Guest Author - Diana Laulainen-Schein

The one question I always get from parents is "What parts of the uniform must my daughter have?" The answer varies by age-level.

Daisys need the blue smock. Everything else is optional, but chances are your five year old will wear whatever cute thing you buy.

Brownies absolutely must have a vest. Everything else is optional, except in my house. I know that by fourth grade, my daughter won't wear any Girl Scout anything, so we have a skort, a shirt, a tie, and some tights. She's worn the tie once, to an investiture, but I can generally get her to wear the uniform on meeting days.

Juniors need either a vest or a sash. My advice is to go with the vest. The sashes tend to fall of their shoulders approximately every third second. If you absolutely have to buy a sash, I suggest buying a shirt to go with it and sew a snap on the underside of the sash and the shoulder of the shirt. I suspect the only other items your Junior scout will wear are any number of Girl Scout t-shirts, but they have some other cute items, so ask your daughter.

Cadettes and Seniors need a sash or vest (see notes above). At this age, you're better off just asking your Scout what, if anything, she wants and will wear. T-shirts or polos may be your best bet.

Girl Scout uniforms and clothing can be bought from your Council shop, from the national Girl Scout website, or though JC Penneys.

If you choose to buy through Penneys, be sure to take advantage of their web coupons. A simple search of for JC Penney's coupons usually will yield you a coupon for some $$ off or free shipping.

Both the national site and Penneys offers "outlet" or "clearance" items from time to time. Your council shop, however, is likely to offer the best selection of t-shirts and other fun Girl Scout items.