Countdown to the New Year, Countdown to new cookies!
2015 will be here in just a few days, and here in the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Council, so will the cookies! Girl Scout cookie sales start at different times throughout the country, but here they begin on January 1st! Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta will be offering the same “Super Six” cookies they sold last year, but we will also be adding two exciting new varieties: Rah-Rah Raisins, and Toffee-Tastic, which are certified Gluten Free!
The original six and Rah-Rah Raisins will be available on the order sheets that the girls will be presenting to customers, but the gluten-free Toffee-Tastics are a very limited edition and orders must be written in. All varieties will be $4 per box this year, except for the Toffee-Tastics, which will be $6.
Another new feature that Girl Scouts nationwide will be able to access is online selling! All cookies this year will be able to be ordered and paid for online and delivered right to your address! Your local Girl Scouts will have all the information for you as they set up their online sites for taking orders. Does Grandma live in a different state, but she wants to support her granddaughter and buy some cookies? Well, this year it will be easier than ever! Contact that special Scout in your life and find out all the details!
The Countdown Is On! Happy New Year and Happy Scouting!
Merry Christmas, Girl Scouts!
And Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and St. Lucia Day and Boxing Day and Saturnalia and Omisoka… whew! There are many, many holidays celebrated during the month of December. Girl Scouts of the USA prides itself on being a diverse and multi-cultural organization and we want to recognize them all!
Every February 22nd, Girl Scouts celebrate World Thinking Day, but why not do it all year round? What holidays do you and your family celebrate? Do you have friends or Girl Scout sisters, maybe even in your own troop, that celebrate differently than you?
Here at the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Archives, we wish you Happy Holidays!
Wrapping up 2014 with Girl Scouts…
The year is quickly coming to a close! Have you gotten all your shopping done? No, we haven’t either… But more importantly, do you have enough tissue and wrapping paper? Recently, while going through the archives, trying to find some more cool stuff to take pictures of and share with everyone, I came across some Girl Scout wrapping paper and fabric! I’m not sure what year the wrapping paper is from, but it’s at least pre-2010 when the logo was updated to give the first girl profile bangs, as well as some other subtle changes. The first wrapping paper I found is an all purpose design and can really be used any time of the year:
The next paper I found is more of a holiday theme with the green and gold of the official GSUSA membership pins and the Daisy pins combined with the red background and added pop of blue of the World Association pins. This paper dates from somewhere between 1993 when the current version of the Daisy membership pin was introduced and 2010 when the current girls’ profile logo was introduced:
Another charming way to wrap presents is with fabric! That way, the wrapping itself is part of the gift! Especially if the gift is for someone who sews or is crafty. This classic Girl Scout fabric is from 1959, but if you can’t get your hands on any vintage cloth, there are many current styles out there as well:
Click on the above image for a closer view and then get out there and get to wrapping!
Timber Ridge and Archives Birthday Party…
…is only a few days away! Have you signed up to go yet? It’s so easy! Follow this link, and say you’ll be there! That’s all you have to do! Let us know if it’s just you, you and your family, or you and your whole troop, BUT you better hurry, there’s not much space left! Here’s a basic run-down of all the fun goodies that will be there:
Here at the GSGATL History and Archives committee, we are so excited! Everything is almost ready- crafts, games, songs, s’mores, presentations, and more! We will have lots of fun vintage items on display at our booth in the Camp Timber Ridge Dining Hall, and some of us will even be wearing some vintage uniforms!
Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes even have a chance to earn the Girl Scout Way Legacy Badge while at the celebration (badge itself is not included) so make sure to stop by the coloring station to pick up your worksheets!
See you all there!
Happy December!
vintage aluminum GS cookie cutter, 1949-80
December marks the beginning of the season of baking- pies, cakes, cookies, desserts of all kinds! Well, did you know that the first week of December is National Cookie Cutter Week? National Cookie Cutter Week was started in the mid 1990’s for the members of the Cookie Cutter Collector’s Club. How fun, right? Girl Scout cookie season may not start for at least a month, but let’s go ahead and take a look at some of the different Girl Scout cookie cutters throughout the years!
vintage plastic GS cookie cutter, 1986-87
Did you know that the very first Girl Scout cookie sale didn’t feature pre-made, pre-packaged cookies? Girls and volunteers spent time in their own kitchens baking cookies, cutting them into trefoil shapes, and wrapping them in wax paper. The earliest mention of a Girl Scout cookie sale dates back to 1917 in Oklahoma and the first time the Atlanta Girl Scout Council held a cookie sale was in 1936! Check out a couple of our past posts to read all about the first Atlanta cookie sale and check out an early Girl Scout cookie recipe!
Metal GS cookie cutter, 2014
Cookies make a perfect, inexpensive gift that girls of almost any age can help adults make and then give to leaders, volunteers, teachers… anyone! A modern version of the metal, trefoil shaped GS cookie cutter can be found online, sold through the GSUSA website or take a look at your local Badge and Sash store and see if they’re in stock!
Happy December and Happy Baking, everyone!
Georgia’s Native People
Thanksgiving is only two days away and we want to continue our celebration of Native American Heritage Month here at the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Archives! Did you know that Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta has two Council’s Own badges about the Native Americans of Georgia? Called “Georgia’s Native People,” a badge can be earned by both Brownies and Juniors that teaches all about the American Indians that were once so prevalent here in the northern region of Georgia.
The Brownie badge features a traditional Cherokee Indian design, one that might have been woven onto a girl’s dress using quills or beads.
The Junior badge also features a traditional Cherokee design, a flower that a girl might bead into her moccasins.
Georgia’s Native People- Brownie
Georgia’s Native People- Junior
Both badges focus on the history, traditions, and culture of the Native American Cherokee Indian tribe and help girls find out what it was like to be a girl who lived as one of Georgia’s First People.
Both of these badges are available in your local Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Badge and Sash Store now! If you and your troop is interested in earning this badge, you can download a pdf version of the requirements here for the Brownie badge, and here for the Juniors.
If you have any questions about either of these badges or would like to check out one of the several resource boxes pertaining to this badge that we have available in the Resource Center at the Mableton Service Center, please contact us or stop on by!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Native American Heritage Month
Did you know that November is Native American Heritage Month? It seems only fitting that during the month in which we celebrate the first Thanksgiving the English Settlers and the American Indians shared back in 1621, we should take some time to learn more about the people that called this land home long before the “Pilgrims” ever arrived.
Here are just a few places on the internet that you can check out to learn a little more about Native American culture and heritage: History.com, Wikipedia, National Museum of the American Indian website, and countless more.
Indian Lore 1963-80
Did you know that from 1963-1980 there was a Junior Proficiency Badge called Indian Lore? It featured an embroidered image of a Native American kachina doll of the Native American Hopi tribe. It is a figure carved of wood, or root, and it is used to teach young girls about the katsina, beings that control aspects of nature such as rain, and act as messengers between people and the spiritual world.
Here are the requirements for the Indian Lore badge:
1. Know the history of the Indians who once lived nearest your home. Describe their homes, costumes, and food and tell where their descendants live today.
2. Describe briefly the different kinds of Indians that lived in North America. Tell how their way of life was affected by the part of the country in which they lived.
3. Tell what states have names of Indian origin. Give the meaning of three names.
4. Read at least 3 Indian legends. Choose one and tell it to a group of Brownies or other friends.
5. Make a useful article such as a sheath for a knife or ax and decorate it with authentic Indian designs. OR make a model of a tepee or other type of Indian dwelling.
6. Learn to play an Indian game and teach it to your patrol or troop. OR show some Indian dance steps OR perform an Indian dance in camp or at a troop meeting.
7. Teach an Indian song to your patrol. Explain its meaning and how the song was used by the Indians. OR make a simple Indian musical instrument and use it in camp or at a troop meeting.
Although the Indian Lore badge was unfortunately retired in 1980 it can still be earned and if you are interested in acquiring some of these badges for your troop, please contact us! We have many resources at our fingertips to help you in your search. Keep an eye out for next week’s blog post as we here at the GSGATL History and Archives Committee continue our celebration of Native American Heritage Month!
Come Celebrate With Us!
Last month, we wrote about the 90th birthday of Camp Timber Ridge as well as the 25th birthday of the History and Archives Committee. Well, next month, on December 7th, we are having a birthday celebration! The GSGATL History and Archives Committee, along with Camp Timber Ridge, is in the process of planning a joint birthday celebration and you are invited! 
There will be historical displays of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and Camp Timber Ridge, a walking tour of the camp, games, crafts, songs, s’mores, and lots of other goodies! Please click on the above picture for a larger view and to read more about it.
We are also looking for volunteers between now and the celebration! All school aged children are invited to attend the celebration and older girls, 6th grade and up, are invited to help out! There is a lot of planning and preparation that needs to take place between now and December 7th and this is a perfect way for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors to earn some community service hours. Junior troops are also invited to explore the possibility of starting their Bronze Award at Camp Timber Ridge! Troops are invited to make a presentation for the birthday celebration and create and carry out a sustainable project at camp too!
Download a pdf version of our volunteer flyer or register to attend the event here! And please, if you have any questions about the event, email us at GirlScoutArchivesAtlanta@gmail.com!
Spread the word, too! We are really excited about the celebration and hope to see everyone there!
Happy November, Everyone!
With November comes the season of pausing to give thanks. What better way for a Girl Scout to show her appreciation and to acknowledge those who have given outstanding service to Girl Scouting than the Thanks Badge? The Thanks Badge has been in existence since the very first days of Girl Scouting in 1912. The first image of it appeared as an illustration in the 1916 edition of the Girl Scout handbook, How Girls Can Help Their Country. The design of the Thanks Badge has only been changed once in its entire history and even then it was a tiny little change: the triangle in the center of the cloverleaf design was added in 1917.
The Thanks Badge was originally designed to be given to those outside of the Girl Scout organization to show thanks and appreciation for their promotion of the Girl Scout way. Its original colors were enameled in white, red, and green. In 1926 a second Thanks Badge was produced, intended for adult Girl Scout members inside the organization. It looked exactly the same, but was enameled in white, red, and blue like the one pictured here. The green version of the badge was discontinued in 1956 when a special Certificate of Appreciation for non-members of the organization took its place.
To this day, to be presented with a Girl Scout Thanks Badge is a great honor. To even be considered for it, one has to be nominated, have 4 letters of endorsement written on their behalf, have their nomination submitted to and approved by numerous committees, and finally get approval by the Board of Directors. It is no easy task and is held in the highest esteem by those who receive it. Thanks Badges are so cherished by their recipients that it has even been hard to find one to add to the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Archives Collection! Thanks Badges have been and will continue to be handed down for generations within Girl Scouting families.
So, even though you can’t just hand your cherished troop leader or Girl Scout volunteer a Thanks Badge, won’t you take the time to give thanks and show your appreciation and gratitude for her this November? Pause and show her that all she has done for you and your fellow Scouts has not gone unnoticed. Give thanks! Show her you care.
Happy Birthday, Daisy!
Juliette Gordon Low as a child
Happy Birthday to Juliette Gordon Low!
This Friday, October 31st, is not only Halloween, it’s Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday! Born in 1860, this year would have been her 154th birthday! In Girl Scouting, October 31st is also known and celebrated as Founder’s Day.
Every so often, throughout the years, the handbooks and/or badge books for Girl Scouts change and evolve with the times, but one thing remains the same: they include the story of Juliette Low. She was born in Savannah, Georgia and nicknamed Daisy as a child. Her life since childhood had been filled with a lot of trials and strife including the loss of most of her hearing as a young adult and the death of her husband at about the turn of the century. In her search for a sense of purpose, especially after her husband’s death, she began traveling the world and in 1911 in England she met Lord and Lady Baden-Powell and her life was changed. Lord Robert Baden-Powell is the founder of Boy Scouts and his sister Agnes was the leader of the early Girl Scouts, known overseas as Girl Guides. Inspired by Baden-Powell, Daisy began the first Girl Scout troop in America in 1912 and the rest is history.
Girl Scouting in America has grown from 18 girls during that first meeting in 1912 to a membership today of over 3 million girls and adults. Daisy has left a legacy that we hope will live on forever. If you want to learn more about her life and Girl Scouting, you can go to the Girl Scouts USA website to read more and check out the links to read her biography, watch videos, and more.
Happy Birthday, Daisy!
