Troop 8060's Own Badge-O-Rama
Our very own Badge-O-Rama was a success. The girls earned four badges (Hiking, Fair Play, Senses, and Pottery) during their big day. Be prepared for the 40-some photos below!
We started out with a hike. The girls had a map of two routes and quickly picked the Mormon Hand Cart Path which turned out to be perfect! It was mostly a walking path with several overlooks into the ravine below. Along the way we played "I Spy" and stopped to listed to all the sounds.
Here's our first stop:
A little further along the path, we found another overlook.
That path was meant for walkers (so we weren't as worried about bikers zipping by!). By the end, they all found a walking stick, which you'll see in several photos.
We found a break in the path that let us down into the ravine. There was a small trail that let us quite a way back into the woods.
After learning to walk across fallen trees at camp, the girls were quick to want to try it again. Sarah was the first brave one to go!
Sydnee took the lead through the path.
Sophia kept a look out for deer!
Gabby giggled the whole time. :)
And Sydnee was sure she could hear trains.
Sarah found a tree stump that was hollowed out. The girls took turns poking around to see what they could find in there.
After a good half an hour hiking, it was time to head back up to the trail.
We decided Sydnee and Lily M looked like the American Gothic painting so we had a brief (by that I mean 15 second!) art history lesson.
The first one down!
The second part of the day was focused on playing games and being a good teammate. We also learned about Title IX and how the University of Iowa's own Dr. Christine Grant championed the law that allows girls to have the same opportunities as boys in sports. The girls were in disbelief that it would be any different than it is now. What a wonderful thing!
We spent an hour or so playing several games. The girls took turns explaining the rules for games they all know. Here, Lily M and Gabby covered the rules for "Red Light, Green Light?"
Next up, Madelyn and Sophia had to explain "Mother May I?" They were quite stingy but the girls all made it across!
Three BIIIIIG steps:
Cartwheels:
More hops:
They also worked on teamwork while running. The last girl had to sprint to the front of the line while the rest of them continued to jog. They quickly learned about pace and talking to one another.
Finally, we saw this sign and thought it was pretty fitting!
And another one is out for the count!
Our Hula Hooping Extraordinaires!
After all those games, the girls had lunch and took turns trying to guess which smells the other girls brought with them. Talk about creativity! Lemongrass, basil, cinnamon coffee, maple syrup extract joined some of the more easily identifiable smells like lemon, orange, and apple.
We packed up our stuff and headed over to Fired Up! And what kind of outing could we possibly have without silly-faced-photos?
Everyone loved this place! We had our own room and the girls were able to choose from one of four ceramic pieces to paint.
Once they chose their piece, they headed to the color wall to pick out four paints.
Then it was off to work! The owners were wonderful and spent a good amount of time teaching the girls tricks, helping with color selections, and giving encouragement.
After finishing their own pieces, they chose one group piece to make for someone special. I hope I can speak for Heather when I say we were both impressed by the amount of love, thought, and care that went into the project.
The owners' dog knew a ridiculous number of tricks and barked out his age for us.
Then it was off to see the kiln. The girls learned that it heats up to 1800 degrees and that the whole process takes 25 hours.
They also learned about the glazing process and realized it is very loud!
We hope the girls has as much fun as we did! Their badges will be awarded to them at our next meeting! The pieces will be ready next week so we will distribute them as soon as possible!
