Shoot for the Silver

DD has been working hard on her Silver Award since January. Her troop planned and executed a Field Day on September 11th for younger girls in our service unit. It was a successful day but DD seemed a little "off" when we sat down to finish up the paperwork.

Knowing that she did not put in the required 40 hours for her part in the field day she told me she was not going to finish her award. That made me exceedingly proud but also sad. I never got my Silver Award and I don't want her to miss out on hers. Fortune favors the honest and I found out she has another full year to complete her Silver.

But we won't be taking that long. Because all of the pre-requisites are complete and only the IPs they worked on did not fit the current project idea she has. So we set out to find a new project.

Hearing a report on the radio about how this winter is expected to be especially cold we started talking and bouncing ideas about how to help the homeless in our area. Being a crochet instructor at a craft chain the idea literally hit me as I was walking in the yarn department. I told DD about Warm Up America and asked her if she wanted to learn to crochet.

We decided to finish up a few craft related IPs (Artistic Crafts, Paper Works, and Graphic Communications) she had previously done a majority of the work for and she is now hard at work on her project.

I spent October teaching her basic stitches and she spent it practicing. November 2nd we started our 45 blocks in 45 days challenge. DD has made a goal for herself of one block per day, I set a goal for five. If we both meet our goal we will have enough blocks for 6 blankets.

To come up with more support and share the workload I have put the information on my FaceBook page and my favorite craft forum (AC Moore) I have also offered to teach basic crochet in our home for free, the payment is blocks and donated yarn. DD will be helping with the classes too. She will have well over 40 hours by the time we get together on December 18th to sew the blocks together.

Several of my crafty friends have e-mailed to say they will be sending blocks and one even said she is mailing us a box of yarn.

Girl Scout Silver Award: Go For It!

When I was a Girl Scout (WAY back when the Brontosaurs roamed the Earth) I remember working very hard on my Silver Award. The prep work was extensive. The project daunting, the paperwork seemingly endless. It is good to see somethings remain the same!

DD is working on earning her Silver Award this year. The deadline for her is September 10. Why? She is 14. New guidelines are coming and we have to be done by then.

So I started going over what she needs to accomplish. We already have a project in mind.

But LONG before she gets to that point she must:

STEP 1: GET READY

• Read Go for It! The Girl Scout Silver Award STUDIO 2B insert.
• Meet with advisor and develop a timeline for STEPS 2-4.
• Make an agreement with adult advisor.

STEP 2: GIRL SCOUT SILVER LEADERSHIP AWARD (charm)

• Earn three Interest Project Awards found in Interest Projects for Girls 11-17 related to parts of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
• Earn the STUDIO 2B Focus: uniquely me! The Real Deal charm.
• Put leadership into action: spend 15 hours in a leadership role.
• Use the Go for It! The Girl Scout Silver Award STUDIO 2B insert to keep records and a journal for discussion with advisor.

STEP 3: THE GIRL SCOUT SILVER CAREER AWARD CHARM

• What's Out There?
• Who's Out There?
• Be Your Own Boss—Earn "Your Own Business" Interest Project Award
• Use Go for It! The Girl Scout Silver Award STUDIO 2B insert to "journal it" for discussion with advisor.

STEP 4: THE GIRL SCOUT SILVER 4Bs CHALLENGE CHARM

• Become: Set goals for self-improvement.
• Belong: Earn the charm from the STUDIO 2B Focus book: Looking in, Reaching Out.
• Believe: Identify an issue in school or community that you feel strongly about. Find out more about it. Use your voice to address it.
• Build: Focus on coming up with a solution to address a problem.

Use Go for It! The Girl Scout Silver Award STUDIO 2B insert to "journal it" for discussion with advisor.

Note: Planning hours for the Silver 4Bs Challenge may be applied to the Girl Scout Silver Award hours in STEP 5.

STEP 5: THE GIRL SCOUT SILVER AWARD PROJECT

• Plan It
• Know More About It
• Choose It
• Map It
• Adjust plans if necessary
• Do It! The project should:
• Take approximately 40 hours to complete (including planning time)
• Provide community service, but can be done inside or outside of Girl Scouting.
• Be approved by your leader or advisor.

Note: Permission for any money-earning related to project must be obtained from Girl Scout council.

STEP 6: THINK ABOUT IT

• After reading Go for It! The Girl Scout Silver Award STUDIO 2B insert, evaluate your project with your advisor.
• Optional (check with your council): Submit the Girl Scout Silver Award Final Report to your council and use it as an evaluation guideline.