Treasure hunt enthusiasts, get ready to learn all about Letterboxing. Prepare for your treasure hunt by creating your own stamp, deciphering clues by using secret codes, and making a Letterbox to use with your friends on future hunts. Then you'll travel the course by following clues to each Letterbox station. You will use your new stamp to mark your booklet along the way. Fee includes program supplies and badge. Patch can be purchased at the council shops. This activity helps girls eaern the Girl Scout Brownie Letterboxer Badge and Healthy Living patch.
For Girl Scout Brownies
The following is a list of program activities and their descriptions for the 2022-2023 Girl Scout year. Download the Program Planner and search our Program Activities List and Program | Events Calendar web pages for dates and registration details.
Create your own Program Activities List
Print out your own listing of all available program activities with their program descriptions. Locate the PRINTER ICON BUTTON (small green printer illustration) at the top right-hand corner of the web page under the main photo. Use that button to automatically create and print out pages that include all of the programs PLUS their descriptions for this Girl Scout level. For a complete guide to all of our council's program activities, print out the pages for each level. Then, mark your favorites, search gsEvents for the dates and times that program activity is being offered, and register.
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Amazing Treasure Hunt
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Animal Explorers: Day
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Bring a special adult or your troop and your love of animals to Jockey Hollow Camp to meet some animal friends up-close and learn about mammals, reptiles, birds, and more from professional animal handlers. We’ll play animal-themed games and make crafts. This program activity helps girls earn the Birdbath Award from the 5 Stories, 4 Flowers, 3 Cheers for Animals Girl Scout Daisy Journey. Adults must be current registered Girl Scout members with a completed background checks prior to registering for this program.
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Animal Explorers: Overnight
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Bring a special adult or your troop and your love of animals to meet some animal friends up-close and learn about mammals, reptiles, birds, and more from professional animal handlers. We’ll play animal-themed games and make crafts. This program is available with an overnight option at Jockey Hollow Camp. Come join us for a pizza party, more animal-themed activities, a campfire, songs, and S’mores before settling into a cabin for a sleepover. This is a great opportunity for first-time campers!
This program activity helps girls earn the Birdbath Award from the 5 Stories, 4 Flowers, 3 Cheers for Animals Girl Scout Daisy Journey. Fee includes patch, dinner, snacks, breakfast, and all activities. STEM patch can be purchased at the council shops. Adults must be current registered Girl Scout members with a completed background checks prior to registering for this program.
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Animal Guardians
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Get an up-close look at the habitats, biofacts, and behaviors of exotic animals at Ringwood State Park during this fun-filled wildlife adventure. You’ll be an explorer for the day as you study the lives of snakes, lizards, turtles, and birds with the help of Lokai Rose, an environmental conservation organization and exotic animal rescue group. Come discover the importance of respecting and preserving local wildlife and being a responsible pet owner. Girls will earn the Girl Scout Brownie Pets Badge and Girl Scout Brownie Bugs Badge.
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Apple Cider Making
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Join us to make fresh apple cider using an old-fashioned screw press as you explore the use of simple machines and learn about the history of cider making from colonial times to the present. This program is located at Tenafly Nature Center in Tenafly, NJ. Fee includes a fun patch.
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Archery at Jockey Hollow & Lake Rickabear Camps
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With a little practice and good hand-eye coordination, you’ll be hitting bullseyes in no time. During this two-hour session, you’ll learn all about archery—the equipment, safety, and shooting on an archery range. Choose between our two camps for your preferred location: at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham or Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon.
Archery sessions are available from mid-April through mid-November. Sessions must be reserved at least 30 days prior to desired date. Adults can register to participate, too. For more information or questions, email camping@gsnnj.org.
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Be Boulder!
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Earn your Outdoor High Adventure Girl Scout Brownie Climbing Adventure Badge with this fun and challenging activity. You will build your teamwork skills while learning how to safely climb various outdoor elements, and have the opportunity to climb a rock wall. Explore the world of rock climbing, learn more about the terminology and gear needed to complete a climb, and record what you’ve learned in an adventure journal at Hands in 4 Youth in West Milford, NJ. This program helps girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Climbing Adventure Badge.
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Become a ROCKstar
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Become a ROCKstar during this 1.5 hour program where you will learn proper equipment use, basic climbing techniques, and safety while increasing strength, balance, flexibility, and problem solving skills. Gain confidence, leadership skills, and experience in two different styles of climbing, Top Rope and Bouldering, utilizing innovative climbing structures. Wear sneakers/athletic shoes and comfortable clothing. All necessary equipment is included.
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Brownie Hikers
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Go hiking with your sister Girl Scouts on the trails at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. You’ll learn about what to bring on a hike and even prepare a snack. Once on the hike, your guides will show you how to follow trail signs. This program is being presented by Girl Scout Cadettes who are working toward their Leader in Action Award. Girls on the hike will earn their Girl Scout Brownie Hiker Badge.
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Brownie Cyber Sleuth
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Become a cybersecurity expert as you work in teams to develop super sleuthing skills and learn how to stay safe. Discover how the internet works and what it means to be a computer scientist. You’ll learn about encryption as we play games and solve puzzles to hack codes. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Cybersecurity 1: Basics Badge and Girl Scout Brownie Cybersecurity 2: Safeguards Badge.
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Brownie Night Out
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Come participate in an evening just for Girl Scout Brownies. Enjoy Jockey Hollow Camp at night as you sit around a campfire making S’mores and singing songs. Take a short, guided hike to listen to the critters of the evening and make a glowing firefly to take home. This is not a parent/guardian and child program. Please adhere to the published adult to girl ratio. Registrations exceeding the adult ratios will not be accepted. Fee includes program supplies and badge. Patch can be purchased at the council shops. This activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Outdoor Adventurer Badge.
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Cake Decorating I: FUNdamentals
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Be creative with icing as you learn from a professional baker how to decorate a cake that you can take home. You’ll earn Part 1 of your Girl Scout Bake Arts Patch as you master the basic skills for turning something tasty into something beautiful, too. Fee includes program materials, professional instruction, and part 1 of a Bake Arts Multilevel patch. Take-home materials also include a practice board, pastry bag, information sheet, four decorating tips, and a small spatula (retail value of $22). Adults can register and participate, too. Chaperones who are not participating do not need to register online or pay. A registered adult must remain for the duration of the program activity.
Note: Food items may contain or be cross contaminated during manufacture/processing with known food allergens, including but not limited to: wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, dyes/coloring.
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Cake Decorating II: Borders and Basket Weaving/Beyond Basics
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Build on the decorating skills you learned in Cake Decorating I, as you work with bakery icing to create ruffled swags and basket weaves on a cake you can take home. You will learn to equally divide a cake to create borders using piping techniques. Cake Decorating I is a prerequisite. Fee includes program materials, professional instruction, and part 2 of a Bake Arts Multilevel patch. Take-home materials also include four decorating tips and practice boards (retail value of $10). Adults can register and participate, too. Chaperones who are not participating do not need to register online or pay. A registered adult must remain for the duration of the program activity.
Note: Food items may contain or be cross contaminated during manufacture/processing with known food allergens, including but not limited to: wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, dyes/coloring.
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Campfire and Night Hike
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Experience the changes that occur in the forest as day turns to night during this short, guided evening hike on the trails of the Tenafly Nature Center. We’ll play games as we listen for animals and test our sensory skills along the way. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy songs, stories, and fun-filled activities while we roast marshmallows around a campfire.
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Creative Engineer
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Did you know that popsicles, trampolines, and crayon holders were all products designed by kids who were trying to solve a problem? You, too, can be a Creative Engineer and develop your own problem-solving product. Bring your creativity and imagination to this workshop, where you’ll build a prototype of your product and explore ways to sell it through advertising. This program will help girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Budding Entrepreneur Badge.
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Cupcake Create!
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Learn how to decorate cupcakes beautifully with the help of a professional baker during this lesson in basic icing piping. You will decorate four seasonally-themed cupcakes to take home. Fee includes all decorating tools and materials needed for use in class. Note: Food items may contain or be cross contaminated during manufacture/processing with known food allergens, including but not limited to: wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, dyes/coloring. Adults can register and participate, too. Chaperones who are not participating do not need to register online or pay, however, a registered adult must remain for the duration of the program activity.
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Dairy Days
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Meet the Jersey cows of Fosterfields, and learn how to churn butter! See how ice cream is made the old fashioned way and take a turn churning it yourself. End the session with a sweet treat. This program wil help girl earn the Girl Scout Brownie Snacks Badge (Steps 3 & 5); Girl Scout Junior Playing the Past Badge (Step 3); the Girl Scout Cadette Animal Helpers Badge (Step 1) and New Cuisines Badge (Step 3); and the Girl Scout Senior Voice for Animals Badge (Steps 1 & 3).
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FallFest
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Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey invites you to attend FallFest Weekend, Saturday, Oct. 22 & Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, at Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Learn more about our 2022-2023 program offerings and meet the staff of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey at FallFest. Come and sample fun and exciting Girl Scout activities, including archery, rock climbing, ziplining, yoga, and more. Food trucks will be on-site for purchasing snacks. Plan out your Girl Scout year. At FallFest, you can sign up early for this year's program activities—before they sell out! Plus, take advantage of special FallFest promotions and earn prizes. Choose a start time on your preferred date when you register. FallFest will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on both days.
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Family Fun Days & Family Camping at Lake Rickabear
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Bring your family to Lake Rickabear Camp for our Family Fun Days and Family Camping and have an outdoor adventure with us during Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends! Spend the day or reserve overnight accommodations. Each campsite offers an outdoor cooking grill with picnic table and flush toilets and hot showers are available nearby. Lake Rickabear Camp offers a 40-acre, spring-fed lake with a 700-foot sandy beach, fishing, miniature golf, outdoor bowling, volleyball, tennis, basketball, and more! For more information, email camping@gsnnj.org or visit: www.gsnnj.org/FamilyFun
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Family Swim & Picnic at Lake Rickabear
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LAKE RICKABEAR CAMP IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR SEASONAL MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS. THERE WILL BE NO FAMILY SWIM OR FAMILY CAMPING DURING LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2022.
Bring your family for a fun day at Lake Rickabear, a 40-acre, spring-fed lake with a 700-foot sandy beach Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Camp offers fishing, miniature golf, outdoor bowling, volleyball, tennis, basketball, and more. Charcoal grills and picnic tables are available. Identification bands are issued when you check-in. NO ADVANCE RESERVATION REQUIRED. Family Swim and Picnic is open to Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scout friends and family. For more information, email camping@gsnnj.org or visit: www.gsnnj.org/FamilyFun.
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Gingerbread House Construction 101
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Create your own gingerbread house with some imagination and a lot of icing and other edible decorations this virtual program. You’ll learn the best ways to make this fun and festive food item. This program activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Brownies Snacks Badge (Steps 1 & 3), Girl Scout Brownies Senses Badge (Step 4), Girl Scout Junior Simple Meals Badge (Steps 1 & 4), and Girl Scout Cadette New Cuisines Badge (Step 3). Fee includes a gingerbread house kit and one-hour live virtual class.
Virtual and in-person special arrangements are available for this program. Adults can register and participate, too. Adults who are not participating do not need to register online or pay.
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Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend
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Every year, Girl Scouts explore the natural wonders found across our country during the Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend. This year from Sept. 10-11, New Jersey State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites celebrates Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend with thirty guided programs and countless opportunities for self-guided hikes and activities across the entire state.
The registration link will re-direct you to the NJ State Parks website with a full listing of state-wide programs and information for Girl Scouts, their troops, and their families as well as links to DIY activities, hiking, and picnicking information. Note that the guided interpretive programs and events have capacity limits and require pre-registration (all pre-registration is happening directly through the Park Services, which you will be redirected to when you click on the registration link).
Want patches? Special 2022 Girl Scout Love State patches can be purchased from our council retail store and are available as a fun patch to commemorate any event at a state park throughout year, as well as events during this weekend.
Want to explore parks across the USA and/or download your free Girl Scouts Love State Parks passport? Check out GSUSA's national Girl Scouts Love State Parks website! The passport can be used to explore any state park and participate in our national #PickUpAmerica campaign.
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Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with us and enjoy unique cultural traditions and cuisines at the Cultural Connections Festival in Dover, Sept. 17, 2022, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Bring the whole family! Learn some traditional dances.
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Intro to Camping: Glamping
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If you are ready to try camping overnight, but not yet sure about camping outdoors, come join us for a night of crafts and activites while we camp inside at our Riverdale Service Center. Make new friends and bond with your troop during this adventurous indoor camping experience. We'll enjoy a pizza dinner and make fun crafts, including edible campfires and S'mores men. And, we'll wrap up the evening with a movie and popcorn. A light breakfast will be served the next morning. Fee inlcudes crafts, food, and fun patch.
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Jockey Hollow Day Camp Open House
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You’re invited to tour the beautiful camp facilities at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. Come meet our staff, ask questions, and make S’mores. With a large "L"-shaped swimming pool, Low-Ropes Challenge Course, and Zip Line, beautiful equestrian center, archery range, playing field, and adventurous hiking trails, the fun is endless at our camp. Walk through our luxurious cabins and activity shelters, see our large troop house and spacious pavilion, and more. Stop by anytime between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and bring a friend or two. New or returning campers and their families are invited to attend.
Registration is suggested in case of program cancelation, but not required. Driving directions will be emailed when you register online.
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Lake Rickabear Day Camp Open House
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Take a tour of our Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Meet our camp staff and enjoy refreshments as you discover what makes our summer camp program so desirable. Our beautiful 40-acre, spring-fed lake is perfect for pedal boating, row boating, paddle boarding, and swimming, and has a long stretch of sandy beach. You’ll also see our archery range, low-ropes challenge course, mini golf course, zip line, rock wall, equestrian area, gaga ball pit, and hiking trails. Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts are welcome to register for our camps. Bring along a friend or two! Reservations are requested in case of cancelation due to inclement weather. Driving directions will be emailed post-registration.
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Low Ropes Challenge Course at Jockey Hollow & Lake Rickabear Camps
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Build self-confidence, team cooperation, and problem-solving skills, both individually and as a troup, when a trained facilitator guides you through low rope elements and group initiative activities. Your team will work through frustrations and gain confidence as they create a solution for each activity. Each challenge activity will be geared to the participants’ age levels during this 2-hour program. Girls in Grade 4 or older can enjoy a zip line experience.
Choose between our two camps for your preferred location: at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham or Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon.Low Ropes Challenge Course sessions are available from mid-April through mid-November. Sessions must be reserved at least 30 days prior to desired date. For more information or questions, email camping@gsnnj.org.
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Making Memories
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Bring along a special adult and step back in time with a visit to Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown. You’ll walk through the flower garden and make a painting of what you see. Then, listen to stories of the mothers and daughters who lived there long ago as you tour the museum’s 19th century rooms. Fee includes a fun patch.
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Maple Sugaring
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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. Link patch 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. Program will occur in sunshine, rain, or snow. Come dressed for the weather.
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Me & My Hero
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Bring your favorite hero along for a day of outdoor fun at Lake Rickabear Camp in Kinnelon. Explore the trails, enjoy a hotdog cooked on the grill, play miniature golf, try our outdoor bowling alley, and more! Wear your bathing suit and bring a towel for some water fun in the lake. Fee includes all games and activities, hot dog lunch, and fun patch. Heroes do not have to be Girl Scout members.
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Morning Chores on the Farm
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You’ll feel like a real farmer when you help with the morning chores on a local farm at Fosterfields in Morristown, NJ. Chores may include feeding and watering the animals, sweeping the barn, herding the sheep, and helping our farmers take the animals out to the pasture. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Junior Playing the Past Badge (3) and Girl Scout Cadette Animal Helpers Badge (1). Dress appropriately for working and be prepared to get dirty.
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Overnight Adventure
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You and your special female adult or troop can join us for this overnight adventure at Lake Rickabear Camp. Get ready for a pizza party, campfire, songs, S’mores, and more. You’ll spend the night in a yurt or cabin, and in the morning, go on a self-guided scavenger hunt, participate in the day’s activities, and have fun making crafts. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Outdoor Adventurer Badge. Fee includes dinner, light breakfast, badge, and all activities.
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Owls and Hawks and Falcons...Oh My!
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Day and night, raptors are flying, hunting, and roosting here in New Jersey. Through the exploration of artifacts and live birds of prey, you'll learn about Flat Rock Brook’s feathered ambassadors, including their behavior, physiology, adaptations, and natural history.
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Perfectly Imperfect
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Discover how to better focus on what your body can do, than on how it looks. During this program, you’ll explore yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques that will help you ignore the negative body image messaging in advertising, movies, television, and social media. You’ll learn tools that will help you connect with your inner voice, maintain your confidence, and be true to yourself at Body Positive Works in Saddle River, NJ. This program activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie My Best Self Badge, Girl Scout Junior Staying Fit Badge, and Girl Scout Cadette Science of Happiness Badge. Completed badge can be purchased at the council shop.
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Pop Art Painting
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Develop your creative talents by creating a large-scale self-portrait that celebrates your inner and outer beauty. Making a self-portrait is a way to express who you are and it’s a lot of fun. In this workshop, not only will you get to learn how to draw your unique facial features, but you will also get to experiment with some unconventional painting techniques. To spark inspiration, a teaching artist will guide you through a professional art gallery before heading to the art studio to start creating. Explore your unique facial features and draw a self-portrait on a large piece of painting paper. Learn how to add mood to your self-portrait through facial expression, color use, and mark-making with unconventional painting supplies.
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Rule Makers vs. Rule Breakers
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Discover what it means to be part of a democracy—and how everyone in a democratic government shares the job and responsibility of deciding the rules. Find out more about how our government works by sharing your ideas and participating in fun activities that will help you understand what your role is and can be in a democracy. This program activity will help girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Democracy Badge, Girl Scout Junior Democracy Badge, and Girl Scout Cadette Democracy Badge.
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Sensational Stars
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Get a closer look at the stars in the sky when our Starlab traveling planetarium visits Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. You’ll work on your space badge as you study the constellations and other elements of the night sky. This program activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Daisy Space Science Explorer Badge and Girl Scout Brownie Space Science Adventurer Badge (Steps 1, 2, 3 & 4).
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Sewing 1
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Create a fun, easy to sew project using a computerized sewing machine. You’ll discover how sewing incorporates technology, art, and math. Plus, you’ll learn the language of sewing and how to choose and pin fabric by creating a one-of-a-kind pillowcase. Fee includes all program materials. Adults can register and participate, too.
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Sewing 2
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Once you’ve completed Sewing 1, expand your sewing knowledge and skills in this workshop using a computerized sewing machine to make an elastic waistband skirt or halter top. You’ll learn about style, body measurements, and the basics of garment construction, as you explore your personal style and build your confidence in creating your own clothing designs. Fee includes all program materials. Sewing 1 is a prerequisite. Adults can register and participate, too.
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Sleep with the Fish
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Enjoy an overnight adventure in a building filled with amazing creatures and marine mammals during this sleepover at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. Take a guided tour and listen to stories about the biodiversity found in our bodies of water from the sea to the lakes and rivers. Experience a special 3D movie and take part in a hands-on craft activity. Dinner and a snack are included. In the morning, you'll visit the seals and watch their morning feeding.
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Snow and Ice Family Fun
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Bring your sleds, snow shoes, and ice skates (or borrow a pair of ours) to Lake Rickabear Camp for a family fun day filled with snow and ice adventure. Weather permitting and after an ice thickness test, you and your family can go sledding down the hill and onto our frozen lake. Then, lace up your ice skates and glide onto our cleared lake ice rink. Or, try hiking around the camp grounds in a pair of snow shoes (GSNNJ will have a limited number of those to loan out, too). Bonfires, S'mores making, and hot chocolate will be provided. Don't miss our dog sledding demo!
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Summer Camp Information Night
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Join us for a virtual Camp Information Night via Zoom to learn about our summer camp progams at Jockey Hollow and Lake Rickabear Day Camps. Meet the Camp Directors, discover the many activities we offer, and have all your questions answered. You don't have to be a Girl Scout to attend our camps. Invite a non-Girl Scout friend along who may want to attend camp with you. 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 before the event.
NOTE: Adults only need to register if they are attending the session alone.
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Trail Explorers
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Explore the great outdoors with us as you learn to prepare for a hike and then hit the trails at Jockey Hollow Camp in Mendham. You’ll earn your Girl Scout Brownie Trail Adventure Badge by learning how to prepare for the hike and how to stay safe outside, while enjoying nature along the way. You’ll make your own nut-free trail mix, before heading out to take a guided hike. This program activity helps girls earn the Girl Scout Brownie Trail Adventure Badge.
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Turkey Trek
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Enjoy a late fall trek around Lake Rickabear Camp’s 1.2 mile trail. Take photos with your with family or troop and the beautiful scenery as your backdrop. Learn about nature through a fun scavenger hunt that supports the Eco Girl Scout badges. Each paid participant will receive a Turkey Trek 2022 pin. Pre-registration is required: http://bit.ly/GSNNJfamilyevent.
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Twilight Campfire
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Join us for S'mores around the campfire as we gather to sing along to classic campfire tunes. This is a fantastic place to learn new songs and traditions for those who are new to Girl Scouts. Program fee includes a fun patch for each girl. Please bring a jacket and a flashlight.
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Virtual Travel Showcase
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Join us for this virtual presentation about our trip and travel benefits for our members. The GSNNJ program team has been planning some exciting events from camping to glamping! Our trips include single (1) night overnights such as one at Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT, an overnight in Washington D.C., and a stay in Philadelphia, as well as five-day (5) trips to Savannah, GA, and beyond. Learn more about our first ever, adult-only, trip to Memphis, TN, and hear about our amazing Girl Scout Destination program. Plus, hear the latest news about our 2023 Girl Scout National Council Session and Convention being held in Orlando, FL.
