She was awesome!

Today we held an investiture ceremony/try-it workshop for 2 homeschool families that have also joined Girl Scouts as Juliettes. Violet was helping me lead part of it to work towards her Girl Scouting in the USA badge. She was nervous about it. There were 2 brownies and a daisy. Violet was awesome!

She really took a lead being the older, more experienced Girl Scout. The other girls looked up to her and that helped her relax a lot. Violet tends to clam up easily. And takes forever to warm up to new people. She acted like she did this sort of thing every day of the week.

We met in the park and found an empty table in the picnic shelter. I read the girls the Brownie story, that explains that Brownies and Girl Scouts are little helpers and do good deeds. Then we repeated the charm, "Twist me and turn me and show me the elf, I look in the water I saw...." Of course the answer is "myself". We brought a small mirror to be the pond. (Okay, backing up a second for those of you with no Girl Scouting experience. Brownies are the the little helpers that sneak around houses and help out. The wise old owl explains to the kids that they can see the Brownie for themselves if they go to the pond, say the charm, turn around 3 times and look in the pond. It is an ages old Girl Scout tradition to do this and look in a mirror.)

Violet was in charge of spinning the girls. Then she taught them all the secret Girl Scout stuff like the Girl Scout sign, quiet sign, handshake, friendship squeeze. Did I mention she was awesome!

We all discussed good deeds and the girls made little good deed notes to leave around their houses. We had also found some coloring books online that illustrate the Girl Scout laws and they started coloring them. We tried to make thin mint cookie ice cream in zip lock bags. It didn't freeze. But, being a good Girl Scout, I had some extra cookies with me for a snack.

Afterward the girls played in the park and we took a walk around the lake to the nature center. It was a really good afternoon. The other moms participated and were really great to have there. We all gossiped whenever the girls were off playing.

I'm trying to talk Violet into working on her Junior Aide award. She keeps going back and forth between wanting to try it and not wanting to. She'd have to meet with the girls 3 more times and lead another activity each time. I think she can do it. Tomorrow we'll look through her old Brownie Try-it book for ideas of things she can show the others how to do.

Three other girls and two moms is definitely closer to Violet's comfort zone. She'd never survive trying to go into a troop of 20 girls to show them something. Even being in the spotlight with 3 girls is a challenge for her. I think Juliette Low would be proud of her and how well she did today.

I know I am.