We have a miniature dry-erase board on our refrigerator at home. It is divided into six columns. The first five columns represent Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday share the last column. It is a Sunday-evening ritual to write down each family member's activities for the week. The activity notes are color-coded. Of course. I use the green marker. Of course.
When the kids were little, this communications board was essential for knowing who would be home for dinner each evening and what time that dinner needed to happen so we could all get to evening lessons, rehearsals, and meetings on time. Even though the kids are grown up and (mostly) gone, I still like to use the board for planning purposes.
I think my penchant for graphical organizers started when I was a second-grade Brownie Girl Scout. Were you a Girl Scout? Do you remember the Kaper Chart?
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Brownie Girl Scouts are pictured at Audubon earning a badge.
All the meeting or camping tasks and activities are listed on the chart, leaving room for the name of the girl or patrol who is responsible. It was so comforting to me to know that there was a plan and that someone was in charge of each aspect of the plan. It put my mind at ease to know that nothing was going to fall through the cracks. I still use Kaper Charts today; ask my staff.
Recently, the national office of the Girl Scouts revamped their program. I spent some time at the local Girl Scout office paging through the new materials and I have to say - I love them. Guess why?
They organized the whole set of badges into one big grid. One big graphical organizer shows the program from kindergarten through seniors in high school. And to my delight, right across the middle of the page is a row of "Legacy Naturalist Badges." Naturalist badges: what a perfect fit for Audubon.
Jamestown Audubon has been offering badge programs for both Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts for years. We are happy to announce that the tradition continues. Girl Scouts are invited to work on the new badges with an Audubon naturalist. For the 2012-13 school year, Audubon will develop programs around the Brownie "Bugs" badge, the Junior "Flowers" badge, and the Cadette "Trees" badge. We also offer a Discovery Walk for Daisy Girl Scouts which includes activities from the Between Earth and Sky Journey. Troop leaders can call to schedule an outing to Audubon to work on one of these Legacy Naturalist badges allowing two hours for guided activities and extra time for exploring the Audubon exhibits, shopping in the Nature Store, picnicking, or hiking.
The Cub Scout program has not changed. We offer Discovery Walks for Tigers, the "Birds" Elective for Wolves, "Sharing Your World with Wildlife" for Bears, and both the "Naturalist" and "Forester" badges for Webelos. Bear Cubs can also earn Achievement 12 - "Family Outdoor Adventures" by planning a trip to one of Audubon's festivals or family events such as the Monarch Butterfly Festival the last Saturday in August, Enchanted Forest the first weekend in October, or the Snowflake Festival on the first Saturday of February.
I encourage scout leaders to pull out your calendars (another great graphical organizer) and give me a call. We also offer overnights for any age group, and we can work on badge work while you're here.
Jennifer Schlick is program director at Audubon. She is also a Girl Scout alumna who travelled to Washington, D.C. in June to Rock the Mall for the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in the USA.
The Audubon Center & Sanctuary is located at 1600 Riverside Road in the town of Kiantone, one quarter mile west of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. The trails and eagle viewing are available from dawn to dusk. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. except Sundays when it opens at 1 p.m. For more information call 569-2345 or visit jamestownaudubon.org.