This is the space for Girl Scout leaders to trade tips and information for making it easier to be a leader.  Please send your tips to our web coordinator .

Some helpful information:

Information for planning a ceremony
Information about fires at Ilchester
A collection of graces
Geocaching information

Thinking Day notes: 

Some ideas for your Thinking Day celebration.

Looking for music for your Thinking Day activity?  The Miller Library in Ellicott City has CDs of music from other countries.  Look under "Folk Music."  Other libraries probably have similar collections.

Ebay can be a good resource for items from the country your troop is representing.  I bought stamps, money, and flags there very cheaply -- sometimes only $1 or $2.  Allow enough time for shipping.

Using Your Troop's Tax Exempt Card

When using troop funds to purchase items for your troop, troops do not pay sales tax in Maryland.  Your troop needs a tax exempt card to show merchants (obtainable at http://www.gscm.org/Resources/resourcesnew.htm). Some stores make it hard to use your card, others will give you extra discounts when you use your card.  Please let us know the good places to shop!  Wal-Mart makes you get a separate tax exempt card that it issues -- but it won't tell you that until after you have stood in one of its interminable checkout lines.  Home Depot won't let you use your personal credit card to charge your purchase if you use your tax exempt card.  Michaels makes you fill out a form before using your card -- every time you use it.  What have your experiences been?

Field Trips

Some suggestions:
Archaeology or Native American Awareness or Museum Discovery (try-it, badges, IP)
Maryland Sled Dog Adventures
Girl Scout Sailing Cruises in Annapolis (sailing badges, IP)
Terrapin Adventures (high adventure)
Centennial Park and Centennial Lake Boat Rentals
Kayaking - LLBean (Paddle, Poll, Role)
Paintball
Newseum 
Spy Museum
Creative Cooking IP (cooking for all levels):
Jeweler - Badges / IPs:
Snow Tubing at Avalanchexpress Heritage Hills
Snow tubing at White Tail
Beach Jam
Port Discovery Overnight for Scouts
New! Howard County Robinson Nature Center
Patuxent Wildlife Refuge- free programming for scouts
Walters Art Museum - scouting programs

In addition, the Maryland Office of Tourism has suggestions for activities, and be sure to check out other  state government tourism sites . 

Bridging Notes 
Bridging locations in Howard County (Note: in addition, our Registrar has a bridge that troops can borrow.)

When our troop bridged from brownies to juniors, the brownies stood on one side of the bridge wearing their brown vests.  Each walked individually across the bridge, stopping at the mid point to take off her brown vest and receive a green vest from her parent/grandparent.  She then put on her new vest and finished walking across the bridge to meet juniors from another troop and her junior leader.

Cookie Sale Tips

Cookie Songs

2011 cookie information and tips for new cookie managers

At booth sales, be sure to have a donation jar.  Many people want to support Girl Scouts but do not want to buy cookies.  Another good way for them to help is the Operation Mint program, which allows them to buy cookies to be given by the USO to U.S. soldiers.  To make people aware of this program, have a brightly-labeled box and sign.