Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys » STEM

Build Summer Memories at Robotic Camps

Sara Danzinger — Fri, 31 May 2013 18:19:13 +0000

Take advantage of River Valleys’ engaging robotics camps that are happening throughout the summer. These popular camps spark curiosity and introduce girls to how technology works. Enroll your girl today and fight off the academic summer slide.

Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies discover how common household items can transform into machines and structures. Girl Scout Juniors and beyond get to create robots and vehicles that use sensors, gears, levers and pulleys.

Find the right robotics camp for your girl and register today! Sessions fill quickly.

Girl Scouts Learn From Robotics Team

Jackie Kastner — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:24:23 +0000

The Chanhassen High School robotics team, the Stormbots, visited River Valleys Troop 10402 to demonstrate the robots they created for an upcoming competition. Along with the demonstration, the girls learned how the robots were constructed from a box of parts that included amp circuit breakers, analog breakout board, batteries, cable ties, wires, cable splitters, power converters, a motor, a fan, a circuit breaker, electrical tape and three Frisbees.

Learn more about robotics as a career launching pad in the Chanhassen Villager’s article.

Girl Scouts Participate in Robotics Day Camp in Minneapolis

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:20:41 +0000

Last week, over 30 local Girl Scouts gathered at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis to attend the first of five Robotics Day Camps being offered this summer. A GSUSA representative and local council staff were on the scene to catch some of the action. Throughout the camp, girls built, programmed and tested their machines and even had time for swimming!
Robotics Day Camps offer girls the chance to become engineers by designing, building and programming robots. Girls use sensors, gears, levers and pulleys to create and operate a vehicle. In a structured atmosphere, they test their imagination while working in a team. The best part? No experience necessary!

Interested in attending a Robotics Day Camp? Programs are scheduled for Girl Scouts in grades 4–12, run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day, cost $95/girl, and include snacks, lunch and swimming.

Girl Scouts Learn About Nuclear Science and Technology

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:51:05 +0000

Nearly 90 River Valleys’ Girl Scouts attended the recent council-sponsored event Behind the Scenes — Nuclear Science and Technology, where they toured the Xcel Energy Nuclear Power Plant in Monticello, MN. A reporter from the Saint Cloud Times was on hand to cover the exciting event that empowered girls to learn about engineering, physics and technology. Read the article to learn more about the girls’ adventure and Xcel’s Women in Nuclear Program, the plant’s group of female scientists who sponsored the event to show girls that they can pursue careers in science and technology despite it being a male-dominated profession.

Are you interested in learning more about engineering, science and technology?

Sign up for one of River Valleys’ upcoming Robotics Day Camps! We have three-day, level one adventures coming up this summer in Minneapolis, Farmington, St. Paul, Mankato and Rochester. Additional events exist for levels two and three; visit our events page to learn about these and other science and technology opportunities.

Local Girl Scout Led Robotics Team to Regional Award

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:03:07 +0000

Local Girl Scout Taylor led her robotics team to the top at FIRST’s Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional competition. Her team, Stampede Robotics, based at Breck in Minneapolis, MN, was awarded the Regional Chairman’s Award, advancing them to the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, MO, where they will compete against teams from around the world.

Girl Scouts Taylor (middle) and Ryan (right) with their mother and Girl Scout volunteer, Tammy (left).

Check out the video Taylor and her team prepared for their Chairman’s Award submission. The video provides details on the team, their robotics work and community outreach—including Stampede Robotic’s partnership with Girl Scouts River Valleys to conduct a STEM-focused workshop for girls and to present a robotics demonstration during the Great Girl Gathering @ MOA®. Taylor also wrote an essay to accompany the video, helping them earn the prestigious regional award.

Girl Scout Taylor leading a demonstration about robotics at the Great Girl Gathering.

Taylor and her sister Ryan, who is also a member of Stampede Robotics, have frequently served as spokespeople for Girl Scouts River Valleys, promoting various programs and events. We couldn’t be more proud of the courage, confidence and character exhibited by these dedicated Girl Scouts!

More about FIRST and the Chairman’s Award

FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills.

The Chairman’s Award was created to keep the central focus of the FIRST Robotics Competition on FIRST’s ultimate goal of transforming our culture in ways that will inspire greater respect for science and technology, and to encourage more young people to appreciate the real life rewards and career opportunities in those fields.

The award honors the team that, in the judges’ estimation, best represents a model for other teams to emulate, and which embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST. It is the most prestigious award presented at regional competitions.

West Summit STEM Encampment Encouraged Curiosity and Friendship

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:27:23 +0000

Nearly 200 Girl Scouts from St. Paul in grades 1–10 gathered at Camp Lakamaga this President’s Day weekend for West Summit Service Unit’s STEM Encampment. The girls, along with over 70 parents, had fun while exploring STEM concepts by building marshmallow catapults, designing packages to protect eggs as they dropped from the balcony in the Old Lodge, concocting different variations of polymer “goop”, exploring nature and observing the many deer roaming camp peacefully. Evening activities included Zumba dance and exercise sessions that raised everyone’s heart rate.

Ideas for the encampment were generated and tested by a committee of Girl Scouts in grades 8–10 who have been involved in planning the Service Unit’s encampments for the past three years. Fifteen Girl Scout Cadettes led “units” of Brownies through the STEM activities on Saturday—much like girls experience at a Girl Scout day camp. Enthusiastic singing could be heard as girls hiked from building to building and around camp. The girls were Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic as they sang this familiar camp song each morning before breakfast.

With a specially designed package crafted from common recycled items, this team of girls took their turn on the Old Lodge balcony at Camp Lakamaga to see if their egg would land safely.

NPR Covers the Girl Scouts New Badges

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:56:24 +0000

On National Public Radio (NPR), All Things Considered, host Guy Raz interviewed Alisha Niehause of the Girls Scouts of the USA to talk about the new system of badges.

Listen to the story New Girl Scout Badges Offer Different Choices To Smart Cookies. It is just over four minutes long.

Science of Hockey

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:39:54 +0000

We wanted to share a fun opportunity where you can experience how “cool” science can be. The Science of Hockey is a unique educational opportunity created to celebrate the 2011 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, April 7 and 9, hosted by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and held at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Students (K – 8) create a two-minute video demonstrating understanding of a scientific aspect and relate it to the game of ice hockey. Entries will be organized into three age groups (grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) and by type of entry (individual or classroom/group), for a total of six categories.

For more information visit the NCAA website and look for the Science of Hockey information at the bottom of the page.

Girl Scouts go Geochaching

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:27:18 +0000

Girl Scout Troop 40044 went geocaching on Saturday, April 11. We found seven geocaches.

Geocaching is modern-day treasure hunting. Geocaching websites list caches, their latitudes and longitudes, and hints to the location of a cache. A cache is some sort of waterproof container, hidden in an outdoor location, on public land. Over 30 caches are hidden in and around Austin, Minn., with thousands more throughout the state.

All you need for geocaching is a hand-held GPS, Internet access, and a desire to look around outdoors. The GPS gets you within 20-30 feet of the cache. The clues and your ability to find things do the rest.

For more great pictures of Troop 40044′s geocaching adventure, view the photo album on River Valleys’ Facebook fan page.

Local Girl Scouts Win National Honors

Girl Scouts River Valleys — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:29:16 +0000

Third grade Girl Scout Troop 52997 has won honors in two categories in the 2009 Kids’ Science Challenge. The girls were the only ones nationwide to place in two categories—an amazing feat, given that the contest drew more than 700 entries from across the country!

The Kids’ Science Challenge asked children to “challenge” scientists with a question or an experiment in one of four categories: skateboarding science; water science; flavor science; or extra terrestrial science. The girls placed as finalists in both the Water Challenge and the Skateboard Challenge. Their winning questions asked scientists whether it was possible to gauge the “health” of a lake based on the color and clarity of the water and whether scientists could create a skateboard made entirely of recycled materials that could also be recycled when it was no longer useful (for example, if it broke and could not be repaired).

The company judging the skateboard challenge was so impressed with the girls’ recycled skateboard suggestion that it has offered to create a prototype of the girls’ completely recycled (and recyclable) skateboard. Organizers of the Kids’ Science Challenge said they were stunned that Girl Scout Troop 52997 placed in two categories. The challenge, which draws submissions from around the country, received more than 700 creative entries; the chances of one group placing in two categories was exceptionally slim.“I’m so proud of our girls,” said Kim Pleticha, the troop’s leader. “They had so much fun coming up with creative challenges for the scientists—we spent two troop meetings dreaming up ideas! Being finalists in two categories is simply amazing and the girls are incredibly excited.”

Girl Scout Troop 52997 includes (left to right in photo, top row) Alexandra, Annaka, Annika, Paige, Jamie (left to right, bottom row) Catherine, Madeleine, Meg,
Alyssa, and Elliana. All are in third grade at O.H. Anderson Elementary School in Mahtomedi, Minn.