Girl Scout Day at Phipps!

Our second annual Girl Scout Day, Blossoming Badges at Phipps, was a great success! Over ninety Brownie Girl Scouts, parents and troop leaders met at Phipps to earn three badges: Senses, Household Elf and Bugs. With the help of our many wonderful volunteers and Matt Quenaudon, our resident insect expert, the girls learned how to be thoughtful scientists through three multidisciplinary programs.

The first program, Senses, focused on the power of observation. During this guided tour, the girls were each given a scavenger hunt and told to use their senses of sight and touch to find different plants and exhibits in the Conservatory. They also stopped at stations to utilize their remaining senses, learning about specific plants along the way. The girls used their ears to observe the sounds of the Conservatory and their noses to guess secret scents like chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg and coffee. Finally, they tasted bitter, salty, sweet and sour plants to learn about the parts of the tongue.

The second program, Bugs, focused on the importance of insects in the ecosystem. The girls met some yellow-striped, tropical millipedes and learned how they are beneficial in the soil; after this, they each got to release one back into the Tropical Forest to do its good work. Next, the girls examined praying mantis egg cases and the eggs inside. Finally, they journeyed to the Stove Room and observed a batch of newly-hatched praying matises, holding them and examining them with magnifying glasses.

The third program, Household Elf, focused on ways that the girls can help their homes be safe, happy and healthy. They learned about the importance of saving energy and water; the girls came up with many different ways that they could help out with that in their own homes, from turning off the lights when they leave a room to saving water while they brush their teeth. To remind them of these ideas, they made light switch covers with conservation messages to take home and stick on their switch plates. Next, they learned how plants clean the air and planted a clean air plant garden of spider plants and philodendron. They also talked about the importance of putting healthy things on their bodies and made their own lip balm out of natural materials.

Overall, the girls had a really great time and so did we! Not only were they extra excited to be at Phipps, but many had never been to the Conservatory before. By encouraging them to use all of their senses to learn and experience Phipps, we hope that they take those skills out into their own communities and learn about the plants and animals that live there as well.

Check out more photos from the day in the slideshow below!

Do you have a Brownie Girl Scout that missed our Girl Scout Day or scouts of a different age at home? Check out our school programs, seasonal Celebrate programs and Evening Ed-Ventures; keep your eyes peeled for our next Girl Scout Day!

If you would like to register for a scout program, please contact Sarah Bertovich at (412)441-4442 ext. 3925.

The above photos were taken by Christie Lawry.