Girl Scouts Help with Flood Relief

During the past weeks central Texas has received the some of the highest rainfall leading to the flooding of many homes. Troop 1594 saw the devastation and decided they needed to help out their community so they partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to provide some relief.

For two weeks the girls collected healthy food options for the food bank which desperately needed contributions. The troop didn’t stop there--they volunteered with the food bank to distribute the items so they could see where their efforts went. The troop spent three hours passing out their collected items to those in need in the Cedar Creek area. It was an extremely moving experience for the troop and they were very happy to help the victims of the flood.

Way to go troop 1549!

Enjoy Your Camp Fire Safely

Camping and singing around a camp fire are long-standing and much-loved Girl Scout traditions. Just make sure you do it safely.

To start a fire, you must first:

1. Have dry wood. Gather your firewood (where it is allowed) and have it divided up before you start:
• Tinder: small pieces, bark etc
• Kindling: larger sticks
• Fuel: logs
2. Have air. If a fire is smothered or too compact, it will not have air to burn.
3. A fire ring or a BBQ pit or other safe area to have a fire. (Rocks in a fire may explode.)
4. Matches and fire starters
5. Fire Starters:
• Cotton balls in Vaseline
• Cotton balls in rubbing alcohol
• Store bought fire starters
• Pine heartwood (with sap)
• Pine needles
• Paper
• Cardboard or paper egg cartons with sawdust and paraffin wax
• Parts of old candles
6. A bucket of water or a water hose and a shovel.

Styles of fire building:

• Teepee: the twigs to logs are placed tilted up like a teepee.
• Log Cabin: the fire is started in the middle of 6-8 logs alternating in a square like a log cabin.
• Triangle: The fire is started in the middle of a triangle pointing at the direction of the wind. The flat side (not the point to the wind) is placed on top of the other two logs so that the air moves under the logs.

Remember...

• Place the fire starter first. Fire goes UP not DOWN.
• Then put small twigs and bark. Light the fire starter.
• Once it has started, slowly replace the twigs as they burn.
• Never throw something into the fire. Lay twigs and sticks down gently.
• When the fire is going well, add larger sticks until you work your way up to logs.

Troubleshooting

• The fire goes out because of the wind. Use rocks, yourself, or other things away from the fire to block the wind.
• The logs just smolder---the wood may be wet, or the logs are green
• The fire keeps going out—it needs air. Use larger logs to prop up the burning logs. Open up what ever is blocking the air…the fire ring, the BBQ pit etc. if possible.

Safety Tips

• Always have an adult assisting.
• Know about fire bans and obey all restrictions.
• Keep your hair and clothing away from the fire
• Kneel down next to the fire
• Don’t use wet/green wood that will POP
• Don’t burn Christmas trees
• Use a stick or fire place tools
• Make the size of the fire dependent on what you are using it for
• Don’t use paper or leaves if its windy
• Never leave a fire unattended
• Put it out before you go to bed or leave the area or put dirt over and around it to save it for in the morning.

Fire Cleanup

• Spread out the fire.
• Put dirt on it by using the shovel
• Sprinkle water, careful—it makes steam and ashes that can burn you and ashes may get on you
• Stir it until it goes out. 

-Karen Stewart

Teen Safety Behind the Wheel

When I see a teen driver cutting someone off or making another poor driving decision, I often mumble to myself about how bad high school drivers are. And though that’s my personal observation and opinion, the research and stats out there agree with me to a degree.

A recent article from US News & World Report tells us that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. If we told teens that eating vegetable X was the leading cause of death, they would probably avoid it like the plague. Driving, however, doesn’t elicit that same response. Despite the frequency of crashes, teens are still chomping at the bit for the car keys.

So how can we as caring, responsible adults help teens be smarter, safer drivers? Start by considering these points.

• Only 10% of teens who share the family car have had an accident in the past year, compared to 25% of teens who have their “own” car. (US News & World Report)
• Children of parents who have authoritative or authoritarian parenting styles were 50% less likely to have had a crash in the past year, compared with parents whose style is permissive or uninvolved (US News & World Report).
• 37% of Texas teens say texting or instant messaging while driving is “very distracting” (Texas Department of Transportation) but that doesn’t stop 42% of urban teens from doing it (Waco Tribune).
• However that percentage should drop since a new Texas law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using a cell phone for talking or texting while driving (Dallas Morning News).
• Teenage drivers and passengers are among those least likely to wear their seat belts (Texas Department of Transportation).
• But hopefully that will change too now that a new Texas law requires all passengers to wear a seat belt (Austin American Statesman).

To encourage smarter driving practices, GSCTX offers programs like Road Trippin’ and MADD About You for girls in grades 6 and above.

For more on helping teens be safe drivers, see the tips on the Keeping Young Drivers Safe Web site or visit the Texas Department of Transportation’s Teens in the Driver Seat Web site.

-Cheryl Lowe