Fellow volunteers...we can all soon breathe a sign of relief. The 2015 Girl Scout Cookie Program is coming to an end (or so you thought). This week here in the Central Westmoreland Service Unit our troops are making last minute sales, collecting the final bits of money, and ordering girl incentives. If you are anything like me, you don't want to look at another cookie or even hear the word cookie ever again (okay, at least not until October or so).
So many of us get caught up in the day-to-day operation of the cookie SALE that we forget that this is actually a well-developed educational PROGRAM for our girls. In the grand scheme of things, it's not really important how many cookies our troop solds. Instead, it's more important that the girls are able to apply the five core skills of the cookie program:
- Goal Setting
- Decision Making
- Money Management
- People Skills
- Business Ethics
Yes, the cookie SALE is ending, but the learning that occurs in the cookie PROGRAM is ongoing.
Many times I think that we just assume that the girls are learning these skills through the program. We assume the girls understand what they've learned and why. I'm here to tell you that I know this isn't always the case. Since the beginning of the year, each time my girls work on a badge, sell a can of nuts or a box of cookies, or even go on a field trip, I'm right behind them whispering into their ears saying "Why are we doing this? Why is this important for us to do?"
I agree, Girl Scouts isn't school. We are here to have fun and do some crazy things. It's important though to make sure that when learning is occurring that the girls can begin to articulate what they've learned and how it applies to their lives.
Let me give you an example...
My Cadettes are currently working on the Special Agent badge. It's a pretty cool badge and I think the girls are having fun finger and shoe printing, playing with fake blood, and watching episodes of crime dramas. I asked the girls at our meeting yesterday if they understood why we were working on this badge. Sure, I got the standard answer: "So we know what special agents do." BUT...one of my girls yelled out, "Well, it's helping us understand how much we can learn by just paying close attention to what's around us. We're learning to be more perceptive." WOW! She got it!!!!! (Proud leader moment!!!!!)
So what are you going to do to ensure your girls are beginning to understand the core skills of the cookie PROGRAM? Here's just a few ideas. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this blog.
- Goal Setting - Did your girls reach their personal and troop goals? If they did, was their goal too easy? What did they do this year to help them achieve their goals? If they didn't, was their goal unattainable? What happened that caused them not to reach their goals? DON'T answer the questions for you girls. Let them figure it out.
- Decision Making & Money Management - So...what is your troop going to do with the funds they earned. Have a business meeting. Go over the troop budget. Don't figure it out for them. Even Daisies can understand enough about money to decide if they want to go to summer camp or have a sleepover at the zoo.
- People Skills - So...as the leader, did you notice the girls doing anything really well (or not so well) at the booth sales? I walked into one of my booths to pick up the cookies and saw one of my girls sprawled out on the floor in the grocery store. Maybe now is great time to talk about what you (and the girls) saw. What can they learn from this?
- Business Ethics - Ahhhh....this is a great one. We covered this one at the start of the sale when we talked about the importance of waiting until the start date to begin selling cookies. Let's the girls talk about other things they learned in regards to business ethics.
This is all part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience!!!!!
PS - I just said that I didn't want to look at another cookie for a long time, but as I was typing this blog I started munching on some Toffee Tastics. WOW are they delicious!!!!!
