Today is the 98th birthday of Girl Scouts, the day in 1912 when girl scout founder Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization's first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. Each year, scouts around the world celebrate this auspicious occasion with an entire week dedicated to scouting.  

 

My eldest daughter is a Daisy Scout and my youngest is eagerly awaiting her turn at the uniform.  As a girl scout troop leader, I thoroughly enjoy the message and the diversity of girl scouts...it's all about teaching girls to trust themselves and trust each other...and giving them the knowledge to make decisions about everything from camping to cooking to computers.  What could be better than that for the next generation of women?

 

Here are some great activities to share with your favorite scouts:

 

Host a tea party: Next week, my girls will enjoy a teddy bear tea party with other kindergarten and first grade troops in the area.  They will dress up, make name tags for themselves and their teddy bears, and enjoy crafts, snacks, and of course (herbal) tea with their friends.  Older girls might like something a little less formal like a gathering at a coffee shop to chat about community events.

 

Volunteer: From the moment they enter the scouts, girls are taught the "Girl Scout Pledge," through which they promise to help people at all times.  So it's no surprise that girl scouts are well-known for volunteerism. Volunteering for a worthy cause in the community, like collecting food for the local food pantry, walking dogs for the animal shelter, or teaching crafts to kids at the library, is a great way to celebrate the birthday of girl scouting.  

 

Go green: Girl scouts are all about environmentalism, with lots of projects and badges designed around protecting the planet and its resource.  Celebrate the Girl Scouts' birthday by making a difference your local community with a day of tree planting or trash collection or hold a recycling drive at a local school or community center.

 

Go retro: Birthdays are a great time to look back remember the good old days -and the Girl Scouts as an organization has a lot of good old days to remember.  Take your girls on a trip down memory lane and talk about the early years of Girl Scouting.  

 

Eat a cookie: That's right, girl scout cookie season is here and no doubt you have already had your fill of the delectable treats.  But today is a great day to open up a box of Thin Mints or (my favorite) Samoas and say Happy Birthday to your favorite scouts.  All out of cookies?  Don't worry.  MNN food blogger Robin Shreeves dug up some great homemade recipes for girl scout cookies that are sure to fit the bill.