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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: the Outdoors! This fun patch program includes fun patches that teach specific outdoor skills, as well as ones that encourage Girl Scouts to get outside in various types of weather. All the camping fun patches live in this category. I especially love all of the fun patches here that consist of a checklist of activities that Girl Scouts can do independently--I think this is a great way to encourage kids to incorporate a wide variety of outdoor activities into their daily lives outside of Girl Scouting.
For this list, I only included fun patch programs that fit the following criteria:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
OUTDOORS
Adventure Club, Girl Scouts River Valleys. Participate in three adventures. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Outdoor badges. It's a good one for a troop to earn over the course of a Girl scout year.
Awesome Autumn Adventure, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. Have fun outdoor adventures during autumn. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Outdoor badges.
Backyard Challenge, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Encourages Girl Scouts to have adventures in their backyard or neighborhood. This fun patch program would be a good one for Girl Scouts to earn independently, especially if the troop doesn't meet over the summer break.
Bike Safety, Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania. Be a safe bicyclist by completing this fun patch program. This fun patch pairs well with the Junior Independence badge.
Bits of Joy, Girl Scouts of Easter Oklahoma. Camp and complete activities to earn this fun patch. This is a super simple and easy to earn camping fun patch that would be especially great for a younger Girl Scout troop to earn during a troop family camp or Service Unit Camporee.
Cave Explorer, Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Learn about caves, their ecosystems, and how to conserve them while planning a real caving adventure.
Get Outdoors, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council. Complete the required number of outdoor activities during the designated time period to earn this fun patch. This is a great fun patch program to have Girl Scouts earn independently, perhaps with regular check-ins during troop meetings.
Get Outdoors, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Complete seasonal activities from this multi-patch program to experience a year's worth of fun outdoor activities. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Outdoor badges. This would be a good patch program to use throughout the Girl Scout year to incorporate outdoor programming into troop meetings, as well as to encourage Girl Scouts to do outdoor activities independently.
Knife Safety, Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania. Make sure you can use a knife skillfully and safely by completing this fun patch program. This fun patch pairs well with any of the Outdoor badges, or any camping trips. My troop learned knife safety as part of our Outdoor Art badge.
Letterboxing, Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Learn how to letterbox! This all-levels fun patch program is perfect for everyone else in a multi-level troop to earn when the Brownies are earning the Letterboxer badge.
Night Owl, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. Become comfortable with the nighttime aspect of overnight camping through fun games and activities. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Camping badges, and would work especially well earned during a young troop's first overnight camping trip.
Outdoor Progression, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. Level up a range of outdoor skills by earning this multi-patch set. This multi-patch program pairs well with the Outdoor badges. It's a good patch program to worth through over the course of a year or even a Girl Scout level.
Outdoors, Girl Scouts of Alaska. Try new outdoor activities. This fun patch program pairs well with any of the Outdoor or Camping badges. It would be a good patch to earn over the course of a Girl Scout year to encourage regular outdoor experiences.
Outdoor Skills, Girl Scouts of Maine. Earn this by completing outdoor activities at different levels. This is a great patch program for troops who've worn out all the Outdoor badges at their levels but still want to earn something during a camping trip, AND for troops for whom the Outdoor badges at their levels are too challenging. I always have a basic camping badge on hand for my newbie campers to earn!
Skills, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Learn knife etiquette, fire building, trail signs, compass uste, and knot tying. This fun patch program would be a good choice during a weekend camping trip or camporee.
S'more Fun, Girl Scouts of Alaska. Try outdoor cooking activities while planning your Girl Scout year. This is technically a "plan your Girl Scout year in light of a global pandemic" badge, but you can easily skip the activities like "learn how to Zoom" and focus on the outdoor cooking and girl-led planning.
Winter Fun, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. Complete activities from a checklist to experience fun winter activities. This fun patch program pairs well with the Snow or Climbing badge. It's a good fun patch for Girl Scouts to earn independently over the school winter break.
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
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