My granddaughter turns 12 years old today.  It's such a special time in a young girl's life! I consider myself to be lucky that I got to experience Girl Scouts while I was growing up.

We learned so many things and earned badges while we learned.  I remember making a bunsen burner out of tuna and coffee cans, newspaper, and paraffin wax.  It was pretty cool, we even cooked bacon on our own little grills very similar to the one below.

We learned of different cultures too.  My dad, who was in the US Army at the time was stationed at Sagami Depot in Japan.  My sister and I were a part of Girl Scouts while we were there.  We went on a field trip to Mount Fuji, the tallest peak in Japan, and also an active Volcano. We were also privileged to spend the night with the Japanese equivalent of Girl Scouts.  These sisters had a temple in their home.  We were amazed that their dinner table sat just a few feet from the floor!  What we didn't know until we sat down was there was a dugout under the table that had a heater in it!  How smart is that?

We were also introduced to Girl Scout  Cookies that year, and my love affair with Thin Mints began that very Spring.  We learned how to talk to people, how to count boxes of cookies, and add totals for the many, many boxes of cookies that we sold. The Girl Scouts are asking for you to share your Girl Scout memories.  Dig into your phone or old photo albums to find a current or nostalgic photo to share on social media during Girl Scout Week (which is this week!) with the tag #becauseofgirlscouts.

Growing up Girl Scout is something that I am extremely proud of.  I made it all the way to Cadet before cars and boys captured more of my time and attention. You can even earn a 110th Anniversary Patch by completing some of these fun challenges!

To find a troop near you check here.

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