The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting features seven Legacy badges
that build on 100+ years of Girl Scout history. Each of these badges
(Artist, Athlete, Citizen, Cook, First Aid, Girl Scout Way, and
Naturalist), is available at five levels of Girl Scouting, from Brownie
to Ambassador. In addition, the Girl's Guides include lots of details on
Girl Scout traditions and history.
Girls can participate in ceremonies honoring Founder's Day or Juliette Low's Birthday,
October 31. This valued Girl Scout tradition is a time to remember the
important role Juliette Low played in the development of the Girl Scout
movement in the United States. Girls might even plan a trip to the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia.
Here are a few other popular traditions (many included in The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting) for Girl Scouts to enjoy. Your local Girl Scout community and council might have their own special traditions, too.
Girl Scouts make the Girl Scout sign when they say the Girl Scout Promise. The three fingers represent the three parts of the Promise.
The Girl Scout motto is "Be prepared." In the 1947 Girl Scout Handbook,
the motto was explained this way: "A Girl Scout is ready to help out
wherever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must
know how to do the job well, even in an emergency." The same ideas are
true today.
The Girl Scout slogan, which has been used since
1912, is "Do a good turn daily." The slogan is a reminder of the many
ways girls can contribute positively to the lives of others.
Girl Scouts can greet each other with the Girl Scout handshake,
used by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all over the world. The handshake
is made by shaking hands with the left hand and making the Girl Scout
sign with the right. The left hand is nearest to the heart and signifies
friendship.
The friendship circle stands for an unbroken chain
of friendship with Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world.
Everyone stands in a circle, crosses their right arms over their left,
and clasps hands with their friends on both sides. Everyone makes a
silent wish as a friendship squeeze is passed from hand to hand.
Girl Scouts often make small tokens of friendship to exchange with
the Girl Scouts they meet when they travel. These little gifts are
called SWAPS, which stands for Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere or Shared With A Pal.