Pumpkin Patch Investiture for Brownie Girl Scouts
Thanks very much to Wendy Baker, who posted this idea to the Guiding Mailing List!
Props include:
- As many pumpkin (garbage) bags as you have new Brownies
- Green crepe ribbon to tie the pumpkins on the vine
- 2nd and 3rd grade brownies (to find the Magic Pumpkins)
Leader: Welcome to Troop #_____Investiture and Rededication Ceremony. Will everyone please stand for our Pledge of Allegiance?
Girl Scout: "Colour Guard - fall out!" Flag holder and guard proceed to get flags and stand at centre. Starts the Pledge. At the end of the Pledge, "Colour Guard - retire the colours".
Everyone may be seated.
Leader: An Investiture is a ceremony about welcoming our newest Brownies to Girl Scouts.
(New Brownies hide at this point, behind a bag pumpkin.)
Leader: Since it is Halloween time, the girls are looking for some Magic Pumpkins in our special pumpkin patch. On a hunt for Halloween pumpkins, we keep our eyes open for new Brownies.
The "old" girls look for new girls in the pumpkin patch. When they find one, the new girl says, "I want to be a Brownie!" When an "old" girl finds a "new" one in the pumpkin patch, she can say "I know how you can be a Brownie Girl Scout! You can join us in the Girl Scout Promise and break away from your vines." (Use continuous green crepe ribbon to 'attach' all the pumpkins together, and loop it around the girls wrists.)
When all the new girls have been found, have all the Scouts say the Girl Scout Promise. Then have an old Scout bring up a new Scout and ask her WHY she wants to be a Brownie. Let each girl state her reason so that her mom can hear her (makes her mom so happy!) The leaders can take turns pinning the girls (upside down, until they do a good deed.) Shake their hands with the Girl Scout Handshake. All new scouts should earn their GS Ways Try-it by Investiture.