The following is a list of program activities and their descriptions for the 2024-2025 Girl Scout year.
REGISTER HERE!Join us to make fresh apple cider! We will learn how to use an old-fashioned screw press, explore the application of simple machines, and learn about the history of cider making from the colonial times to the present. This program is located at Tenafly Nature Center in Tenafly, NJ and offered to girls of all Girl Scout levels. All participants will receive a Tenafly Nature Center fun patch.
Travel by train to Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts. Discover what her life was like in the 1880s as we tour historic Savannah and participate in workshops at Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace and Girl Scout First Headquarters. We’ll sail aboard a boat and search for dolphins by day and take a ghost walking tour at night. We'll have breakfast at J. Christopher's and enjoy ice cream by the river. Trip dates: Nov. 4-9, 2025. Cost: $1100, with four participants per hotel room or $1100 with two participants per room. Registration opens January 11, 2025, when the first payment is due. The second payment and balance are due on July 11, 2025. Fee includes travel, hotel, tours, four (4) dinners, and four (4) breakfasts. Hotel accommodation is based on four people per room. Participants must attend a preparatory meeting on Sept. 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Riverdale Service Center. The last roster change or withdrawal date is July 11, 2025. Refunds cannot be given after July 11, 2025.
Start the day by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge as you begin your exploration of the southern tip of New York City. You'll be guided by our own historian as we venture into the very beginnings of the streets of New York. We'll head over to Trinity Church founded in 1697, the final resting place of Alexander Hamilton. Your trip around the southern tip includes multiple stops including the African Burial Ground National Monument, St. Paul’s Church, and the 9/11 Memorial. Along the way, you’ll hear tales about our nation’s start to its current global impact as we finish our walk on Wall Street. Fee includes coach bus transportation, professional guide, exclusive fun patch, and entrance to all venues. Bus pick-ups are tentatively scheduled for GSNNJ’s Riverdale and Paramus Service Centers.
Get creative with icing as you learn the basic skills of cake decorating from a professional baker. You will decorate a 5-inch cake to take home, along with a practice board, pastry bag, information sheet, four decorating tips, and a frosting spatula. Adults can register and participate, too. You’ll earn Part 1 of your Girl Scout Bake Arts Patch - available for purchase in our council shops. Advanced Cake Decor levels 2 & 3 are also available upon request. Note: Food items may contain or be cross contaminated during manufacture/processing with known food allergens. This is a Program on the Go.
Be a go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, and leader during this overnight camping experience at Jockey Hollow Day Camp in Mendham. Try your hand at outdoor cooking, set up a tent, enjoy a nighttime hike, and an evening by the campfire making S'mores. Sleep in the comfort of a cabin that includes thick mattresses, sinks, and flush toilets, and enjoy meals served outdoors in the pavilion. This program activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Junior Camper Badge and Outdoor Pillar Patch. Fees include accommodations, night snack, breakfast, lunch, program supplies, and Camper badge. Outdoor Pillar Patch can be purchased at the council shops.
Put on your chef's hat and we'll provide the apron, as we cook together in a professional restaurant kitchen at the Black Forest Inn, located in Stanhope, NJ. Here you will learn basic cooking skills and create a special meal to share with the guidance of a Master Chef who made it to the final round of the cooking show Chopped! This program will help girls work towards their Junior Simple Meals Badge, Cadette New Cuisines Badge, Senior Locavore Badge, and Ambassador Dinner Party Badge. Troops may choose from 5 menu options. The Black Forest Inn is happy to run baking classes or any special holiday events by request. Please email Laura Ammaturo, Program Manager, at LAmmaturo@gsnnj.org for menu options or special requests for your troop's cooking projects. Badges are available for purchase at council shops.
Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes, try to crack the case with techniques used by real forensic scientists. You’ll learn skills such as fingerprinting comparison and analyzing blood types. After your workshop, you'll have time for lunch and then take a seat in the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium (the largest planetarium in the Northern Hemisphere). Afterwards, you can stay and explore Liberty Science Center’s three floors of exhibits. Your fee includes museum admission, private GSNNJ workshop, and the planetarium visit. Adult admission includes the planetarium show and access to Liberty Science Center for the day. Girl Scout Juniors earn the Junior Detective Badge (steps 3,4,5) and Cadettes earn their Special Agent Badge (steps 1,2). Badges may be purchased at the council shops.
In honor of Earth Day, learn new outdoor skills and have fun at Lake Rickabear. Attend as a troop or bring your favorite adult to gain experience in a variety of camping skills such as outdoor cooking-yum, knife skills-sharp and more! Everyone will have opportunities to participate & share new adventures while making new friends. Fun patch included. Juniors will work towards their Junior Camp Badge (steps 1, 2, 3, & 4) which can be purchased at one of our Council shops.
Let’s celebrate Native American culture and heritage as we gather at Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Meet members of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council as they share their stories, dance, and traditional arts with us. Spend the day exploring our camp and engaging in activities designed to break stereotypes and create a deeper understanding of the relationship between Indigenous cultures and the land. Girls will earn the Native American Heritage multicultural patch.
Registering for this event implies that you are registering for the entire season. FIRST LEGO League is an exciting global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology. GSNNJ sponsors several competition teams that meet regularly at our Riverdale Service Center. Guided by team coaches and mentors, you and your FIRST LEGO League team will embark on an adventurous challenge focused on solving a real-world problem. You’ll present your research and solution and you’ll build an autonomous robot using engineering concepts. Each team will meet at the Riverdale Service Center every Sunday from 9/8/2024 through the end of November. Meetings are from 3:00-7:00 p.m. You’ll earn your Cadette Robotics Badge (steps 1, 2 & 3). Fee includes robotic equipment, team shirt, pizza dinner weekly, FLL fees, and coaches. Adult supervision is provided (Girl Scouts can be dropped off at the Service Center for this program).
Discover possible career paths at Future Me for Girl Scouts of all levels. Through hands-on activities, you’ll explore careers in Entrepreneurship, Life Skills, and STEM in our February workshop, and Outdoor careers in our May session. Hear from women who have both started their own businesses and who work for established businesses, as they share what they have learned along the way. February presenters will include women from the fields of AI, accounting, fitness, writing, cooking, and more! Presentations for our May session will be with women who have careers based in the great outdoors. Snacks and fun patches will be provided.
Are you gaga for GAGA? Whether it's your first time playing or not, you will have a ball at our Spring Gaga Ball Tournament. Be the last Girl Scout standing and take home the coveted trophy. All participants will receive a special fun patch! It’s important that you dress in appropriate footwear and loose, comfortable clothing. Bring a labeled water bottle or sports drink. Parents and friends are welcome to watch the match and bring a portable chair.
Meet the resident ruminants at Fosterfields. Learn what makes sheep, goats, and cows different from the other farm animals. Get a chance to feed them and lead the goats on a walk around the farm. All Girl Scout levels are welcome. Girl Scouts will work towards the Junior Playing the Past Badge, Cadette Animal Helpers, or Senior Voice for Animals badge.
Learn the basics of sewing. Our professional seamstress will come to your meeting site and teach new skills, including how to design and sew your very own stuffed animal by hand. You will learn how to thread a needle, sew two pieces of fabric together along with buttons and patches for the eyes and the face, stuff, and complete. You will also learn different types of hand stitches such as the running stitch, back stitch, whipstitch, and blanket stitch. Work towards earning your Brownie Craft and Tinker, Junior Art and Design, or Senior Textile Artist badges. This is a Program on the Go activity, which can be held at your regular meeting site or at one of our service centers, by availability.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month during our Hispanic Heritage Month Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, at Berkeley College in Woodland Park. You’ll “visit” different countries using your festival passport and discover a variety of Hispanic cultures. Enjoy a sampling of foods and explore the art, dance styles, and fashions of diasporas from other countries. The day will include a fashion show highlighting Hispanic designers and their customs, Salsa lessons, and instrument making. Learn from presenters of folklore storytelling and film. Have your face painted! Fee includes a festival passport, exclusive Hispanic Heritage Month patch, and a Latin American cuisine lunch.
Discover the magic of camp at our beautiful Jockey Hollow Day Camp in Mendham. Learn more about our summer camp experience. Bring your family for a tour of camp, and to meet our camp team. Discover what makes our summer day camp so unique. Visit our archery range, low-ropes challenge course, zip line, equestrian area, gaga ball pit, hiking trails, and more. We have camp sessions for those entering 1st grade in September 2025. Check out our camp programs and start planning for Summer 2025 or come explore our scenic properties and scope out your next Troop, Service Unit, or Family Camping location. Bring along a friend or two! Reservations are requested in case of cancelation due to inclement weather. Driving directions and more details will be emailed a few days before the Open House date.
Welcome back campers! If you attended Jockey Hollow Camp in summer 2024, join us for our Camp Rewind. Bring your family and share the summer camp experience with them. Enjoy archery, the low-ropes challenge course, ziplining for campers 4th grade and older, crafts, and more.
Discover the magic of camp and the benefits of being outdoors at our beautiful Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Learn more about our summer camp experience. Bring your family for a tour of our scenic campgrounds and to meet our staff. Discover what makes our summer day camp so unique and participate in a camp activity. Visit our archery range, low-ropes challenge course, zip line, equestrian area, Gaga ball pit, hiking trails, and more. We offer camp sessions for girls entering Grades 1 through 11 as of September 2025. Check out our camp session themes and start planning for Summer 2025 or explore our gorgeous properties and scope out your next Troop, Service Unit, or Family Camping location. All girls are welcome to attend summer camp. Bring along a friend or two! Reservations are requested in case of cancelation due to inclement weather. Driving directions and more details will be emailed a few days prior to the Open House date.
Welcome back campers! If you attended Lake Rickabear Camp in summer 2024, join us for our Camp Rewind. Bring your family and share the “Rickabear Experience” with them. Enjoy archery, the low-ropes challenge course including ziplining, crafts, and more.
Girl Scout Cadettes, the Life’s aMaze Journey Weekend will help you prepare to tackle your take action project and complete your aMaze Journey. During this “big thinking” weekend, you’ll develop skills that will help you navigate friendships and middle school years. The goal is to work towards peace for you, your world, and the planet, too. And, you'll earn the Peacemaker Award and the Interact Award, leaving the Diplomat Award (Take Action) to do on your own. We’ll help you create a take-action plan to follow to complete the Journey. Late arrivals and early departures cannot be accommodated. Please adhere to the 2:8 ratio and register two leaders per troop to adhere to safety activity checkpoints. Fee includes instructor led activities, troop sleeping accommodations, Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast and lunch, and all supplies. Award Earned: Girl Scout Cadette aMaze Peacemaker and Interact Award.
Learn the art of thinking on your feet, building confidence, and unleashing your creativity through fun improv games, comedy, and exercises. No prior experience is necessary—simply come ready to laugh and make new friends. Get a feel for performing solo. Learn about body language. Participants will participate in an improvisational show where they will perform their skits and tell the story behind their inspiration. Bring a notebook and pen or pencil. You may bring a camera to record your performance. Fee includes a snack and instruction from experts in theater, acting, and comedy. Girl Scout Juniors will earn the Scribe badge, Cadettes will earn the Public Speaker Badge, Ambassadors will earn the Outdoor Art Master badge, and Seniors will earn the Troupe Performer badge.
Enjoy a late winter day at Lake Rickabear Camp and discover how maple syrup is made. You’ll be able to experience the maple sugaring process with all your senses. Bring your troop or family. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Cadettes Trees Badge (Steps 1, 2 & 4). Fee includes program supplies and a fun patch for each Girl Scout. Badges can be purchased at the council shops. Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scout family members are welcome to register and participate. Children under age 3 are free. Programs will occur in sunshine, rain, or snow. Come dressed for the weather.
Enjoy a late winter day at Lake Rickabear Camp and discover how maple syrup is made. You’ll be able to experience the maple sugaring process with all your senses. Bring your troop or family. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Cadettes Trees Badge (Steps 1, 2 & 4). Fee includes program supplies and a fun patch for each Girl Scout. Badges can be purchased at the council shops. Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scout family members are welcome to register and participate. Children under age 3 are free. Programs will occur in sunshine, rain, or snow. Come dressed for the weather.
What's not to love about media? You can enjoy it anytime, anywhere, for hours and hours! But have you ever wondered how much of your life is spent in someone else's reality? Who thinks up the clever plots and catch phrases? In what ways is your life and those around you influenced by the media? This weekend program will have you exploring the media and the messenger through hands-on activities, video clips, and the web. Arrive at camp on Saturday morning and depart Sunday afternoon. You’ll leave with an action plan to finish the Girl Scout MEdia Journey. All meals, lodging, and activities are included. You must attend the entire event to earn the awards. Late arrivals and early departures cannot be accommodated. Please adhere to safety activity checkpoints and register two leaders per troop. Fee includes instructor led activities, troop sleeping accommodations, Saturday’s lunch and dinner, Sunday’s breakfast and lunch, and all supplies. Award Earned: Girl Scout Cadette MEdia Journey Monitor and Influence Award.
You’ll feel like a farmer when you help with the morning chores at Fosterfields in Morristown, NJ. Chores may include sweeping the barn, mucking stalls, brushing cows, and more. Dress for the weather and prepared to get dirty. This event is rain or shine. Adults may participate, too. Girl Scouts will work towards earning the following badges: Brownie Bugs badge, Junior Playing the Past badge, Cadette Animal Helpers badge, and Senior Voice for Animals badge.
Explore Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, during this one day trip. You'll be retracing the steps of our country’s rich history as you enter Independence Hall and stand where our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. Visit the National Constitution Center to view our constitutional amendments and see an inspiring performance of "Freedom Rising." You'll eat a late lunch at the world-famous Reading Terminal. Finish the day at Eastern State Penitentiary, once the world’s most famous and expansive prisons. The entire day will be narrated by historian David Leckie, our tour guide. The fee includes Coach Bus transportation, all tours, and admissions, plus patch. There will be a lunch break, and lunch will not be included. Bus departs from Riverdale Service Center.
Come to GSNNJ's Pumpkin Palooza and explore the beautiful camp grounds of Lake Rickabear. Learn how to make apple cider, enjoy pumpkin picking, take a short nature hike, create a fall craft, play pickleball, go on a pony ride, and try our low ropes course. Plus, discover some of the fun and informative badge-earning program activities we are offering through our Council this year. Meet some of our council staff and volunteers. Program fee includes a pumpkin for each attendee, s'mores, and fun patch for each Girl Scout. Wear your Halloween costume for some spooky fun!
Build up your courage and confidence in this Self-defense Workshop for Girl Scouts of all levels. Using martial arts techniques, this workshop will focus on personal safety training under the guidance of a 4th Degree Black Belt instructor who has been teaching self-defense for over 30 years. The class explores basic mental, verbal, and physical self-defense techniques that are easy to use and are designed to help keep someone safe from danger. Our April session is for Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors and will focus on dating safety prior to prom season. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle. This workshop is also available as a Program on the Go for a minimum of 10 participants for a large multi-troop event. Girl Scouts will be working towards earning their Girl Scout Daisy Courageous & Strong Petal, Brownie My Best Self Badge, or Junior Staying Fit Badge.
Learn how to use a computerized sewing machine, how to pin fabric, and the language of sewing to make your very own tote bag! Discover how sewing incorporates technology, art, and math. Earn your Girl Scout Brownie or Junior Art & Design Badge or Senior Science of Style and Textile Artist badges. We also offer Advanced Sewing 2 and Sewing 3 by request. Adults may register and participate, too. This is a Program on the Go activity, which can be held at your regular meeting site or at one of our service centers, by availability.
At this girl-focused program, we will explore the role of the Girl Scout Journeys, the Girl Scout Silver Award project steps, and the approval process. You will leave empowered to take the lead and Take Action to make the world a better place. This program is most effective after Journey completion. One adult leader must accompany and attend per troop/group. Adults who would like to learn more about the Silver Award should attend the Silver Award Workshop.
Discover Supportive Techniques and Resource Services to guide you to have healthy friendships and romantic relationships during our S.TA.R.S. session. Join GSNNJ staff for these sessions as we partner with local dating abuse prevention agencies to dissect behaviors and learn to identify abuse. Through interactive activities, you’ll begin to understand the incremental nature of abuse and spot abusive behaviors. You’ll receive resources that can be shared with friends. Accompanying adults can participate in a separate discussion and workshop designed to provide them with tools to assist a teen in a harmful relationship. Workshops are age appropriate and will focus on healthy friendships. Girl Scouts will earn the following badges: Cadettes – Science of Happiness, Senior – Social Innovator and Ambassador- On My Own.
Discover the process that engineers use to solve problems and develop new products as you work through the Think Like an Engineer Journey for Girl Scout Cadettes. Learn, brainstorm, create, and test during our overnight at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. Challenge yourself by completing fun engineering projects. You'll work in teams to stretch your creative capabilities as you solve the challenges together. Participation in this activity fulfills all but the Take Action plan for the Girl Scout Cadette Engineering Journey. Choose the dates for your overnight stay: Friday-Saturday, April 11-12 or Saturday-Sunday, April 12 -13, 2025. You must attend the entire event to earn the awards. Late arrivals and early departures cannot be accommodated. Troop Leaders must adhere to the 2:8 ratio and register two leaders per troop to adhere to safety activity checkpoints. Fee includes instructor led activities, breakfast, and lunch plus troop sleeping accommodations.
Become a Trailblazer and join this flexible year-long hiking and backpacking program for girls who love spending time outdoors. Experienced leaders will teach you outdoor skills such as hiking, camping/primitive camping, equipment selection, outdoor safety, fire building, and more. Attend hikes and events as your schedule allows. Girl Scouts, you can attend on your own, with a parent/guardian, or with your troop. A one-time, non-refundable fee of $25 per person will be collected for the entire year, giving you access to a full calendar of events. Your registration is not complete until a health and permission slip is returned. Log into myGS, click on the tile for Trailblazers under "my events" and look for the permission slip/health form attached to your registration. All hikes and backpacking trips are included as part of your registration fee. GSNNJ offers a gear loaner program for members of this group. All other activities require an additional fee. We begin our season in October.
Visit the United Nations in New York City and discover what the member organizations are doing to protect and celebrate human rights. While there, we will participate in a "Focus on Women" tour that explores the significant contributions of women in the United Nation’s work towards peace and security, human rights, and development. We will visit the Security Council Chamber, the Economic and Social Council Chamber, and the General Assembly, as meeting schedules allow. After our tours, we’ll travel by bus to the iconic culinary destination, Chelsea Market (where participants will pay for dinner on their own), which is considered one of the greatest indoor food and retail marketplaces in the world today. Meet the coach bus at either our Riverdale Service Center at 1:00 p.m. or the Lyndhurst Stop & Shop at 1:30 p.m. Plan to return to each stop after departing from Chelsea Market at 8:30 p.m. This event is for Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors, and Adults. All participants will receive a Model Citizen fun patch.
Join us for our virtual Summer Camp Information Night via Zoom to learn about our summer day camp programs at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham and Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Meet the Camp Directors. Discover what makes our summer day camp so unique and learn more about our archery range, low-ropes challenge course, zip line, equestrian area, Gaga ball pit, hiking trails, and more. We offer camp sessions for girls entering Grades 1 through 11 as of September 2025. We’ll answer all your questions. All girls are welcome to attend summer camp. Bring a friend along who may want to attend camp with you. Summer Camp Information Nights are designed for new campers and parents, but returning campers are always welcome. Registration is required to obtain the Zoom link, which will be emailed to all registered participants 1-2 days prior to the event. Only 1 adult per family needs to register and we encourage interested campers and parents to attend together.
Join us for Voter Girl, a 3-hour workshop for Brownies through Ambassadors, facilitated by the League of Women Voters, that focuses on civic engagement - just before the 2024 presidential election! Each age level will work on age-appropriate badges, including Behind the Ballot, Democracy, Finding Common Ground and Inside Government. We will divide into groups by level and discuss topics such as the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and the avenues we can use to contact our state representatives in order to help change the world. Local women elected officials will join us as well. The morning culminates with a parade where Brownies will wave banners and posters that they created, celebrating the right of women to vote. This is a wonderful opportunity for girls of all ages to see women who are actively engaged in making democracy work. The event will be held at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. When registering, please choose the appropriate Girl Scout level session. This is not a drop-off event; all Girl Scouts will need a leader or registered adult to be present. Bagels will be served.
Explore Washington, D.C. through the lens of the Civil Rights Movement. Immerse yourself in the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during our Continuing the Dream Tour. We’ll begin our journey at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in the heart of our nation's capital, where his legacy and the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice are honored. Our journey continues to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where the original “I Have a Dream” speech and several installations about his life are exhibited. In addition, you can visit the museum’s Teaching and Learning Unit where middle and high school students are encouraged to join and discover careers in STEM. The day will include a break for lunch at the Sweet Home Cafe. The fee includes coach, bus transportation and all tours. Lunch is not included in the fee, however, a snack will be provided. The bus departs from the Paramus Service Center.
Experience Broadway in a unique way. Join us for a trip to New York City in June to see the Broadway play, Wicked, and participate in a panel with theater professionals. During our trip, we will dine at the iconic Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for lunch. Fee includes coach bus transportation (pickup locations will be in Lyndhurst and Rockaway), theater workshop, lunch, and show tickets. This program is open to Girl Scouts and their friends and family members. Troop leaders, register adhering to Girl Scout ratio requirements.
Our yoga mini retreat that is all about loving the skin you're in and celebrating your unique and amazing self. Together, we’ll explore mindfulness practices like breathing and meditation, designed to boost your confidence and nurture your inner sparkle. We’ll stretch and flow through yoga poses that honor your strength, resilience, and uniqueness. We will also spend time together talking about what it means to be body-positive, because you are awesome just as you are! So, grab your mat, and join us for this super fun and uplifting yoga mini-retreat! Daisies will work towards their Courageous & Strong Petal, Brownie My Best Self Badge, Junior Staying Fit Badge, and Cadette Science of Happiness Badge. In addition to our May programs, this is a Program on the Go - troops can come a session at the Body Positive Works studio in Saddle River or inquire about arranging a time at their meeting location.