Beginners Guide to Outdoor Skills

In a time where the average child spends more and more time a day in front of a screen, it’s essential that we encourage kids to get outside! While you likely understand the importance of outside time, what if you still have personal barriers to overcome to create that outdoor experience for Girl Scouts? If you didn’t grow up camping or in a culture or community that emphasized outdoor play and recreation, it can be overwhelming and challenging to engage in it now as an adult. But we as adults can become the barrier to Girl Scouts’ access to the outdoors—without our permission, resources, and enthusiasm, many kids don’t get the opportunity to go outside even if they want to. Getting outside with your Girl Scouts gives them the chance to try something new, work together, and lead the experience. So, start small, take it one step at a time, and work your way up—you and your Girl Scouts will reap the benefits of the outdoors in a big way. Below we’ll explore a few topics that might help you feel a bit more prepared to plan and lead an outdoor adventure with your Girl Scout(s).

Start with the basics.

Is there a specific activity your Girl Scouts want to do but you don’t know where to start? A great place to begin is by taking a look at the Safety Activity Checkpoints document. Girl Scout Safety Activity Checkpoints are detailed procedures for ensuring safety while planning and participating in particular activities such as swimming, hiking, archery, horseback riding, outdoor cooking, camping, and more. You’ll find information on how to include Girl Scouts of all abilities, gear you may need, having proper supervision, preparing for emergencies, and other safety topics specific to the activities you and your Girl Scouts will be participating in.

There are so many badges that get your Girl Scouts outside. They cover topics such as eco learning, bugs, gardening, geocaching, outdoor arts, hiking, and more! Badges are a great place to start if you’re looking for more ideas, guidance, or structure when introducing a new outdoors topic. Don’t forget, keep it Girl Scout-led! Let your Girl Scouts decide which outdoor topics they’re most interested in exploring.

We have a handful of introductory, self-paced trainings available in gsLearn. In Campfire Fun, you will learn safety, techniques, and tips for teaching Girl Scouts how to build, light, and tend a campfire. S’mores & More is a great follow-up training to Campfire Fun. This training will provide you with the basic skills to lead your Girl Scouts in their first simple cookout. You can roast marshmallows, make pie iron pizza, or cook hot dogs. You’ll learn tips, safety guidelines and group management techniques for both stick/fork and pie iron outdoor cooking styles. If you aren’t able to find these two trainings in your gsLearn account contact us and we will make sure they’re assigned to you.

Looking to practice your outdoor skills before leading your Girl Scouts in an adventure? Check to see if your community/area is offering any outdoor volunteer trainings! Additionally, connecting with other troop leaders or Juliette mentors in your area could be a great way to learn more about a topic or activity and learn about new ways you can get your Girl Scouts outside.

There is no one right way to be outdoors.

Being in the outdoors doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hike 10 miles or sleep multiple days in a row in a tent. You can go on a hike within your city. You can paint a picture while sitting at a sidewalk bench. You can camp in your backyard. You can host a troop meeting in a park. As long as your Girl Scouts are spending time outdoors, learning new skills, having fun, and staying safe, then mission accomplished! As always, keep progression in mind—and maybe you’ll eventually work your way up to a backpacking trip…or maybe you won’t and that’s okay, too!

You don’t have to be outfitted in fancy, name brand gear to go on an outdoors adventure. Outdoor recreation can be really expensive (you can’t exactly go kayaking without the kayak), but it doesn’t have to be. There’s a wide spectrum of outdoor experiences, and that spectrum also encompasses cost. While you can pack up and head out to go camping at the Badlands National Park for a week, you and your Girl Scouts can also learn about wild animals at the local park around the corner from your regular meeting spot. Many of the outdoor badges can be adapted to fit what you have access to. For activities that might require costlier gear, look into stores that offer gear rentals (like REI) or borrow from your community/area, friends, or family. Some colleges and universities also have outdoor recreation programs that rent gear to the general public. Other great options are nature and interpretive centers, which often have free or low-cost resources (like activity backpacks) that you can check out to use on-site.

Sometimes we only think of nature as remote, pristine landscapes, but if you look around, nature is actually everywhere. National Geographic has a great list of activities to help you connect with nature wherever you are. Use apps like AllTrails and TrailLink to find hiking and biking trails in your area.

Not everyone wants to tent camp, and that’s ok!

The beauty of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is that it encompasses so many things that Girl Scouts are interested in, like science, art, technology, friendship, and entrepreneurship. While Girl Scouts has a long and rich history of outdoor adventure and camping, it doesn’t have to be the only thing that Girl Scouts do. That being said, spending time outdoors and trying new things is part of a well-rounded Girl Scout experience. If you want to have an overnight, outdoor adventure with your Girl Scouts but don’t want to tent camp, you could look into other options such as renting a cabin or yurt at a nearby Minnesota or Wisconsin State Park. You can also rent cabins at our own Girl Scout camp properties!

If you are interested in camping but aren’t sure where to start, dive into the next session which covers tips and resources for beginner campers.

Tips for Beginner Campers:

Tip #1: Prepare Yourself First toggle arrow

Like many other activities, it can be helpful to have experienced an outdoor activity yourself first before bringing your Girl Scouts on a similar adventure. While this isn’t always feasible for many reasons, such as time, cost, weather, know that it can be particularly helpful when preparing for a camping trip with your Girl Scouts. There are a lot of moving pieces involved with camping, so having some experience can help you adequately prepare your Girl Scouts. This could mean asking a friend, family member, or fellow troop leader to go on a local, one-night camping trip with you. Or you could camp in your backyard or practicing setting up a tent in your living room. You could go to a local park that has a fire ring to practice starting and cooking over a campfire. Whatever makes sense to you and helps you feel prepare to lead Girl Scouts in a camping adventure will suffice!

Another way you can prepare for a camping adventure is by getting first aid/CPR certified. For many activities, Girl Scouts recommends that at least one adult volunteer be first aid/CPR certified. You can take advantage of first aid/CPR training offered by organizations like the American Red Cross, National Safety Council, EMP America, American Heart Association, or American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI). It is required that one adult is first aid and CPR certified if your trip location is not easily accessible to emergency medical services.

Tip #2: Prepare As A Group toggle arrow

Camping brings a lot of new experiences. The more prepared you and your Girl Scouts are, the smoother your camping experience will be. Break it down into manageable steps like setting up a tent, cooking outside, and going for a hike. First-time campers should spend two to three troop meetings and/or outings preparing for different camping-related experiences.

Just as important as practicing new skills, however, is mentally preparing Girl Scouts for what to expect while camping. Together, talk through every detail of your trip, from setting up camp to how their legs might get tired when you go for a hike to how to fight off those pesky mosquitoes. You can calm fears about having to walk to the bathroom in the dark or complaints about having to lather up in sunscreen before they even come up. It’s okay if you’re figuring it out together! In fact, asking the Girl Scouts things like “What do you think will be important to consider when we set up our tent?” will help keep the trip a Girl Scout-led experience.

Remember, camping is a progression and you should only take your Girl Scouts on a camping trip if they are adequately prepared, both mentally and skill-wise.

Tip #3: Incorporate a Variety of Activities toggle arrow

Having a wide variety of activities on your camping trip will include and encourage those Girl Scouts who might not be camping enthusiasts. Many of the same activities you usually do with your troop can be done while camping, such as nature photography or engineering a primitive structure in the woods. Girl Scouts can also play games, work on badges, make their own snacks, and spend downtime together, just like they do at troop meetings and outings. They can plan these activities to ensure that everyone gets a say in what the group will do.

Tip #4: Consult an Expert toggle arrow

We know you can’t be an expert at everything, but chances are someone around you would be excited to help out. Whether a state park naturalist, another troop leader, or one of your troop parents, there are many people who would love to help you plan—and maybe even join you on your camping trip! Consult your community/area outdoor leader volunteers—they’ve got your back! If your Girl Scouts want to try a new activity, like canoeing or rock climbing on your trip, find an activity-specific, certified instructor to lead the activity.

Tip #5: Choose Your Location and Time Intentionally toggle arrow

Many people think of camping as a summer-only activity, but that’s not true. Camping in the fall or spring (or even the winter!) can eliminate some common camping hesitations such as mosquitos or a hot, stuffy tent. Just here in Minnesota we have a wide range of temperatures by geography throughout the year. You could head up north to escape some of the heat and humidity in the summer months or head a few hours south during the fall months. Just be prepared for the wider range of temperatures—it can get especially chilly at night, even in the summer. Minnesota and Wisconsin State Parks can be great spots to begin your camping journey since they are well maintained and usually have a campground host on-site. Be sure to check the amenities available at your campground—not all State Parks are the same. When reserving a campsite, think about things like how close you’d like to be to the restroom, how far will you have to walk to get to running water, is there an electrical outlet (this might not be needed), is a particular site too close to the shore of a lake or river, will you need to reserve multiple campsites if your group exceeds the number of tents allowed at one site?

Tip #6 Prepare for the Unexpected toggle arrow

It will probably be something minor, but unpredictability should be expected when dealing with nature (and with kids!). It might rain, a Girl Scout might get homesick, or you might really be wishing for a shower by the end. Take a deep breath—remember why you’re doing this and know that the Girl Scout who seemingly had the worst time of the group might be the one most fondly reminiscing about the trip later. When it’s all said and done, you might still consider yourself a non-camper, but the memories made and relationships built will be worth it!