Camp Laughing Waters 2012 Camporee

Thanks to Hallie, Evelyn and Andy for making this a fantastic weekend. The girls were kind, helpful, positive, respectful and fun! I just wanted to post a few pictures because I'm too tired to do more:)

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Martin Luther King Day of Service

The meeting in the meetinghouse on Martin Luther King Day is always memorable for me.  I can still remember the poem, "Your Rent is Due"  read by then AFS senior, Reeci Botts last year.  The meeting began this year with smooth and soulful music performed by a few of our own AFS musicians and then out of the silence rose the voice of Dr. King in the meetinghouse telling us to do service. He spoke of how anyone can make a difference and anyone can do service. Service is a great equalizer. Our hearts open when we perform service and we begin to feel connected with others.  In that spirit the brownies went to work on a cookie making project for families in need. The girls measured, poured, mixed, shaped and decorated through about 6 batches of cookies. I've included a copy of the poem written by Reeci below.  Enjoy!

Make your own free slideshow Your Rent is Due by Reeci Botts "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth" This planet we take for granted but God only made so many homes And rooms Look who he would choose To have this opportunity Yes, you and me So lets join in unity To give back in thanks What we owe to him What we know, to him Is expected Reflected in our service Is our hearts That long to connect with other hearts Yes, it is time to start lending a helping hand To each other My brother Of this land Will you bend over backwards To help that man Or build that dam Mentor those children Or help build that building ? Can you find it inside of you? Because your rent is due. We do not live here for free Green paper Don't please our creator Yes, you can hand it to man But an insult it would be To place cash in God's hand You owe him service to your planet You owe him a healing bandage To mend the problems of our community So lets all join in unity It is our duty Our responsibility To do good deeds Give to those in need Plant seeds of positivity Give possibilities Of a better life To society I find in me The ability To give back What others lack Can you find that In you? Because, my friend Your rent is due. We are all connected by this Earth So lets serve Do we truly deserve What our spot is worth? I feel a calling in my soul Telling me I am not whole unless I can console Those hurting Those sick Those who cannot pay rent Look at these problems Longing for problem solvers And lifes cycle is a revolver What you put out Always comes back to you Yes, my friend your rent is due. For that young girl with cancer Who always dreamed of being a dancer For that young man in prison Who wishes he could have lived life different For that lady down the street Who pleads on her knees For a savior Will you come and save her? Will you give Will you share Will you open your heart In care Will you fulfill your duty To God and your fellow brothers? Will you help another? Will you live up to your expectations? Because God is waiting Tell me, my neighbor What would you do? Because, my friend, your rent is due.

Snacks with Karen

We started out this meeting making a gift. All of the girls decorated and wrote their names on a shirt for Madison Dent to remind her that we are all thinking of her.
Dylan's mom came prepared with some delicious and nutritious treats for the girls to try - some sweet ans some savory. Then we had some fun with the food by creating designs which you can see in the pictures below. We even got to try a delicious homemade fruit smoothie sweetened with honey! Some of the mom's are still wondering about a secret family recipe that Karen wouldn't give up...all I know is it has pretzels, chocolate and caramel.
Ask your daughter to make a snack for you and your family and sit and enjoy it together!

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First Aid and the Firehouse

I think the girls would agree that our meeting on First Aid was one of the best yet!
First we met with Andy, our outdoor leader for some lessons in basic first aid. Topics covered ranged from when and how to call 911, what to do when a grizzly bear approaches and how to treat minor injuries. I am always amazed by the enthusiasm of our Brownies in every lesson. The girls are always eager to engage, answer and ask questions and explore the world around them.

Next, we went over to the Jenkintown Fire Department for an exciting outing. We met a real FireWoman and learned more about first aid, emergencies and emergency responders. Our friends at the fire department are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Jenkintown Fire Department is all volunteers and wow are they a dedicated crew! We got a picture with our new friend, a fire hat and a tour of one of the fire trucks. Please enjoy the pictures below.

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The Ballet at AFS and Ice Skating

Wow - I'm a little behind. Some of our Brownies attended Coppelia, a ballet presented by the Metropolitan Ballet Company, at AFS in November

Here are the girls holding up there patches. Ella looks a little chilly! Anyway, a good time was had by all and the girls enjoyed watching Anna's sister, Maria perform in the ballet.








In December we took a trip to the Ice Skating rink. The girls were fun, courageous and very good sports through wobbly ankles, a few falls and the cold!

I for one was happy when the skates came off because I was one of the parents silly enough to think I still have the fitness level to skate. My sore back convinced me of the need to get back in shape! Please enjoy all of the pictures below!

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Art Study

Everybody enjoys art! Today we had the pleasure of learning about painting with Evelyn! Evelyn is a former art instructor and is an active artist. Evelyn brought in some of her own work along with books and pictures for us to explore and talk about. We talked about color, light, impressionism and more!

Evelyn talked to us about the different qualities in painting and how the impressionists learned that just laying one color next to the other created a beautiful impression of the thing they were painting.

We spent the next part of the meeting learning
"al fresco" in the beautiful afternoon sun.
The girls looked through paintings and discussed
what the painting made them feel and think about.

Evelyn took us back inside for another lesson and some painting of our own. We learned about complimentary colors and performed a fun experiment to learn about those colors.

 Put a red rectangle against a white background and stare at it for a minute. Close your eyes and wait for an image to appear. What color is it? Do the same with a green rectangle. Do you see it?

 The next lesson was all about laying color next to color and watching the impression of the thing appear. The girls began painting their own masterpieces!

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Halloween and Fair Play

It seems to be universal that our Brownies love crafts! Evelyn provided the materials and inspiration for cute, character pumpkins. The girls dove into this one and we watched that wonderful kid concentration mixed with smiles!

Debbie Koobrick is the organizing force behind most of the fundraising for our service unit and she recently became ill and was hospitalized. The girls put their best efforts into making get well cards for Debbie.

The Brownies are working toward earning a "Fair Play" patch. This patch is all about the importance of following the rules, being part of a team, giving everyone a chance to participate and have the most fun possible! Have you ever tried to get out of a human knot? The Brownies worked together to get it done!