They Planted a Garden!

We are very excited to have a quest blogger! So heres a blog written by Jamelia about their silver award.

~ Abby

Silver Award Project 2015

Jamelia, Elizabeth, and Madison.

In our community garden, Madison, Elizabeth and I decided to plant cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, red and green bell peppers and herbs. The type of herbs that we planted, were cilantro, rosemary, thyme, and basil.

Madison, Elizabeth and I are part of the River Valley Girl Scout troop 12717. Elizabeth has been in the troop for about 9 years, Madison for 5 years and I have been in the troop for 4 years. Being a cadette we have many responsibilities, we continuously learn how to accept leadership responsibilities, and take on new and exciting projects, while educating others about our community projects.

Where we decided to have our community garden on the back patio of a senior living home called Trails of Orono. We chose this specific area because we needed a place where the garden was going to be appreciated and cared for on the days that we were not able to water. We also choose to start the garden at Trails because we contacted Chelsea, the activities director, and she had mentioned that the residents living there loved to garden and would also love  Girl Scouts to be involved.

Our Girl scout troop decided to start a community garden, because we wanted something that would be sustainable as well as something that would provide for the community Our Girl Scout troop has gained many things from the community garden. We developed our gardening skills, improved our communication skills and developed responsibility skills as well do. Choosing Trails of Orono as a location to start our garden was a great idea, as it created exciting opportunities for the seniors, as well as ourselves over the course of this summer.

The Adventures of A Little Free Library

Hi!
So a while ago Julia and I got to help out with a friend's Silver award project. So we wanted to share this awesome way Annika chose to impact her community, so I asked Annika to tell us about her project. Here's what she said:

Connection of neighbors, connection of learning. These two concepts were the basis of my silver award project. My project was to build a Little Free Library for my neighborhood. The need I saw in the community was to make a place where neighbors come together. As I started thinking of possible projects, I thought of a new craze, Little Free Libraries (LFL). A LFL is a mix of a birdhouse and a mail box but instead of holding birds or mail it holds books. Silver award projects require many hours of planning, time, and leadership. I had to plan an event to start building the library and an open house to introduce my neighborhood to their newest addition. I had to use my leadership as a Girl Scout to turn these ideas into action and actually make them happen. There were many bumps in the road but eventually the smooth pavement came to relieve the struggle. The moment I put the last screw into the counting post felt like the best thing in the world. Now as I see my neighbors stopping by I know I have made a difference in their lives by giving them a first-class trip at their finger tips. As for you, when you have a dream, big or small, make them reality no matter how bumpy the road may be.

~ Annika 

    Troop 13749

You can find Little Free Libraries all over the world. To learn more or to find one near you visit: http://littlefreelibrary.org 

Have a wonderful week!

~ Abby

Friends Can Be Furry, Too

Happy Wednesday, readers!

Picture your best friend. What does she look like? What's her favorite food? Her favorite band? We all have that friend who makes us laugh even when no one said anything funny, or who you know what they're thinking about from across the room. Friends come in different shapes and sizes, and they aren't always people. Pets can be just as hilarious or comforting as any human. Studies done by Cambridge University show that pets can help lower stress/anxiety levels and therefore benefit your health. Pet owners- whether that means owning a brightly colored fish or an energetic puppy- saw that they suffered less headaches and fevers, or other small ailments. Pets also teach responsibility. Someone's gotta feed the cat and walk the dog! But most of all, they give us companionship, love and affection. My cat, Olive, loves to play with pretty much anything- which is just as fun to watch as it is for her! But if you can't have a pet because of where you live, allergies, etc.- hey, there's always the zoo! And even just walking through a pet store or humane society can give you a taste of what it's like to have a pet. Everybody's got a best friend to support and to rely on. Just remember that friends can be furry, too:)

7 Tips So School Doesn't Kill You!

                           

1. Keep your alarm clock across the room from your bed.

I love my sleep. Getting up early is awful. When the alarm goes off in the morning, all I want to do is hit the snooze button to catch 5 more minutes. The only thing more annoying than waking up early, is having to turn off my alarm clock.  Putting the clock across the room so I have to get up and turn it off gets me out of bed.

    2. Plan things ahead of time.

Planning ahead is key for school. Laying out your clothes, packing your backpack, and making a lunch at night is one of the most helpful tips for school. You can save the time it takes to stare into your closet and scramble around the night before. Catching those 10 minutes extra of sleep is a beautiful thing.

    3. Prioritize your homework.

If there was an award for the biggest procrastinator, I definitely would be a possible recipient. I tend to push getting things done back to later because when I get home I just want to take a break. But prioritizing your homework is key to getting it done. Put less fun homework on the top of your list to get it out of the way. Put homework that you have multiple days to finish at the bottom.

   4. Stay organized.

I know that this might seem super obvious, but it really helps. Try doing your homework in the same place each day so you don’t have things in 7 different places. Get a cute expandable file and keep all of your important papers filed. Now you won’t need to stress while running around trying to find your science homework 2 minutes before the bus comes.  Everything you need will be right there.

   5. Use a planner

Again this could be a pretty obvious one but it really helps. Just having a place where you can write down dates for tests, projects, and most importantly homework. Plan ahead.  That way you don’t have a surprise, because those kind of surprises aren’t fun.

  6. Do homework in a place that won’t be distracting

I understand that doing homework in front of the TV can be very appealing, but it is also very distracting. Do homework in places such as your bedroom or a home office. It could really be anywhere that isn’t going to make you get off task, which is only going to make doing your homework take twice as long.

   7. Take study breaks

Just because you need to stay focused doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks. Take one every 30 minutes or after you finish homework for a class. Maybe don’t start watching TV during your break, get a snack, take a stretch break, or listen to your favorite song.

Good luck!

Life at the Cabin

Me waterskiing, jet skiing, paddle boarding, and just lounging at the lake.

Minnesota is the land of over 10,000 lakes. On many of these lakes are home to wonderful wildlife and peoples homes or vacation homes that we seem to call cabins. To me a person who has been spending summers at a cabin all of her life it is a place for family and friends to just hang out and relax together. So you may be wondering what fun things you can do at a cabin while you can:

1. Go Swimming. Swimming is a very fun from floating to jumping off of docks or boats. Just make sure to know swimming strengths and where the lake depth changes just so you stay safe.
2. Waterskiing. Waterskiing can be rather difficult but once you get the hang of it it is really fun. Just remember everyone learns at a different pace.
3. Tubing. Tubing is a fun activity that takes little to no skill for the tubers. 
4. Boating. Boating is fun leisure activity for all ages so it is an awesome family activity.
5. Jet Skiing. Jet skiing is a lot more fast pace then boating and gives you a feeling of freedom at least when you are driving.
6. Paddle Boarding. This is trendy and relatively new thing and it is pretty awesome. There are many ways to make this more challenging such as paddle board yoga which is a lot harder than you'd think.
7. Kayaking. This is a fun activity to do. You can do it by yourself or with friends or family. It’s also calming and rather relaxing.

 Things you could do but I haven’t gotten to try yet

1. Kneeboarding.
2. Wake boarding.
3. Wake surfing.

Just remember to be safe and wear a life jacket. Get inspired and do something outside.

~ Abby

Start School Right

Hi, readers!
           The leaves are changing. School is starting up for many of you, and for some it has already started. For most of us, this means seeing old friends again, homework, and learning new things. But you might have a different experience when you walk to class. Trying to fit in, drama, and bullying can also define our time at school. But it can't define us. I know you've probably heard this same speech hundereds of times, but I can't stress how important it is to stand up for yourself. Some of you might be moving to a new school, or transitioning to middle or high school, which is terrifying. There will be new people, new teachers, and new obstacles to overcome. But the most important thing to remember is that you can't be defined by what you wear, or how you do your hair. You are defined by your personality, likes and dislikes; what makes you...you. So when the school years starts, don't worry about what others think. You just be you. 'Cuz you're awesome, girl!