I went multi-level with my troop this year in a big way; I have girls from grade 2 to grade 6. I was hesitant to do it, but it's been very very easy and wonderful in so many ways.

Girl Scout cookie offerings change every year and one of the most persistent questions I get is about what kinds of cookies were offered and when. This is going to be an ongoing article that I will update whenever I find new info on cookies through the years.

The first round of journeys had the tag line "It's your World: Change It" and received a mixed and often-cool reaction from experienced Girl Scout leaders. The second round, due out sometime in the summer of 2009, has the tag line "It's your Planet: Love It."

The official Girl Scout uniform is a white shirt and khaki pants. This plain, school-uniform type of uniform was approved, I suspect, in order to make it easy for families to afford and find items.

I have tired very very hard to get my girls interested in the new Journeys. I have failed miserably. My troop is now a mixed-level troop from ages 7-12, so I bought and examined each applicable Journey.

"When we talk about 'Discover, Connect, Take Action,' we don´t mean 'discover how to make jam.'" ~~ Eileen Doyle, Senior VP of Program Development at GSUSA in a presentation explaining that the real intention of "Discover" is for girls to make discoveries about themselves and their values.

The new Girl Scout Journey program is called "It’s Your World—Change It!" The Cadette journey is entitled "aMaze: The Twists and Turns of Getting Along" and is basically about relational aggression among girls and how to deal with it.

GSUSA, or rather the National administration of GSUSA, has determined that henceforth all girls will be assigned levels according to their grade not their age.

The 51st National GSUSA convention is being held in Indianapolis this year October 30th to November 2nd. As one Girl Scout leader put it, "this could be a major convention in terms of impact on the organization."

Recruitment in Girl Scouts has often relied heavily on the good will of the educational system. In other words, volunteers held round ups or sent home flyers via the schools.