Every Council's Own Girl Scout Fun Patch Program That Your Girl Scouts Can Earn From Anywhere: Games and Sports

Welcome back to my very weird series in which I am listing, week by week, topic by topic, every single Council's Own Girl Scout fun patch program that your Girl Scouts can earn from everywhere!

My Girl Scout troop enjoys earning Council's Own fun patches, as well as official badges and retired badges. I usually look for a fun patch that they can earn in addition to a badge whenever we're planning a big project or a trip, etc. This list is essentially just my own research written down for easy reference.

This week's category: Games and Sports! This category includes trying out--or just learning about--a new game or sport. I was surprised (and a little disappointed!) to see so few Council's Own fun patches in this category, because there are very few Physical Activity badges for Girl Scouts to earn, and SO MANY fun games and sports to expose kids to! Every city that hosts a professional sports team ought to have plenty of fun patches for those teams--where are my NHL and National Women's Soccer League fun patches? The same for every city that hosts a special sporting event--we've got a marathon fun patch, but no car racing, bicycle racing, or equestrian fun patches.

Ah, well. Always room for improvement!

For this list, I only included fun patch programs that fit the following criteria:

1. Girl Scouts can earn this fun patch wherever they are. I did not include any fun patch programs that have site-specific criteria, unless I felt that those criteria would be easy to substitute and still maintain the point of the fun patch program. I also didn't include fun patch programs that require time-specific criteria that have already passed, such as patches programs designed for the 2020 COVID lockdowns. I noted in the description of each patch when substitutions would be required.
2. Girl Scouts can obtain the council's requirements to earn this fun patch. I found several instances in which the council still sells a specific fun patch, but has deleted all the requirements from its website. If I couldn't find an easy link to those requirements from another site, I did not include the patch.
3. Girl Scouts can obtain the physical fun patch. There were also several instances in which councils still host the requirements for a fun patch program, but no longer sell the patch (or, as in the case of a few GSAK patches, they have fewer than ten remaining). If it is unlikely for a Girl Scout to be able to obtain the fun patch, I did not include it. The link to purchase each fun patch is in the caption for its graphic.

GAMES AND SPORTS

Bowling GSOFSI

Bowling, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Lean the basics of bowling and have fun playing the game. This would be a great fun patch to earn during a troop trip to a bowling alley, especially if you can get a behind-the-scenes tour.

Girls Got Game GSMIDTN

Girls Got Game, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Learn about and experience women's sports.

Gymnastics GSOFSI

Gymnastics, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Visit a gymnastics studio to learn about the sport and practice some simple skills. This would make a good fun patch for a younger Girl Scout troop to earn during a troop trip to a gymnastics studio. 

Let the Games Begin GSK

Let the Games Begin, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana. Learn about the Winter Olympics. You could use this fun patch for the Summer Olympics if you rewrote the winter-themed requirements.

Marathon: Go the Distance GSEM

Marathon: Go the Distance, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Learn about the history and culture of marathons while preparing to run in a race of your own. This fun patch program pairs well with the Senior Cross Training badge and Ambassador Coaching badge.

Roller Skating GSOFSI

Roller Skating, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Learn about the sport of roller skating and try roller skating skills. This is a good fun patch to earn with a troop trip to a roller skating rink, especially accompanied by a behind-the-scenes tour.

Here's a look at my complete fun patch series:

• Arts and Crafts
• Culture, Diversity, and Equity
• Games and Sports
• Geography/History
• Outdoors
• Practical Life Skills
• Reading and Writing
• Science
• Service Learning
• Social-Emotional Skills
• Technology, Engineering, and Math