Bridge to Girl Scout Juniors Award is when Brownie Scouts move onto the Junior Scouts level.
Fly Up to Junior![]
Get ready! Get excited! You are almost a Girl Scout Junior. What fun lies ahead? When you fly up to Girl Scout Junior, you will get to take part in cool new experiences, like going on an overnight at a science museum, working on a farm, attending a baseball game, visiting a wildlife preserve, making a robot, or trying new sports like archery. Now that you are older, younger girls look up to you, so you may decide to do something for them – perhaps plan a Teddy Bear tea for Girl Scout Daisies.
As a Girl Scout Junior, you can choose to go on any or all of three journeys: Agent of Change, Get Moving!, and aMUSE. On a journey, you and your Junior friends can team up to make a difference in the world. Every time you complete a journey, you will earn three awards. After you have finished one journey, you will be able to earn your Girl Scout Bronze Award – one of Girl Scouting’s highest awards.
Earning the Award[]
To earn the Bridge to Girl Scout Junior Award, complete two bridging steps. These steps will help you pass down something you learned to a younger Girl Scout and look forward to what is waiting for you at the next level.
Step 1: Pass It On![]
Share your talents and skills by teaching younger Girl Scouts something you learned to do as a Brownie.
Here are a few ideas to get you started (you only have to do one to complete the step).
Teach a group of Girl Scout Daisies a song, game, or craft, especially one you loved doing on your Brownie journey. Share with your Daisy sisters your favorite parts of being a Brownie. Explain all they have to look forward to when they become Brownies. Inspire your Daisy sisters to climb the ladder of leadership. Help the Daisies create and decorate small books (you can make these easily by stapling blank pages between two pieces of construction paper). Make sure each Daisy writes her name on the cover of her book! Pass the books around and write messages to the Daisies, telling them what makes them special, why you are glad they are your sister Girl Scouts, and what they can look forward to as Brownies. Invite Daisies to attend one of your meetings to find out what being a Girl Scout Brownie is all about. Maybe you can demonstrate a cool skill you learned on an outdoor adventure. Or show them photos of your trip to the aquarium. Or teach them what you learned about taking care of your bicycle. When you are done, tell the girls all about Girl Scout Juniors and why you are exited to “fly up.”
Step 2: Look Ahead!
Find out what Girl Scout Juniors do.
The best way to find out what it really means to be a Girl Scout Junior is to talk to girls who are already Girl Scout Juniors. To complete this step, get together with your Junior friends and do one or more of the following activities (choose whatever sounds like the most fun to you and other Brownies).
Ask your Girl Scout Junior friends what activities they loved doing as Juniors and why. Maybe they can tell you stories about their favorite memories of working as a team and maybe you and your Brownie friends can tell your own stories about what you loved doing as Brownies. Maybe your Junior friends can teach you a game or a special Girl Scout activity. If any of the girls were also Girl Scout Brownies, ask them how being a Junior was different from being a Brownie. Talk to one or more of the Girl Scout Juniors who earned her Girl Scout Bronze Award. Wow! That is a big accomplishment. How did she choose her project? Who was on her team? What did she learn? Ask what advice she would give to someone who wants to earn her Bronze Award. Does hearing about a Junior’s experience inspire you to go for the Bronze, too?
After earning the award[]
Celebrate with a favorite ceremony you learned on your Brownie journey – or make up a new one. Then proudly add your Bridging patch to your Girl Scout sash or vest!
Brownie Girl Scout Wings[]
Main article: Brownie Wings
Girl Scout Brownies who become Girl Scout Juniors “fly up.” Brownie Girl Scout Wings are given to each Brownie during their Bridging Ceremony to Girl Scout Junior.
Brownie Fly-Up #1[]
A Girl Scout Brownie “flies up” to Junior Girl Scouting in the spring, and receives her Girl Scout Brownie Wings. If possible, have your fly-up ceremony with a Junior troop in your Service Area. Often all age groups of Girl Scouts are involved, including the parents.
Supplies needed:
- Brownie wings
- Bridging patch
- Membership star and green disc
- Bridging certificate
- Age level pin
- Refreshments
- Brown construction paper, cut to represent stones
- Write a Girl Scout Law on each one
The Girl Scout Brownies sit on one side of the room in a Brownie Ring. The Girl Scout Juniors sit in a horseshoe (always make the open end toward the audience) on the other side of the room. Place your ‘stepping stones’ between the two groups and tape them down to the floor.
Everyone signs Girl Scouts Together
Girl Scout Brownie Leader:
Brownie Girl Scouts, you are just about
To become a Junior Girl Scout.
Next year, you will find
That Junior Girl Scouts are true and kind.
So now I give you Brownie Wings
So you may fly to bigger things.
She pins the wings on each Girl Scout Brownie. The Girl Scout Brownies then take a few steps forward.
Girl Scout Junior Leader: Hello there! Who are you dressed in brown with such cheerful smiles and not one frown?
Girl Scout Brownies:
We are Brownie Girl Scouts and we like to have fun.
Junior Girl Scouts we’d like to become.
Girl Scout Junior Leader: By what right do you ask Girl Scout Brownies: By the right of our wings. (Point to their wings)
Girl Scout Junior Leader: We welcome you to Junior Girl Scouts. Please cross the bridge one at a time.
As each girl crosses, she is met by the Girl Scout Junior Leader and a Girl Scout Junior. She is given her Girl Scout pin and led to the Junior horseshoe by the Girl Scout Junior.
Girl Scout Juniors:
Welcome to Junior Girl Scouts You’re a Brownie Girl Scout nevermore.
We’ll have lots of fun and lots of games,
As we teach you Girl Scout lore.
WELCOME, BROWNIE GIRL SCOUTS!
Brownie Fly-Up #2[]
Supplies:
- Brownie wings
- Bridging patch
- Membership star and green disc
- Bridging certificate
- Age level pin
- A “nest”
- Bridge
- Balloons
- “Wings” for each girl
Nest: Paint a big nest on a tree branch on one long side of a cardboard refrigerator box. Make it big enough to cover the entire cardboard piece. Brace the “nest” on the ends so it will stand up (a triangle of 2x4s works great).
Wings: Have each girl in the troop create her own “wings” by choosing what kind of bird she would like to be. Wings are worn across the back of each girl, covering the back of their arms, and extending about 6” beyond their fingertips. To wear the wings, the girls put their arms through the loops of tape or straps that are attached to the underside of the wings.
Cut a basic wing outline out of heavy paper. Wings should be about 4 to 6 feet long. Each girl paints both sides of her own wings like real birds’ wings or design their own. After the paint is dry, cover the underside of the wings with clear contact paper. This adds strength to the wings and keeps paint from rubbing off on clothing (this side will be on the girls’ back). Make handle/loops – two pieces of heavy duty tape, one 15” and one 9”. Center shorter piece on longer tape, sticky side together. Attach loops on the underside (contact paper side) of each set of wings, at about where the mid-upper arm and wrist will be. At the ceremony, girls can re-tape loops over their arms. At the ceremony, tape top of “wings” to the center back of the girls’ Girl Scout vests to hold up the wings.
Ceremony: All the girls duck down behind the “nest” and one-by-one pop-up, say their letter lines and pop down again. (The girls may want to write their own line).
- J – is for jumpy, happy kids who play with friends.
- U – is for united – that our Troop stays together to play games and have fun.
- N – is for nature that we share and care for.
- I – is for important interests that make us more alike than different.
- O – is for overnights that are exciting and super-cali-fragil-istic-exbe-ali-docious!
- R – is for respect for myself and others and the world around me.
- S – is for songs we enjoy and love to sing.
All the Girls stand together and say: Together we make JUNIORS! We are ready to cross the bridge to more exciting adventures!
Girls form a Brownie Ring behind the nest.
Leader:
- Two years have passed since you first stood
By the magic pool and learned you could
- Do lots of things in a Girl Scout way
- And truly live by the words you say.
- In commitment to promises and showing your respect.
- Satisfaction from working together is what you expect.
- So Brownie Girl Scouts fly on and find
- That Junior Girl Scouts are true and kind.
- Now we give you Brownie wings
- That you may fly to bigger things!
All: Now it is time to say goodbye. Break the ring and out you fly First girl is GENTLY pushed out of the nest by the second girl, then goes across the bridge and is met by one of her leaders and a Girl Scout Junior who help her take off her wings and Girl Scout Brownie vest, and put on her Girl Scout Junior vest. Leader hands her a balloon with her badges attached or inside and gives her the Girl Scout handshake. Each girl then does the same. The last girl in the nest can be pushed out by the narrating leader OR she can “trip” out of the nest herself.
Brownie Fly-Up #3[]
Opening: Flag Ceremony
Ceremony: Girl Scout Brownies form a ring.
Leader:
As Brownie Girl Scouts you will receive
Your wings of sunlight gold. You’re ready now for Junior Girl Scouts
And new adventures big and bold.
As the leader speaks, the girls can hold up letter cards.
- B – stands for BE prepared for many fun surprises.
- R – means adventures are READY in all new shapes and sizes.
- O – is you’re flying OUT of the ring in which you were a member.
- W – is for your WINGS and WONDERFUL memories to remember.
- N – means NO-ONE can deny how much we really care.
- I – is for the INTEREST shown by leaders everywhere.
- E – is for ENERGY and EXCITEMENT in full swing...
- We’ve put it all together in this Brownie Girl Scout Ring.
All ages of Girl Scouts recite the Girl Scout Promise and Law. One by one Girl Scout Brownies leave the ring. Each is met by her leader who pins her wings on her gives her the Girl Scout handshake. A Girl Scout Junior steps forward and takes the Girl Scout Brownie by the hand and leads her to the Girl Scout Junior Leader, who pins the Girl Scout membership pin on her and gives the Girl Scout handshake.
Ceremony #4[]
Take My Hand
This can be done in a couple of ways. One way is to pair up the bridging Girl Scout Brownies to recite the poem, join hands, and walk across the bridge together. Another way is to pair up a current Girl Scout Junior with each bridging Girl Scout Brownie – one would recite the first line, the other the second line, join hands, and then cross the bridge together. Add a couple of Girl Scout songs, decorations and anything else the girls would like and you will have a meaningful and fun ceremony. Supplies:
- Bridge
- Decorations (Paper doll Girl Scouts are cute with this theme. Check out http://www.makingfriends.com/friends/f_scouts.htm
- Songs
* Invitations, refreshments * Brownie wings, bridging patch, membership star and green disc, bridging certificate, and age level pin
Girl Scout Junior Bridging Poem[]
(J. Brennan)
Take my hand in friendship I give to you this day. Remember all the good times
We had along the way.
Take my hand in helping
Other people that we know.
The more we give to others,
The more that we will grow.
Take my hand in learning To camp on nature’s ground.
Enjoying trails and campfires With new friends that we’ve found.
Take my hand in giving Our knowledge of true scouts
To girls we meet and talk to
Who have so many doubts.
Take my hand in thanking
Our leader and our guide.
With sincere appreciation
For standing by our side.
Take my hand in eagerness
To be an older scout. We’re proud to be bridging
Is what we’re going to shout.
So take my hand to follow
New scouting paths in sight.
We’re joining hands with each
And in friendship we’ll unite.
(In Unison) We give our hands in Promise
To hold our country dear, And abide the Girl Scout Law
Each day throughout the year!
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