Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!! Today happens to be one of my favorite holidays, because it shines the spotlight on something that is an issue everyday of the year, nature conservation and keeping the earth clean and beautiful. To inspire you and your troop to get out there and celebrate Earth Day, I thought I’d share a story of one troop’s recent fun activity that helped beautify nature.

A few weeks ago, Girl Scout Troop Leader Ann Blasdel took her Daisy and Junior troops on a nature hike with a twist: it was all about the five senses. To start off the hike, the Daisies were each given a little film canister with a scent in it. Then, the Juniors were given canisters with matching scents. The Daisies and Juniors had to find their partners by using only their noses, and matching scents. This activity kicked off their five senses hike with exploration of the sense of smell.

Then they set off into nature, and during their hike, they noticed many colors – especially in the variety of blooming wildflowers. Here, the girls used their sense of sight. They spent the next five minutes of their hike in total silence. This activity let the girls focus on the sounds of nature around them, as they used their sense of hearing. They also experimented with touching interesting looking plants. They touched a weed that look and felt both pointy and soft, and another plant that resembled a lamb’s ear. This part of the hike focused on the sense of touch.

At a resting point, the girls finally got to use their favorite sense as they ate a snack– the sense of taste! They also talked about how, although there are some things you can taste in the wild, it isn’t okay to eat anything straight out of nature unless there is an expert present who says it’s alright. Good thinking, girls!
As they hiked back, the Girl Scouts sang some favorite camp-fire songs as they picked up trash along the trail. Even though the trail seemed very clean, the diligent Girl Scouts managed to fill up a whole bag of trash before ending their hike (check out the photo!).

These girls certainly earned their “Make the world a better place” petal, and did their part to clean up nature while enjoying a beautiful and different hike!! What a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day! What do you and your troop do to help the environment every day? Do you have any special Earth Day plans? Please let us know by commenting below!!

-Annie L.