Wednesday, February 22, 2012

SU 4 Celebrates World Thinking Day

Thanks to Chelsea Morton and Laura White who wrote about Service Unit 4's multi-Troop event focusing on World Thinking Day!

  Thinking Day. One day each year where Girl Scouts celebrate international friendships and ideas. This year Service Unit 4 reduced, recycled, and reused at their Thinking Day on February 4, where girls learned about ways to better their environment.
            The event was started off by Troop 40485 with an informative skit about recycling. “Every bottle counts!” Then it was off to the stations. Some stations were dedicated to teaching girls ways to use old materials to make something new. One station, put on by Troop 41358, transformed one-gallon milk jugs into beautiful bird feeders. Another, this one ran by Troop 42136, turned old t-shirts into stylish handbags using only scissors and a sewing machine. Regular everyday magnets were renovated into cute little refrigerator magnets by Troop 40310.  Christmas cards were turned into gift boxes by Troop 40485 and fun games were made out of common household items by Troop 40151.
            Two stations were dedicated to teaching Girl Scouts about individual countries. One, ran by Troop 42406, was committed to showing girls the wonders of India through cuisine and stunning bracelets. The second was prepared by Troop 45567, who devoted their station to displaying the wonders of Japan and the outstanding art of origami. Girls had their choice of making a box, heart, or fish out of squares of old magazines.
           
The cycles of nature also played a key role at this year’s Thinking Day. The wonders of worm composting were explained through pictures and models of the process by Troop 41358. Girls were able to plant their own tomato seeds and sample some locally grown vegetables such as carrots and beets at a stations put on by Troop 40151.
            Lastly, a station called Destiny’s Closet, presented by Troop 45551, offered a unique way to exchange clothes. For every two items of gently used clothing girls brought in they could receive one item of their choice. All items not chosen will be used by the nonprofit organization Angels Making A Difference at their garage sale.
            All in all, Service Unit 4’s Thinking Day was a great success. Girls walked away with smiles on their faces and many memories, not to mention a ton of crafts and plenty of new recycling ideas.