It’s been four years since Girl Scouts unveiled its journeys and “Girls’ Guide to Girl Scouting” programs. And I’ll admit, I still reach back to the old favorites.
My Junior Top Chef would be bored with Simple Meals. Instead I’ve reached back into my old Girl Scout badge book for a challenge. Instead of prepping a simple meal, my daughter planned a three-day, low-cost campout menu for our family vacation.
Instead of just one sports badge, our troop, a very sporty group of girls, has looked back to earn retired badges for Field Sports and Court Sports.
In our metro area camp, we earned Outdoors in the City. We learned from a local meteorologist to earn our Weather Watch badge. And it won’t be their last retired badge to earn.
I’ve heard from more and more leaders who want their girls to find badges that meet their interests. They’re not content to a few dozen options, or the vague and costly Make Your Own Badge. Instead, they’re turning to trading for retired and discontinued badges online.
There are Facebook groups to swap for retired and Council’s Own badges, patches and interest projects, however, finding requirements online for these older awards can be tricky. Here’s a tip: Resort to good-old paperback.
Our local library is more likely to carry old Try-It books than the new Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. Or check with your local service unit, or even your council’s history room. If you can’t find them there, I’d recommend hunting online for the original guides and badge books. Often you can get them for just a few dollars.
Here are some quicklinks to get you started. I appreciate any purchase through these Amazon links, as it helps support this site and my crazy ideas for my troop.
Books from the 2000’s
Books from the 1990’s
Books from the 1980’s
