Girl Scouts' 'Big Book' full of activities
As families start thinking about the start of the school, Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois is inviting girls to register for Girl Scouts.
Providing countless opportunities for making friends, trying new things, and exercising leadership skills through activities like building robots, participating in the cookie program, playing sports and more, Girl Scouts is a way to engage girls all year round.
One way Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois is making the Girl Scout experience easy and adventurous is with the debut of its first "Big Book." This publication helps parents and girls plan out an entire year full of Girl Scout activities.
The 68-page book features a variety of local Girl Scout programs that offer archery, first aid, Minecraft Mondays, comic artistry and Camp CEO, just to name a few. In addition, the book includes Badge of the Month Club, Girl Scout Events To-Go, and the U.S. Girl Scout Pen Pal Network.
Each girl who registers as Girl Scouts will receive her very own Big Book. The book will also be available online beginning in September.
Research shows hands-on opportunities like these offered by the largest girl-led organization in the world positively impact all aspects of girls' lives. In fact, national studies from the Girl Scout Research Institute show it's not just what girls do, but how they do it that makes Girl Scouts so beneficial.
Girls get to learn by doing, and they do so in a girl-led environment. This means that, in addition to girls learning in a hands-on and active way, they are encouraged to choose their activities, decide which topics they want to explore, and determine how they want to go about exploring them.
GSRI reports that at least 75 percent of girls who experience the fun of "learning by doing" and are part of a girl-led program become better at conflict resolution, problem solving, team building and cooperation, and developing self-confidence.
In addition, nearly three in four girls who experience learning by doing and who are part of a girl-led program say that, because of Girl Scouts, they've become a leader in more activities with their friends and classmates, as well as in their community.
"When girls lead, the world succeeds. Girl Scouts is the largest organization in the world where girls call the shots and take charge of their own future," said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. "A troop that loves roller coasters might invite an engineer to join them at their local amusement park to learn about what makes their stomach drop in real time, while another troop might be interested in what happens when you recycle a bottle and plan a visit to their town's recycling plant.
"By doing what they're interested in and deciding how to learn more, they are developing leadership skills that aren't offered by any other extracurricular activity," Chavez said.
Hands-on learning opportunities and girl-led experiences within Girl Scouts supplement the academic learning girls receive in school. These experiences have been shown to boost girls' social and emotional skills, which are not generally part of a school curriculum, as well as improve academic performance.
Additionally, since learning by doing is best facilitated in small environments, its three-to-one adult volunteer to girl ratio gives girls the optimal experience to tap into their interests and talents, and the opportunity to explore new things like STEM, entrepreneurship and the outdoors.
Girl Scouts also provides benefits that directly complement all of the work girls are already doing in school every day. Girls who experience learning by doing and who are a part of a girl-led program learn not to avoid things that are hard for them, but rather to take these challenges head-on, practice creative problem solving, learn from mistakes, and grow.
While Girl Scouts is open to all girls from kindergarten through grade 12, anyone over the age of 18 can become a Girl Scout volunteer. Girls cannot experience the positive impact of Girl Scouts without adult volunteers, and each adult who volunteers has the opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a girl.
Volunteers come from all walks of life: they are men, women, young professionals, retirees, college students, and more. Both girls and adult volunteers can join at any time of the year. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, call (800) 242-5591 or visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois serves 16 counties, including parts or all of Boone, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago.