How can you use resources wisely with old Girl Scout fun patches? Here are 8 ways for you to try.
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If you have been a leader long enough, you wind up with an assortment of odds and ends craft materials and old fun patches. Some of the patches are dated and some are from events that happened long ago. What can you do with these old Girl Scout fun patches and use your resources wisely?
Use Old Girl Scout Fun Patches for SWAPS
SWAPS, according to the GSUSA website, are “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.” They are small tokens of friendship that Girl Scouts exchange with one another, and each SWAP uniquely reflects a fellow Girl Scout, their troop, or a memory of a special event.
Your troop can make SWAPS to exchange with a local troop or a troop from another state. You can find troops to exchange with in the Girl Scout Facebook groups.
If you want to cover a dated patch, you can glue rhinestones over the date.
Use Old Girl Scout Fun Patches for Geocaching
Geocaching is the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. There is also a Girl Scout Junior Geocaching badge to earn. Place it in a plastic bag so it does not get ruined.
Sell Your Old Girl Scout Fun Patches
There are many Girl Scout Facebooks groups where you can buy and sell badges, patches, tee shirts, cookie rewards and more. Depending on the patch, your troop will get between 50 cents to one dollar. You will need to decide if it is worth you time to sell them. It is easiest to sell them in bulk for one price plus shipping. Getting something is better than having them sit around, and another troop will be happy to be using them.
Pass Out Old Girl Scout Fun Patches
If your girls have a booth at a craft fair, you are trying to recruit girls, or you are marching in a arade, you can hand old old Girl Scout fun patches to the people you encounter.
Makingfriends suggests covering the date with a gem. We plan on doing that for a few this year. We’ve also put them our troop banner. One year we the girls wanted Styrofoam globes as table decoration for bridging ceremony. We made cardboard bases for them and covered the bases with old patches.
Display Old Girl Scout Fun Patches at Cookie Booths-Two Ways
Another crafty idea is to sew the patches onto a tablecloth your troop uses for cookie booth sales and craft fairs.
You can also glue them on trifold displays, along with photos of the girls, showing customers what your troop has done with their earned cookie money.
Decorate a Canvas Bag with Old Girl Scout Fun Patches
Here is a way to use resources wisely and teach your girls to be responsible for what they say and do. They can decorate a plain canvas bag to use as their Girl Scout bag for each meeting. Here is what you will need:
- Bulk canvas bags in the color of your choice
- Tacky glue or fabric blue
- Fabric markers or permanent markers
Depending on how many patches you have, the girls can glue the fun patches on one side or both sides. have them write their first name on the bag.
Teach Your Troop How to Sew with Old Girl Scout Fun Patches
One of the most favorite badges for troops everywhere are the retired sewing badges. Even if the badge is hard to find, it is still a necessary life skill for your girls to learn. You can use the old patches to teach this skill.
You will need:
- Fabric squares
- Needle and thread
- Scissors
- Extra volunteers
Once the girls have the basics down, if you have the time and talent, you can make a small blanket, table covering or table runner with the squares.
What have you done with old Girl Scout fun patches?
