2
..................................................................................................
What Program Aide Training is ........................................................................................ 3
Requirements for program Aide ..................................................................................... 3
..............................................................................................................
LiA ...................................................................................................... 4-6
LiA ..................................................................................................... 7-9
LiA ................................................................................... 10-12
............................................................................................................. 1
Schedule and Timing .................................................................................................... 13
Supplies Needed .......................................................................................................... 13
............................................................................1
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 14
What is a Cadette Program Aide? ................................................................................... 14
The Leader In You ......................................................................................................... 15
Giving Clear Instructions ............................................................................................... 16
Understanding the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) ......................................... 17
Girl Development ......................................................................................................... 18
Hints For Beginning Song Leaders .................................................................................. 19
Group Dynamics ..................................................................................................... 20-21
Hints For Beginning Game Leaders ................................................................................22
Journeys ..................................................................................................................... 23
High-Quality Experiences........................................................................................ 24-25
Personalization ........................................................................................................... 25
Safety ......................................................................................................................... 26
Wrap Up and Evaluation ................................................................................................27
................................................................................................................ 28
Girl Development Role Play Cards............................................................................. 28-31
Mindset Cards ........................................................................................................ 32-33
Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 35-36
3
When girls guide or teach others, they act as mentors. An exciting part of a Girl Scout‘s
leadership development, teen mentoring is a win-win proposition. As teen mentors, Girl
Scout Cadettes, gain experience by sharing skills, testing knowledge, and trying out new
leadership roles. For the girls being mentored, it means a chance to be with and learn from
teens – some of their favorite people!
Cadettes who earn the Program Aide mentoring award are given a special opportunity to
serve as champions for the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. As they serve in their roles,
they can help make people aware of Girl Scouting‘s g to deliver fun with purpose: enjoyable
and challenging activities that help girls‘ leadership in their daily lives and in the world.
As you facilitate the Cadette Program Aide training you will frame your efforts in the context
of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, which engages girls in discovering themselves,
connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place. Throughout the
training you will engage the girls in understanding the three keys to leadership, explore how
the Leadership Experience relates to everyday life, and inspire girls to think about ways to
serve as leaders in the world. The more teens consciously step into the Girl Scout Leadership
Experience, the more they will want to encourage younger girls to think for themselves as
leaders as well.
To earn the Cadette Program Aide, a sixth-, seventh-, or eigth-grade girl must:
Register as a member of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Complete the LiA award to taking a Council-approved Program Aide training.
LiA is the prerequisite for Program Aide. Pre means before and requisite means
required. This means that the LiA be completed prior to attending Program
Aide training.
Take a Council-approved Program Aide training prior to assuming their
responsibilities.
Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. This might be assisting
girls on Journey activities (in addition to work she did toward her LiA award), badge
activities, or general Girl Scout activities. She might work with a group at their
meeting, day camps, or during a special council event.
4
This is for the Cadette Girl Scout (Grades 6-8) who wants to earn the LiA Award for
journey as the prerequisite to the Program Aide training. Yes – it must be completed prior to
Program Aide training.
(Note: This is just one of three LiA awards to choose from. Girls must choose the one that is right for
them and the troop they are working with.)
Find a Brownie Troop to work with. If the Brownies in your area are not currently
working on the journey – see if one would be willing to do part of it with you
anyway!
Talk to the Troop Leader and find out what they are doing and their likes and
dislikes.
Set up a few meetings with the Brownie Troop. If their meeting times don’t match
up with your schedule, ask if they would be willing to do a few special meetings that do
work! Do the following with them:
Do a team building activity with the girls. Give your own tips for working as a team to
help them with their teamwork and work with them to create their own Team
Agreement.
Lead a fun activity that helps the girls discover the talents and qualities of everyone in
the group. Create a poster or display that can be posted and referred to throughout
the journey.
Get the girls moving or talking about healthy eating – show them your favorite
stretches and how to stretch properly OR bring healthy ingredients to make a healthy
snack with the girls OR bring some music and have a quick dance session.
Talk to brownies about what it has meant to care about others. Talk with them and see
if they have ideas to show their families that they care about them and want to see
them healthy.
Get feedback from the adult. Ask what went well and what you might change in
the future.
Reflect on what you did. Answer the following questions to yourself:
How did you help girls connect with others?
What special skill or quality did you discover about yourself when leading Brownies?
What is challenging about connecting with girls or adults?
5
Teambuilding activities you can use if you do not have any ideas of your own:
Materials: One 10‖ round balloon for every two participants
Play: The group is divided into pairs, and each pair is given a balloon. Each pair tries to
pop their balloon using both persons‘ bodies. No hands or feet are allowed.
Play: The entire group sits in a circle. Everyone must look down at his or her feet.
Instruct them that when they look up, they must look at one (and only one) person.
They must copy whatever that person does. Count to three; then, everyone should
look up and start copying. Continue until everyone gets too silly.
Materials: The bean bags, two group members
Play: The group sits in a circle. One person is ‗it‘ and places a bean bag on her head.
‗It‖ walks around the group with the bean bag on her head and holding the other bean
bag. ‗It‘ places the second bean bag on another girl‘s head. That player then tries to
tag ‗it‘. Neither person is allowed to hold the bean bag on his/her head. If the bean bag
falls, she must stop and place it back on his/her head. If the second player tags ‗it‘,
then ‗it‘ will remain ‗it‘ for another turn. ‗It‘ tries to make it to the second person‘s chair
or spot. If ‗it‘ does make it to the chair or spot, then the second person becomes ‗it‘.
Materials: 1 or more hula hoops
Play: The group forms a circle holding hands. Have two members drop hands and
place a hula hoop around one of their arms; have them link hands again. The group is
then to try to move the hula hoop all the way around the circle without letting go of
each other‘s hands.
Variations: Two hula hoops can be used in opposite directions.
Play: All players must hop up and down like popcorn at all times. Start with one ‗it‘.
‗It‘ hops around trying to tag pieces of popcorn. When ‗it‘ tags someone, they join
hands, forming an ‗it‘ chain. Continue playing until everyone has become part of the ‗it‘
chain.
Materials: Several tin cans of different sizes (make sure to tape the cut edge)
Play: Group sits on the ground in a circle. They must pass a tin can around the group
using only their feet and not letting the can touch the ground. If the can touches the
ground, it starts back at the beginning of the group.
Variations: For an added challenge, more than one can should be passed around the
group going in different directions.
6
Team skills and talents activity:
Say something about discovering all of the skills and talents and qualities each
member of the team brings to the Brownie Quest. Instruct the girls to toss the
ball around the circle and when they catch it they should say their name and
one special skill or talent or quality they have. They will have the chance to say
more when they catch the ball again. Start the ball yourself to give an example
like: My name is _______ and I have a lot of energy, so I never give up!
Have someone record what the girls say so you can create a poster or visual of
the teams talents, skills, and qualities.
Say something about discovering all of the skills and talents and qualities each
member of the team brings to the Brownie Quest. Have girls think of a talent or
skill that they possess. When it is their turn, have each girl act out the talent,
skill, or quality while the rest of the group guesses what it is.
Have someone record what the girls act out so you can create a poster or
visual of the teams talents, skills, and qualities.
7
This is for the Cadette Girl Scout (Grades 6-8) who wants to earn the LiA Award for
journey as the prerequisite to the Program Aide training. Yes – it must be completed
prior to Program Aide training.
(Note: This is just one of three LiA awards to choose from. Girls must choose the one that is
right for them and the troop they are working with.)
Find a Brownie Troop to work with. If the Brownies in your area are not
currently working on the journey – see if one would be willing to do
part of it with you anyway!
Talk to the Troop Leader and find out what they are doing and their likes
and dislikes.
Set up a few meetings with the Brownie Troop. If their meeting times don’t
match up with your schedule, ask if they would be willing to do a few special
meetings that do work! Do the following with them:
Do a team building activity with the girls. Give your own tips for working as a
team to help them with their teamwork.
Get the girls moving – show them your favorite physically active game, dance or
exercise and have them do it too.
Talk with the Brownies about how stories in the media send messages to girls and
ask how it makes them feel (think about how toys are marketed to girls in the
media). Talk with them and see if they think how girls are shown in media of
advertisements is true, do all girls play with pink toys? Share stories about real girls
and women that you know and what they like to do.
Have the girls tell their own story through art – any kind you like.
Get feedback from the adult. Ask what went well and what you might
change in the future.
Reflect on what you did. Answer the following questions to yourself:
How did you connect to the girls?
How did your leadership help the girls take action to create a change in their
community?
What did you discover about yourself when leading Brownies?
8
There are a lot of advertisements for toys for girls that are stereotypes. Do girls need to love
the color pink? Do girls need to practice being a princess, being the cook of the house, taking
care of babies, ironing and housework, or being beautiful? What are girl toy advertisements
telling us? What would you like to see advertised to girls? What would they?
Teambuilding activities you can use if you do not have any ideas of your own:
Materials: One 10‖ round balloon for every two participants
Play: The group is divided into pairs, and each pair is given a balloon. Each pair tries to
pop their balloon using both persons‘ bodies. No hands or feet are allowed.
Play: The entire group sits in a circle. Everyone must look down at his or her feet.
Instruct them that when they look up, they must look at one (and only one) person.
They must copy whatever that person does. Count to three; then, everyone should
look up and start copying. Continue until everyone gets too silly.
Materials: The bean bags, two group members
Play: The group sits in a circle. One person is ‗it‘ and places a bean bag on her head. ‗It‖
walks around the group with the bean bag on her head and holding the other bean bag.
‗It‘ places the second bean bag on another girl‘s head. That player then tries to tag ‗it‘.
Neither person is allowed to hold the bean bag on his/her head. If the bean bag falls,
she must stop and place it back on his/her head. If the second player tags ‗it‘, then ‗it‘
will remain ‗it‘ for another turn. ‗It‘ tries to make it to the second person‘s chair or spot.
If ‗it‘ does make it to the chair or spot, then the second person becomes ‗it‘.
9
Materials: 1 or more hula hoops
Play: The group forms a circle holding hands. Have two members drop hands and
place a hula hoop around one of their arms; have them link hands again. The group is
then to try to move the hula hoop all the way around the circle without letting go of
each other‘s hands.
Variations: Two hula hoops can be used in opposite directions.
Play: All players must hop up and down like popcorn at all times. Start with one ‗it‘. ‗It‘
hops around trying to tag pieces of popcorn. When ‗it‘ tags someone, they join hands,
forming an ‗it‘ chain. Continue playing until everyone has become part of the ‗it‘ chain.
Materials: Several tin cans of different sizes (make sure to tape the cut edge)
Play: Group sits on the ground in a circle. They must pass a tin can around the group
using only their feet and not letting the can touch the ground. If the can touches the
ground, it starts back at the beginning of the group.
Variations: For an added challenge, more than one can should be passed around the
group going in different directions.
10
This is for the Cadette Girl Scout (Grades 6-8) who wants to earn the LiA Award for
journey as the prerequisite to the Program Aide training. Yes – it must be
completed prior to Program Aide training.
(Note: This is just one of three LiA awards to choose from. Girls must choose the one that is
right for them and the troop they are working with.)
Find a Brownie Troop to work with. If the Brownies in your area are not currently
working on the journey – see if one would be willing to do part
of it with you anyway!
Talk to the Troop Leader and find out what they are doing and their likes and
dislikes.
Set up a few meetings with the Brownie Troop. If their meeting times don’t match
up with your schedule, ask if they would be willing to do a few special meetings that do
work! Do the following with them:
Do a fun activity with the girls that teaches something about Earth’s air or water.
Do a team building activity or game with the girls. Give your own tips for working as
a team to help them with their teamwork.
Get the girls thinking about caring for their body and the Earth – exercise with
hydration OR teach a nutrition lesson, talk about what the body needs to thrive.
Talk about what the Earth needs to thrive.
Share the line of the Girl Scout Law that you are trying to live our in your life right
now. Tell them what you are doing and ask them to pick a line that they are living
out to share with you.
Get feedback from the adult. Ask what went well and what you might change in
the future.
Reflect on what you did. Answer the following questions to yourself:
What did you discover about yourself when working with the Brownies?
Why is it important to connect with younger girls?
What did you accomplish on behalf of the Earth by taking action to educate
and inspire Brownies?
11
Air and water activities you can use if you don‘t have ideas of your own:
1. Turn a fan on high setting and watch feathers, scraps of paper, balloons, or ribbon fly
in the air. Talk about how air moves things around the neighborhood.
2. Sing into a fan – How does the wind change the sound of your voice? Talk about air
and sound.
3. Make/decorate Paper airplanes or helicopters. Talk about moving through air.
4. Blow up balloons… see who can blow them up faster. Talk about air pressure.
5. Practice using a straw and blowing through it to move items like a feather or tissue
paper. How about picking small items up with suction? Talk about air propulsion.
1. Wash the leaders‘ car together, talk about water evaporating and where it goes.
2. Fill a tub with water and count cupfuls dumping the water into another tub. Talk about
how much water is used every time you take a bath.
3. Experiment with how much water a towel holds. See if you can find which dishtowel is
the most absorbent (a scale is handy for this). Talk about water absorption.
4. Drop items into a cup and watch what happens do they sink or float? Talk about
buoyancy.
5. Make water prints. Fill a pan with water. Dip your feet in it then run on a sunny sidewalk
and watch what the water evaporate. Talk about evaporation.
Teambuilding activities you can use if you do not have any ideas of your own:
Materials: One 10‖ round balloon for every two participants
Play: The group is divided into pairs, and each pair is given a balloon. Each pair tries to
pop their balloon using both persons‘ bodies. No hands or feet are allowed.
Play: The entire group sits in a circle. Everyone must look down at his or her feet.
Instruct them that when they look up, they must look at one (and only one) person.
They must copy whatever that person does. Count to three; then, everyone should
look up and start copying. Continue until everyone gets too silly.
Materials: The bean bags, two group members
Play: The group sits in a circle. One person is ‗it‘ and places a bean bag on her head.
12
‗It‖ walks around the group with the bean bag on her head and holding the other
bean bag. ‗It‘ places the second bean bag on another girl‘s head. That player
then tries to tag ‗it‘. Neither person is allowed to hold the bean bag on his/her head. If
the bean bag falls, she must stop and place it back on his/her head. If the second
player tags ‗it‘, then ‗it‘ will remain ‗it‘ for another turn. ‗It‘ tries to make it to the second
person‘s chair or spot. If ‗it‘ does make it to the chair or spot, then the second person
becomes ‗it‘.
Materials: 1 or more hula hoops
Play: The group forms a circle holding hands. Have two members drop hands and
place a hula hoop around one of their arms; have them link hands again. The group is
then to try to move the hula hoop all the way around the circle without letting go of
each other‘s hands.
Variations: Two hula hoops can be used in opposite directions.
Play: All players must hop up and down like popcorn at all times. Start with one ‗it‘.
‗It‘ hops around trying to tag pieces of popcorn. When ‗it‘ tags someone, they join
hands, forming an ‗it‘ chain. Continue playing until everyone has become part of the ‗it‘
chain.
Materials: Several tin cans of different sizes (make sure to tape the cut edge)
Play: Group sits on the ground in a circle. They must pass a tin can around the group
using only their feet and not letting the can touch the ground. If the can touches the
ground, it starts back at the beginning of the group.
Variations: For an added challenge, more than one can should be passed around the
group going in different directions.
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
13
1. Introduction (20 minutes)
2. What is a Cadette Program Aide? (10 minutes)
3. The Leader in You (30 minutes)
4. Giving Clear Instructions (15 minutes)
5. Understanding the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
(25 minutes)
6. Break (10 minutes)
7. Girl Development (60 minutes)
8. Song Leading (15 minutes)
9. Group Dynamics (25 minutes)
10. Lunch (30 minutes)
11. Game Leading (15 minutes)
12. Journeys (75 minutes)
13. High Quality Experiences (45 minutes)
14. Break (10 minutes)
15. Personalization (15 minutes)
16. Safety (45 minutes)
17. Wrap Up and Evaluation (15 minutes)
1. Nametags
2. Flip charts/butcher paper
3. Copies of Cadette Program
Aide Activity book
4. Magazines
5. Glue Sticks
6. Pencils
7. Markers
8. Role play cards (conflict
resolution and girl
development)
9. Tape
10. Copies of page 40 and 62 of the
Cadette aMAZE Journey girl
book
11. Girl and adult Daisy, Brownie,
and Junior Journey guides (at
least 1 set per 4 girls)
12. Blank paper for Me and My Girl
Worlds activity
13. Snacks
14. Song List (Optional)
15. Game List (Optional)
14
1. Provide nametags for each girl and adult attending.
2. Introduce yourself and anyone helping you lead the training.
3. Go through the logistics:
Bathrooms
Water fountains
Emergency procedures, etc.
Cell phones on vibrate and away
4. Have the girls play an ice breaker to get to know one another, particularly if they haven‘t worked
together before. Here is an example of an ice breaker you can use:
Desert Island: Announce, ―You‘ve been exiled to a desert island for one year. In addition to
the essentials, you may take one piece of music, one book, and one luxury item you can carry
with you, i.e. not a boat to leave the island! What would you take and why? Allow a few
minutes for the girls to draw up their list of three items, before sharing their choices with the
rest of the group.
At the end of the session girls will be able to describe what their job is as a Program Aide, list
what they cannot do as a Program Aide, describe how to work with adult guides and explain why it is
important for them to be a role model to the girls they are working with.
1. Familiarize the girls with the and .
2. Facilitate a discussion on what girls can and cannot do as a Program Aide. Ask them why some of
these rules might be in place.
3. Review . Ask girls to describe about previous experiences working
with adults. Provide opportunities for other girls to suggest how situations might have been handled
differently.
4. Review Pages in their book. Discuss why it is important to be a role model for the
girls you are working with.
15
At the end of this session girls will be able to describe themselves as leaders in their lives and in
the world.
1. Review page in the girl book. This is the girl‘s opportunity to show what being a
leader means to them. Have them choose one of the activities below to visually or verbally depict
what being a leader means to them.
Have girls create a ―me as a Leader‖ collage by making a picture that represents them using
cut outs from magazines of their leadership qualities.
Have girls write about their leadership qualities through a poem or story in their book.
2. Facilitate a discussion about leadership allowing time for each girl to describe her leadership
qualities. Some questions to consider asking:
Are leaders all the same?
What are some of the characteristics that leaders have?
If your action inspires
others to dream more,
learn more, do more,
become more, you are a
leader.
John Adams
16
At the end of this session girls will know the importance of giving clear instructions when leading.
1. Discuss how it feels to be in a situation where you do not understand the instructions that someone
is giving you. Ask for a few examples.
2. Start the origami folding activity (it is making a cootie catcher)
Give all of the girls a piece of paper.
Begin reading instructions but do not show diagrams or examples or give tips. Once they are
thoroughly confused, stop and brainstorm ways you could have been more clear
instructions. Do it again with their ideas in place and discuss the difference.
17
At the end of this session girls will know what it means when we say Girl Scouting is about helping girls
be leaders in their daily lives and in the world. Specifically, Cadettes will be able to identify the three keys to
leadership and explain what leadership means to them and what it could mean to the younger girls they will work
with.
1. Split the girls into small groups. Give each group a piece of paper.
2. Review the 15 Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes for the three keys of leadership – discover, connect,
and take action.
3. Using the as a model, have the girls list as many activities as they can
think of in each key category on how Cadettes would gain the experience, giving only 10 minutes to
finish. Then do the same for the Daisy level.
3. Choose a group to state their answers and any groups that have the same answer should cross them
out – including the group reading. Go through the answers of each group to end up with only unique
answers. Correct any answers that do not fit the category. Have them fill in the chart in their book with
their favorite answers.
4. Wrap up with discussion about how all activities can be modified to reach an outcome.
18
At the end of this session girls will know what to expect from younger girls as they develop
physically and emotionally. They will understand that younger girls‘ needs, interested, and capabilities
change. Program Aides will begin to think about how younger girls could be leaders in their lives based on
their developmental characteristics. Additionally, they will be able to use growth mindset praise to
compliment younger girls in their efforts.
1. Have the girls split into groups and review one of the pages in their book. Have
each group (Daisy, Brownie, Junior) report back on the characteristics of their grade level.
2. Role-play typical troop, series, and camp scenarios that could occur between Program Aides and
younger girls. Have girls discuss and describe how their interactions with younger girls will change
with different developmental stages.
Handout role play cards (included in back of this packet) to small groups and allow them 5
minutes to figure out how they would role play their scenario. Give each group a few minutes
to share their role play with the whole group.
3. Review page in their books.
4. Explain that when girls are giving praise to younger girls (and their peers) they should use what is
called growth mindset praise.
Growth mindset praise focuses on praising girls for three things: effort, strategies, and
seeking help.
By using growth mindset praise you will help girls learn to take on more challenges, be more
interested in learning, and want to work hard to succeed.
The next activity will allow girls to practice deciding whether an activity is growth mindset
praise or not.
Have girls get into groups of 2-3. Hand each group a package of cards. Have the girls split the
cards into 2 piles. One that is growth mindset praise and one that is not. Remember that
growth mindset praise is focused on effort, strategies and seeking help.
Debrief the activities with the girls. Were any of the cards harder to place than others? Why?
What are some of the troop, series, or camp examples you could use?
Have girls write examples on the praise page of their booklet.
19
At the end of this session, girls will know the basics of leading songs with younger girls.
Walk the girls through the song leading basics below and then have them lead a few songs as if they are
teaching you for practice.
In song leading, you do not need to have a fabulous singing voice that is ready for the stage. Girls
love singing and they really do not care if you are good or not. They just want to sing along. That
being said, it is important to know the words of a song before you begin teaching it. Practice,
practice, practice!
Choose the song carefully as you are a role model and it should be appropriate for the age group you
are working with as well as the setting.
Basic Song Leading:
Sing the song first, without any actions if they are part of the song, while the girls are listening.
Then sing the song one line at a time, and have the girls sing that line back to you like an echo.
Be sure to sing it clearly and maybe even slow it down a little.
If the song has actions to it as well, teach the actions line by line.
Then sing the song through as a group (with actions if they are part of the song).
Tips for Song Leaders:
If you ask girls what song they want to sing, they may come up with ones you have never
heard of and cannot lead. Start out with you choosing the songs. You can give more girl
choice if you give them a few to choose from that you intend to lead. As you get really into
singing and have sung a bunch of songs, you can let girls come up to lead ones that they
know.
Girls who have been to programs and camps may know songs in a different version than you
are used to. That is okay. There are many versions of the same song being sung all over the
world.
Examples of traditional Girl Scout Songs:
Make New Friends
Brownie Smile Song
G for Generosity
20
At the end of this session girls will have an increased ability to manage groups effectively.
Program Aides will begin to think about how they can be leaders in the world as they spend time with groups
of younger girls.
1. Have the girls think about the twists and turns of relationships with other people as they complete
the maze in their workbook.
2. Discuss friendship obstacles in the Journey on page 40 and 41. Ask girls: How might these
obstacles affect how you behave in a group? What obstacles might the younger girls face?
Create a graffiti sheet of obstacles. On one side have the girls describe obstacles that they
might face at their age and then on the other side have them describe obstacles younger girls
might face.
How do they compare?
3. Discuss conflict resolution strategies from , Conflict Resolution: I Can Do It!,
page 63. Have the girls break into small groups and role play using I Statements to resolve conflicts.
21
4. Using the pages in the girls‘ books introduce group management techniques for a
variety of situations. Give girls an opportunity to practice those techniques.
22
At the end of this session, girls will know the basics of leading games with younger girls.
1. Go over the ―Hints For Beginning Game Leaders‖ listed in the girl book.
a. Why Games Are Used In Girl Scouting
b. How To Get Ready To Teach Games
c. How To Teach Games
2. Play a short game to demonstrate how to lead a game.
a. Get Acquainted Game
Zig Zag: One person stands in the center and points to someone in the circle and says ‗zig‖
and then counts to ten. If ―Zig‖ gives the name of the person on her right before ten is
reached, then the center person must try again. ―Zag‖ is the person on her left.
b. Quiet Game
Poor Kitty: Children are seated in a circle. One child in the center of the circle is on all fours
and is the kitty. Kitty creeps to a child who must pat the kitty and say ―poor kitty‖ three times
without smiling. Kitty tries to get the other to smile. When she succeeds they can change
places.
c. Active Game
The Midnight Game: Sheep are in a safety circle or fold at one end of the field of play. The fox
has a den at the opposite corner. The fox roams out looking for food. Sheep wander out for
grass, coming as near the fox as they dare or desire, asking her all the time, ―What time is it?.
They are safe at all hours except when the fox says ―Midnight,‖ then they scamper to the
safety circle unless tagged on the way. The one tagged becomes the fox.
23
At the end of this session, girls will know that leadership journeys are a key part of the GSLE, that
a journey is a coordinated series of activities grouped around a theme, and that each journey is tied to Girl
Scouts‘ 15 national outcomes. Specifically, Program Aides will be able to facilitate journey activities with
younger girls.
1. Have girls become familiar with a Journey for Daisies, Brownies, or Juniors. Use Adult Guides as a
starting point for activities.
Divide the girls into teams to lead activities with the group, using any of the nine adult Journey
books.
Have the girls review the book and be able to describe the theme of the book and the awards
that the girls can earn if they complete the journey.
Have the girls select several activities from the Journeys that they might want to facilitate
with younger girls (example below).
Help girls develop a plan for facilitating those activities.
Have the teams present on their plans.
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At the end of session, girls will understand that not only are the activities they facilitate with girls
important, but how they engage is important in creating a high-quality experience. Specifically, Program
Aides will be able to identify the three processes and explain how to use them with younger girls.
1. Review the pages in the girls‘ book. Discuss the three processes and what
they mean as well as how they fit with the three keys we already know to create a high-quality
experience.
2. Give girls an opportunity to experience two Journey activities (see descriptions below) that they
could facilitate with younger girls. Once they have completed the activities, debrief using the
following questions as a start:
What happened in this activity?
How did the girl-led, cooperative learning and learning by doing processes come through?
How does this help girls now?
How does it help girls in the future?
1. Give each person a sheet of paper and markers. Have them draw a circle that takes up most of the
paper. Tell them the circle stands for their world.
2. Tell each girl to divide their circle into quarters. In each quarter of the circle, ask them to draw one of
the groups of girls or women who are a part of their world. (Possible groups: Girl Scouts, girls and
women in your family; girls and women at your school‘ girls on the bus; girls in an after-school activity
– soccer or dance).
3. After they have drawn their four groups, invite each person to choose one and explain to the others
in their small group what she likes about it and how she feels when she‘s in this group.
1. Explain to the girls that a mural is a big picture that tells a story. Usually it is so big that it covers a
whole wall! We will be using butcher paper to make our mural of a bald eagle.
2. Invite each girl to use the art materials on hand to make a part of a bald eagle. For instance have one
girl make one eye, have another make another one, have someone make the beak, etc.
3. As the girls are making their eagle part, remind them that eagles build the largest nests in North
America. Explain that as the complete the journey they will be building a small nest during their next
Daisy time together. We are going to call these nests our All About Me Nests, because they will hold
all the things you know and learn about caring for yourself.
25
4. Ask the girls:
What do you have in your lives now that is like a nest (your home, room, etc.)
What is your ―nest‖?
Do you have any ideas for how you want to make and decorate your nests?
At the end of this session girls will know how they can infuse their personal passions into their
work with younger girls.
2. Have the girls pair up and interview each other using the page in their book.
3. Once they have identified their spark(s) have them brainstorm as a group how they might use their
sparks as they are working as program aides.
4. Share with girls the types of Program Aide opportunities available through the council. They
determine where their skills and interests best align with council and service unit needs for Program
Aides.
At the end of this session girls will be able to apply the 12 Safety Standards to activities they
facilitate with younger girls.
1. Introduce girls to the in the girl book. These guidelines
are an overview of the 12 most important safety tips to follow. The guidelines are general and every
Girl Scout leader must follow them regardless of the activity their girls are participating in. Some of
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the rules are for physical safety and some are for emotional safety. Both are important to the girls
we work with. Safety rules are followed because we need to return the girls that we work with to their
families whole and enriched without injury to them in any way.
2. Look over the activity specific in the girl book and explain to the girls that
there are many more checkpoints online. When they are planning an activity they should go online
and search for the Safety Activity Checkpoint that applies to their activity. For practice, we are using
the four that are sampled in their book. It is important to note that if the Safety Activity Checkpoint
says that something is not recommended, it means DO NOT DO IT.
3. In small groups have girls design an activity that involves swimming, horseback riding, or arts and
crafts that they would like to facilitate with younger girls. Each group can choose the topic and
design their own activity.
4. Have the girls apply the 12 Safety Standards to the activity they have planned, as well as the safety
checkpoints. Do they need to make changes to the activity?
5. Have them share out their plan with the rest of the group and cite the safety checkpoints that they
have followed.
6. Host a discussion for girls to talk about their roles in helping to keep younger girls safe emotionally
and physically. Give the girls the time to discuss why it is important.
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At the end of this session girls will be able to describe what they learned through the day,
evaluate the program they attended, and describe next steps for working as a Cadette Program Aide.
1. Have girls work in small groups to list what they have learned. Have the groups share out making one
master list.
2. Have the girls complete the Cadette Program Aide Evaluation.
3. Remind the girls that to complete their Cadette Program Aide they must work directly with younger
girls over six activity sessions. This might be assisting girls on Journey activities (in addition to work
she did toward her LiA award), badge activities, or general Girl Scout activities. She might work with a
group at their meeting, day camps, or during a special council event.
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You have been trying to explain
directions to a group of Daisies who
have just finished eating a snack and
they are starting to squirm around and
asking questions before you can finish
instructions.
You want the group of Daisies you are
working with to learn and understand
one of the Girl Scout laws that you have
been working on. You instruct them to
write out the law on a poster that they
will take home to post on their wall to
see every day. The girls all need help
spelling words and many have only
written out part of it and then started
coloring on the paper.
You instructed a group of Daisies to
clean up the messes around their seat
after an activity, and then pick up the
trash around the room and separate the
recycling into the recycle bin and the
trash into the trash bin, and then put
their chairs away and sweep the floor,
and then gather all of their stuff and
bring their adult to you to check out
before they can leave. The girls pick up
everything around their chairs and
throw it all in the trash can leaving the
stuff on the table for you to clean up
and start to walk out with their parents
and leaders.
You gave out instructions on an art
project to a group of Brownies and said
that they only had 20 minutes to finish
the project before they had to wrap it
up and clean up to move on to the next
thing. You gave warnings as the time
was getting close to ending. When the
20 minutes were up, you had a number
of girls that were not complete in their
project as they took much longer than
you anticipated to work on it. They are
upset because they are not done and
you are saying you need to move
forward.
29
You are working with a group of
Brownies for the first time and you start
out the group instructions with a fun
game to get to know them. Some of the
girls ask when you are going to do the
flag ceremony and other girls ask when
they are going to eat snack. You had not
prepared a flag ceremony or snack and
look to their troop leader for help and
guidance. She says that they always do
the flag ceremony first and say the
promise and law and then have snack
before they start activities since it is
right after school and they are always
hungry. You did not know that because
you were so busy planning the activity
that you did not think to ask how the
normal meeting works.
You are working with a group of
Brownies and have them sitting at
tables coloring a picture of a parrot for a
pirate theme. They finish and then you
start them into another activity that
they must design their own pirate ship
drawing. By the third activity of making
their own eye-patches, a bunch of the
Brownies are looking bored and some
are starting sword fights out of rolled up
paper drawings.
You have instructed a group of
Juniors to draw a picture of a water
bottle that you have brought along as an
example as they make recycling posters
for a service project they are about to
do. A few of the girls say that they
cannot draw and take a lot of coaxing to
get started. One keeps crumpling up
her paper and starting over. You are
running out of paper and out of time.
You have brought a badge workshop
to a group of Juniors you are working
with. You have all of the materials and
all of the instructions and get started
with them right away so that you can
work on it over a few meetings with work
in between for them to finish it by the
end of the month. Girls are not
completing the in between work and
falling behind on the badge work and
you realize they will not finish in the
timeline you put together and you may
have to continue working with them into
the next month. You call them up and
ask them why they have not been
working on the badge homework and
they tell you that they don‘t want to and
don‘t really care about earning the
badge.
30
Daisies have loads of energy and need to
run, walk, and play outside. If you had a
do-over and could start again, what would
you do right after snack with the Daisies?
Act out both scenarios to demonstrate
the difference in how the instruction will
go.
Daisies don‘t always have the words for
what they want to say. Having them draw a
picture of something they are trying to
communicate if frequently easier for them
and more meaningful. If you had a do-over
and could get girls to demonstrate what
the portion of the law means to them in a
different way, what would you do? Act out
both scenarios to demonstrate the
difference in how the instruction will go.
Daisies know how to follow simple
directions and respond well to recognition
for doing so. Being specific and offering
only one direction at a time is important.
Acknowledging when the girls have
followed directions well also increases
their motivation for listening and following
again. If you could have a do-over and
could start again, how would you instruct
the clean up for the Daisy activity? Act out
both scenarios to demonstrate the
difference in how the instructions will go.
Brownies want to be able to finish things
they start. You need to be patient if things
take longer than you would have thought.
You need to be flexible in your schedule to
allow the completion of tasks and
potentially cut activities that can be cut. If
you could have a do-over and start again
with this group of Brownies, what would
you do when you could see that many girls
are not close to being finished when the
time started to run out? Act out both
scenarios to demonstrate the difference
in how the instructions will go.
31
Brownies need routine, structure, and
predictability. Try keeping certain
elements of meetings consistent – such as
always having openings and closings. You
can create your own elements that are
particular to when they meet with you as
well and this will help with the consistency
when working with you, a special guest. If
you had a do-over and could start again,
how would you prepare for this first
meeting? What would you implement of
your own? Act out both scenarios to
demonstrate the difference in how the
meeting will go.
Brownies like doing things in groups and
like to run, walk and play in groups. Be sure
to give them lots of chances to team up in
activities and give them active games. If
you had a do-over and could start again,
how would you plan differently for a pirate
themed event for Brownies? Act out both
scenarios to demonstrate the difference
in how the program will go.
Juniors are sensitive to the
expectations and judgments of others.
Creating an atmosphere that is
comfortable and accepting of all abilities
will allow girls to express themselves
without fear of judgment. Allowing for
different ways of expression rather than
one way every girl must follow will create
comfort in the group. If you had a do-over
and could set up the project up in a
different way, how would you set it up?
Act out both scenarios to demonstrate
the difference in how the poster making
would go.
Juniors want to make decisions and
express their opinions. Allow them to do
so frequently through guided discussions
and active reflection activities. They need
to choose their own things to work on in
scouting. If you had a do-over and could
set up the project up in a different way,
how would you set it up? Act out both
scenarios to demonstrate the difference
in how the poster making would go.
32
Wow, you make it look easy!
Your practice is paying off.
You keep making mistakes.
I really like how you learned from your
mistakes.
Would you make up your mind
and get this done.
I like how you kept trying new
ways to get there.
You need to learn to do this by
yourself.
You tried hard. Then you asked
a friend for help with starting
the fire. Great!
You are so smart!
I like that you put so much
effort into your figuring out
how to solve that problem.
You are such a gifted artist,
you must not have to work
that hard at it.
Wow! How did you learn to
draw so well?
Maybe you‘re right—we should
pick something easier for you
to do.
It is challenging to be a leader.
It takes a lot of practice to get
it right. So after this project,
you‘ll be even better at it.
You‘ll never learn to swim.
It might take you a little while,
but if you put in the time and
effort I bet you can learn to
swim.
33
You have a morning class with one friend and
then meet up with everyone in your group for
lunch. Lately, when you and your friend are
together in class she always agrees with what
you say. But when you‘re in your full group
she says things to put you down.
You are working on a team building activity
and you give an idea on what might work. A
girl in your groups says the idea is dumb and
tells everyone to ignore you.
Your soccer buddy teases you in front of the
team about missing a goal.
The girl sitting next to you during the troop
meeting keeps poking you.
Another girl in your camp group takes
something out of your backpack without
asking.
Your older sister or brother keeps tell you
that you are a baby for sleeping with your
teddy bear.
Nearly every day your friend mentions how
expensive her clothes are and tells you that
yours are cheap.
A girl in your troop stares at you and makes
faces.
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We are so excited that you are participated in Program Aide. We want to make sure that you have the best experience
possible. Please fill-out the following survey to help us! You can answer honestly, because your answers will never be
shared with your adult volunteer, Girl Scout staff, parents, teachers, friends, etc. Your responses will be used for research
purposes only.
Completely bubble in your answer below.
Always
A lot of
the time
Sometimes
Hardly
ever
Never
Don’t
know/
Don’t
want to
say
When my teammates disagree, I try to
help them consider each other‘s point
of view.
O
O
O
O
O
O
If it helps my team finish a project, I
am willing to do more than my ―fair
share‖ of the work.
O
O
O
O
O
O
Agree
a lot
Agree
Agree
a little
Disagree a
little
Disagree
Disagree a
lot
Don’t
know/
Don’t
want to
say
When working in a team, it is a
good idea if each person is
responsible for a task.
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
After today, I feel that I am capable
of planning and leading events for
younger girls.
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
I will use the skills I learned today
when working with younger girls.
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Would you recommend this event to a friend?
O
Yes
O
No
Did this event meet your expectations?
O
Yes
O
No
Program Aide
36
How are you going to use your Spark as a Cadette Program Aide?
When giving praise to girls you should focus on which of the following?
(Bubble all that apply.)
O
Effort
O
What they look like
O
Strategies
O
How quickly they did it
O
Seeking help
O
On how easy they made it look
The three key to leadership are (what we do in Girl Scouts):
1.
2.
3.
What are the three processes that lead to a high quality Girl Scout activity (how we do Girl Scouts)?
1.
2.
3.
What city do you live in? What is your zip code?
My race/ethnicity is… (bubble in all that apply)
O
American Indian or Alaskan Native
O
Asian
O
Black or African American
O
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
O
White
O
Hispanic or Latina
O
Other
What grade are you in?
O
6
O
7
O
8
