Any Girl scout leaders out there???

[mykidsand_i]

OK, how many mommies are there here that are girl scout leaders? I am the leader of a new daisy group (we started our meetings in Jan 08) and I'd like to "tap in" to some of your ideas and thoughts I love being a leader, the girls are wonderful! I have no problem comming up with ideas and things to do at meetings, my questions are...
How do you all stay organized?
So far I have a large 3 ring binder. It's working to keep everything together and I've sorted it out by month, "forms area"and things like that, but I really want some other ideas!!! And I've got a container to store the craft supplies in that we have so far (not much so far!!!)

What do you do to find low priced, but good crafts for the girls? each girl for our 2008/09 School year wll have about 30 cents per meeting for craft supplies and lesson supplies...The other co-leader and I have done some fun crafts, we are both good with crafts- I just need some good ideas as far as keeping costs down while still having great crafts! I've been to many websites and they've been kind of helpful.

Any Daisy leaders out there, or ladies who've lead daisy troops recently?

[kansascrochetmom]

I used to be a daisy leader. I did it for two years. We took a lot of field trips too. Great places to take the girls are pizza hut(they give them a tour and let them make their own little pizzas for free!), fire station, hopsital, police station, zoo, etc..

Could you up the cost to $1 per meeting? That might help a bit. Also some buisnesses will donate items. I had the girls earn some patches even though they really don't. It kind of made them more eager to do things. As you know the daisys don't sell cookies since they are too small but maybe you could ask your troop leader if they could sell some as a whole group with you. You could set up a table and then the profits could go to the whole troop for supplies and things.

[Lisa]

I used to be a leader, but now am a very involved parent/gs member. For craft supplies, I shop flea markets, clearance, etc. I don't think there is an item that I have bought full price. At the troop we belong to now, the dues are $1 per meeting and we have two meetings a month. Where we used to live, the dues were $2 per meeting with 2 meeting a month. As far as orginization, I had a cloth bag that I kept my binders in with all the GS books and such. I kept all our crafty things in a tote. It sounds like you have it all together, just watch those sales, and (at least here) yard sale season is getting ready to start!!

[kellymy]

I have been a leader for 5 years and I'm a lifetime scout. For the first 3 or 4 years we charged $25 a year for 3 meetings a month - and had the parents chip in for expensive things like Camping.

This year we didn't charge dues at all since we've been accumulating some cookie money!

As for crafts - ask parents if they have supplies to share. Ask your child's school. Our school donates the use of the copier, laminator, and their Ellison paper press (a die cutter).

April 22 is Earth Day - work on some crafts using only recycled items.
Our troop is collecting plastic and metal bottle caps, milk jug caps, orange juice can and biscuit can lids to use for SWAPS. These things aren't traditionally recyclable in our area, so we're recycling as we're making crafts, too.

For years we collected shoe boxes and paper towel/TP tubes for one reason or another... We always to to look at what supplies we have on hand and develop crafts around them. Otherwise, the craft bin can overflow - not to mention the $$.

The Dollar store always has popsicle sticks. I usually wait for a good coupon at Jo-Ann's or Michaels and buy the biggest package of pom-poms, googly eyes, or pipe cleaners they have.

You could ask on Craig's list or Freecycle if you have those in your area. One time I asked for Yarn to make our sit-upons and got a grocery bag jammed with lots of colored yarn - for free! We're still using it up 4 years later.

Paper organizing is not easy for me. I keep a separate 3 ring binder with my Troop Roster, Health History Forms, and Permission slips. On Field Trips and outings I just take that small binder.

When the girls were little, we gave each a Girl Scouts folder to take/bring each week. This is how we sent home permission slips and got them back. Now that they're older, we keep folders at the meeting with our worksheets inside. If they took them home, they'd get lost, and we're working on longer-term projects as they get older.

Have fun!
-Kelly.

[mykidsand_i]

Wow, lots of great ideas, thanks to all of you! We are kind of starting "from scratch" and any ideas help!!!