Wait! That’s a Bird!

While I sit at the Salt Lake City Airport baggage claim awaiting my errant luggage, I thought I would take a few minutes to regale you on one of the many adventures with Troop 13405. Note to self: when you set your alarm for 3am, make sure it IS set for 3am. Arising in a flurry when you casually look at the clock that says it’s 4:34am and you remember your flight is at 5:50am is not the most stress-free way to travel out of town. Oh, and ALWAYS, shower the night before when catching an early flight. This I did, much to the appreciation of my fellow passengers I am sure. They know not the stinky bullet they dodged.

Back to Girl Scouts, Saturday eight of our Cadettes attended a Breathe session at the Houston Arboretum. First of all, if you have not been to the Houston Arboretum, GO! The 155 acres of wild forest land made me feel like I was at camp. For all of you with Girl Scout troops in the area, sign up for a badge workshop with them! So much fun. While we were there with our Cadettes, Brownies were earning their Bugs badge, while Juniors were earning their Animal Habitats badge.

 We were early (I hate being late) and the parking lot was empty. The girls ran around playing tag while we waited for the Nature Center to open. The following conversation happened:

Scout 1: “Someone’s phone is ringing.”

Scouts look at each other to see whose ring tone they’re hearing.

Scout 2: “Wait! That’s a bird!”

Snicker. Definitely city girls in this bunch. One of the benefits to scouting is to get these girls outside, exploring a part of their world they might not have thought to experience.

The volunteers at the center taught the girls about air quality which encompassed the first three sessions of the Cadette Breathe Journey. They built air quality detectors with tape to hang at home and see what they pick up. (Mine will be covered in dog hair and guinea pig shavings.) The girls explored their sense of smell and made little boutiques with dried herbs and cheese cloth.

They took two hikes:  one to visit a hundred year old sycamore, the second to tour a meadow and small bog looking for mushrooms to judge the air quality based on the fungus growth.

As you can see from the happy, shiny faces, the girls enjoyed their time outside. An adventurous way to start off their journey!

For some reason, Jenna decided to decorate herself. I asked her if she was some sort of office supply super hero. She did not reply.