When my daughter was growing up, we were active in a girl’s organization. As leader of our small troop, focus was on teaching the girls community service, leadership skills, organizational skills, teamwork, and personal responsibility. In the midst of all those lessons, we especially had a lot of silly fun. I volunteered with the girls from kindergarten through high school, and it was the most memorable and rewarding moments of my life. Even though they are grown young women now and scattered to different parts of the country pursuing their dreams, they still stay in contact with my daughter and me.
The letter K reminded me of some of the different activities we did as a troop:
Kapers: This is a traditional cutesy name for chores. Each girl was responsible for a particular duty every week. They did the flag ceremony, collected dues, led meeting activities, cleaned up afterwards, and decided on the next meeting’s agenda. The focus was girls running their own meetings.
Knots: Human knot, that is. The girls stood in a circle, moved to the center and grabbed someone’s left hand. Then, they grabbed a different girl’s right hand, thus, causing a knot. The fun began as they would weave in, out, around, above and under each other to undo the knot without unclasping hands. It required everyone’s participation and involved lots of laughing.
Knights In Shining Armor: Camping was an integral activity for laughter, bonding, and enjoying the outdoors. One of the favorite activities was cooking over a campfire. One of our cherished recipes, Knights in Shining Armor, was also easy to prepare. We started with a foil packet, inserted either chicken or beef, choice of vegetables, a couple pats of butter. and a splatter of some dry ranch dressing mix. The packet was cooked in the fire for 40 minutes and the girls had a yummy self-made dinner.
Other activities involved giggling girls until the wee hours of the morning, nature hikes, overturned canoes, skinned knees, mosquito bites, scavenger hunts, hidden breakfasts, fishing, making blankets for the homeless, hosting game nights in a battered women’s shelter, and making memories with those who would become lifelong friends.
Those capable little girls proved their strength, resilience, creativity, ingenuity, and generosity in every meeting and activity. I’m thankful they gave me the opportunity to watch them grow from gangly little girls missing their front teeth to beautiful young women who are making this world a better place.
They are definitely memories worth keeping.
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.
That’s how long, I will be your friend.
A fire burns bright, it warms the heart.
We’ve been friends,from the very start.
You have one hand, I have the other.
Put them together, We have each other.
Silver is precious, Gold is too.
I am precious, and so are you.
You help me, and I’ll help you
and together we will see it through.
The sky is blue The Earth is green
I can help to keep it clean
Across the land, Across the sea
Friends forever, We will always be
Based on poem New Friends and Old Friends by Joseph Parry, paraphrased and rewritten as a campfire song by unknown/anonymous.
Sounds like a delightful way to grow up !
That’s beautiful! Such healthy activities for young girls to undertake and learn valuable life lessons along the way.
Hello fellow contender in the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I just wanted to drop by to thank you for checking out my blog earlier and in tribute to you, I’ve tagged you in my post for today. Kowtow to the Knightwriter. I love your friend poem, by the way! Feel free to check it out! Cheers and best wishes through the rest of the challenge.
I had only ever heard the first two lines of that poem/song. Interesting. Good memories. I sometimes wonder when folks succumb to Alzheimers if they lose those precious parts of themselves.
My husband’s grandfather forgot everything and everyone, until they started playing some of the old big band standards. He remembered every beat and lyric. I pray every day that I’m not afflicted with that horrible disease and my heart goes out to families that experience it.