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Updated April 2023
One of the parts of the Girl Scout Law is to “Use Resources Wisely”. As a child of the 70’s, I used to watch the Public Service Announcements with Woodsy Owl, who taught us to not pollute. People who cared for the environment were seen as “crunchy granola types” and were very advant garde for the time. The only reason adults of that time were conservationists was to save money. Turning out the lights when they were not in use was not to save the Earth, but to save your parents’ wallets.
My children have grown up with recycle bins at home, at
school, at local parks, and at our synagogue. This is simply a way of life now
and throwing paper goods or cans and bottles is only done by accident. Canvas
bags are kept in my car for quick errands and a large bag of them is taken to
the supermarket for each weekly trip.
Image from Pixabay and used by the author in Canva
Many children today are also eating a lot cleaner that
I did as a child. Bologna sandwiches on Wonder Bread with Hi C punch in my
thermos and a Twinkie for dessert was a normal lunch. Today, kids are eating
non-sulfate lunch meats on wheat bread or bringing hummus with vegetables as a
lunch. Juice is organic or kids simply
drink water. Snacks are natural and made with no high fructose corn syrup.
Because the concept of saving the earth, eating healthy
and using natural products is a part of our lifestyle now and even our school
curriculum, earning the Brownie Household Elf Badge is an easy Try It to earn
in one meeting.
Step 1 Save Energy
This is an easy part of the badge to earn because the
girls should have a wide knowledge base. Read one of these books for children
that is directly related to saving energy as a launch for discussion.
This book shares the story of what happens to a community that has a power blackout.
One way to extend this discussion at home is to put the girls "in charge" of making sure the lights are turned off when a room is empty. Have them search for "vampire energy eaters", aka,things that are plugged in when not in use. Have them ask an adult to unplug it for them.
Step 2 Save Water
Another quick step is to discuss ways that you can save
water. Shorter showers, turning off the water when brushing their teeth and not
letting the water run when the dishes are being done are just a few things to
list. Your co-leader or you can write down the response to send in a follow-up
email to parents.
Step 3 Go Natural (craft)
Materials
- Spray bottle
- Ingredients to make your cleaner (your choice-sites for recipes below)
- Paper or plastic tablecloth to protect the table
- Sieve for pouring
- Labels for bottles
Many household cleaners are full of strong and powerful
chemicals that can cause reactions in some people. Our ancestors knew the
cleaning power of baking soda and vinegar long before Windex was invented.
You can have the girls make their own natural spray
cleaner. You can purchase cheap spray bottles at the Dollar Store or a big box
retailer. Depending on what you decide to make, you can make your own labels
for the girls to place on them once the mix has been made.
Here are a few sites for you to check out and see which
natural cleaner you want to make.
10 All Natural Cleaning Solutions to Scrub Every Inch of Your Home
10 All Natural Cleaning Solutions to Scrub Every Inch of Your Home
Step 4 Reuse or Recycle
As a teacher, I have always saved everything because
you never know when it can be repurposed for a craft!
In past generations, things were rarely tossed out,
they were used up until they could not be used anymore.
This is a great time to do intertwine a community
service project. For the Bronze Award, my troop made toys for the animals at a
local no-kill shelter. We made cat toys our of toilet paper tubes and tug toys for dogs out of tee shirts.
If these crafts are not for your troop, then they can
decorate canvas tote bags that they can bring to the store when they are out
shopping with their parents. Instead of a boring old bag, they can really bling
theirs out! Use stampers, jewels, Sharpies...anything you want!
Step 5 Clear the Air (craft)
Having fresh air to breathe inside our homes is
important.
Sometimes things get stinky and we need to make it smell fresher.
If you want, bring in a can of freshener and have the
girls try to read the ingredients. Pretty scary!
Image from Pixabay and used by the author in Canva
Instead, you can use another spray bottle and make your
own room freshener. Here are some recipes that do not require heating.
How have your girls earned the Brownie Household Elf Try it?
Thank you - This is a perfect badge to do when ou have to stay home! April 1, 2020.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found something useful that your daughter could do! Stay safe!
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