipients:

Ronette Bruner, Council Bluffs, IA Christine Moad, Allison, IAKatie Kinley, Council Bluffs, IA Katie Simmons, Mason City, IAMaureen Martin, Council Bluffs, IA Brianna Speedy, Allison, IA

Read more about these Gold Award projects in our October edition of the Volunteer Newsletter (girlscoutsiowa.org).

For more information on our Girl Scout Awards, see page 63 of our Events and Activities book, or check out our website,www.girlscoutsiowa.org. You are encouraged to schedule and attend a “Bronze, Silver, or Gold training (see page 21 in our Events and Activities book - or call your local Leadership Center to schedule).

Did you know? A Girl Scout who has earned her Gold Award automatically rises one rank in any of the U.S. military branches.

Award recipients are being acknowledged upon their own submission of information.

Girl Scouts: Making the World a Better Place

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GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS:Amanda Bonjour, Hampton, IA. Her project: Designed a free healthy lifestyle program at her school to help raise awareness of childhood and adolescent obesity.

Sara Davids, Knoxville, IA. Her project: Sara gave technology lessons to patrons of a local assisted living facility. Her lessons including Internet, email, digital photography, cell phones, and the Wii gaming console.

Lacy Jorgensen, Humboldt, IA. Her project: Lacy chose a canine assisted reading program targeting 2nd and 3rd grade students struggling to read for her Gold Award project and she called it “Reading with Vinnie”.

Leah Nelson, Iowa Falls, IA. Her project: Leah headed the promotion of local clubs in Iowa Falls in a rotational display case at the Historical Society Museum. She also did a scrapbook featuring past and current photos and articles of Iowa Falls Girl Scouts.

Troop #20090, Mason City, IA Area. Their project: These Girl Scouts designed a redecorating project that followed a “Wizard of Oz” theme for the residents at Four Oaks Residential Facility for Youth.

55 Ways to Get Your 55 a DayYou may have heard that you should eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day — which works out to a total of about 2½ cups. But experts actually recommend getting even more than that amount.

There are no limits on the quantities of tasty fruits and veggies you can enjoy — unless, of course, you load ‘em up with butter or dressing, or deep-fry them! But many of us still fi nd it hard to fi t fruit and veggies into our meals.

Here are some ideas to help you get into the 5-a-day (or more!) habit:

• Start with the fi rst meal of the day. Plan to eat a serving or two of fruit with breakfast every day. Mix it up so you don’t get bored. Half a grapefruit, an apple, or a handful of berries on your cereal are all good choices. Orange juice counts too — but only if you drink 100% juice. (Limit juice to 1 or 2 servings a day). Continue this pattern by eating vegetables at lunch and at dinner.

• Get extra energy from fruit or vegetable snacks. The carbo-hydrates in fruit and vegetables are great sources of energy. Combine them with a serving of protein — such as a piece of

cheese, a cup of yogurt, or a tablespoon of peanut butter, and you get staying power too. Ants on a log, anyone?

• Double up on fruit and veggie servings. Recommended serv-ings of fruit and veggies can be small. Unlike other foods, it’s OK to double the serving size of fruit or vegetables. Serve yourself a 1-cup portion of broccoli or tomatoes instead of the standard serving of ½ cup.

• Use fruit and vegetables as ingredients. Enjoy bread? Bake up a batch of zucchini bread and get your veggies along with your grains! Use applesauce instead of oil in your baked goods. Chop up veggies (peppers, carrots, celery) and toss them into your favorite chili recipe. If you don’t like vegetables much, sneak them into foods you do enjoy (like grating car-rots into tomato sauce or, again, zucchini into bread). It’s a great way to get your veggies without having to taste them!

• Try a new fruit, vegetable, or recipe each week. Our bodies like variety. So set a goal to try something different each week. You may fi nd a new favorite. One good way to get variety is to eat the fruit and veggies that are in season in your area. They usually taste better than the bland fruit salad or shriveled apples you’re used to seeing in the cafeteria!

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD - www.kidshealth.org

GOAL SETTING: I set goals for myself and for our troop for both product programs and make a plan to reach them. We track our progress along the way to see how we are doing. We have so much fun working together to reach our goals!

tags: cooperation, team building

DECISION MAKING: I help decide how my troop will spend their earned money. It’s so fun to explore all the possibilities and then make it happen! We plan ahead - this year, we’ll be shadowing legislators, going to Girl Scout horse camp, and traveling to the ocean!

tags: critical thinking, problem solving

MONEY MANAGEMENT: I take orders, fi gure out what customers owe, handle customers’ money, and make sure it all balances at the end. They trust me to keep the fi gures straight and I love the responsibility!

tags: life skills, fi nancial literacy

PEOPLE SKILLS: I learn how to talk and listen to all kinds of people while selling product. I have to know the right style of communication to use while selling. It’s taught me a lot about people and how to communicate!

tags: healthy relationships, confl ict resolution skills

BUSINESS ETHICS: I am honest and responsible during every step of both product programs. Our customers deserve that integrity and I will give them nothing less. I’m proud to say that these values have come from Girl Scouts and will carry over into my career!

tags: positive values, responsibility

Discussion: What is one skill you have gained through participating in the Girl Scout Product Program?

product program + leadership experiences

PRODUCT PROGRAM DIRECTOR:

“Make sure to check out our website for all the dates and information concerning our 2011-2012 Product Programs.”

ABC Bakers will showcase a specially designed 100th Anniversary Shortbread package for the 2011-2012 Girl Scout Cookie Program. What better cookie to highlight than the cookie that started it all! All of the proceeds support Girl Scouting in your local community.

What Can Girl Scout Products Buy?

The Experience of a Lifetime.

Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa

Locations in:Council Bluffs

Des Moines (HQ)Fort DodgeMason CitySioux City

800-342-8389

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(1st theme) it’s your story

the next 100 years...What does the ideal world for girls look like 100 years from now? You get to tell the story. Here are some issues you might want to think about:

• What would the world look like if women held more leadership roles? What kinds of positive changes could be made over the next 100 years?

• How does the media and society treat women and girls? How would you like to see how women and girls are treated change?

• Who inspires you? Is it your mom, your friends, a courageous woman in history? What can she teach us that will help women and girls come together to change things?

• Tell us your own story or the inspiring story of a woman you know and use it to inspire others to do something to create a better world.

• Or come up with your own idea.

me) 10715 Hickman Rd.Des Moines, IA 50322

Leadership Center Locations: Council Bluffs, IA Des Moines, IA Fort Dodge, IA Mason City, IA Sioux City, IA

www.girlscoutsiowa.org

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confi dence and character who make the world a better place.Girl Scouts advance diversity and pluralism in our Movement and in the communities in which we live.

Connect is a publication for Girl Scouts in grades 6-12. It is published four times annually as a service to the girls of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa.

Chair: Martha KroneCEO: Donna Logan, Interim

www.girlscoutsiowa.org

1860 Madison Ave, Ste 3Council Bluffs, IA 51503

712-328-2338800-422-2093

10715 Hickman RoadDes Moines, IA 50322

515-278-2881800-342-8389

112 S 3rd StreetFort Dodge, IA 50501

515-573-814180-798-8141

601 S Illinois Ave.Mason City, IA 50401

641-423-3044800-657-5853

1515 Zenith DriveSioux City, IA 51103

712-255-0187800-746-8947

Girl Scout Mission: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

girlscoutsiowa.org

HOW DOES GIRLS SPEAK OUT! WORK?

The fi rst theme (The next 100 years...) will run through December 2011. You can submit entries and vote for your favorites. Check the homepage in late November for the exact closing date. We’ll announce the Top 5 when voting closes and name a winner in early January. The professionally produced PSA will be ready in early 2012.

In January 2012 we’ll post our next theme, connected to Earth Day: We only have one planet...

Do your part to make the planet a better place to live by making a PSA that asks others to go “green.” Let people know what changes they can make - big or small - add up to keep us all safe and healthy. The professional PSA will be ready in Summer 2012.

In May 2012, we’ll post our third theme: Dear Madame (or Mr.) President...

In November 2012, the USA will hold a Presidential Election. Make a PSA that tells the candidates what your concerns are and why issues that are important to girls should be at the top of their list. The professional PSA will be ready in time for the November 2012 election.

You can submit entries for every theme. Or one. Or two. You choose.

TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED

You can submit your PSA as a video, a photo slideshow with captions or in script format. Think about the best way to get your message across.

Should you come up with a fun character that will help people remember your message? Write a brilliant and catchy slogan that inspires people to repeat it to their friends? What’s the most important thing? Be creative.

http://speakout.girlscouts.org

http://speakout.girlscouts.org